Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-29
MRS. FLORIDA WHITE BEATTY.
DistinguIshed Daughter of Ken
tueky who Once Gwne1 200 Slaves.
Nnshrlne Annericnn

Mrs. Ellen Adair Beatty passed through
the city last evening en- route from Blue
Ridge Springs. Virginia, her accustom
ed place for spending the summer, to
Craggie Hope, where she will spend
some time with her niece, Mrs Murray
ard family, of Memphis Mrs. BE ttIv
is a remaI kable lady. She is daughter
of Governor John Adair, of Kentucky.
At the age of 18 she married Joseph NJ
White, of Florida, who was elec ed to
Congress from that State and continued
to represent it at Washington for twelve
years without ever going to the
STATE or even asking the suffrages of
his constituency. He declined to serve
longer before each election, and finally
was allowed to retire on the pretext that
his wife's health required a change. He
then went on an important foreign mis-.
sion, and remained abroad many years,
whereby his gifted and beautiful wife
possessed extraOrdiary advantages in
sharing the honOrs of dignitarles in
church and Safe. She was hOnOred by
private interview with the Pope of
r )me fifty years ago without paying the
usual homage of kissing his toe, and not
cnly did he pledge ever to receive whom
sOever she might see proper to commend
aud TO remember her IN his prayers, but
he sent her some valuable presents,
among which was an elegant diamond
cross with an exquisite representation of
the Saviour in amethyst. Mr.. White
was successful lawyer, and at bis death
left an estate of half million dollars.
Five years and more had elapsed after
his death when Mrs "Florda" White as
she was known in Washington, married
Dr. Beatty, of New Orleans. He died
in about five years. when she retired TO
the privacy of her estate in florida
There shesremained alone with her two
hundred slaves until the results of the
war made changes necessary. When
Mr.. Lincoln issued the emancipation
proclamation, she called them together
and explained 10 them its import. They
readily understood, for she had, with
diligence. taught them to read and write.
1t was sad news to them, and they
begged permission to procure arms to
drive from their home the people who
lnterfered with its peace and happiness.
The perils of war having made it unsafe,
as her neighbOIs believed, for her to re
main on her place, they had about pre-
vailed upon her to leave it, when unds
putable proof was given that her ser
wants. antic pating the danger. had kept
up vigilant patrol of her premises for
months.
AT er the war she returned to Wash
ington, and has regarded that as her
home since. But for the kindness of
merchants in New York refusing to send
money she had lent them in time of
peace upon her demand, when the Con-
federacy was in need, she would have
aided it so that at the close of the war
she would have been penniless. Although
past eighty years of age she possesses
her faculties quite perfectly. Her mem
Ory is excellent When younger she and
Mrs. President Polk were special friends,
and last evening as the train stopped at
MurfreesbOrO she incidentally remarked
that few yeal ago Mrs Polk reminded
her, while On visit here, that the first
time they ever met was at Murfreesboro.
where Mrs. p was raised when they
were both lasses. Little Ellen Adair, of
Kentucky, had gone on quite a journey
with her uncle. Col. Anderson. father of
Gen. Patten Anderson and Butler p.
Anderson. After the war she busted
herself in the building of a Southern
Presbyterian Church at Washington,
and from one of her own sacrifices she
gave a couple of thousand dollars rea
lized on the sale of her diamond cross
1t was relic that she greatly priced,
and she would not have parted with It,
but although she bad educated seven
teen children, she was never a mother,
hence there was no person on whom she
could so satisfactorily bestow it as in
giving to her cqurch.