The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-25
AN OLD WOMAN.
"A Kentucky Centenarian Who Knew Jeffer-
son and John Randolph Very Well.
Margaret j. Preston.

"A kentucky Centenar1an VINO anew Oeucr-
son and John Randolph Very Well.
The Cincinnati Post publishes picture of
and an interview with Mrs. Charlotte Robinson,
nearly one hundred years old, living in Coving-
ton. She says:
l was born at Liberty, the county seat of Bed
ford county, Virginia, twenty-five miles from
Lynchburg. Our family name was Gallery
inally was spelled CARRIE. l remember my
grandfather commenting upon the new name
that the people had given us, and which in our
time we gave ourselves. My father was In good
circumstances and a captain in the war; Did
ever see General Washington Oh, yes, when
was child remember how hee happened to
be at our house. He and my father were well
acquainted, and after the war they went to-
gether to New York, and there bought two
colored boys brothers. When General Wash
ington returned from Washington City
on one occasion. his colored boy, then grown to
be man, had disappeared. He learned that the
boy had come to our place III Bedford county to
see his brother, and so he came after him.
was only child then, but I remember that he
was very fond of children, for he took me on his
knee and tossed me and made much of me. My
father died while was still child aud while
at Marion College l married my cousin. Tubal
was cousin to General Jubal Early's mother.
She admired my husband very much, and
named her son, the General, after him, but by
some mistake made in the pronunciation or
spelling he was named Jubal, instead of Tubal,
as intended. / never saw General Early His
folks lived in Charlotte county, which was a
long way off in those days My relationship
with him, you see, IS very remote, and yet he is
the only relative have living. have outlived
all my relatives and friends, and I am alone
Alone, and in poverty!
Oh, yes, ] knew jefferson very we'll. His
place was called Poplar Forest, located in Bed
ford county, and he was near neighbor of my
husbands father, who, you know, was also my
uncle. Ny uncle thought much of Mr.. Jeffer
son; indeed he thought just such another man
never lived. was young girl and my unce's
pet. Almost on every occasion when he went to
visit Mr.. Jefferson he would call for little Char
lotte Il was small of stature) and have me seat
ed on the horse behind him. You know nearly
everybody travelled on horseback in those days
l was, therefore, frequently at Mr. Jefferson's
house while he lived at Poplar Forest. After
wards he moved to Monticello, and / saw him
very seldom. Mr.. jefferson was very sociable
man. and homely, thought, with his ford COM
plexon and sandy, bushy hair. He had no fam
lily then. He and his wife had separated and he
was living alone. don't think they ever came
together again.
seen him very often and knew him very we'll.
He was little man. with dark complexion, and
had Indian blood in his veins. He prided him
self on being descendant of Pocahontas, and
was very eccentric. He frequently came to our
town with his great pack of hounds to hunt. He
would organize company of ladies and gentle
men to 60 on the mountains. He bought (you
know he was very rich) the Peaks of Otter,
which were the highest peaks of the Blue Ridge
and up the mountains the whole party would
go. But there was one point beyond which
the women never could go. Almost quarter
of a mile from the summit one peak was
very steep, and in order that the ladies might
reach the top he had wooden starways made all
the way up. He was a bachelor, whom we
called the Duke of Roanoke, and paid his ad-
dresses to a young lady of our town named
Clarssa Gilmore, sister-in-law of the hotel
keeper. He proposed to her, but she told him
she would like to own the Dukes money, but be-
lieved she preferred not to take the Duke. She
a very beautiful girl. His black hair had
turned gray then He had few ardent friends;
he was arrogant, and wanted to govern every
body. There was always grand ball when he
visited our town.
Yes, / have seen General jackson at nv
mothers house after the battle of New Orleans
Her fathers brother married the sister of Gen.
Jackson's wife. Her family name was Donel-
son. General Jacksons wife had a former hus-
band named Roberts Ny cousin. Bishop Early
my husbands brother was the last of my imme-
date relatives, and he died about ten years ago.
In the year 1885 my husband, my mother and
myself came to Cincinnati. We had considera-
BILE means, and purchased property at Goshen,
o., where we lived many years. There lost
both my mother and husband, and came to Gov
ington, where / married a second husband, Mr..
Robinson. We went to live near Ludlow KY,
and there | have lived ever since, until nv
house was burned last fall.