1. 
She married Alexander Humphreys M.D. in Rockbridge Co., VA, April 8, 1788. Alexander was born in County Armagh, Ireland 1757. Alexander was the son of John Humphreys and Margaret Carlisle. Alexander died May 23, 1802 in near Staunton, VA, at 44 years of age. His body was interred in Staunton, VA. Alexander's occupation: Physician. At 32 years of age Alexander became the father of John Brown Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1789. At 33 years of age Alexander became the father of Margaret Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1790. At 37 years of age Alexander became the father of James B. Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1794. At 37 years of age Alexander became the father of Samuel P. Humphreys in Staunton, VA, 1794. At 39 years of age Alexander became the father of David Carlisle Humphreys in Staunton, VA, October 15, 1796. At 42 years of age Alexander became the father of Elizabeth L. Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, January 1800. At 44 years of age Alexander became the father of Alexander Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1801. Alexander Humphreys took degrees in medicine and surgery at the University of Edinburgh. He settled at Staunton, Virginia in 1787. A brief sketch of his life from The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia by John Frederick Dorman (Filson Club, 1982) follows: Mary Brown, second daughter of John and Margaret (Preston) Brown, was born 14 July 1763 and died 28 Jan. 1836, South Frankfort, Ky. She married 8 April 1788 Dr. Alexander Humphreys who was born 1757, County Armagh, Ireland, and died 23 May 1802, Staunton, Va. Alexander Humphreys took degrees in medicine and surgery at the University of Edinburgh. He settled in Staunton, Va., in 1787 and on 22 March 1788 was granted permission by the County Court to build an "elaboratory" on the prison lot. In 1787 and 1788 he was appointed by the Court to examine applicants for Revolutionary War pensions, On 20 Dec. 1791 he was recommended to be added to the Commission of the Peace of Augusta County, and he took the oaths of a justice on 20 March 1792. The Act creating Staunton Academy, passed 4 Dec. 1792, named him as one of the trustees, and he was appointed president of the Board of Trustees 23 May 1793. On 12 Nov. 1793 he entered into partnership with George G. McIntosh to practice physic and surgery. After his death Mrs. Humphreys moved to Frankfort, Ky., where in 1802-03 she built a house on Second Street which was later known as the Haggin House. The following biographical material is taken from Augusta Historical Bulletin, Vo. 3, No., 2 (Fall, 1967): ALEXANDER HUMPHREYS, M. D. 1757-1802 (Address delivered before the Augusta County Medical Association on the occasion of the dedication of a bronze tablet at the grave of Dr. Humphreys in Trinity Churchyard, Staunton, Virginia, April 15, 1951.) by Richard P. Bell, M. D. Staunton, Virginia. Today is an important one in the medical history of this city and county. The dedication this afternoon of the new King's Daughters' Hospital will, we believe, usher in for us a new era in medical practice; and on this day, when we are looking forward with so much hope and so much confidence, our Medical Society chooses also to look backward over a long period of time to the years between 1757 and 1802. This was the short life span of the man in whose honor we are here gathered. Who was this Dr. Alexander Humphreys and what did he do to warrant this long retrospect? Alexander Humphreys was born in County Armagh, Ulster Province, in the north of Ireland, in 1757, being one of a family of ten children. His people were prosperous, well-educated members of the so-called Scotch-Irish race. That term, I claim, is a misnomer. These people were pure Scotch, transplanted to the north of Ireland by the forces of economic, political and religious adversity; and though living in Ireland, pure Scotch they remained. They neither intermarried nor intermingled with the native Irish; and now, after four hundred years, those who remain in Ireland of that Scotch-Irish race are still pure Scotch. Of Alexander Humphreys' boyhood, we know little, except that he received the best schooling available. His people were highly religious and of strictest Covenanter type. His mother's brother, Dr. Carlisle, was a well-known medical practitioner nearby; and young Alexander, having decided in his early youth on medicine as a profession, in due time became the pupil of his uncle. Those were the days of Preceptorships, when medical students read medicine and secured practical instruction in the homes and offices of successful practitioners. This tutelage continued from two to four years; and after this time some students entered directly into private, independent practice. Others transferred to medical schools, which were few in number, and there finished their education under eminent professors, many of them receiving finally the M. D. degree, but a considerable number entering practice with no degree. Alexander Humphreys, after absorbing all the medical lore Dr. Carlisle could impart, betook himself across the narrow waters and enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, then the most famous medical school in the world. After three years he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. By this time he had attained the age of twenty-five. The lure of America which was affecting so many of his countrymen began to draw him and he decided at about the termination of the Revolutionary War to emigrate to Virginia. The Scotch in Ireland were no lovers of England, and Humphreys doubtless heartily sympathized with the American Colonies and rejoiced in their triumph over the mother country. In fact, he had an older brother in Virginia who had lived in Augusta County near Greenville since 1764, and who had fought in the American Army. This brother, David Carlisle Humphreys, had become an influential citizen of the county; he had married a distant cousin, Miss Finley, and they had raised a large family of boys and girls who had intermarried with leading families in the county. Many descendants of David Carlisle Humphreys still live in this area. And so young Alexander, with his new medical degree and much enthusiasm, emigrated to the New World, came directly to Augusta County and settled near his brother's home. He lived and practiced in the county between the years 1783 and 1787. The latter year found him in Staunton, lured hither by the greater opportunities offered by residence in the county seat and largest town west of the Blue Ridge. And what sort of place did he find himself in when he moved here? A frontier town of about eight hundred people, one-fourth of them colored slaves; one church, the parish church of the county. The block surrounding this church had been presented in 1750 to the county by William Beverley. The cemetery was the community burying ground and was so used by all denominations and races until 1850 when it could hold no more graves. There were from fifteen to eighteen stores in the town, and seven inns. Staunton was at the crossing of two important highways and in those days of great migration to the west and south, many travellers stopped here. There was a courthouse, a primitive prison, a whipping post and a ducking stool, the latter never having been used because there was insufficient water in Lewis Creek to operate it. There were three doctors in the town besides Dr. Humphreys: William Groves, Hugh Richie and Alexander Long. Of them we know little. Richie was a Frenchman who had come over with the French troops who fought in the Revolution. There were no four-wheeled vehicles in Staunton, and only two gigs, or two-wheelers. Neither of these was owned by a doctor, so we conclude that these four were doctors on foot, sometimes on horseback. We have interesting but unflattering descriptions of the Staunton of that period written by two foreigners, an Englishman named Isaac Wald, and a Frenchman by the name of Rochefoucauld. From their accounts we learn that there were about two hundred houses in the town, mainly built of stone; that military titles and uniforms were very numerous; that gambling and betting were prevalent; that the food markets held twice weekly were exceedingly poor and that the horse races were miserable. Also, that the manners of the people were about like those of Richmond, whatever that may have implied. There was no post-office until 1793. The town was governed until 1802 by Trustees elected by the freeholders. Into such a town moved Dr. Alexander Humphreys in 1787, four years after peace had been concluded with England. He was then thirty years of age. The following year he married Mary, the fourth child of the Reverend John Brown of New Providence Church, the first Presbyterian minister of Rockbridge County, and a man of outstanding character, education and intellect. Dr. Brown had a marked effect for good in his community. Beside his great work in his Church, he established and taught the first school in this part of the Valley of Virginia. Four sons and two daughters were born to Alexander and Mary Humphreys. Searching for information about Dr. Alexander Humphreys, we find references to him in court records, deed books, various medical histories of his time, in government archives, in private letters and other sources. Pieced together, these records and references, all too few, seem to present the picture of a man whose short life had three different aspects:--his life as a citizen in a growing pioneer town; his life as a busy doctor; and his life as a teacher of medical students. As a citizen of his new home, he soon came into prominence. We find him in 1790 helping to organize a Fire Company. Along with about forty of the leading business and professional men of the town, he became a member of that highly important organization. We next find him appointed by the court to a committee of five prominent citizens to report on plans for a new jail. We have records of his buying and selling numerous pieces of real estate in the town and in this and adjoining counties. We note his appointment, in 1791, as Gentleman Justice of the Peace. In 1792, with twelve other leading men, he was appointed by the Legislature as Trustee of the Staunton Academy, the first school established in the town. He was elected first president of its Board, and the following year we read of his serving on a committee of three Trustees to examine an applicant for the chair of Latin and Greek in the new school. During Dr. Humphreys' life-time this academy was housed in rented rooms; but the year of his death saw the construction of a large brick schoolhouse on the northeast corner of New and Academy streets, which stood until about forty years ago. Dr. Humphreys served on a court of Gentlemen Justices, acting as a grand jury which indicted John Bullitt for horse-stealing, for which capital crime this unfortunate man was hung at the place of execution located by the court at the intersection of New and Augusta streets in the then northern limits of the town. From this fact that part of Staunton was for many years known as Gallows Town. As a practitioner of medicine, Dr. Humphreys appears to have soon become exceedingly busy and increasingly well-known throughout the town, the county and adjoining counties. His name appears in numerous court records attesting wills of prominent citizens, certifying the fitness of midwives to perform their duties, examining Revolutionary War pensioners. Some of these latter records show his intimate knowledge of anatomy. In 1793 he found it necessary to employ an apothecary to assist him with his work. Accordingly, he wrote to Edinburgh and secured the services of one George C. McIntosh, making a contract with him for a period of four years. McIntosh after one year defaulted on the agreement and entered practice independently, advertising his services to the public, claiming to have graduated at Edinburgh and to have studied under the great Dr. Monroe. Humphreys sued him for breach of contract, but the suit was dismissed at the cost of the defendant. In 1788, soon after his arrival in Staunton, Humphreys petitioned the court for permission to erect an "elaboratory" on the prison lot. Permission was granted and he accordingly built a workshop at about the site of the present jail. Here he compounded drugs and carried on dissection for his own benefit and for that of his students. His own office and rooms for instructing students were also located in this building. His fame spread, he was sent for by doctors at a distance in consultation over difficult cases. One of these consultations we know was historic. Dr. Jesse Bennett, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, had settled in Rockingham County at the village of Edom. On January 14, 1794, his own wife was in labor with her first child. The labor was prolonged and unproductive, and Dr. Bennett, becoming alarmed, dispatched a messenger for Dr. Humphreys. On his arrival, the two endeavored in every way to bring about a successful delivery, attempting to apply forceps several times. The pelvis was found to be contracted and normal delivery impossible. Two procedures were then discussed: first craniotomy, with destruction of the child; second Caesarian section, an operation never performed on a living woman up to that time. Dr. Humphreys advised against the Caesarian operation and advocated craniotomy. Mrs. Bennett, the patient, then spoke up and begged for the Caesarian section, saying thata she felt sure she would die under either procedure and wanting the life of the child saved. Dr. Bennett then requested Dr. Humphreys to operate, but he most positively desclined to do so. Bennett then decided to attempt the job himself and accordingly, on a table of two planks resting on barrels, with two negro women holding the patient and a huge dose of laudanum the only anesthetic, this heroic maan proceeded to perform the first Caesarian section in history on a living woman, and remarkable to relate, both mother and child survived and lived, both of them to old age. Dr. Bennett has not been accorded the place in history which he deserves, because he failed to report the case in medical literature. When asked by his colleagues wwhy he failed so to report it, he replied that there were two reasons - First, no decent man would report such an operation on his own wife; and, second, his medical friends already knew of the operation and that doctors who didn't know him would never believe him if he reported it, and he was not going to give them the opportunity to call him a liar. This operation has since been duly authenticated and recorded by other doctors. It antedated Ephraim McDowell's ovariotomy by fifteen years. Incidentally, double ovariectomy was done by Dr. Bennett as part of the operation. But it is as a teacher that the name of Alexander Humphreys has persisted for one hundred and fifty years in medical history; and it is mainly for his achievements as a teacher of medicine that we honor him here at his grave today. He attracted students from near and far. How many young men studied under him as preceptor, we do not know. Immediately after his death in 1802 his whole family moved to Kentucky and his records were either destroyed or taken along by the family. It is inconceivable that a man of his ability kept no recerds of any sort. Let us hope that there are records and that one of his six children preserved them and that they may some day come to light. Out of the group of young doctors that Dr. Humphreys trained, there are five of whom we know who attained eminence of one sort or another. William Wardlaw, one of his first students, studied here more than two years, then emigrated to Tennessee and became famous in the early medical history of that state. William Wardlaw and another student. James McPheeters, unwillingly brought trouble upon their preceptor. The remains of a human body which they had caused to be exhumed and had used for dissection, were sewed up by them in a crocus sack and deposited in a cave on Sear's Hill. The sack had the name of Dr. Humphreys on it; and after being found and inspected, a grand jury investigation was held. A traveller had disappeared from one of the town taverns and murder was suspected. The grand jury, on hearing the testimony of the students, acquitted Dr. Humphreys; but rumors spread to other towns and he had much worry and unhappiness and several lawsuits in connection with the case. Another student was Andrew Kean of Goochland County. He afterwards made a name for himself as a physician in his home county. He was chief surgeon of the Eighth Regiment of Virginia Militia in the War of 1812. He became more and more eminent after this war and was offered a chair in the medical school of Thomas Jefferson's new University of Virginia. He declined the offer and continued in private practice. William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States, in his youth started to study medicine under Dr. Andrew Leiper of Richmond. He then came to Staunton and continued his studies under Dr. Humphreys. Then he entered the University of Pennsylvania and was there when his father, Benjamin Harrison, of Charles City County, died. William Henry Harrison then gave up medicine and entered the Army, rising to the grade of General. He defeated the Indians at the famous battle of Tippecanoe Creek and soon thereafter was elected President, defeating Martin Van Buren. He died one month after his inauguration and was succeeded by Tyler, his vice-president and a fellow Virginian. Samuel Brown, younger brother of Dr. Humphreys' wife, was also a medical pupil of his brother-in-law. He studied in Staunton three years and then entered the University of Edinburgh, where he remained two years. He did not graduate, but returned to America in 1795. He tried out several locations, near Washington, in New Orleans, in Alabama, and, finally, he settled in Lexington, Kentucky. He was pioneer vaccinator of America. Four years after Jenner's famous discovery, Samuel Brown had vaccinated successfully more than five hundred persons in Kentucky. Vaccination was still being only tentatively used at that time in the large cities of the East. Brown became professor of medicine in Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, the first medical school west of the Alleghanies. He was also a scientist and contributed to scientific magazines. He wrote the first medical paper published by a Kentucky doctor. He also had the distinction of introducing lithography into America. Last, and most famous of Dr. Humphreys' pupils, was Ephraim McDowell. Born in Rockbridge County just south of Fairfield, he moved to Kentucky with his family at the age of twelve. His father became one of the first judges in the new state. At the age of nineteen, Ephraim returned to Virginia and enrolled under Dr. Humphreys. After three years here, his teacher persuaded him to finish his education in Edinburgh. He remained there two years but did not graduate. He was mainly interested in surgery and was greatly moved and influenced by the famous Edinburgh surgeon and anatomist, John Bell. Returning to America in the late summer of 1794, he remained in Staunton until January, 1795, when he returned to his home in Danville, Kentucky. There he accomplished his amazing and revolutionary work in surgery, acquiring the title of Father of Ovariotomy and Founder of Abdominal Surgery. His work is too well known and reported to be further commented on here. How are we to appraise and evalute the worth of this man, Alexander Humphreys, one hundred and forty-nine years after his passing? I submit that he was a doctor and a teacher far ahead of his times, and that he carried the torch of medical learning with honor to himself and benefit to humanity. It is pleasant to think that he may know of this gathering here today to do him honor; but whether he does or he doesn't, I would say to him:-"Dr. Humphreys, your successors in medicine after many years salute you; and it is our prayer that your great energy, your keen intellect and your abounding zeal to learn and to teach may so inspire us that we may become better and more useful practitioners of the art of healing." REFERENCES 1. Biography of Ephraim McDowell: Mary Young Rutenbaugh. W. J. Donovan; Philadelphia, 1887. 2. Supplement to Kentucky Medical Journal, 33: No. 9, September, 1935. 3. Medicine in Virginia, Wyndham Blanton. 4. Annals of Augusta County, J. Addison Waddell. 5. Doctors on Horseback, Flexner. 6. Surgery, Queen of the Arts, William Haggard. 7. Historic Families of Kentucky, Thomas Marshall Green. 8. Scotch-Irish Influence, Ann. of Med. Hist., 1938, N. S.,X: 71-82, 162-168, H. H. Trout. 9. Augusta County Court Records, Lyman Chalkley. 10. Humphreys Family in America, Frederick Humphreys, M. D., Humphreys Print; New York, 1887. 11. Augusta County Deed Books; Augusta County Will Books; Augusta County Order Books. (Reprint from Virginia Medical Monthly, Vol. 81, pages 13-16, January, 1954)
At 25 years of age Mary became the mother of John Brown Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1789. At 26 years of age Mary became the mother of Margaret Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1790. At 30 years of age Mary became the mother of James B. Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1794. At 30 years of age Mary became the mother of Samuel P. Humphreys in Staunton, VA, 1794. At 33 years of age Mary became the mother of David Carlisle Humphreys in Staunton, VA, October 15, 1796. At 36 years of age Mary became the mother of Elizabeth L. Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, January 1800. At 37 years of age Mary became the mother of Alexander Humphreys in near Staunton, VA, 1801. Mary Brown Humphreys moved to Frankfort, KY in 1802 after the death of her husband.
Mary Brown and Alexander Humphreys, M.D. had the following children:
2
i.
John Brown Humphreys was born in near Staunton, VA 1789. John died July 30, 1835 Lexington, Fayette Co.,
KY, at 46 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. He
married Martha Kenner. Martha was born 1804. Martha was the daughter of William Kenner and Mary Minor.
Martha died April 25, 1873 at 68 years of age.
John's occupation: Sugar Planter.
3
ii.
Margaret Humphreys was born in near Staunton, VA 1790. Margaret died December 1816 in Frankfort, KY,
at 26 years of age. She married Charles Sproule October 31, 1808.
4
iii.
James B. Humphreys was born in near Staunton, VA 1794. James died December 10, 1819 at 25 years of age.
His body was interred. He married ? Harry.
5
iv.
Samuel P. Humphreys was born in Staunton, VA 1794. Samuel died December 10, 1819 at 25 years of age.
His body was interred in Frankfort, KY.
6
v.
David Carlisle Humphreys was born in Staunton, VA October 15, 1796. David died August 19, 1864 in Woodford
Co., KY, at 67 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. He
married Sarah Finley Scott October 6, 1825. Sarah was born in Chillicothe, OH November 27, 1806. Sarah was the daughter
of Joseph Scott, M.D. and Martha Berkley Finley. Sarah died December 4, 1883 in Woodford Co., KY, at 77 years of
age. Her body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. At 19 years of age Sarah became the mother of
Joseph Alexander Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, July 29, 1826. At 21 years of age Sarah became the mother of
Samuel P. Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, June 28, 1828. At 23 years of age Sarah became the mother of Mary Brown
Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, March 1, 1830. At 26 years of age Sarah became the mother of Lucy Caroline Humphreys in
Woodford Co., KY, May 27, 1833. At 28 years of age Sarah became the mother of Martha Humphreys January 28, 1835. At 29
years of age Sarah became the mother of David Carlisle Humphreys August 1, 1836.
David's occupation: Merchant. At 29 years of age David became the father of Joseph Alexander Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, July 29, 1826. At 31 years of age David became the father of Samuel P. Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, June 28, 1828. At 33 years of age David became the father of Mary Brown Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, March 1, 1830. At 36 years of age David became the father of Lucy Caroline Humphreys in Woodford Co., KY, May 27, 1833. At 38 years of age David became the father of Martha Humphreys January 28, 1835. At 39 years of age David became the father of David Carlisle Humphreys August 1, 1836. A sketch of his life from The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia by John Frederick Dorman (Filson Club, 1982) follows: David Carlisle Humphreys, third son of Alexander and Mary (Brown) Humpheys, was born 15 Oct. 1796, Staunton, Va., and died 19 Aug. 1864, "Waverly," Woodford Co., Ky. He married 6 Oct. 1825 Sarah Finley Scott, daughter of Dr. Joseph and Martha Berkley (Finley) Scott, who was born 27 Nov. 1806, Chillicothe, Ohio, and died 4 Dec. 1883, "Waverly." David C. Humphreys was a farmer of Woodford Co., Ky. In 1825 he bought "Sumners Forest," which had formerly been owned by Dr. Preston W. Brown, and he lived there several years before acquiring 3,000 acres near Spring Station where he built "Waverly." He was elected a trustee of Kentucky Seminary at Frankfort in 1825 and was a trustee of Centre College 1844-45. From 1825 to 1828 he was ruling elder and Clerk of Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Frankfort, Ky. His will, dated 7 May 1863, gave to his wife Sarah 460 acres of land, all household and kitchen furniture, the silver ware, books, carriage, carriage horses, the crop growing on the land and ten slaves. He gave to Lucy, Annie, Sally, and Joseph, children of his son Joseph A. Humphreys, "Sumners Forest," about 630 acres which he purchased from Dr. Preston W. Brown and the heirs of Lewis Perry, and thirteen slaves and their children, having given his son a number of slaves and taken up his notes amounting to upwards of $22,000. His daughter Mary G. Humphreys was given 550 acres on the south side of Elkhorn, 125 acres in Scott County adjoining Cottinghan's Mill, all his land in Muhlenburg and Russell counties, a tract in Louisiana owned jointly with the heirs of William Barr, a house and lot in Bloomington, Ill., and 960 and 30 acres in Sangamon Co., Ill., and the crops, farming utensils on these lands, and also twenty-four servants and their children. To his grandsons David C. and Thomas S. Humphreys he gave 1200 acres in Logan Co., Ill., and nine Negroes and their children, and also his claim on their father's estate for money advanced to save his property in Chicago, Chenoah, Kankakee, and Christian Cos., Ill., reserving to Margaret A. Humphreys, wife of his son Samuel, one-third of the income from the rent or hire of the property. He also gave to Margaret A. Humphreys the household and kitchen furniture and books he took at valuation at Samuel P. Humphreys' sale. He emancipated his Negro man Bill Brown. The residue was given to his wife, daughter Mary B. Humphreys, the four children of Joseph A. Humphreys, and the two sons of Samuel P. Humphreys in four equal shares. He gave his gold watch to David C. Humphreys and his Henry rifle to Thomas S. Humphreys. Robert W. Scott and Mason Brown were named executors. A codicil dated at Louisville 8 May 1863 provided for the payment of two notes of Samuel P. Humphreys and gave $1000 to his granddaughter Lucy Humphreys which was the amount belonging to her aunt Lucy C. Alexander, presented to her by A. J. Alexander in consideration of her being named for her. The will was proved Sept. 1864 (Woodford Co.. Ky., Will Book S, pp. 128-30). The inventory of his estate, made 1 Nov. 1864, was valued at $16,703.96 but did not include legacies given in his will and listed cash and notes separately without totals (ibid., pp. 178-80). A division of the "Sumners Forest" land was made in 1883 among Joseph A., Sallie, and Lucy Humphreys (ibid., WIll Book Y, Pp. 276-80).
7
vi.
Elizabeth L. Humphreys was born in near Staunton, VA January 1800. Elizabeth died February 16, 1874 in
Lexington, KY, at 74 years of age. Her body was interred in Lexington Cemetery. She married
Robert Smith Todd in Franklin County, KY, November 1, 1826. Robert was born in Lexington, KY February 25, 1791.
Robert was the son of Levi Todd and Jane Briggs. Robert died July 16, 1849 in Lexington, KY, at 58 years of age.
His body was interred in Lexington Cemetery. Robert's occupation: Lawyer. At 27 years of age Robert became the
father of Mary Todd in Lexington, KY, December 13, 1818. At 28 years of age Robert became the father of Levi Todd
1819. At 29 years of age Robert became the father of Ann Todd 1820. At 37 years of age Robert became the father of
Margaret Todd in Lexington, KY, December 14, 1828. At 39 years of age Robert became the father of Samuel Briggs
Todd in Lexington, KY, March 20, 1830. At 42 years of age Robert became the father of Martha K. Todd June 9, 1833. At
45 years of age Robert became the father of Emilie Paret Todd November 11, 1836. At 47 years of age Robert became the
father of Alexander H. Todd February 16, 1839. At 49 years of age Robert became the father of Elodie Breck Todd April 1,
1840. At 50 years of age Robert became the father of Catherine Bodley Todd October 7, 1841.
At 28 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Margaret Todd in Lexington, KY, December 14, 1828. At 30 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Samuel Briggs Todd in Lexington, KY, March 20, 1830. At 33 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Martha K. Todd June 9, 1833. At 36 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Emilie Paret Todd November 11, 1836. At 39 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Alexander H. Todd February 16, 1839. At 40 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Elodie Breck Todd April 1, 1840. At 41 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Catherine Bodley Todd October 7, 1841.
8
vii.
Alexander Humphreys was born in near Staunton, VA 1801. Alexander died December 9, 1846 in St. James
Parish, LA, at 45 years of age. He married Emilie Perret. Emilie was born in St. Charles
Parish, LA ca 1811. Emilie was the daughter of Evariste Perret and Emilie Delhommer. Emilie became the mother of
Elizabeth L. Humphreys in St. Charles Parish, LA, ca 1835. Emilie became the mother of Elodie Mary Humphreys circa
1837. Emilie became the mother of Amelia C. Humphreys in St. James Parish, LA, ca 1839. Emilie became the mother
of Eulalie Humphreys ca 1841. Emilie became the mother of Maguerite Humphreys in St. James Parish, LA, ca 1844.
Emilie became the mother of Alexander Humphreys in St. Charles Parish, LA, ca 1846.
Alexander became the father of Elizabeth L. Humphreys in St. Charles Parish, LA, ca 1835. Alexander became the father of Elodie Mary Humphreys circa 1837. Alexander became the father of Amelia C. Humphreys in St. James Parish, LA, ca 1839. Alexander became the father of Eulalie Humphreys ca 1841. Alexander became the father of Maguerite Humphreys in St. James Parish, LA, ca 1844. Alexander became the father of Alexander Humphreys in St. Charles Parish, LA, ca 1846.
9. John2 Brown (James3) was born in Ireland circa 1728. John died 1803 in Frankfort, KY, at 75 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY.
He married Margaret Preston in Augusta Co., VA, ca 1754. Margaret was born in Ireland ca 1728. Margaret was the daughter of John Preston and Elizabeth Patton. Margaret died 1802 in Kentucky, at 74 years of age. Her body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. At 27 years of age Margaret became the mother of Elizabeth Brown December 4, 1755. At 29 years of age Margaret became the mother of James Brown September 12, 1757. At 29 years of age Margaret became the mother of John Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 12, 1757. At 31 years of age Margaret became the mother of William Brown November 22, 1759. At 32 years of age Margaret became the mother of William Brown November 22, 1760. At 35 years of age Margaret became the mother of Mary Brown Augusta Co., VA, July 14, 1763. At 38 years of age Margaret became the mother of James Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 11, 1766. At 40 years of age Margaret became the mother of Samuel Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 30, 1769. At 43 years of age Margaret became the mother of David Brown July 8, 1771. At 44 years of age Margaret became the mother of Eben Brown April 27, 1773. At 46 years of age Margaret became the mother of Preston W. Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 15, 1775.
At 27 years of age John became the father of Elizabeth Brown December 4, 1755. At 29 years of age John became the father of James Brown September 12, 1757. At 29 years of age John became the father of John Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 12, 1757. At 31 years of age John became the father of William Brown November 22, 1759. At 32 years of age John became the father of William Brown November 22, 1760. At 35 years of age John became the father of Mary Brown Augusta Co., VA, July 14, 1763. At 38 years of age John became the father of James Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 11, 1766. At 40 years of age John became the father of Samuel Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 30, 1769. At 43 years of age John became the father of David Brown July 8, 1771. At 44 years of age John became the father of Eben Brown April 27, 1773. At 46 years of age John became the father of Preston W. Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 15, 1775. John Brown graduated from Princeton College in 1749. He was a Presbyterian mininster and served the New Providence Church in Rockbridge Co., VA for 44 years. In 1796 he retired and moved to Woodford County, Kentucky where he resided at an estate known as "Sumner's Forest" on the Shannon Run Pike. His biography from The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia by John Frederick Dorman (The Filson Club, 1982) follows: John Bown was a graduate of Princeton College in 1749.[1] He was licensed by New Castle Presbytery and sent to the Valley of Virginia, where in 1753[2] he was called to Providence and Timber Ridge churches in Augusta County. He was ordained at Fagg's Manor, Chester Co., Pa., 11 Oct. 1753 and was one of the six ministers of the Presbytery of Hanover when it was formed in 1755.[3] On 25 Aug. 1756 he was one of the four appointed by Hanover Presbytery to transact business when the Presbytery could not meet.[4] He established a grammar school near his residence one-fourth mile north of the village of Fairfield in Augusta County. In 1774 the Presbytery of Hanover adopted this school and appointed William Graham teacher under Brown. In 1777 the school was transferred to Timber Ridge and later it was moved to Lexington. He was a trustee of this school, then known as Augusta Academy, from 1776 until 1782. From it developed Washington and Lee University.[5] About 1763 a difference took place between Brown and some of the leading men of the Timber Ridge congregation.[6] As a result, he resigned the ministerial charge of Timber Ridge in Oct. 1767 and thereafter confined his labors to New Providence Church.[7] Many of the Timber Ridge members retained such an affection for him, however, that they attended almost steadily the New Providence meetings and communions.[8] He was the moderator of the first stated meeting of Lexington Presbytery, held at Timber Ridge 26 Sept. 1786, and was again moderator of the meeting at New Providence Church 20 Oct. 1788.[9] In 1796, weighed down by the infirmities of age, he resigned as pastor of New Providence Church.[10] Shortly thereafter he moved to Kentucky and resided at "Sumners Forest" in Woodford County.[11] Footnotes: 1 Princeton University, Catologus (Princeton, 1857), p. 17. His diploma is preserved in the University library. 2 Alfred Nevin, ed., Encyclopaedia of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (Philadelphia, 1864), p. 106; William Henry Foote, Sketches of Virginia, v. 2 (Philadelphia, 1856), p. 94; Washington and Lee University, Historical Papers, no. 2 (Baltimore, 1890), p. 11; National Genealogical Society Quarterly, v. 59, pp. 24-26. 3 Contributions to the History of the Synod of Virginia (Washington, 1890), p. 34. 4 Foote, op. cit., p. 57. 5 Nevin, op. cit., p. 943; Washington and Lee University, The Alumni Directory (Lexington, 1926), p. 27. 6 Foote, op. cit., p. 59. 7 Ibid., p. 97. The records of Hanover Presbytery for 11 Oct. 1767 state: "Mr. Brown laid before Presbytery the extent of his charge, and the difficulties of performing the duties of his functions, and also declared to the Presbytery that he verily believes that his usefulness is at an end in Timber Ridge Congregation; and as he apprehends it would be for the good of said congregation that the pastoral relation he sustains to them should be dissolved (the people of Timber Ridge in the mean time petitioning against his dismission, and sending commissioners to oppose it), the Presbytery . . . leave it to himself to continue with them. or confine himself to Providence, at his own discretion." 8 Foote op. cit., p. 60. 9 Howard McKnight Wilson, The Lexington Presbytery Heritage (n.p., 1971), p. 417. 10 Ibid., p. 99; Nevin, op. cit., p. 943. 11William E. Railey, History of Woodford County (Frankfort, Ky., 1938), p. 78; Woodford Co., Ky., tax book, 1798, cited in The Filson Club History Quarterly, v. 19, p. 22.
John Brown and Margaret Preston had the following children:
10
i.
Elizabeth1 Brown was born December 4, 1755. Elizabeth died 1829 at 73 years
of age. She married Rev. Thomas Brown Craighead. Rev. was born Augusta Co., VA 1753. Rev.
was the son of Alexander Craighead and Agnes. Rev. died September 11, 1824 in Davidson Co., TN, at 71 years of
age. Rev.'s occupation: Minister. Rev. became the father of John Brown Craighead in Virginia, ca 1782. At 30
years of age Rev. became the father of William Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1783. At 34 years of age Rev.
became the father of Jane Craighead in Nashville, TN, 1787. At 37 years of age Rev. became the father of David
Craighead in near Nashville, TN, 1790. At 39 years of age Rev. became the father of Alexander Craighead in Nashville,
TN, 1792. At 42 years of age Rev. became the father of James Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1795. At 45 years
of age Rev. became the father of Thomas Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1798.
Elizabeth became the mother of John Brown Craighead in Virginia, ca 1782. At 27 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of William Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1783. At 31 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Jane Craighead in Nashville, TN, 1787. At 34 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of David Craighead in near Nashville, TN, 1790. At 36 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Alexander Craighead in Nashville, TN, 1792. At 39 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of James Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1795. At 42 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Thomas Brown Craighead in Haysboro, TN, 1798.
11
ii.
James Brown was born September 12, 1757. James Brown died in infancy.
12
iii.
John Brown was born in near Staunton, VA September 12, 1757. John died August 29, 1837 in Frankfort,
KY, at 79 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. He
married Margaretta Mason February 21, 1799. Margaretta was the daughter of John Mason and Catharine Van Wyck.
Margaretta became the mother of Mason Brown in Philadelphia, PA, November 10, 1799. Margaretta became the mother
of Orlando Brown in Frankfort, KY, September 26, 1801. Margaretta became the mother of Alfred Brown February 23,
1803. Margaretta became the mother of Alfred Brown May 9, 1804. Margaretta became the mother of Euphemia Helm
Brown May 24, 1807.
At 42 years of age John became the father of Mason Brown in Philadelphia, PA, November 10, 1799. At 44 years of age John became the father of Orlando Brown in Frankfort, KY, September 26, 1801. At 45 years of age John became the father of Alfred Brown February 23, 1803. At 46 years of age John became the father of Alfred Brown May 9, 1804. At 49 years of age John became the father of Euphemia Helm Brown May 24, 1807. John Brown graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1780 and read law with Thomas Jefferson. He was the first U.S. Senator from Kentucky and served until 1805. At his death in 1837 he was the last surviving member of the Continental Congress. His biography from the Biographical Directory of the American Congress follows: -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BROWN, John, 1757-1837
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Years of Service: 1792-1795; 1795-1805 Party: Anti-Administration; Republican
BROWN, John, (brother of James Brown and grandfather of Benjamin Gratz Brown, cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge, and Francis Preston), a Delegate and a Representative from Virginia and a Senator from Kentucky; born in Staunton, Va., September 12, 1757; attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, Va., and Princeton College; enlisted in the Revolutionary Army and served until the close of the war; completed his studies at William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Va.; taught school for several years; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1782 and commenced practice in Frankfort, Ky.; member, Virginia senate from the district of Kentucky 1784-1788; Delegate from the Kentucky district of Virginia to the Continental Congress in 1787 and 1788; elected from Virginia to the First and Second Congresses and served from March 4, 1789, to June 1, 1792, when that portion of Virginia which is now Kentucky was admitted as a State into the Union; elected on June 18, 1792, to the United States Senate from Kentucky for the term ending March 3, 1793; reelected on December 11, 1792, and again in 1799 and served from June 18, 1792, to March 3, 1805; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Eighth Congress; resumed the practice of law; died in Frankfort, Ky., August 29, 1837; interment in Frankfort Cemetery.
Bibliography
American National Biography; DAB; Sprague, Stuart S. ‘Senator John Brown of Kentucky, 1757-1837: A Political Biography.’ Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1972; Warren, Elizabeth. ‘John Brown and His Influence on Kentucky Politics: 1784-1805.’ Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1937.
13
iv.
William Brown was born November 22, 1759. William Brown died in infancy.
14
v.
William Brown was born November 22, 1760. William died 1783 at 22 years of age.
+
1
vi.
Mary Brown was born July 14, 1763.
15
vii.
James Brown was born in near Staunton, VA September 11, 1766. James died April 7, 1835 in Philadelphia,
PA, at 68 years of age. He married Anne Hart. Anne was the daughter of Thomas Hart and
Susanna Gray. Anne died October 20, 1830.
James's occupation: Attorney. James Brown was the first Secretary of State of Kentucky and served as Professor of Law at Transylvania University, Lexington, KY. He served several terms as U.S. Senator from Louisiana and was Minister to France from 1823 to 1829. His biography from the Biographical Directory of the American Congress follows: BROWN, James, 1766-1835
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Years of Service: 1813-1817; 1819-1823; 1823-1823 Party: Republican; Republican; Adams-Clay Republican
BROWN, James, (brother of John Brown of Virginia and Kentucky [1757-1837], cousin of John Breckinridge, James Breckinridge, and Francis Preston), a Senator from Louisiana; born near Staunton, Va., September 11, 1766; attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, Va., and William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Va.; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Frankfort, Ky.; commanded a company of sharpshooters in an expedition against the Indians in 1789; secretary to the Governor 1792; soon after the cession of the Territory of Louisiana moved to New Orleans and was appointed as secretary of the Territory in 1804; subsequently became United States district attorney for the Territory; elected to the United States Senate on December 1, 1812, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John N. Destrehan, and served from February 5, 1813, to March 3, 1817; unsuccessful candidate for reelection; again elected to the United States Senate in 1819 and served from March 4, 1819, until December 10, 1823, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Sixteenth Congress); appointed United States Minister to France 1823-1829; returned to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pa., where he died on April 7, 1835.
Bibliography
American National Biography; DAB; Padgett, James A., ed. ‘Letters of James Brown to Henry Clay, 1804-1835.’ Louisiana Historical Quarterly 24 (1941): 921-1177.
16
viii.
Samuel Brown was born in Rockbridge Co., VA January 30, 1769. Samuel died January 12, 1830 in Madison Co.,
AL, at 60 years of age. He married Catherine Percy September 27, 1808. Catherine was born in
Wilkinson Co., MS. Catherine was the daughter of Charles Percy and Susannah Collins. Catherine became the mother
of Susan Catherine Brown ca 1810.
Samuel became the father of Susan Catherine Brown ca 1810. The biography of Samuel Brown from The Kentucky Encyclopedia follows: BROWN, SAMUEL. Samuel Brown, physician, was born on January 30, 1769, in Augusta (now Rockbridge) County, Virginia, the eighth of eleven children of the Rev. John and Margaret (Preston) Brown. He earned a B.A. degree in 1789 at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He studied medicine under his brother-in-law, Dr. Alexander Humphreys; as a private pupil of Dr. Benjamin Rush at the medical school in Philadelphia for approximately two years; at Scotland's Edinburgh University for two years; and at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with an M.D. degree in 1794. He first practiced medicine at Bladensburg, Maryland, then moved to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1797 to join his family. In 1799 Brown was named professor of surgery, anatomy, and chemistry and pharmacy at the newly established medical school at Lexington's Transylvania University. In 1806 he moved to New Orleans. On September 27, 1808, Brown married Catherine Percy and settled on a plantation near Natchez, Mississippi. They had three children: Susan Catherine, James, and Catherine. After his wife's death in 1813, he moved to a plantation near Huntsville, Alabama. In 1819 Brown became professor of theory and practice of medicine at Transylvania. Brown, one of the foremost medical professionals of his time, had a wide range of interests and associates. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson and partly through the influence of Jefferson, was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society. He is credited with being the first Kentucky physician to write a medical paper published in the New York Medical Repository, the only medical journal published in the United States at that time. Brown was an early supporter and user of the cowpox virus for smallpox inoculation, and he vaccinated people in Lexington as early as 1802. He is credited with inventing an improved method of distilling spirits that used steam; with first suggesting the method for clarifying ginseng for the Chinese market; with playing a major role in establishing lithography in America (ca. 1819); and with helping to introduce lithotrity into the United States from France (1824). In an attempt to establish harmony and a code of ethics among doctors, Brown founded the Kappa Lambda Society of Hippocrates in Lexington around 1819. After leaving Transylvania in 1825, Brown retired to his Alabama plantation. He died in Alabama on January 12, 1830. See Bayless E. Hardin, "Dr. Samuel Brown, 1769-1830: His Family and Descendants," FCHQ 26 (Jan. 1952): 3-27. JAMES J. HOLMBERG
17
ix.
David Brown was born July 8, 1771. David Brown died in infancy.
18
x.
Eben Brown was born April 27, 1773. Eben Brown died young.
19
xi.
Preston W. Brown was born in Rockbridge Co., VA January 15, 1775. Preston died September 22, 1826 in
Jefferson Co., KY, at 51 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. He married Elizabeth Watts October 13, 1802. Elizabeth became the mother of Louisa V. Brown
December 3, 1803. Elizabeth became the mother of Henrietta Maria Brown 1805. Elizabeth became the mother of Mary
Watts Brown in Woodford Co., KY, 1808. Elizabeth became the mother of Elizabeth Watts Brown in "Sumners Forest",
Woodford Co., KY, July 3, 1811. Elizabeth became the mother of John Preston Watts Brown November 29, 1815.
Preston's occupation: Physician. At 28 years of age Preston became the father of Louisa V. Brown December 3, 1803. At 30 years of age Preston became the father of Henrietta Maria Brown 1805. At 33 years of age Preston became the father of Mary Watts Brown in Woodford Co., KY, 1808. At 36 years of age Preston became the father of Elizabeth Watts Brown in "Sumners Forest", Woodford Co., KY, July 3, 1811. At 40 years of age Preston became the father of John Preston Watts Brown November 29, 1815.
20. Margaret2 Preston (John3, Archibald4) was born in Ireland ca 1728. Margaret died 1802 in Kentucky, at 74 years of age. Her body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY.
She married John Brown in Augusta Co., VA, ca 1754. John was born in Ireland circa 1728. John was the son of James Brown and Jennet Stevenson. John died 1803 in Frankfort, KY, at 75 years of age. His body was interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. At 27 years of age John became the father of Elizabeth Brown December 4, 1755. At 29 years of age John became the father of James Brown September 12, 1757. At 29 years of age John became the father of John Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 12, 1757. At 31 years of age John became the father of William Brown November 22, 1759. At 32 years of age John became the father of William Brown November 22, 1760. At 35 years of age John became the father of Mary Brown Augusta Co., VA, July 14, 1763. At 38 years of age John became the father of James Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 11, 1766. At 40 years of age John became the father of Samuel Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 30, 1769. At 43 years of age John became the father of David Brown July 8, 1771. At 44 years of age John became the father of Eben Brown April 27, 1773. At 46 years of age John became the father of Preston W. Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 15, 1775. (See John Brown for the children resulting from this marriage.)
At 27 years of age Margaret became the mother of Elizabeth Brown December 4, 1755. At 29 years of age Margaret became the mother of James Brown September 12, 1757. At 29 years of age Margaret became the mother of John Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 12, 1757. At 31 years of age Margaret became the mother of William Brown November 22, 1759. At 32 years of age Margaret became the mother of William Brown November 22, 1760. At 35 years of age Margaret became the mother of Mary Brown Augusta Co., VA, July 14, 1763. At 38 years of age Margaret became the mother of James Brown in near Staunton, VA, September 11, 1766. At 40 years of age Margaret became the mother of Samuel Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 30, 1769. At 43 years of age Margaret became the mother of David Brown July 8, 1771. At 44 years of age Margaret became the mother of Eben Brown April 27, 1773. At 46 years of age Margaret became the mother of Preston W. Brown in Rockbridge Co., VA, January 15, 1775.
21. James3 Brown birth date unknown.
He married Jennet Stevenson. Jennet became the mother of John Brown in Ireland, circa 1728.
James became the father of John Brown in Ireland, circa 1728.
James Brown and Jennet Stevenson had the following child:
+
9
i.
John2 Brown was born circa 1728.
22. Jennet3 Stevenson birth date unknown.
She married James Brown. James became the father of John Brown in Ireland, circa 1728. (See James Brown for the children resulting from this marriage.)
Jennet became the mother of John Brown in Ireland, circa 1728.
23. John3 Preston (Archibald4) was born in Ireland. John died circa 1748 in Augusta Co., VA. His body was interred in Tinkling Spring Church, Augusta Co., VA.
He married Elizabeth Patton in Ireland. Elizabeth was born in Burncrannack, Ireland December 25, 1700. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry Patton and Sarah Lynn. Elizabeth died December 25, 1776 in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, at 76 years of age. Elizabeth became the mother of Ann Preston in Ireland. At 27 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Letitia Preston 1728. Elizabeth became the mother of Margaret Preston in Ireland, ca 1728. At 29 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of William Preston in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, December 25, 1729. At 39 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Mary Preston 1740. At 41 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of James Preston in unknown, October 18, 1742.
John became the father of Ann Preston in Ireland. John became the father of Letitia Preston 1728. John became the father of Margaret Preston in Ireland, ca 1728. John became the father of William Preston in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, December 25, 1729. John became the father of Mary Preston 1740. John became the father of James Preston in unknown, October 18, 1742. John Preston came to Virginia in 1738.
John Preston and Elizabeth Patton had the following children:
24
i.
Ann2 Preston was born in Ireland. Ann died 1813. She married Francis Smith August 1761. Francis was the son of Stephen Smith and Phebe Hawkins.
Francis died 1817 in "Woodburn", Woodford Co., KY. Francis became the father of Elizabeth Smith in unknown,
October 16, 1762. Francis became the father of John Smith 1765. Francis became the father of Susanna Smith in
Ma, 1775. Francis became the father of Jane Smith in Ma, 1777. Francis became the father of Agatha
Smith in Ma, 1780.
Ann became the mother of Elizabeth Smith in unknown, October 16, 1762. Ann became the mother of John Smith 1765. Ann became the mother of Susanna Smith in Ma, 1775. Ann became the mother of Jane Smith in Ma, 1777. Ann became the mother of Agatha Smith in Ma, 1780.
+
20
ii.
Margaret Preston was born ca 1728.
25
iii.
Letitia Preston was born 1728. Letitia died March 1797 in Fayette Co., KY, at 68 years of age. Her
body was interred in Lexington Cemetery. She married Robert Breckinridge July 1758. Robert was the
son of Alexander Breckinridge and Jane Preston. Robert died 1773 in Ma. Robert became the father of
William Breckinridge in unknown, May 2, 1759. Robert became the father of John Breckinridge in near Staunton,
VA, December 2, 1760. Robert became the father of James Breckinridge in Ma, March 7, 1763. Robert became
the father of Elizabeth Breckinridge in unknown, circa 1766. Robert became the father of Preston Breckinridge in
unknown, March 17, 1770.
At 30 years of age Letitia became the mother of William Breckinridge in unknown, May 2, 1759. At 32 years of age Letitia became the mother of John Breckinridge in near Staunton, VA, December 2, 1760. At 34 years of age Letitia became the mother of James Breckinridge in Ma, March 7, 1763. Letitia became the mother of Elizabeth Breckinridge in unknown, circa 1766. At 41 years of age Letitia became the mother of Preston Breckinridge in unknown, March 17, 1770.
26
iv.
William Preston was born in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland December 25, 1729. William died June 28,
1783 in Botetourt Co., VA, at 53 years of age. He married Susanna Smith in VA, January 17,
1761. Susanna was born in Hanover County, VA January 23, 1740. Susanna was the daughter of Francis Smith and
Elizabeth Waddy. Susanna died June 19, 1823 in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, at 83 years of age. At 22 years of age
Susanna became the mother of Elizabeth Preston in Augusta Co., VA, May 31, 1762. At 24 years of age Susanna became
the mother of John Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, May 2, 1764. At 25 years of age Susanna became the mother
of Francis Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, August 2, 1765. At 27 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Sarah Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, May 3, 1767. At 29 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Anne Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, February 12, 1769. At 30 years of age Susanna became the mother of
William Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, September 5, 1770. At 32 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Susanna Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, October 7, 1772. At 34 years of age Susanna became the mother of
James Patton Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, June 21, 1774. At 36 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Mary Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, September 29, 1776. At 39 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Letitia Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, September 29, 1779. At 41 years of age Susanna became the mother of
Thomas Lewis Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, August 19, 1781. At 44 years of age Susanna became the mother
of Margaret Brown Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, February 23, 1784.
At 32 years of age William became the father of Elizabeth Preston in Augusta Co., VA, May 31, 1762. At 34 years of age William became the father of John Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, May 2, 1764. At 35 years of age William became the father of Francis Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, August 2, 1765. At 37 years of age William became the father of Sarah Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, May 3, 1767. At 39 years of age William became the father of Anne Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, February 12, 1769. At 40 years of age William became the father of William Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, September 5, 1770. At 42 years of age William became the father of Susanna Preston in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, October 7, 1772. At 44 years of age William became the father of James Patton Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, June 21, 1774. At 46 years of age William became the father of Mary Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, September 29, 1776. At 49 years of age William became the father of Letitia Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, September 29, 1779. At 51 years of age William became the father of Thomas Lewis Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, August 19, 1781. At 54 years of age William became the father of Margaret Brown Preston in "Smithfield", Montgomery Co., VA, February 23, 1784. William Preston was County Lieutenant, Sheriff, and Surveyor of Fincastle County, VA 1772-1776 during which time most of the best land in Kentucky in the central Bluegrass and around the Falls of the Ohio was surveyed and granted to various individuals for services in the French and Indian War. Fincastle County came into existence in 1772 and went out of existence in 1776 when it was divided into Washington, Montgomery and Kentucky Counties. William Preston never lived in Kentucky. His biographical sketch from The Prestons of Smithfield and Greenfield in Virginia by John Frederick Dorman (Filson Club, 1982) follows: William Preston, eldest son of John and Elizabeth (Patton) Preston, was born 25 Dec. 1729, Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, and died 28 June 1783, Botetourt Co., Va. He married 17 Jan. 1761, Susanna Smith, daughter of Francis and Elizabeth (Waddy) Smith who was born 23 Jan. 1740, Hanover Co., Va. and died 19 June 1823, "Smithfield," Montgomery Co., Va. William Preston received a rudimentary education during the early years of his mother's widowhood but was later placed by his uncle, Col. James Patton, with the Rev. John Craig, pastor of Tinkling Spring Church. Because of his advanced age, a classical education was not attempted, but he was instructed in history, mathematics, and penmanship. When Col. Patton was sent in 1752 to Log Town, sixteen miles below Pittsburgh, to make a treaty with the northwestern Indians, William went along as his uncle's private secretary. In 1750 he became clerk of the Vestry of Augusta Parish, and he continued to hold that office until 22 Nov. 1766. During the first years of this service he brought together the papers which had been loosely preserved and throughout the years prepared a detailed account of the proceedings of the Vestry. On 22 March 1749/50 he purchased from William Beverley a tract of 334 acres in Beverley Manor and another of 365 acres on Lewis Creek above the Court House, and on 16-17 Nov. 1752 he acquired an additional 277 acres on the Second Fork of Morney Branch from James and Agnes Brown. He qualified as deputy surveyor of Augusta County on 20 Nov. 1752 and made use of his opportunities for locating good land on the frontier by entering numerous tracts and making further purchases. He became a justice of the Augusta County Court on 21 March 1755. Later that year, on 14 July 1755, he was commissioned Captain of a company of rangers in Augusta County. This company was in service as early as August 1755. He served with Col. James Patton until he was killed, then for a time under the immediate command of the Governor and finally under Maj. Andrew Lewis of the Virginia Regiment. In the late winter of 1755-56 the company marched on an expedition against the Shawnee Indians, setting out from Fort George on 9 Feb. 1756 and from Fort Frederick on the nineteenth. They proceeded to Sandy Creek, one of the tributaries of the Clinch River, but were unsuccessful in locating either the enemy or sufficient food to support the troops. As a result of the privations there was a virtual mutiny among the troops, and Preston and the other commanders were eventually forced to return home. He was one of the candidates for Burgess from Augusta County at the election held 17 Dec. 1755 but was not successful. In June 1756, after his company had been discharged on 24 June, there was another incursion of Indians among the settlements. Preston gathered together some of the men who had served under him, left ten at the fort, and marched with the others to join the militia. Previous to this he had built Fort William in one of the mountain passes, and this location served to protect the settlers in a large neighborhood. In early Oct. 1756 he accompanied George Washington from Augusta Court House to Col. John Buchanan's at Luney's Ferry on the James River during Washington's survey of the frontier and reported on the difficulty of raising men for military service. In Nov. 1756 William Preston was ordered to take charge of drafted militia, march to Millar's Fort to relieve the company there, and, if he had a sufficiently large body of men, to garrison Wilson's Fort in the Bull Pasture as well. In the summer and fall of 1757 he was again in command of a company on the Bull Pasture at Fort Prince George, his commission being dated 8 June 1757, and he continued in this service until November when he was ordered to engage as many as possible from his company of militia to serve as rangers on the frontier until the following August and was directed to keep out scouting parties regularly and to purchase supplies for the troops. He was again stationed at Fort George between September and November 1758. He qualified as major of the Augusta County militia on 17 Nov. 1758 and although holding this rank was on 11 Dec. 1758 commissioned captain of a company of rangers in Augusta County. The company was stationed at Fort Young in Jan. 1759. His service continued until 4 May 1759. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel of Augusta County on 14 June 1759 and qualified before the Court on 17 Aug. 1759. On 21 Nov. 1759 he became sheriff, coroner, and escheator of Augusta County. On 11-12 Feb. 1759 he purchased from Stephen Rentfro 191 acres on Buffalo Creek which became the nucleus of his plantation, "Greenfield," in what is now Botetourt County. It was in reality a block house or fort surrounded by a stockade. About 1762 he moved his family to this location. In 1765 the plantation where Col. William Preston lived contained 1590 acres 35 and at the time of his death "Greenfield" plantation comprised 2175 acres. In Nov. 1761 he was named as one of the trustees in the Act incorporating the town of Staunton. He became colonel and commander of the militia of Augusta County on 16 Aug. years later he was elected one of the two Burgesses from Augusta County and attended the session of the Assembly which began in Nov. 1766, being placed on the Committee of Public Claims. He did not attend the sessions of 1767 and 1768. On the formation of Botetourt County he was on 22 Dec. 1769 commissioned colonel of its militia and one of the coroners of the county. When the county court was organized on 13 Feb. 1770 he produced his commissions as surveyor, coroner, and escheator and two days later took the oaths as colonel. From 1769 to 1771 he was elected to represent Botetourt County in the House of Burgesses but he did not attend any of the sessions in those years. When Fincastle County was formed in 1772 he was named first in the commission of the peace and was recommended by the Council as County Lieutenant. He was commissioned sheriff of Fincastle County on 1 Dec. 1772. On 24 May 1773 he purchased tracts of 315 and 220 acres at Draper's Meadows from Edmund Winston and there established a plantation which he called "Smithfield. His wife and children moved there in March 1774 and in August he began to fortify the house in anticipation of further difficulties with the Indians. He did not participate in the expedition to Point Pleasant in Oct. 1774 on account of the illness of his wife, who was not expected to survive, but he was much involved with the preparations for that expedition. On 20 Jan. 1775, pursuant to resolves of the Continental Congress, the freeholders of Fincastle County met to organize a Committee of Safety. Col. William Preston was among those named to serve. He was commissioned Lieutenant and Commander in Chief of the militia of Fincastle County on 7 Oct. 1775 and on 8 Nov. 1775 when the Committee of Safety was reorganized, he was chosen as chairman. He continued to serve in that capacity until the committee was no longer required to function. When Montgomery County was formed he continued to hold the office of County Lieutenant, his commission being dated 21 Dec. 1776. He was commissioned justice of the new county the same day. During the whole of the Revolutionary War he was actively engaged in planning the military affairs on the Virginia frontier. With Col. William Christian and Maj. Evan Shelby he was on 18 Jan. 1777 named a commissioner to make a treaty with the Cherokee Indians. He was present when a treaty was concluded at the Long Island of Holston in July 1777. After the murder of Cornstalk at Fort Randolph late that year, Preston and other frontier leaders were fearful of further Indian troubles. Preston attempted to alleviate the situation through an address to the Shawnees which Governor Patrick Henry on 5 May 1778 described as "very proper " but the situation was such that on 12 May the Council ordered Preston to keep a sergeant and twelve men at his house at Draper's Meadows since if he were to move his family most of the back country inhabitants would also quit their settlements. During the spring and early summer of 1779 Preston was concerned with the possibility of a Tory insurrection in the frontier area. In June he called upon his neighbors to meet at his house to discuss the matter, requesting that they come unarmed and assuring them of their safety. He had been censured for not taking measures against those who refused to acknowledge their allegiance to the State. He was commissioned surveyor of Montgomery County on 11 March 1780. In the latter part of 1780 Preston assisted in planning the campaign which led to the defeat of the Tories at King's Mountain but sickness in his family prevented his participating in that contest. On 13 Oct. 1780 Gen. Gates ordered him to prepare a place at Fort Chiswell for the reception of prisoners from King's Mountain but the exposed situation of that place and the ill prepared conditions for confinement later persuaded Gates to place them in Botetourt County instead. Early in 1781 when the prospect of British control in western North Carolina and the invasion of Virginia loomed, Preston called out troops to march to the south without waiting for orders from the Governor. On 13 April 1781 he wrote Thomas Jefferson explaining that on 8 February he "called a number of the Officers together, to consult on a plan for raising a body of men on the Frontiers, for the defence of the country against the Common Enemy; . . . I believed it my duty to order out all the militia I could raise, without waiting any other call than that of the danger to which the country stood exposed. In this I was seconded by every Officer present, and in order to encourage old and young to go, who were fit to bear arms, I not only proposed to go myself, but sent for my son, just turned of sixteen, from a school in another country. I went to the Lead mines, where the militia was to rendezvous, and continued there and in the neighborhood until the 18th., when I marched with about 350 riflemen, mostly on horse-back; with whom I proceeded by long marches, until I joined Genl. Pickens, by Gen. Green's order, at no great distance from Hillsborough, and within three miles of Tarleton's Legion, who had repassed Haw River. The disaffected, and some others whom I had drawn out, deserted. With the remainder we did hard duty, under Genl. Pickens, twelve or fourteen days, on the Enemy's lines, greatly straitened for provisions. Part of the men were in one action, and the whole in the second; in both overpowered by numbers, and in the last broken and dispersed with the loss of their blankets. After which no arguments that could be made use of by myself, or the other officers, could induce the remaining few to continue another week; the time Genl. Green requested. After staying a few days at the Moravian Town, to have the wounded taken care of, Colo. Crocket and myself came home, accompanied by only two or three young men." Jefferson subsequently wrote him in commendation of his course of action: "I am obliged to you for the Narrative of your Proceedings to the Southward. It was certainly not only justifiable but laudable and even indispensably necessary that you should have proceeded as you did to oppose the public Enemy without orders from Government which it would have been fatal to have awaited." On 2 March 1781 Col. Preston's troops joined Greene's army at Guilford in North Carolina. His company with others was left to cover the rear of Pickens' wing and was attacked by British cavalry at Whitsell's Mill on 6 March 1781. In this engagement his horse took fright, dashed through the mill pond and threw its rider. Had not Col. Joseph Cloyd leaped from his horse and helped Preston to mount again, he would probably have been a casualty of the battle. Preston's troops also served at the battle of Guilford Court House on 15 March 1781. Gen. Greene appointed him on 26 Feb. 1781 as one of the commissioners to treat with the Cherokee Indians and on 24 March 1781 the Virginia Council also named him, Col. William Christian, and Maj. Joseph Martin to join with commissioners from North Carolina to make a treaty with the Cherokees, but on 17 April 1781 the Council advised the Governor to withdraw Virginia's appointment since the three were already appointed by Gen. Greene. On 20 July 1781, however, the Council appointed Preston with four others to serve as commissioners for the Western Country to settle the disbursements of public monies and other matters and to meet at the Falls of the Ohio. Preston's health had declined steadily following his return from North Carolina, and he had the premonition of apoplectic seizures a number of times during the two years following. As a result, he resigned as commissioner, and Granville Smith was appointed in his place. On 26 April 1782 Col. Preston wrote to Governor Benjamin Harrison concerning recent Indian atrocities in Montgomery County. The Governor replied on 4 May that the defense of the frontier inhabitants would be left to Preston's prudence, but on 10 June the Commissioner of War ordered a meeting of the field officers of Montgomery and Washington counties with Col. Preston in command. The officers encountered many difficulties in getting the men who were drafted during this year to report for duty. William Preston's death occurred while attending a muster of the Montgomery County militia in company with Gen. Evan Shelby and his son John Preston. The day was warm and after several hours on the reviewing field, near Michael Price's house about three miles from "Smithfield," he complained to his son of a severe pain in his head and desired to lie down on a bed at Price's. Shortly afterward he attempted to mount his horse to return home but fell back into his son's arms and was again laid on a bed at Price's house. He lost the power of speech but made motions to be bled. His wife was sent for and was recognized by him but shortly after this his breathing became labored and about midnight he died. His daughter Mrs. Floyd gave this description of him: "Col. Preston was above the ordinary height of man--five feet eleven inches. He was large, inclined to corpulency; was ruddy, had fair hair and hazel eyes. His manners were easy and graceful. He had a well-cultivated intellect and a fine taste for poetry. I remember reading several beautiful productions of his, addressed to my mother, in praise of her domestic virtues." His correspondence gives evidence of an acquaintance with the literature of this time and he acquired a library which was evidently well used. Consistent with the times and frontier conditions, the family acquired many of the amenities of life. His widow made her home at the Horseshoe Plantation until 1791. She later resided at "Smithfield.'' When she became too advanced in years to manage her affairs the Negroes belonging to the estate of Col. William Preston were on 11 Oct. 1816 divided among the heirs. There is a book published about the life of William Preston: William Preston & the Allegheny Patriot by Patricia G. Johnson (Walpa Publishing, 1976).
27
v.
Mary Preston was born 1740. Mary died 1814 in Fayette Co., KY, at 74 years of age. She married John Howard October 1764. John was born February 22, 1733/4. John was the son of
Allen Howard and Elizabeth. John died November 7, 1834 in Fayette Co., KY, at 100 years of age. His body
was interred. At 31 years of age John became the father of Elizabeth Howard in unknown, January 5, 1766. John
became the father of Mary Howard circa 1768. John became the father of Sarah Howard in unknown, circa 1770.
John became the father of Benjamin Howard in unknown, circa 1772. John became the father of Margaret Preston
Howard circa 1779.
At 25 years of age Mary became the mother of Elizabeth Howard in unknown, January 5, 1766. Mary became the mother of Mary Howard circa 1768. Mary became the mother of Sarah Howard in unknown, circa 1770. Mary became the mother of Benjamin Howard in unknown, circa 1772. Mary became the mother of Margaret Preston Howard circa 1779.
28
vi.
James Preston was born in unknown October 18, 1742.
29. Elizabeth3 Patton (Henry4) was born in Burncrannack, Ireland December 25, 1700. Elizabeth died December 25, 1776 in "Greenfield", Botetourt Co., VA, at 76 years of age.
She married John Preston in Ireland. John was born in Ireland. John was the son of Archibald Preston. John died circa 1748 in Augusta Co., VA. His body was interred in Tinkling Spring Church, Augusta Co., VA. John became the father of Ann Preston in Ireland. John became the father of Letitia Preston 1728. John became the father of Margaret Preston in Ireland, ca 1728. John became the father of William Preston in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, December 25, 1729. John became the father of Mary Preston 1740. John became the father of James Preston in unknown, October 18, 1742. (See John Preston for the children resulting from this marriage.)
Elizabeth became the mother of Ann Preston in Ireland. At 27 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Letitia Preston 1728. Elizabeth became the mother of Margaret Preston in Ireland, ca 1728. At 29 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of William Preston in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, December 25, 1729. At 39 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of Mary Preston 1740. At 41 years of age Elizabeth became the mother of James Preston in unknown, October 18, 1742.
30. Archibald4 Preston birth date unknown.
Archibald became the father of John Preston in Ireland.
Archibald Preston had the following children:
+
23
i.
John3 Preston.
31
ii.
Mary Preston. She married Phillip Barger.
32. Henry4 Patton was born near Dundee, Scotland.
He married Sarah Lynn ca 1675. Sarah was the daughter of David Lynn. Sarah became the mother of John Patton Newtown-Limavady, Ireland, ca 1689. Sarah became the mother of James Patton in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, 1692. Sarah became the mother of Elizabeth Patton in Burncrannack, Ireland, December 25, 1700.
Henry became the father of John Patton Newtown-Limavady, Ireland, ca 1689. Henry became the father of James Patton in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, 1692. Henry became the father of Elizabeth Patton in Burncrannack, Ireland, December 25, 1700. Besides the children listed, it is believed Henry Patton had three more daughters and eight more sons: William, Matthew, Thomas, Robert, Henry, David, Benjamin, and Hugh.
Henry Patton and Sarah Lynn had the following children:
35
iii.
John Patton was born Newtown-Limavady, Ireland ca 1689. John died 1757 at 68 years of age. He married
twice. He married Miss Rogers. He married Agnes March 23, 1754. John
Patton had 9 children.
36
iv.
James Patton was born in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland 1692. James died 1755 in "Draper's Meadows",
Virginia, at 63 years of age. He married Mary Osborn. James Patton had two children. He was killed
by Indians.
+
29
v.
Elizabeth Patton was born December 25, 1700.
37. Sarah4 Lynn (David5) birth date unknown.
She married Henry Patton ca 1675. Henry was born near Dundee, Scotland. Henry became the father of John Patton Newtown-Limavady, Ireland, ca 1689. Henry became the father of James Patton in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, 1692. Henry became the father of Elizabeth Patton in Burncrannack, Ireland, December 25, 1700. (See Henry Patton for the children resulting from this marriage.)
Sarah became the mother of John Patton Newtown-Limavady, Ireland, ca 1689. Sarah became the mother of James Patton in Newtown-Limavady, Donegal, Ireland, 1692. Sarah became the mother of Elizabeth Patton in Burncrannack, Ireland, December 25, 1700.
38. David5 Lynn birth date unknown.
David Lynn had the following child:
+
37
i.
Sarah4 Lynn.
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