University of Virginia Library

Biographical Sketches.

REV. CHAS. CUMMINGS.

Mr. Cummings was an Irishman by birth, and came to America in early
manhood. Soon after arriving in this country he entered Carlisle College,
Pennsylvania. After receiving a thorough education he settled in Lancaster
county, Virginia, and on the 13th of February, 1766, he married Miss
Mildred Carter. He was licensed to preach by Hanover Presbytery on the
18th of April, 1767, and received a call to the North Mountain church, in
Augusta county, which church he served until 1772, when he received a
call to the Sinking Spring and Ebbing Spring congregations, on the Holston.
This call he accepted, and removed with his family to a tract of land
in the neighborhood of Abingdon. He served the Sinking Spring church
until the year 1812, the date of his death, which occurred in March of that
year.

He accompanied Colonel Christian upon his expedition against the Cherokees
in the year 1776, and preached in the territory, now in the State of
Tennessee, being the first preacher in that territory.

He joined a company organized at Abingdon under the command of
Colonel Evan Shelby, and hurried to the relief of the inhabitants at
Watauga when besieged by the Indians, in 1776.

He was the first named on the Committee of Safety for Fincastle county,
and is accredited with the honor of having drafted the Fincastle resolutions
which were adopted on the 20th of January, 1775. He assisted in drafting
a petition from Hanover Presbytery to the General Assembly of Virginia,
asking the separation of the Church and the State, in October, 1776.

When Washington county was formed, in the year 1777, he was elected
chairman of the Committee of Safety, and by his example and admonition
did much to fire the spirit of patriotism which blazed forth so brilliantly
among the people of the Holston in the War of the Revolution.

He was of middle stature, about five feet ten inches high, well set and well
formed, possessing great personal firmness and dignity of character. His
voice was strong and had great compass; his articulation slow, clear and
distinct; without apparent effort he could speak to be heard by ten thousand
people. His mind was good, but not brilliant. He understood his own
system well; spoke always with gravity, and required it from all who sat
under the sound of his voice. He would not tolerate any movement among
the congregation after the services commenced. He uniformly spoke like
one having authority, and laid down the law and the gospel, as he understood
them, with great distinctness.

COLONEL ARTHUR CAMPBELL.

He was born in Augusta county in the year 1743. Entered the service
of his country when a youth; was captured at Dickenson's Fort and carried
into captivity by the Indians and kept for three years; returned to his
home and moved to Holston settlements in 1765. Major in Fincastle militia
and member of the County Court of Fincastle county; member of the
House of Burgesses from Fincastle county; one of the original trustees of
Washington College. County lieutenant and presiding justice of Washington
county for more than a quarter of a century. Represented Fincastle
county in the Convention of 1776 and Washington county many
times thereafter in the General Assembly of the State. Made an effort to
organize a new State west of the mountains in 1782-1785. He was a
statesman and a patriot.

Died at the present location of Middleborough, Ky., on August 8th, 1811.

COLONEL WILLIAM RUSSELL.

Born in Culpeper county in the year 1748. Settled near the Clinch river,
south of Castle's Woods, about 1770, and built Russell's Fort. Commanded
a company of frontiersmen at the battle of Point Pleasant in the fall of
1774. Member of the House of Burgesses from Fincastle county in 1776.
Commissioned captain in the Continental army, and accompanied Colonel
Christian upon his expedition against the Cherokee Indians in 1776. Member
of the General Assembly of Virginia in 1786, and introduced bill for
formation of Russell county, Virginia. Brigadier-general of Virginia militia.
Married Mrs. Wm. Campbell, and for many years resided at Saltville,
Virginia. Died in the year 1794 at the home of his son, Robert S. Russell,
in Shenandoah county, Virginia.

COLONEL WILLIAM COCKE.

Colonel Wm. Cocke was a son of Abraham Cocke, of Amelia county. Was
born in 1747, and died August 22d, 1828. He was an early pioneer of Kentucky;
active in the formation of the "State of Franklin," and afterwards
of Tennessee; served in two wars—the Revolution, in which he was a captain,
and the war of 1812, in which he volunteered, though an old man, and
was a member of the Legislature in four States—Virginia, North Carolina,
Tennessee and Mississippi. He was a member of the Virginia House of
Delegates from Washington county in 1777, and was United States Senator
from Tennessee, 1796-'7, 1799-1805. He was afterwards a judge of the
Circuit Court of Tennessee, and later removed to Mississippi, where he died.

MAJOR ANTHONY BLEDSOE.

Born in Augusta county. Member of the County Court of Botetourt, Fincastle
and Washington counties. Officer in the militia of Fincastle and
Washington counties. Built Bledsoe's Fort. Represented Washington
county in the General Assembly 1777-1778. Commanded Christian's army

at Long Island from December, 1776, to April, 1777. Removed to Bledsoe's
Lick, near Nashville, Tennessee, where he was killed by the Indians.

CAPTAIN WM. EDMISTON.

Born in Augusta county. Served in the French-Indian war of 1754-1763.
Member of the county courts of Fincastle and Washington counties. Officer
in the militia of Washington and Fincastle counties. Received a grant of
3,000 acres of land under the King's proclamation of 1763 for services rendered
in the French-Indian war, and laid the grant in the community of
Edmiston's Fort, in this county. Captain of a company on the expedition
into South Carolina in October, 1780. Was killed at the head of his company
in the battle of King's Mountain.

COLONEL JOSEPH MARTIN.

Son of English parents, who emigrated from Bristol, England, and settled
in Albemarle county, Virginia. Colonel Martin was born in Albemarle
county in the year 1740. Married Susanna Childs. Settled in Pittsylvania
county, Virginia. In 1765 attempted the establishment of Martin's Station,
in Powell's Valley, but was driven off by the Indians. Afterwards appointed
entry-taker by Colonel Richard Henderson for that portion of the
Henderson purchase situated in Powell's Valley. Commanded a company of
men upon Christian's expedition against the Cherokees in 1776. Appointed
Indian agent and stationed at Long Island of Holston river, which position
he occupied until the year 1789. Was a member of the Convention of North
Carolina called for the adoption or rejection of the Federal Constitution,
and several times a member of the General Assembly of North Carolina.
About the year 1790 he returned to his old home in Henry county, Virginia.
Was soon thereafter elected to the General Assembly of Virginia
from Henry county, and continued to serve in that capacity until he himself
thought he was by age unfit for further usefulness. Died in 1808, in
the sixty-eighth year of his age.

GENERAL WM. CAMPBELL.

Was a native of Augusta county, of the true Caledonian race by the maternal
line as well as by that of the father. Being an only son, he received
a liberal education under the best teachers of the times. He had an ardent
mind, very susceptible of literary improvements, and acquired early in life
a correct knowledge of the English language, of ancient and modern history,
and of several branches of mathematics. Nature had formed him for
a commander in military capacity. His personal appearance was grave
and masculine, being something about six feet high and well proportioned;
in conversation rather reserved and thoughtful; in his written communications
expressive and elegant. His patriotism was not of a timid cast. He
never balanced between his military duty and prudential maxims. When
his ire was excited he showed in his countenance the fury of an Achilles.
The trusty Andreferrara, the sword he wore on the day of battle, was once

the property of his grandfather from Scotland, and he had an arm and a
spirit that could wield it with effect. In the year 1775 he was of the first
regular troops raised in Virginia, being honored with a captain's commission
in the first regiment. Here he acquired a practical knowledge of tactics
and the discipline of an army. In the latter part of the year 1776 he
resigned his position on account of the Indian war breaking out, by which
his family and friends were exposed to immediate danger. Soon after he
was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the militia of Washington county,
and the next year, on the resignation of Evan Shelby, Sr., to that of colonel
of the regiment. In this rank he remained until after the battle of King's
Mountain and of Guilford, when he was appointed by a vote of the Legislature
of Virginia to rank as a brigadier-general, and was ordered to join the
Marquis LaFayette, to oppose the invasion of the enemy in 1781. After
the defeat of Ferguson, the British general, Cornwallis, imbibed a personal
resentment, and had the temerity to theaten that if General Campbell fell
into his hands he would have him instantly put to death for his rigor
against the Tories. This, instead of intimidating, had the contrary effect,
and in turn the American general resolved, if the fortune of war should
place Cornwallis in his power, he should meet the fate of Ferguson. This
at the battle of Guilford had nearly been the case, for had all the militia
behaved with the same firmness and courage as on the wing where General
Campbell commanded, the British army must have met with a total defeat.
On forming the army in Virginia, under Marquis LaFayette, in 1781,
General Campbell became a favorite of that gallant nobleman, who gave
him command of the brigade of light infantry and riflemen. A few weeks
before the siege of Yorktown he took sick of a complaint in his breast,
which obliged him to retire from the army to a friend's house in the country,
and there, after a short sickness, to end his days, in the thirty-sixth
year of his age, much lamented by the friends of liberty who knew him.
Of his military character we have given a short sketch. His moral sentiments
and social demeanor in civil life were exemplary. Although an only
son and heir to a considerable property, he never gave way to the fashionable
follies of young men of fortune. He well knew that vice at any time
of life, or in any shape, darkens the understanding, perverts the will, and
thus injures social order in every grade of society. He kept a strict guard
on his own passions, and was by some deemed too severe in punishing the
deviations of others. His military career was short, but brilliant. Warren
and Montgomery acted at a conspicuous stage, and deserved the eulogisms
so often repeated. Campbell undertook a no less arduous task, with an
inferior number of undisciplined militia. He marched in a few days nearly
two hundred miles, over vast mountains, in search of the enemy, who were
commanded by an experienced officer, of known bravery and military skill,
and who had chosen his field for battle. It was at (King's Mountain) rather
a fortification than an open space for combatants to meet upon. The assault
of the Americans was impetuous and irresistible, and the event was a
victory to a wish. This victory resulted in the retreat of the main British
army a considerable distance and their relinquishment of the scheme of
invading Virginia that year. It also reanimated all the friends of liberty
in the Southern States, and was the prelude of adverse events to the enemy,
which, in the course of the next campaign, terminated in their final overthrow.[1]

COLONEL WILLIAM PRESTON.

Son of John Preston, of Augusta county. Born in Ireland 1730, and died
at Smithfield, now Blacksburg, 1783. One of the first trustees of Staunton.
Member the House of Burgesses from Augusta county 1766-1768, and from
Botetourt county 1769. Commanded a company of Rangers in the French-Indian
war 1754-1763. On the formation of Botetourt county, 1769, he
was appointed colonel of the militia, coroner, escheator and county surveyor.
Upon the formation of Fincastle county he was appointed sheriff
and surveyor. He was engaged with Colonels Campbell and Christian in
their expeditions against the Cherokees in the year 1776. Was at the battles
of Whitsill's Mills and Guilford Courthouse, 1781, and was actively engaged
throughout the Revolution. He was a member of the Committee of
Safety of Fincastle county, and assisted in the preparation of the Fincastle
Resolutions. He left eleven children, all of whom, both male and female,
became distinguished in the history of our country. His five sons were
John, Francis, James, William and Thomas, and his six daughters were
Mrs. Thomas Madison, Mrs. Thomas McDowell, Mrs. Hart, Mrs. Thomas
Lewis and Mrs. John Floyd. One son and one of his sons-in-law became
governors of Virginia.

COLONEL JAMES KING.

The subject of this sketch was born at Londonderry, Ireland, in 1752.
He was well educated, and emigrated to Virginia about the year 1769, and
by purchase, entry and condemnation acquired about 50,000 acres of land
in and around Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia, of the present day. Colonel
King married Sarah, one of the seven daughters of Colonel Thomas Goodson,
in Montgomery county, Virginia, and settled a few miles southwest
of Bristol near the Sulphur Springs. Colonel King won his title through
the Revolutionary war. Was captured and escaped and rejoined his regiment,
and after some time resigned his commission and returned to his
home, near Bristol, rather than deliver to the quartermaster a magnificent
mare from which he had knocked a British officer, but subsequently rejoined
his regiment, and was at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered.
Colonel King some time previous to the year 1800 erected an iron furnace
(Barbary Furnace) near the Sulphur Springs, and made the first iron in
what is now the State of Tennessee. Colonel King's partner in this
enterprise was Governor Blount, of the Southwest Territory. The iron
made at this furnace was hauled in wagons to Kingsport, a distance of
twenty-five miles, the junction of the North and South forks of Holston
river, and transported from that point by water. Kingsport took its name

from Colonel King. Some time previous to the year 1810 Colonel King
purchased from Isaac Shelby, executor of General Evan Shelby, 976 acres
of land, one-half the Sapling Grove tract, for $10,000, and it is said that the
backs of two horses were ruined in carrying this silver to Frankfort, Kentucky,
the home of General Isaac Shelby. Colonel King afterwards had this
property conveyed to his son, the Rev. James King. Colonel King was a
very active and useful man. He was one of the three commissioners who
negotiated the treaty of Holston, and afterwards laid off the site of Knoxville,
Tennessee. He was a man of considerable wealth, and furnished Andrew
Jackson (afterwards President of the United States) the money with
which Jackson and John Overton purchased the Chickasaw Bluff (now the
site of the city of Memphis, Tennessee). The draft for this money is as
follows:

Colonel King died of gout August 17th, 1825, aged seventy-three years,
leaving three children, to-wit: Rev. James King, who married Mourning
Micajah Watkins, daughter of the Hon. Micajah Watkins, of Halifax
county; William King and Sarah King.

Colonel King was buried five miles west of Bristol, under an old coffin-shaped
tomb of rock and an iron slab, on which the following inscription
in cast:

GENERAL WM. E. JONES.

The subject of this sketch was born on the Middle Fork of Holston river,
in the upper end of Washington county, on the 3d day of May, 1824. He
was the son of Robert Jones and wife (formerly a Miss Edmondson). He
was educated at Emory and Henry College and at the Military Academy,

Gen. Wm. E. Jones

West Point, New York, from which institution he
graduated in 1848, and was commissioned second
lieutenant in the Mounted Rifles, and for three
years served in that capacity in what was afterwards
the State of Oregon. On January 13th, 1852,
while on a furlough, he was united in marriage to
Miss Eliza M. Dunn, a daughter of Dr. Samuel
Dunn, of this county. Mrs. Jones was accidentally
drowned at Pass Cubolla, Texas, on the 26th of
March, 1852, while on her way with her husband to
join his command in the West. In 1857 he resigned
his command in the United States army, and after
visiting many places of interest in the Old World
he returned to his father's estate, near Glade Spring, and with the assistance
of several French and German emigrants he planted an extensive vineyard,
and was so engaged when the war between the States began. He organized
a cavalry company in the spring of 1861, numbering 102 officers
and men, to which was given the name of the Washington Mounted Rifles,
afterwards Company D of the First Virginia Cavalry. In September, 1861,
he was commissioned colonel of the First Virginia Cavalry, which position
he held until April, 1862, when he was assigned to the command of the
Seventh Virginia Cavalry, General Turner Ashby's old regiment, and was
succeeded in the command of the First Virginia Cavalry by Fitzhugh Lee. In
September, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general, and was assigned
to a command in the Valley of Virginia, a serious disagreement arising between
Generals Stuart and Jones. General Jones was assigned to the
command of the Department of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee,
and arrived upon the scene during the battle at Blountville. Shortly thereafter
he surprised the enemy near Rogersville, Tenn., and captured from
eight to nine hundred prisoners. He was at the siege of Knoxville with
General Longstreet, and during the same fall and winter he surprised and
routed the Federal force of about six hundred officers and men stationed in
Lee county. In the spring of 1864 his command took part in the battle of
Cloyd's Mountain, in Pulaski county. From Cloyd's Mountain he was ordered
to the Valley of Virginia to oppose the advance of the Federal forces
under command of General Hunt. General Jones, with the infantry force
he had at his command, advanced rapidly to Staunton, and from Staunton
to Mt. Hope. At this point his forces were attacked by General Hunter,
and every indication pointed to the success of the Confederate arms,
when General Jones indiscreetly rushed into the hottest of the fight to rally
and encourage some of his men, when he was shot and fell from his horse
dead. In a moment all was confusion, and the Confederates were routed.
And thus ended the battle of Piedmont.

General Jones was directly descended from one of the Edmiston families,
whose ancestor participated in the battle of King's Mountain, and was one
of the bravest and most striking figures that Washington county has ever
produced.

His remains were interred in the cemetery of the Old Glade Spring Presbyterian
church, and his grave is marked by a plain marble shaft, which
bears the following inscription:

Gen. Wm. E. Jones,
killed
June 5th, 1864,
In the battle at Piedmont, Virginia,
aged
40 years and 27 days.

JAMES L. WHITE.

The subject of this sketch is the son of Wm. Y. C. White and his wife,
Margaret Greenway. Was born at Carpet Hill, Abingdon, Va., the home of

James L. White.

his father, on the 29th of August, 1842. Was educated
at the Abingdon Academy and University of
Virginia. Was a student at the University of Virginia
in the spring of 1861, joined a company at
the University and went to Harper's Ferry in the
spring of that year. Became lieutenant of Captain
J. F. McIlhaney's company (Russell county) in the
Thirty-seventh Virginia Regiment, and became adjutant
of the Thirty-seventh Virginia Regiment. Afterwards
served on the staff of General Wm. Terry.
Wounded at Appomattox Springs a few days before
the surrender, and was left upon the battle-field and
thought to be dead. Afterwards recovered and returned
to his home. After the close of the war he studied law, and graduated
in this profession from Washington and Lee University. Was licensed
and began the practice of law in Abingdon, and in the spring of 1870 was
elected Commonwealth's Attorney for this county by 1,600 majority.
Since that time has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession,
and has attained that position where it may be said of him that he is the
peer of any lawyer to be found in our country. A high-toned, honorable
gentleman, an honor to his country and a credit to his profession. Early
in life he married Miss Kate Robertson, daughter of Governor Wyndham
Robertson, and they have reared a large family of sons and daughters.

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

ANDREW MOORE.

Was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia. Received an academical education.
Was elected a representative from Virginia in the First Congress,
and was reëlected to the Second, Third and Fourth Congresses, serving from
March, 1789 to 1797. Successfully contested the election of Thos. Lewis in
the Eighth Congress, serving from March, 1804, to November 6, 1804, when he
was appointed a United States Senator from Virginia (in place of Wilson
Cary Nicholas, resigned). Was subsequently elected a United States Senator
(in place of Abraham B. Venable, resigned), serving from December 17, 1804,
to March 3, 1809. Served in the Continental army, his company forming a
part of Morgan's Corps at the battle of Saratoga. Member of the convention
that ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1788. Many
times a member of the Legislature from Rockbridge county. Brigadier-general
of militia, and in 1809 was appointed a major-general of militia.
In the year 1810 he was appointed United States Marshal for the State of
Virginia, and served in that position to the date of his death, which occurred
on the 24th of May, 1821.

FRANCIS PRESTON.

Col. Francis Preston.

Son of Colonel Wm. Preston, of Smithfield. Was
born at Greenfield (now Botetourt county) on the
2d day of August, 1765. Graduated at William and
Mary College and studied law under Chancellor
Wythe. Settled in Abingdon and began the practice
of law, and was for many years recognized as
one of the ablest lawyers in this section of the
State. Married Sarah Buchanan Campbell, daughter
of General William Campbell, on the 10th
January, 1793. Elected a member of Congress in the same year, and
served till the year 1797. After retiring from Congress he settled at the
Saltworks. In the year 1810 he removed to Abingdon. Elected to the
General Assembly from Washington county. Was commissioned a colonel,
and marched with his regiment to Norfolk in 1814. He was elected brigadier-general
of militia by the General Assembly of Virginia in 1820. He
died at the home of Wm. C. Preston, in South Carolina, on the 26th day of
May, 1836, and his remains were interred at Aspinvale, near Seven-Mile
Ford. He left a family of children, all of whom became distinguished,

viz., United States Senator Wm. C. Preston, of South Carolina; General
John S. Preston, of South Carolina; Thomas L. Preston, University of Virginia;
Mrs. Wade Hampton, of South Carolina; Mrs. Robert J. Breckenridge,
of Kentucky; Mrs. General Carrington, of Albemarle county; Mrs.
John B. Floyd, of Washington county; Mrs. James McDowell, of Virginia;
Mrs. John M. Preston, of Abingdon.[2]

ABRAM TRIGG.

Born in Montgomery county, Virginia. Was elected a representative
from Virginia in the Fifth Congress. Was reëlected to the Sixth, Seventh,
Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Congresses, serving from May 15th, 1797, to
March 3d, 1809.

DANIEL SHEFFEY.

Was born at Frederick, Maryland, in 1770. Was bred a shoemaker in his
father's shop, but became proficient in astronomical and mathematical
studies. Arriving at manhood, he walked into Virginia, carrying his tools,
and finally located at Abingdon. Studied law under Alexander Smyth.
Was admitted to the bar, and soon enjoyed a lucrative practice. Was
elected from Augusta county to the House of Delegates. Was elected a
representative from Virginia to the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and
Fourteenth Congresses as a Federalist, serving from May 22d, 1809, to
March 3d, 1817. Died in Augusta county, Virginia, December 3d, 1830.

ALEXANDER SMYTH.

Alexander Smyth was born on the Island of Rothlin, Ireland, in 1765.
Emigrated to the United States in 1775, and located in Botetourt county,
Virginia. Received an academic education. Studied law, was admitted to

Alexander Smyth.

the bar in 1789, and commenced practice at Abingdon.
Removed in 1792 to Wythe county. Was a
member of the State House of Representatives in
1792, 1796, 1800, 1804-1808. Was appointed by
President Jefferson colonel of a United States rifle
regiment, which he commanded at the Southwest
until 1811, when he was ordered to Washington to
prepare a discipline for the army. Was appointed
inspector-general in 1812 and ordered to the Canadian
frontier, where he failed in an invasion of
Canada and left the army. Resumed his practice.
Was appointed a member of the State Board of
Public Works. Was again elected to the State
House of Representatives. Was elected a representative from Virginia in
the Fifteenth Congress, receiving 1,443 votes, against 711 votes for
Estill. Was reëlected to the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth
Congresses, serving from December 1st, 1817, to March 3d, 1825. Was again
elected to the Twentieth Congress, receiving 2,604 votes, against 991 votes
for Sharp, and was reëlected to the Twenty-first Congress, serving from
December 3d, 1827, to April 17, 1830, when he died at Washington city.
He published "Regulations of United States Infantry" and "Remarks on
the Apocalypse." General Smyth had four children—Harold, Alexander,
Malvina and Frances. Malvina married Captain John P. Matthews, who
was for many years clerk of Wythe County Court and a member of the
State Constitutional Convention 1829-1830. Frances married Captain
James H. Piper, who at one time represented the Wythe district in the
State Senate. Colonel Piper had the distinction of climbing the Natural
Bridge in Virginia.

JOSEPH DRAPER.

Son of John and Jane Crockett Draper. Born in Draper's Valley December
25th, 1794. Enlisted as a private in the war of 1812-1814. Studied
law under Daniel Sheffey, and was admitted to the bar at Wytheville in 1818.
His fame as an orator came with his first case in court, and it is said that

Joseph Draper.

he was one of the most brilliant speakers of his day.
In 1820 he married Margaret Sawyers, a daughter of
John T. Sawyers, of Max Meadows, Va. In 1828 he
was elected to the State Senate over General James
Hoge, of Pulaski. He was elected to Congress to fill
the vacancy occasioned by the death of General Smyth,
in 1830, and was again elected to fill the vacancy occasioned
by the death of Chas. C. Johnston, in 1832.
While in Congress he was a warm friend and great
admirer of John C. Calhoun, and was on the friendliest
terms with his colleague and cousin, David
Crockett, of Texas. He was a great friend of Daniel
Webster, with whom he was associated in a number
of cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. He died on June
10th, 1834, aged forty years.

CHARLES C. JOHNSTON.

Son of Judge Peter Johnston. Was born at Panicello, near Abingdon.
Received an academic education. Studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
commenced practice at Abingdon. Was elected a representative from Virginia
in the Twenty-second Congress, serving from December 5th, 1831, to
June 17th, 1832, when he went to Alexandria, Virginia, to visit a friend,
and on his return at night he fell from the wharf into the Potomac river
and was drowned. Mr. Johnston was a brilliant orator and splendid lawyer.
He left two children—John Preston Johnston, who was killed in the
Mexican war, and Mrs. Eliza M. Hughes, wife of Judge Robert W. Hughes.

JOHN H. FULTON.

Born in Augusta county. Educated at Hampden-Sidney College. Studied
law under Judge Baldwin, of Staunton. Located in Abingdon. Admitted

to the bar. Elected to the House of Delegates from Washington county
1823-1824. Represented the Washington district in the Senate of Virginia
1829-1831. Was elected to the Twenty-third Congress as a Whig, receiving
2,621 votes, against 1,257 for Wm. Byars, Democrat, serving from December
2d, 1833, to March 3d, 1835. Was a candidate for reëlection when he
died, in January, 1836, his opponent in this election being George W. Hopkins.
His remains were interred in the Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon,
Va., and his grave is at this day marked by a large iron slab, upon
which is the following inscription:

Notwithstanding this inscription, a path through the cemetery passes almost
directly over this grave.

GEORGE W. HOPKINS.

George W. Hopkins was born in Goochland county, Virginia, February
22d, 1804. Received a public school education. Taught school in Smyth
county. Studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice at
Lebanon, Virginia. Was a member of the State House of Representatives

George W. Hopkins.

1833-1834. Was elected a representative from Virginia
in the Twenty-fourth Congress as a Democrat, defeating
John H. Fulton. Was reëlected to the Twenty-fifth Congress,
receiving 1,475 majority over John N. Humes,
Whig. Was reëlected to the Twenty-sixth Congress, receiving
2,821 votes, against 2,308 votes for George,
Whig. Was reëlected to the Twenty-seventh Congress.
Was reëlected to the Twenty-eighth Congress, receiving
about 1,000 majority over Fulton, Whig. Was reëlected
to the Twenty-ninth Congress, serving from December
7th, 1835, to March 3d, 1847. Was charge d'affaires to
Portugal March 3d, 1847, to October 18, 1849. Was again a member of the
State House of Representatives in 1849. Was a judge of the Circuit Court.
Was again elected to the Thirty-fifth Congress, receiving 5,318 votes, against
5,249 votes for Martin, American, serving from December 7th, 1857, to
March 3d, 1859. Was again elected a member of the State House of Representatives,
and died March 2, 1861. Was elected a member of the Constitutional
Convention 1850, but in the fall of that year resigned and was
elected Speaker of the House of Delegates of Virginia.

ANDREW S. FULTON.

Born in Augusta county September, 1800. Educated at Hampden-Sidney
College. Studied law in the office of Judge Baldwin, in Staunton, Virginia.
Located in Abingdon, Virginia, in 1825. Removed to Wytheville in 1828.
Represented Wythe county one term in the Legislature. Was several times
Commonwealth's Attorney of Wythe. Elected to the Thirtieth Congress as

a Whig, receiving 2,084, against 2,078 votes for McMullen, Democrat, and
serving from December 6th, 1847, to March 3d, 1849, and in the year 1852

Andrew S. Fulton.

was elected judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
of Virginia, and held this position for seventeen
years. He died in November, 1884.

FAYETTE McMULLEN.

Was born in Scott county, Virginia. Received an
academic education. Was a stage driver by profession.
Was elected to the Senate of Virginia from
the Washington district in the year 1838, and
served till the year 1849. Was elected as a representative
of Virginia in the Thirty-first Congress as
a Democrat, receiving 4,421 votes, against 2,155
votes for George, Whig. Was reëlected to the
Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, having
no opposition. Was reëlected to the Thirty-fourth Congress, receiving 7,383
votes, against 3,982 votes for Connally F. Trigg, American, serving from
December 3d, 1849, to March 3d, 1857. Was appointed

Fayette McMullen.

by President Buchanan Governor of Washington Territory,
serving 1857-1861. Was elected a representative
in the Second Confederate Congress from Virginia,
serving from February 22d, 1864, to the overthrow
of the Confederacy. Was many times a candidate
for Congress subsequently to the war, and died in
the year 1881, having been killed on the railroad near
Marion, Virginia.

ELBERT S. MARTIN.

Born in Indiana. Removed to Lee county, and was

Elbert S. Martin

reared in Jonesville. Educated at Emory and Henry
College; married Martha Dickenson in 1852. Was a
merchant by profession. Was elected to the Thirty-sixth
Congress as an American, receiving 6,382 votes,
against 5,579 votes for Ben Rush Floyd, Democrat,
serving from December 5th, 1859, to March 3d, 1861.
Was elected captain of the first company that left
Jonesville for the Confederate service, and remained
in the service until the surrender. Emigrated to
Texas in 1870, and died in the city of Dallas on September
3d, 1876. His daughter, Mrs. Dr. M. L. Stallard,
now lives at Norton, Va.

WALTER PRESTON.

Son of John M. Preston. Born in Abingdon, Virginia. Educated for the
bar. He became distinguished in his profession as a lawyer and an orator.

Candidate for Attorney-General of Virginia previously to the war between
the States. Was elected to the Confederate Congress in November, 1861,
defeating Fayette McMullen. Died shortly after the war.

JAMES KING GIBSON.

Son of John and Amelia C. Gibson. Born in Abingdon February 18th,
1812. Received a common school education, and was brought up in a store.
Went to Limestone county, Alabama, in 1833, and engaged in mercantile

James King Gibson.

pursuits. Returned to Virginia, and was deputy
sheriff of Washington county in 1834, and again in
1835. Was a merchant in Abingdon from 1835 to
1840. Was postmaster at Abingdon (a distributing
office) from 1838 to 1849, by the appointments
of Presidents Van Buren, Tyler and Polk.
Was appointed teller and clerk in the branch of
the Exchange Bank of Virginia at Abingdon in
1849; also notary public, and held all these offices
until after the war, when he became a farmer, and
was elected a representative from Virginia in the
Forty-first Congress as a Democrat, receiving
14,508 votes, against 5,966 votes for Smith, Radical,
serving from January 28th, 1870, to March 3d, 1871. Died March 30th,
1879.

WILLIAM TERRY.

William Terry was born in Amherst county, Virginia, August 14th, 1824.
Received a classical education, graduating at the University of Virginia in
1848. Taught school. Studied law, was admitted to

William Terry

the bar, and commenced practice at Wytheville in
September, 1851. Was for some eighteen months one
of the editors and proprietors of the Telegraph. Was
in the military service of Virginia in the "John
Brown raid" in 1859. Entered the Confederate army
in April, 1861, as lieutenant in the Fourth Virginia
Infantry, "Stonewall Brigade." Served during the
war, and by successive promotions attained the rank
of brigadier-general March 20th, 1864. Was elected a
representative from Virginia in the Forty-second
Congress as a Conservative, receiving 10,398 votes,
against 4,384 votes for F. McMullen, Independent
Democrat, and 3,922 votes for R. W. Hughes, Republican, serving from
March 4th, 1871, to March 3d, 1873. Was again elected to the Forty-fourth
Congress as a Conservative, receiving 8,052 votes, against 1,821 votes for
G. W. Henderlite, Republican, and 6,760 votes for F. McMullen, Independent,
serving from December 6th, 1875, to March 3d, 1877. He was accidentally
drowned in Wohlford's Ford, Reed Creek, two miles south of Wytheville,
when returning from Grayson County Court, the 5th of September, 1888.

REES T. BOWEN.

Was born at Maiden Spring, Tazewell county, Virginia, January 10th,
1809. Received an academical education at home and at the Abingdon
Academy. Was a farmer and grazier. Married Maria Louisa Peery, January
13, 1835. Was appointed brigadier-general of Virginia militia by Governor

Rees T. Bowen.

Wise. Represented Tazewell county in the
Legislature of Virginia in 1863-1864. Was elected
to the Forty-third Congress as a Conservative, receiving
10,352 votes, against 5,304 votes for R. W.
Hughes, serving from December 1st, 1873, to March
3d, 1875. Died August 29th, 1879. Was a direct
lineal descendant of Lieutenant Rees Bowen, who
was killed at the battle of King's Mountain.

A. L. PRIDEMORE.

Was born in Scott county, Virginia, June 27th,
1837. Was brought up on a farm. By his own exertions,
alternately teaching and going to school, he attained
a fair English education. In August, 1861,
he raised a company of volunteer infantry, and served

A. L. Pridemore.

as its captain until 1862, when he was promoted to
major of the Twenty-first Battalion of Virginia Infantry.
Was again promoted in December, 1862, to lieutenant-colonel
of infantry, and in October, 1863, colonel
of cavalry, and commanded the Sixty-fourth Virginia
Cavalry until the close of the war. Was elected
a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in
March, 1865, but the close of the war prevented him
from taking his seat. Commenced the study of law in
1865. Was admitted to the bar and practised at Jonesville.
Was a member of the Virginia State Senate 18711875,
and was elected a representative from Virginia

James B. Richmond.

in the Forty-second Congress as a Democrat, receiving
15,127 votes, against 4,791 votes for George T.
Egbert, Republican, serving from March 3d,
1877, to 1879. Died at his home, in Jonesville, Lee
county, May 17th, 1900.

JAMES BUCHANAN RICHMOND.

Was born in Turkey Cove, Lee county, Virginia, on
the 27th day February, 1847. Received a limited
education at Emory and Henry College. Practised
law in the circuit and county courts of Lee, Scott
and Wise counties, Virginia, and in the Court of
Appeals at Wytheville, Virginia. Held the office of orderly sergeant and
captain of Company "A," Fiftieth Virginia Infantry, during the first year

of the war, in the command of General John B. Floyd, of Virginia. Was
afterwards major of the Sixty-fourth Virginia Regiment for a time. Was
promoted to lieutenant-colonel, Sixty-fourth Virginia Regiment, some time
before the close of the war, and was elected to the Forty-sixth Congress as
a Democrat, receiving 5,120 votes, against 4,829 votes for Fayette McMullen,
Independent; 4,640 votes for Samuel W. Newberry, Independent, and 613
votes for Camp, Republican. Was a member of the House of Delegates from

Col. Abram Fulkerson

Scott county in 1873. Judge of the County Court of
Scott county for six years, beginning in the year 1885.
Advocated sound money in his candidacy for Congress
in the year 1877. Was a member of the Constitutional
Convention of 1901-1902. Now actively practicing law
at Gate City, Virginia.

COLONEL ABRAM FULKERSON.

Colonel Fulkerson was born on the 13th day of May,
1834, four miles north of Bristol, in Washington county,
Virginia. His father was Abram Fulkerson, a captain
in the war of 1812, and his mother was Margaret Vance.
He graduated at the Virginia Military Institute in 1857. Taught school at
Palmyra, Virginia, and at Rogersville, Tennessee, and was at the latter
place when the civil war began. He raised a company in Hawkins county,
Tennessee, and joined the Ninth Tennessee Regiment at Knoxville, and was
elected major of the regiment. Was severely wounded at the battle of
Shiloh. He assisted in organizing the Sixty-third Tennessee Regiment, and
was commissioned colonel on the 12th day of February, 1864, and was again
wounded at the battle of Chickamauga. In 1866 he began the practice of
law, and rapidly rose to the front ranks. He was elected to the Virginia
House of Delegates in 1871-1873; to the Senate of Virginia in 1877-1879.
Was elected to the Forty-seventh Congress as a Readjuster,

Henry Bowen.

receiving 8,096 votes, against 7,621 votes
for C. F. Trigg, Funder; 3,640 votes for G. G.
Goodell, Republican, and 500 votes for Fayette McMullen,
Independent. He died on December 17th,
1902, at his home, in Bristol, Virginia.

HENRY BOWEN.

Son of Rees T. Bowen. Was born at Maiden
Spring, Tazewell county, Virginia, December 26th,
1841. Received a collegiate education. Entered
the Confederate army in 1861; served continuously
most of the time as captain of cavalry in Payne's
Brigade, Lee's Division, Army of Northern Virginia, until December 21st,
1864, when he was captured in a night attack by Sheridan's cavalry at Lacy
Springs, Virginia. When released from Fort Delaware, Delaware, June
19th, 1865, returned to Virginia and engaged in farming and grazing. In

1869 was elected to the Virginia Legislature, and reëlected in 1871. In
1882 was elected to Congress as a Readjuster, and was elected to the Fiftieth
Congress as a Republican, receiving 13,497 votes, against 9,927 votes for
R. R. Henry, Democrat.

CONNALLY F. TRIGG.

Was born at Abingdon September 18th, 1847. Is a lawyer. Was elected
Commonwealth's Attorney for Washington county in 1872, which position

Connally F. Trigg.

he held until he resigned in 1884. Was elected to the
Forty-ninth Congress as a Democrat, receiving 13,844
votes, against 12,650 votes for D. F. Bailey, Republican.

JOHN ALEXANDER BUCHANAN.

Was born October 7th, 1843. Was a private in the
Stonewall Brigade, Confederate army. Was taken
prisoner at Gettysburg July 3d, 1863, and remained
in prison until February, 1865. Graduated from
Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia, June,
1870. Studied law at the University of Virginia,
1870-1871. Was a member of the House of Delegates

John A. Buchanan.

of Virginia from 1885 until 1887. Was elected to the
Fifty-first Congress as a Democrat, receiving 16,520
votes, against 16,042 votes for Henry Bowen, Republican.
Was reëlected to the Fifty-second Congress by
an overwhelming majority; declined a renomination,
and was soon thereafter elected judge of the Court of
Appeals of Virginia, which position he now occupies.

JAMES W. MARSHALL.

Mr. Marshall was born in Augusta county, Virginia,
March 31st, 1844. Served as a private soldier
for four years in Confederate army commanded by
General R. E. Lee. Attended Roanoke College part
of two sessions, and graduated from same in 1870. Studied law and was
admitted to the bar. Was elected Commonwealth's Attorney for Craig
county in 1870; served until 1875. Elected to Virginia Senate in 1875, and
served four years. Elected a member of the General Assembly of Virginia
in 1882-1883. Elected Commonwealth's Attorney for Craig county in 1884,
and served until 1888. Was a presidential elector on the Cleveland and
Thurman ticket in 1888. Elected to the Virginia Senate in 1891 for a term
of four years, and was elected to the Fifty-third Congress as a Democrat,
receiving 18,431 votes, against 12,699 votes for H. C. Wood, Republican;
1,709 votes for George W. Cowan, People's party, and 135 votes scattering.
Elected a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention 1901-1902.
Now practising law at Newcastle, Craig county, Virginia.

JAMES ALEXANDER WALKER.

Was born in Augusta county, Virginia, August 27th, 1832. Was educated
at the Virginia Military Institute. Studied law at the University of
Virginia during the sessions of 1854 and 1855. Began the practice of law in
Pulaski county, Virginia, in 1856, and followed the practice of his profession

James A. Walker.

until his death, which occurred on October 20th,
1901. Entered the Confederate army in April, 1861,
as captain of the Pulaski Guards, afterwards Company
C, Fourth Virginia Infantry, Stonewall Brigade.
Was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and assigned to
the Thirteenth Virginia Infantry (A. P. Hill, colonel)
in July, 1861. Promoted to colonel of the Thirteenth
Virginia Infantry in March, 1862, and May, 1863, was
promoted to brigadier-general and assigned to command
of the "Stonewall Brigade." Commanded
Early's old division at the surrender at Appomattox.
Was severely wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse
May 12th, 1864. Elected Commonwealth's Attorney
for Pulaski county in 1860. Represented Pulaski county in the House of
Delegates of Virginia in 1871-1872. Was elected Lieutenant-Governor of
Virginia in 1877. Removed to Wytheville, where he practiced his profession.
Was elected to the Fifty-fourth Congress as a Republican, defeating
Judge H. S. K. Morrison, of Scott county, Democrat, by about 1,000 majority,
and was reëlected to the Fifty-fifth Congress, receiving 16,077 votes,
against 14,900 votes for S. W. Williams, Democrat.

WILLIAM FRANCIS RHEA.

Was born in Washington county, Virginia, forty-seven years ago. Worked
on a farm and attended oldfield School until sixteen years of age. Attended
college about three years, then studied law and was admitted to the bar.
Soon afterwards was elected judge of the County Court of Washington
county. Served four years, and was then elected to the State Senate.
Served four years, and was then elected judge of the

Campbell Slemp.

City Court of Bristol. In 1895 resigned the city
judgeship and resumed the practice of law. Was
unanimously nominated by the Democratic party and
elected to the Fifty-sixth Congress, and was reëlected
to the Fifty-seventh Congress, receiving 20,163 votes,
to 18,412 for James A. Walker, Republican.

CAMPBELL SLEMP.

Was born in Lee county, Virginia, December 2d.
1839. Until 1880 was allied with the Democratic
party. Was reared on a farm, and has been a farmer most of his life, being
also engaged in the live-stock business and in trading in coal and timber

lands. Was a student at Emory and Henry College, Virginia, but did not
graduate, owing to the death of his father. Served in the Confederate
army as captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Twenty-first Virginia Battalion,
and as colonel of the Sixty-fourth Regiment, which was both infantry
and cavalry. Was elected to the House of Delegates in 1879 and 1881; was
defeated by forty votes in 1883. Ran for Lieutenant-Governor with Wm.
Mahone in 1889. Was elector on the Harrison ticket in 1888, and on the
McKinley ticket in 1896. Was married in 1864 to Miss Nannie B. Cawood,
of Owlsey county, Kentucky. Was elected to the Fifty-eighth Congress, receiving
13,694 votes, to 13,476 for Wm. F. Rhea, Democrat.

UNITED STATES SENATOR.

JOHN WARFIELD JOHNSTON.

The subject of this sketch was born at "Panicello," one-quarter of a mile
east of Abingdon, at the home of his grandfather, Judge Peter Johnston, in
the year 1818. He was the son of Dr. John W. Johnston and Louisa Bowen
Johnston. He was educated at the Abingdon Academy, University of South

John W. Johnston.

Carolina, and the University of Virginia. He married
Miss Narcissa Floyd, daughter of Governor John
Floyd and sister of Governor John B. Floyd. He
was licensed to practice law and admitted to the bar
in 1840, and began the practice of his profession at
Tazewell Courthouse. He served as Commonwealth's
Attorney for the county of Tazewell, was elected a
member of the State Senate from the Tazewell district,
and in the year 1859 removed to Abingdon, and
after some years established himself at "Eggleston,"
the name of his country seat, four miles east of Abingdon
(now the county poorhouse). In the year 1869
he became judge of the Circuit Court, which position
he held a little more than ten months, when he resigned to take his seat in
the Senate of the United States. He was three times elected by the General
Assembly of Virginia a Senator in the Congress of the United States from
Virginia, serving from 1870-1883. He died in Richmond in 1890, and his
remains were interred in the Catholic Cemetery at Wytheville. He was
survived by his wife and the following children: Dr. Geo. Ben Johnston,
of Richmond; Joseph B. Johnston, of Richmond; Mrs. Louisa Bowen Trigg,
wife of Daniel Trigg, of Abingdon; Mrs. Sallie J. Lee, wife of Captain Henry
C. Lee; Mrs. Lavalette McMullen, wife of John F. McMullen, of Elliott
City, Maryland, and Misses Letitia Floyd Johnston and Coralie Henry
Johnston.

GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA.

WYNDHAM ROBERTSON.

The subject of this sketch was the son of William Robertson and Christina
Williams, his wife, and was born on the 26th of January, 1803, in the
city of Richmond. He attended private schools in his native city, and completed
his education at William and Mary College in the year 1821. Studied
law and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Was elected a member of the
Council of the State in 1833, and on the 31st of March, 1836, became the
senior member of the Council, and as such Lieutenant-Governor of the State,

Wyndham Robertson.

and upon the resignation of Governor Tazewell, in
the same year, he became Governor of Virginia. Governor
Robertson was a Whig in politics, and the
Legislature being Democratic, he was succeeded as
Governor of Virginia in 1837 by David Campbell, of
Abingdon. Upon the expiration of the term of his
office, in March, 1837, he retired to the country home
of his wife, "Mary's Meadows," near to and south of
Abingdon (his wife was Mary Trigg Smith, daughter
of Captain Francis Smith, of Washington county),
where he lived until 1858, when he returned to Richmond,
and in 1860 was elected a member of the House
of Delegates of Virginia from Richmond city. He
was opposed to Virginia's seceding from the Union, and did all he could to
prevent the war between the States, but after the proclamation of Lincoln
calling for troops from Virginia, he was from that time forth zealously
active in all measures for the defence of his State. After the war he removed
to Abingdon, where he died, on the 11th day of February, 1888, and
his remains were interred at Cobbs, Chesterfield county. He was a man of
excellent manners and of considerable ability. He was survived by his wife
and the following children: Frank S. Robertson, Wyndham Robertson,
Mrs. James L. White, Mrs. Connally F. Trigg and Mrs. W. W. Blackford.

DAVID CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest son of John Campbell and Elizabeth
McDonald, his wife, of Hall's Bottom, Washington county, Virginia,
and was born on the 2d of August, 1779, at Royal Oak (now in Smyth
county), and was about eight years of age when his father removed to Hall's
Bottom. There he grew up, receiving such education as the frontier settlements
could provide. In the year 1794, in his fifteenth year, he was appointed
an ensign in Captain John Davis' company of militia. In 1799 he
was commissioned a captain of a company of light infantry assigned to the
Seventieth Regiment of Militia, and in the fall of the same year he married
his cousin, Mary Hamilton. He studied law, and was licensed, but never

practised his profession. In 1802 he was appointed deputy clerk of the
County Court of Washington county, and chiefly discharged the duties of
the office to the year 1812. On the 6th of July, 1812, he was commissioned
a major in the Twelfth Regiment of Infantry, United States army, and
marched with the forces to the lakes of Canada, where he served under
Generals Alexander Smyth and Van Rensselaer. On the 12th of March,
1813, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Thirtieth Regiment,
where he served until the year 1814, when he resigned his commission. Upon
his return home he entered the service of Virginia as aide-de-camp to Governor
Barbour, and gave valuable assistance in organizing the large military
forces called into the service in the summer of 1814. In the year 1815 he
was elected by the General Assembly as general of the Third Brigade of the
Virginia Militia. On the 25th of January, 1815, he was appointed colonel
of the Third Virginia Cavalry, and was afterwards transferred to the Fifth

David Campbell.

Regiment of Cavalry. Upon his return to Abingdon,
he entered the clerk's office, where he remained until
1820, when he was elected a member of the State Senate
from the Abingdon district for the term of four years.
In 1824 he was elected clerk of the County Court of
Washington county, which position he occupied until
he took his seat as Governor of Virginia, on the 31st
of March, 1837. Governor Campbell, at the time of
his election, was a Jackson Democrat, but while Governor,
and during the administration of President Van
Buren, the sub-treasury scheme and the standing army
bill, as they were commonly called, were made party
measures, and being opposed to them, he warmly supported General Harrison
in the presidential campaign of 1840, and ever after acted with the
Whig party. Governor Campbell, in his first message to the General Assembly,
proposed the establishment of the common school system, of which he
was one of the earliest advocates. Upon his retirement from the position
of Governor of the Commonwealth, he was commissioned a justice of the
peace for Washington county, and was diligent in the discharge of his
duties as such until the year 1852, when he retired to private life, after
having spent nearly one-half a century in the public service. In person
Governor Campbell was about five feet eleven inches in height, spare and
erect in carriage, with dark hair and eyes and intellectual countenance and
pleasing manners. He died at "Mont Calm," his home, now the home of
Colonel Cummings, on March 19th, 1859, without issue, and his remains
were interred in Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia.

JOHN BUCHANAN FLOYD.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest son of Governor John and Laetitia
Preston Floyd. He was born at Smithfield (now Blacksburg, Montgomery
county, Virginia,) June 1st, 1806. Graduated at the College of
South Carolina in 1826. Studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1828,
and began practise in his native county. Settled in Washington county in

1839. In 1847 he was elected a member of the House of Delegates from
Washington county, and while a member of the House of Delegates he was
elected Governor of Virginia, of which office he took charge on January 1st,
1849. The Washington monument, which graces the public square in Richmond,

John B. Floyd.

was authorized and commenced during the
term of office of Governor Floyd. The corner-stone
was laid on the 22d of February, 1850, in the presence
of a large concourse of people, among the number
being Zachary Taylor, President of the United
States. Governor Floyd was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in
1855, served as a presidential elector in 1856,
was appointed Secretary of War in the Cabinet
of James Buchanan in March, 1857, and served until
December 20th, 1860, when he resigned and became
an earnest advocate of secession. He was appointed
brigadier-general in the Confederate States army on May 23d, 1861, and
served with distinction through the war. He was chief in command at Fort
Donaldson when it was besieged by General Grant, but made his escape from
the fort on February 15th, 1862, with 3,000 men. He was commissioned a
major-general by the General Assembly of Virginia, and was authorized to
raise a division of troops from among the classes not embraced in the conscription
acts of the Southern Confederacy. He died August 26th, 1863, at
Abingdon. He married in early life Sarah Buchanan Preston, daughter of
General Francis Preston, and died without issue. His remains were interred
in Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia.

JUDGES OF THE COURTS.

SUPERIOR COURT OF LAW.

JUDGE PETER JOHNSTON.

1811-1831.

The subject of this sketch was a son of Peter and Martha Johnston, of
"Longwood," Prince Edward county, Virginia. He was educated at Hampden-Sidney
College, receiving a classical education. At the age of seventeen
he ran off from his home and joined Lee's Legion. Was made a lieutenant.
In 1782 he resigned from Lee's Legion, joined the Light Corps formed
by General Greene, and was adjutant, with the rank of captain. Upon the
close of the Revolutionary war he returned to his father's home, studied
law, and practised his profession in Prince Edward and the adjoining counties.
He was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates several
times, and was a member at the time of the celebrated resolutions of 17981799,
and the speech that he made upon this occasion was considered so able

that it was published in full in the Register, then the leading paper in the
United States. In 1811 he was elected a judge of the General Court and

Judge Peter Johnston.

assigned to the Prince Edward Circuit, but he exchanged
circuits with Judge Wm. Brockenbrough,
who had been assigned to the Southwest Virginia
Circuit, and came to Abingdon to live, and for
twenty-one years lived at "Panicello," one-fourth
of a mile east of Abingdon, and presided over the
Superior Court of Law for this district with distinguished
ability for more than twenty years. He
died December 8th, 1831, and was buried near his
home, in this county. He was commissioned a
brigadier-general by the Legislature in early life,
and left a distinguished family of children. His
wife, Mary Johnston, was the daughter of Valentine
Wood and Lucy Henry, his wife, a sister of Patrick Henry and a
woman of distinguished ability. The names of his descendants were John
W. Johnston, Peter Carr Johnston, Edward Johnston, General Jos. E. Johnston,
Beverly Randolph Johnston, Chas. C. Johnston, Benjamin Johnston,
Mrs. Jane C. Mitchell and Algernon Sidney Johnston.

CIRCUIT SUPERIOR COURT OF LAW AND CHANCERY.

BENJAMIN ESTILL.

1831-1852.

The subject of this sketch was the son of Benjamin Estill and Kitty
Moffett, who settled upon 1,400 acres of land that they purchased from

Benjamin Estill.

Colonel Wm. Christian at Hansonville (now in
Russell county, Virginia,) on January 1st, 1779.
Benjamin Estill, Jr., was born on this farm on
the 13th day of March, 1780. He received an academic
education. Studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and settled in Abingdon. He became the
Attorney for the Commonwealth for this county,
and filled the position with distinguished ability
for many years. He was elected a member of the
Legislature from Washington county; proposed
and advocated the formation of the county of
Scott, and gave to the county its name. He was a
great admirer of Winfield Scott, with whom he
agreed in politics, and thus sought to honor him.
To the new county seat was given the name of
Estillville (now Gate City). Such was the popularity of Benj. Estill that
in the year 1825 he was elected to the Nineteenth Congress of the United
States from this district, receiving nearly every vote cast, and serving from
1825-1827. Upon the reorganization of the courts of the Commonwealth,
in the year 1831, he was elected a member of the General Court and assigned
to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, composed of the counties of Lee,
Scott, Russell, Washington and Tazewell, and served with distinguished
ability in this capacity until the year 1852, when he resigned his office and
moved to a farm in Oldham county, Kentucky, where he died and was
buried, his death occurring on July 14th, 1853. Judge Estill was six feet
four inches in height, broad-shouldered and of striking appearance, and is
said to have been the most eloquent man this county has produced in its
history. Persons now living make the statement that the citizens of Abingdon
would close their business houses and crowd the courthouse on the first
day of his court to hear him deliver his charge to the grand jury, such was
his eloquence and attractiveness. While judge of the Circuit Court he lived
in the residence now occupied by Thos. W. White, on Main street, Abingdon,
Virginia, until 1844, and subsequently thereto on a farm about one mile west
of Jonesville, Virginia, on the Mulberry Gap road, and now owned by Judge
Morgan. Fifty years have passed since Judge Estill ceased to move among
the people of Southwest Virginia, still his strong and powerful mind, his
piety, patriotism, eloquence, gentle manners and transcendant legal abilities
are fresh in the memory of our people, and the position attained by him in
the front rank of the men of Southwest Virginia has not been questioned
with the passing of the years. Of him it may be truly said:

What better evidence of the true merit of the man? What a tribute to
his memory.

JUDGE SAMUEL V. FULKERSON.

The subject of this sketch was the son of Abram Fulkerson and Margaret
Vance, and was born at his father's farm (now the John E. Burson farm),

Judge S. V. Fulkerson.

in the lower end of this county, in the year —, but
was principally reared in Grainger county, Tennessee.
He enlisted as a private in Colonel McClelland's regiment
in the Mexican war, and served throughout the
war with distinction. Studied law and began the
practice of his profession at Estillville in 1846. Was
elected a member of the Constitutional Convention of
1850. Was elected judge of this circuit, defeating
Jos. Strass, of Tazewell county, in the year 1856, and
served until the spring of the year 1861, when he was
elected and commissioned colonel of the Thirty-seventh
Virginia Regiment of Infantry, and commanded
this regiment until June 27th, 1862, when he
fell mortally wounded whilst gallantly leading the Third Brigade in a bold
and splendid charge upon one of the enemies' strong positions on the Chickahominy.
He died on the following day, and his remains were interred in
the Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia. His career, in the words
of another, was bright, brief and useful, and his name deserves to be inscribed
in the catalogue of the names of the gallant men who died for their
country. Judge Fulkerson was never married.

JOHN A. CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch was the son of Edward Campbell. Was born
at Hall's Bottom, in this county, in the year 1823. Educated at the Abingdon

John A. Campbell.

Academy, Emory and Henry College and Virginia
Military Institute. Studied law, and was
licensed in 1846. Was a Whig candidate for the
Legislature from Washington county in 1852.
Member of the Secession Convention of 1861. Commissioned
colonel of the Forty-eighth Virginia Regiment
of Infantry in 1861. Wounded at Winchester,
Virginia, in 1862. Was elected judge of this circuit
in 1863, and served till 1869 with distinguished
ability. Was president of Board of Trustees of
Emory and Henry College for seventeen years. He
was a patriot and the peer of any lawyer that practised
at this bar during the many years of his life.
He married Mary Branch, daughter of Peter Branch, and died without issue
June 17th, 1886.

JUDGE JOHN A. KELLY.

The subject of this sketch was born in Lee county, Virginia, June 23d,
1821. He spent his early life carrying the mail and acquiring an education.
At the age of sixteen he was employed in the clerk's office of Russell county,
and with the assistance of the Rev. James P. Carroll, clerk of the Russell
court, he attended Emory and Henry College. He taught school in Smyth

Judge Jno. A. Kelly.

and Giles counties, and while teaching in the latter
county he studied law under Samuel Peck, with
whom he afterwards formed a partnership. Was admitted
to the bar in 1843. Was cashier of the Northwestern
Bank of Virginia from 1854 until after the
war. After the war he removed to Smyth county and
formed a partnership with Judge Robert A. Richardson,
and enjoyed a lucrative practice. Was elected a
member of the Legislature from Smyth county in
1869; in February, 1870, was elected judge of the
Sixteenth Circuit; assumed this office on April 23d,
1870, and continued to discharge the duties thereof
until 1894, when he declined a reëlection. Judge
Kelly was excellently fitted for the duties of this office, and for nearly
twenty-five years was diligent, upright and learned in the discharge of the
duties of his position. He died at Marion, Virginia, November 17th, 1900.

JUDGE JOHN PRESTON SHEFFEY.

The subject of this sketch was the son of James White Sheffey and Ellen
Fairman Preston, his wife, and was born at Marion, Virginia, December
12th, 1837. He graduated at Emory and Henry College in June, 1857.
Studied law at the University of Virginia 1858-'59, and began the practice

John P. Sheffey.

of law in 1859. Enlisted in the Confederate army,
served as second and first lieutenant, and was elected
captain of Company "A," Eighth Regiment of Virginia
Cavalry, at the reorganization in 1862; was taken
prisoner at Moorefield, Virginia, August 7th, 1864, and
confined in Camp Chase, Ohio, until February, 1865;
was exchanged, and afterwards joined his company at
Appomattox. He resumed the practice of his profession,
and continued until January 1st, 1895, when he
assumed the duties of judge of the Sixteenth Circuit of
Virginia, to which position he had been elected by the
General Assembly of Virginia. Was a member of the
Legislature from Smyth county 1893-'94, and several times a member of
the Council of Marion, Virginia. Was married June 19th, 1863, to Miss
Josephine Spiller, and has seven children, all living.

JUDGE FRANCIS BEATTIE HUTTON.

Was born two miles south of Emory and Henry College, this county,
January 28th, 1858. Is a son of Dr. A. D. Hutton. Was educated in the
public schools of the county, Liberty Hall Academy, and Emory and Henry
College, graduating therefrom June, 1877. He read law under Judge Wm.
V. Deadrick, Blountville, Tennessee, and General A. C. Cummings, Abingdon,

Francis B. Hutton.

Virginia, and at the University of Virginia.
Was admitted to the bar in 1880, and has practised
his profession in Abingdon, in partnership at
first with Professor Jas. H. Gilmore, of Marion, and
afterwards until the present time with Martin H.
Honaker. Was elected judge of the County Court
in December, 1885, which position he resigned in
October, 1886, to accept the position of Assistant
United States Attorney for the Western District of
Virginia, to which position he was appointed by
President Cleveland. He resigned this position upon
the election of President Harrison, and was elected
Commonwealth's Attorney of Washington county in May, 1891, by 2,700
majority. He was elected judge of the Twenty third Judicial Circuit of
Virginia February 12th, 1903.

COUNTY JUDGES.

REUBEN MURRELL PAGE.

Reuben Murrell Page was born at Abingdon, May 7th, 1843. In May,
1861, went into the Confederate army as a member of the Washington
Mounted Riflemen (under command of Captain, afterwards General, William
E. Jones), which company became Company "D" of the First Regiment

Reuben Murrell Page.

of Virginia Cavalry. Was severely wounded
near Newtown, in Frederick county, November
12th, 1864. Was licensed as a lawyer in February,
1868, after reading law in the office of Campbell &
Humes from the fall of 1865 and serving as deputy
clerk of the County Court, under Major Jas. C.
Campbell, for about fourteen months. Was married
November, 1868, to Miss Mary Crawford, of
Abingdon. Was the first county judge of Washington
county, being chosen to said position in
April, 1870, and reëlected in 1873, continuing in
that office until the beginning of the year 1880.
Was Grand Master of Masons of Virginia, December,
1881, to December, 1883. In 1881 became associated with Colonel Abram
Fulkerson in the practice of law, under the name of Fulkerson & Page,
which law firm afterwards became Fulkerson, Page & Hurt.

JUDGE GEO. W. WARD, Jr.

Son of Geo. W. Ward. Born at Winchester, Va., July 31st, 1847. Educated
at the Virginia Military Institute. Took part in the battle of Newmarket
in May, 1864. Studied law in the law school of Judge Richard

Geo. W. Ward, Jr.

Parker at Winchester and at the University of Virginia.
Licensed to practise law, and settled at Springfield,
Missouri, in the year 1872. Came to Abingdon in
1874, began the practice of his profession, and became
the editor of the Abingdon Virginian. In the year 1880
he was elected judge of the County Court of this
county, which position he resigned before the expiration
of his term. He subsequently filled the office of
Commonwealth's Attorney, and was thereafter twice
elected county judge, which office he held at the time of
his death. He became ill of pneumonia, and died on
the 21st day of January, 1897. Judge Ward was a
scholarly man, was able and energetic, and was recognized
as an accurate, painstaking and honest lawyer. He married Miss
Rosalie Preston, daughter of the Hon. Walter Preston, who, with her son
and daughter, survived him.

JUDGE DAVID CAMPBELL CUMMINGS.

David C. Cummings.

Son of David C. and Eliza White Cummings. Born
June 23d, 1861, in Abingdon. Served as deputy clerk
of the County Court of Washington county from
April, 1882, to July 1st, 1887. Was elected clerk of
the County Court of Washington county, and served
as such from July 1st, 1887, to February 1st, 1897.
Commissioned judge of the County Court of Washington
county February 1st, 1897, and at the present
time occupies this position. For many years a commissioner
of accounts, and served as president of the
Board of Directors of the Southwest State Hospital,
Marion, Virginia, from 1894 to 1898.

MEMBERS OF CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.

EDWARD CAMPBELL.

Son of John Campbell, of Hall's Bottom. Received an academic education.
Studied law and was admitted to the bar. Served as Commonwealth's
Attorney for Washington county for many years. Elected a member of the
Constitutional Convention 1829-'30. Brother of Governor David Campbell
and an uncle of Governor Wm. B. Campbell, of Tennessee. He left several
sons, who became distinguished in their several spheres, to-wit: Judge John
A. Campbell, Jos. T. Campbell, and Dr. E. M. Campbell.

COLONEL WM. BYARS.

Was born November 18th, 1776. A man of moderate education, but of

Col. Wm. Byars.

fine judgment, made accurate by close observation,
he by diligence and excellent management of farming
operations accumulated wealth, much of which
he used in founding and promoting the interest
of Emory and Henry College and for the public
good in general. He was a leading member of the
Board of Trustees of Emory and Henry College
for many years. Member of the House of Delegates
from Washington county 1809-1812. Candidate
for Congress 1833. Died February 14th,
1856. Was a member of the Constitutional Convention
of 1829-1830.

CONNALLY F. TRIGG.

The subject of this sketch was born in Abingdon March 8th, 1810. Studied
law, became a lawyer of eminent ability, and had but few equals at the

bar. Was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Washington county, May
12th, 1838. Candidate for Congress in 1855. In 1856 he removed to Knoxville,

Connally F. Trigg.

Tennessee, where he was soon recognized as the
peer of any lawyer at the bar. He was appointed
July 2d, 1862, by President Lincoln to the judgeship
of the United States Circuit and District Courts of
Tennessee. By his firmness and decision upon the
bench he did much, if not more than any other one
person in Tennessee, in quieting the turbulent elements
of the State during the terrible days of reconstruction.
He died at his home, a few miles south of
Bristol, Tennessee, April 25th, 1880, and was buried
at Abingdon. Was elected a member of the Constitutional
Convention of 1850-1851.

JOSEPH T. CAMPBELL.

Son of Edward Campbell, of Hall's Bottom. Born at Hall's Bottom, in
this county, in the year 1827. He was educated for the law, and settled and
practised his profession at Abingdon. He took an active part in the war

Joseph T. Campbell.

between the States. Became adjutant of the Thirty-seventh
Virginia Infantry. Was elected Commonwealth's
Attorney of Washington county, and
served from 1862 to 1865. Was a member of the
Constitutional Convention 1867-'68. Was educated
at the Abingdon Academy, University of Virginia
1846-'48. Died April 16th, 1878, at Abingdon.

BENJAMIN RUSH FLOYD.

Was born December 10th, 1811, in Montgomery
county. Was a son of Governor John Floyd and a
brother of Governor John B. Floyd. Was educated
at Georgetown College, D. C., in 1832, graduating with the first honors of
his class. Studied law and practised at Wytheville, Virginia, for many
years. A member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1847-1848. Member
of the State Senate from this district 1857-1858. Member of the Constitutional
Convention from this district 1850-'51. Defeated for Congress by
Elbert S. Martin 1859, and died in Washington, D. C., February 15th, 1860.

THOMAS M. TATE.

Was born in Rich Valley in 1801. Son of Chas. Tate and Mary Tate, who
was a daughter of General Wm. Tate, who was a general in the Revolutionary
army. His father lived near Broad Ford (now in Smyth county,
Virginia). He was by profession a physician. Sheriff of Washington
county. Was several times a member of the Legislature from Smyth county.
Was a member of the State Senate from this district in the years 18521857.
Was appointed Sixth Auditor in the Postoffice Department by President

Buchanan, and served until Lincoln was inaugurated. He was a member
of the Constitutional Convention in 1850-1851.

PRESTON WHITE CAMPBELL.

Son of Edward and Ellen White Campbell. Born in Abingdon in the
year —. Was educated at the Abingdon Academy and the University of

Preston W. Campbell.

Virginia. Read law under Judge F. B. Hutton and at
the University of Virginia. Was licensed to practise
law in 1896, and settled at Abingdon. Was elected a
member of the Constitutional Convention of 19011902.

JOHN C. SUMMERS.

Son of Andrew Summers and Oliva Wirt Hawkins,
his wife. Was born at Gap Mills, Monroe county,
West Virginia, February 1st, 1841. Was educated at
Emory and Henry College and the University of Virginia.
Was licensed to practise law in 1860. Enlisted
as a private in the Monroe County Invincibles
in the spring of 1861, and took part in the battles of Scarrie Creek and
Sewell's Mountain. Was elected major of the Sixtieth Virginia Regiment
at the reorganization in 1862, was made lieutenant-colonel in 1863, and was
commissioned a colonel in the Provisional army in 1864. Was under the
command of Generals Field and A. P. Hill in the battles around Richmond.
In the absence of the colonel, he commanded the Sixtieth Regiment at
the battle of Cold Harbor, and when night came on, being hard

John C. Summers.

pressed by the enemy, he charged them with bayonets.
The conduct of the regiment at this time was
observed by General Hill in person, and on the following
day the Secretary of War for the Confederate
States ordered cross bayonets to be inscribed upon
the flag of the regiment. Was captured at Moorefield
in 1864, and imprisoned at Camp Chase, Ohio,
until July, 1865, when he was released. In March,
1866, he married Miss Nannie M. Preston, daughter
of John F. Preston, of this county, and in the same
year settled in this county and began to practise his
profession. Was elected Commonwealth's Attorney
of Washington county, and served from 1887-1891. Was elected a member
of the Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902, receiving a majority of 498
votes over J. H. Winston, Democratic nominee in Washington county, and a
majority of 157 in the district.

COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEYS.

SAMUEL LOGAN.

Born October 19th, 1799. Educated for the law. Settled at Abingdon,
where he practised his profession. Was Commonwealth's Attorney for
Washington county for more than fifteen years. He died at Prince
Edward Courthouse, Virginia, July 15th, 1855. He was an excellent citizen
and a lawyer of distinguished ability.

GEORGE EAKIN NAFF.

Was born at Jonesboro, Tennessee, July 3d, 1829. Educated at Emory and
Henry College. Won the Robertson prize medal in 1847, in his junior year,

George E. Naff.

having John Goode, Wm. E. Peters, Everett, Clayton,
Ridgeway, et als., for competitors. Studied and practised
law until 1855, when he took charge of a female
college at Athens, Alabama. Was elected to the presidency
of Soule Female College, Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
in 1858, which position he held until 1862,
when he died of erysipelas. In 1850 he married Margaret
Elizabeth Hope, of this county. Was appointed
and served as Commonwealth's Attorney for this
county in 1855, upon the death of Samuel Logan.

JOHN HENRY ERNEST.

John Henry Ernest was born May 7th, 1825, in
Hanover county, Virginia, and died at his home,

John Henry Ernest.

Brook Hall, in 1868. He graduated at William
and Mary College in 1847, and married Amanda J.
Byars, daughter of Colonel Wm. Byars, of this
county. He was elected Commonwealth's Attorney
for Washington county in 1855, and served until
1863. Was provost marshal at Abingdon for two
years during the war. After the war he retired to
his farm and devoted himself to farming. On
March 3d, 1868, while directing some laborers on
his farm who were moving a log, he was crushed
by the log and killed. Colonel Ernest's pastor
says of him: "The writer of these lines knew
him well, and does not hesitate to say that he
never knew a more liberal, kind-hearted and humane man. His liberality
dispensed with the most profuse and lavish kindness the earnings of his
own labor. When the war ended he found a poor man in the mountains who
had lost an arm in the service. Instantly his generous heart was moved
with pity, and he clothed him in genteel apparel, sent him to college, and
assumed the whole cost of his education."

REES B. EDMONDSON.

The subject of this sketch was born in Tazewell county, and died in the
city of Washington on February 13th, 1901. He was a lawyer by profession,

Rees B. Edmondson.

and practised in Abingdon, Virginia, Memphis,
Tennessee, and Washington, D. C. Entered
the Confederate service as second lieutenant, and
served throughout the war. He was elected Commonwealth's
Attorney of Washington county in
1865, and served for several years.

JOHN L. ROWAN.

Son of Colonel John M. and Virginia Summers
Rowan. Was born in Monroe county, West Virginia,
February 25th, 1862. Graduated at Washington
and Lee University in June, 1883. Practised
his profession in Abingdon for several years.
Was appointed Commonwealth's Attorney for the county, and served in that
capacity for some time. Removed to Union, Monroe county, West Virginia,
where he has since practised law, serving as prosecuting attorney for that
county for a number of years.

PETER JOHNSTON DAVENPORT.

Peter J. Davenport.

The subject of this sketch was born near Lindell,
in this county, on the 14th of February, 1863. He
is the son of Elijah P. Davenport, a native of this
county, and Adelia H. Hall, daughter of Dr. John
Hall, of Russell county. Educated in the schools of
the county. Studied law in the office of Colonel
John C. Summers, Abingdon, Virginia. Was licensed
and began the practice of his profession in Abingdon.
Was elected Commonwealth's Attorney for
Washington county in the year 1895, which position
he has since held, and the duties of which he
has discharged with marked ability.

STATE SENATORS.

WM. E. PETERS.

He was born in Bedford county, Virginia, August 18th, 1829. Received
academic training at New London Academy. Entered Emory and Henry
College in 1840, and graduated in 1848. Taught a

Wm. E. Peters.

private school at Lynchburg, and entered the University
in 1850. In 1853 he was elected to the chair
of ancient languages in Emory and Henry College,
filling this position until 1856, when a leave of absence
was granted him by the Board of Trustees and
he spent two years studying ancient and modern
languages at Berlin, Prussia; after which he resumed
his duties at Emory and Henry. He entered
the Confederate service as a private in April, 1861;
served as lieutenant of cavalry; later as captain,
lieutenant-colonel of infantry and colonel of the
Twenty-first Virginia Cavalry. After having been
three times wounded, he surrendered with his command at Appomattox
Courthouse. Was elected a member of the State Senate from this district
in 1863, which position some months thereafter he resigned. Professor of
Latin in the University of Virginia from 1866 to 1902.

JOSEPH J. GRAHAM.

The subject of this sketch was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His grandfather,
Robert Graham, emigrated to this country from the north of Ireland prior
to the American Revolution and settled in North Carolina, near Guilford
Courthouse. He was a soldier in the Revolution, and was so harassed by

Joseph J. Graham.

the Tories that he refugeed to what is now the eastern
portion of Wythe county, about twelve miles
east of Wytheville, where he accumulated a considerable
fortune. Jos. J. Graham was born on one of
the farms owned by his grandfather, near Max Meadows,
on the 16th of July, 1811. In his early life
he taught a country school. Afterwards he had employment
with his uncle (David Graham), who was
the pioneer in the iron industry in Southwest Virginia.
After remaining with him some years, he
went to Tennessee, where he was engaged in business
at the outbreak of the Mexican war. He went
with a body of troops to join Scott's column in
Mexico, and took part in the bombardment of the fortress of Vera Cruz.
After the Mexican war he returned to Wythe county, and for several years
was engaged with the late Colonel James Piper, of Wythe county, in locating
turnpike roads in Southwest Virginia. He was three times elected a
member of the Legislature from Wythe county, and once to the State Senate
from this district. He died April 9th, 1877, without issue.

HIRAM A. GREEVER.

Was born October 30th, 1806, and died the 23d day of May, 1882. He was
colonel of militia before the civil war, and served in the House of Delegates
from Smyth county. He afterwards served one term as a Senator in
the General Assembly from this district; after which

James S. Greever.

he retired to private life on his estate, in Smyth
county, a part of which was inherited from his
father, who was among the pioneers of Southwest
Virginia.

JAMES S. GREEVER.

General James S. Greever was born September 9th,
1837, and died December 30th, 1895. He was educated
at Emory and Henry College, and was an
honor graduate in the year 1859. The degree of
Master of Arts was conferred upon him in 1867 by the same institution.
When war was declared he entered the Confederate service as captain of
Company A, in the Forty-eighth Virginia Infantry. In 1869 he was elected
to the Senate from Smyth and Washington counties. He was reëlected at
the expiration of his first term, serving through the administrations of
Walker and Kemper. During this period he married an only daughter of
Mr. Richard Woolfork Scott, of Prince Edward county, Virginia, and left
one child, Miss Virginia Holmes Greever, who, with her mother, survives
him. General Greever was elected a member of the Board of Trustees of
Emory and Henry College in 1875, which place he held until his death. He
also served on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Virginia Hospital,
at Marion. He filled other responsible positions, being for years agent for
the large and valuable property known as the "Douglas Lands." When he

David F. Bailey.

died he was president of the Bank of Glade Spring, and
it was largely through his influence that this bank
commenced operations. He died at his home, "Westview,"
a fine estate lying along the banks of the Holston
river, near Chilhowie, Virginia, where his wife
and daughter still reside.

DAVID FLOURNOY BAILEY.

Born January 23d, 1845, in Charlotte county, Virginia.
Came to Bristol before the civil war, where he
has since resided. Learned the art of printing in the
office of the Bristol News and at one time owned and edited that paper.
Was a private Confederate soldier in Company A, Thirty-seventh Virginia
Infantry, and later in the cavalry service. Studied law at Cumberland
University, Lebanon, Tennessee, and began the practice of his profession in
July, 1869, at Bristol. Was married February 29th, 1872, to Sarah Eleanor

Preston, daughter of John F. Preston, of "Locust Glen," Washington county,
Virginia. He represented Washington county in the Legislature of Virginia
1879-1880, and was chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Was Senator
from Washington and Smyth counties in 1881-1885. Was Republican
nominee for Congress in 1884, and was defeated by C. F. Trigg. Was Assistant
United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia during
Harrison's administration. Was a delegate from this district to the National

E. L. Roberts.

Republican Convention at St. Louis in 1896,
and placed in nomination General James A. Walker
for Vice-President of the United States. Was the
Republican elector from this district in the year
1900, and at the present time is referee in bankruptcy
for this division.

E. L. ROBERTS.

The subject of this sketch was born at Broad Ford,
Smyth county, Virginia, April 4th, 1831. Was
educated in the common schools of the county, and
held the position of Superintendent of Schools for
Smyth county before the war. Soon after the war
he was elected clerk of the county and circuit
courts of Smyth county, which position he held for six years. Was twice
elected a member of the House of Delegates from Smyth and Bland countius.
Was elected a member of the State Senate from this district in the year
1889. Has served as school trustee, sheriff and justice of the peace.

B. F. BUCHANAN.

The subject of this sketch was born in Smyth county, Virginia, and
graduated in the academic department of the University of Virginia in 1880

B. F. Buchanan.

and the law department in 1884. Was elected a member
of the State Senate from this district, serving
from 1893 to 1897. Was a delegate to the National
Democratic Convention in 1900, and has been a member
of the State Democratic Committee for ten years.
Was Grand Commander of the

Charles W. Steele.

Grand Commandery of Knights
Templar of Virginia for the
years 1901-1902. Now practices
law at Marion, Va.

CHAS. W. STEELE.

The subject of this sketch was
born at Steelesburg, Tazewell
county, Virginia, July 24th, 1858. Married and settled
in this county. Was land assessor in 1895. Elected
a member of the State Senate from this district, and
served from 1897 to 1901.

J. CLOYD BYARS.

The subject of this sketch was born at his father's farm, "Southern
View," in Washington county, Virginia, on December 9th, 1868. Located at
Bristol in 1891. Admitted to the bar in 1896. Was

J. Cloyd Byars.

elected City Attorney for Bristol in 1899. Was defeated
for Mayor of Bristol in 1900, and was elected
to the State Senate from the First Senatorial District,
composed of the counties of Smyth and Washington,
in the year 1901, which position he now fills.

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF
DELEGATES.

JOHN GIBSON.

The subject of this sketch was born in the Valley
of Virginia January 1st, 1775, and married Amelia

John Gibson.

Carter Cummings, daughter of the Rev. Charles
Cummings, and settled in this county. He was a
captain in the war of 1812 and a member of the
Legislature from Washington county in the year
1837, and died at his home, in this county, August
26th, 1863.

ROBERT E. GRANT.

The subject of this sketch was born on the 25th
of September, 1825, in Washington county, Virginia,
and was married in 1850 to Miss Anna Snodgrass,
of this county. Was elected a member of the
Legislature from Washington county in 1855, and a
member of the Secession Convention of 1861. Upon
the breaking out of the war he organized a company,

Robert E. Grant.

afterwards Company H of the Thirty-seventh Virginia
Volunteers, of which company he was captain. He entered
the service and remained until the surrender at
Appomattox. He removed with his family to Austin,
Texas, in 1872. Died July 17th, 1888, leaving his
wife and several children surviving him.

JACOB LYNCH.

Major Lynch was born in Abingdon in the year 1798,
and died March 16th, 1862. He was educated by Mr.
Samuel Baillie, who taught a school in Abingdon for
many years. He entered the Clerk's office at the age
of fourteen years as a deputy to Andrew Russell, and remained with him for
many years. He then became deputy clerk to David Campbell, and remained

with him until he (Campbell) was elected Governor of Virginia. Jacob
Lynch was then elected clerk of the court, and held this office until 1858,
when he declined a reëlection. In the spring of the year 1859 he was elected

Jacob Lynch.

a member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county, and served until the spring of 1860, when he
was elected president of the Exchange Bank of Abingdon,
and resigned his position as a member of the General
Assembly. He was for many years president of
the Russell Turnpike Company.

DR. ALEXANDER R. PRESTON.

Dr. Preston was born at "Locust Glen," the home
of his father, Robert Preston, five miles west of Abingdon,
on December 8th, 1805. He was the son of Robt.
Preston, who emigrated to this country from Ireland,
and Jennie Preston, his wife, a daughter of Robert

Alex. R. Preston.

Preston, of Walnut Grove. He received his education
at the Abingdon Academy, and was educated
in medicine at Transylvania College, and practised
his profession in this community until March 5th,
1874, the date of his death. He was elected a member
of the General Assembly from Washington
county in the year 1860, and was clerk of the Circuit
Court of this county in the year 1870.

DAVID B. CLARK.

The subject of this sketch was born near the Old
Glade Spring Church on the 18th of March, 1827,

David B. Clark.

and died March 12th, 1896. He was for a number of
years a member of the County Court of this county,
a school trustee for Saltville District, and a member
of the House of Delegates from Washington county
in 1863-1865.

DAVID CAMPBELL DUNN.

David C. Dunn.

The subject of this sketch was
born at Abingdon, Virginia,
May 7th, 1829. Educated at
the Abingdon Academy. Member
of Captain J. M. Stephens'
militia company before the war.
In April, 1861, he enlisted as
a private in Company B, Floyd's Brigade; promoted
to captaincy of Company B; second lieutenant
of the Sixty-third Virginia Regiment, which
position he held until the close of the war. He was wounded at the battle of
Cross Lanes. Was a member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county from 1861 to 1865. Now lives at Conway, South Carolina.

ARTHUR CAMPBELL CUMMINGS.

The subject of this sketch is the son of James and Mary Cummings, and
was born October 1st, 1822, on the location of the first settlement made by
his great-grandfather, Charles Cummings, in about the year 1774, at the
head of Wolf Hill Creek, about three miles west of Abingdon. Attended
the private schools of the neighborhood until appointed a cadet at the
Virginia Military Institute in the year 1841, from which institution he
graduated in 1844. He studied law and was licensed to practise in 1846,
When the war between the United States and Mexico commenced, in May,
1846, he raised and was elected captain of two different volunteer companies
under a call for volunteers by the United States Government, but
neither company was called to go into service. Was commissioned by
President Polk in March, 1847, as captain of Company K, Eleventh Regiment
of the United States Infantry, being one of the ten regiments raised
under an act of Congress to serve for five years, or during the war. He
enlisted about thirty-six men at Abingdon and at Chillicothie, Ohio, the
rest of the company being enlisted by the two lieutenants at Wheeling,
Virginia. He was then ordered to join his regiment, and reached Vera
Cruz the 1st of July, 1847; was there attached to the command of Major

A. C. Cummings.

Lally, being the first troops to leave Vera Cruz after
the army under General Scott had commenced their
march on the city of Mexico. Captain Cummings
was dangerously wounded in an engagement with a
large force of guerillas concealed in a chaparral, at
a place called Paso Ovejas, near the National Bridge
leading to the City of Mexico, and was made brevet
major for gallant conduct in that engagement. He
served as captain until the close of the war, and was
discharged with the regiment at Fort Hamilton, Long
Island, New York, about September 1st, 1848. Was
appointed division inspector of militia for the Fifth
Division on October 22d, 1849; was commissioned colonel of the Fifth Regiment
of Artillery (militia) July 24th, 1858; was commissioned captain
of the Eleventh Regiment of Infantry (militia) May 20th, 1847. On his
return home he resumed the practice of law. In May, 1861, he was commissioned
colonel of Virginia Volunteers; was ordered to report to General
T. J. Jackson at Harper's Ferry, and was by him assigned to the command
of what was then the Second, afterwards the Tenth, Regiment. In June,
1861, by order of General Jackson, he organized the Third Regiment, then
reporting from the adjoining counties. He afterwards organized the Thirty-third
Regiment, and was assigned to its command, and this command became
a part of the Stonewall Brigade. He commanded this regiment at the

George Graham.

first battle at Manassas and until the reorganization
in 1862. Elected a member of the House of Delegates
from this county in 1863 and again in 1869 and
1871.

GEORGE GRAHAM.

Born August 9th, 1831, at the location of his present
residence, in this county. Entered the Confederate
service in April, 1861, as first lieutenant of the
Glade Spring Rifles, known in the service as Company
F, Thirty-seventh Virginia Regiment. Was promoted
to captain in June, 1861, where he remained until September, 1863, when
he was elected a member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county. Was reëlected in 1869; since which time he has been engaged in
farming upon an extensive estate. He married Miss Rebecca Preston,
daughter of Colonel Thomas M. Preston.

SELDEN LONGLEY.

Born at Emory and Henry College on the 7th of February, 1846, and is
the son of Edmond Longley and May Hammond Longley. Educated in the
common schools and Emory and Henry College. At the age of seventeen he
entered the Confederate army, first in Captain J. K. Rambo's company of
Border Rangers; was afterwards transferred to Company F, Twenty-first
Virginia Cavalry, Captain Fred Gray and others commanding. He was
made orderly sergeant soon after he enlisted, and commanded a company for
several months before the close of the war. When

Selden Longley.

the war was over he reëntered Emory and Henry
College, and in June, 1866, won the Robertson prize
medal for oratory, and graduated in 1868. He was
elected assistant professor of ancient and modern
languages, and taught at Emory for one year.
Studied law at the University of Virginia, and was
admitted to the bar in 1870. In June, 1870, he was
the final orator of the Washington Literary Society
at the University of Virginia, and in November,
1873, he was elected to the House of Delegates from
Washington county, and in the same year he was
happily married to Miss Leona Howard Jordan,
daughter of Colonel W. J. Jordan, of Pulaski county. In 1891 he removed
to Pulaski county, was appointed judge of the County Court of
that county by Governor Chas. T. O'Ferrall, and was elected by the General
Assembly in 1897 to serve for the term of six years, which position he now
occupies.

ISAAC CHAPMAN FOWLER.

The subject of this sketch was born at Tazewell, Virginia, September 23d,
1831, but was principally reared near Red Sulphur Springs (now West Virginia).

Isaac Chapman Fowler.

Was educated at Emory and Henry College.
Was engaged in mercantile pursuits at
Tazewell from April, 1852, until October, 1860,
when he removed to Emory and engaged in merchandising
there until all of his property was
swept away by the war. Was connected with the
Commissary Department of the Confederate
States under General Breckenridge. After the
close of the war he removed to Bristol. Was
five times Mayor of that town. Represented
Washington county in the House of Delegates
for six years, during which time he was Speaker
of the House of Delegates. Was owner and editor
of the Bristol News from August, 1868, until
February, 1884, at which time he was appointed
clerk of the United States Court, Abingdon, Virginia,

Charles B. Coale.

which position he now holds.

CHARLES B. COALE.

Was born in Maryland in 1807. He came to
Abingdon and became associate editor and proprietor
of the Abingdon Virginian, in 1837. In 1841 he
associated himself with Geo. R. Barr and began
the publication of the Abingdon Virginian. Together
they continued to own and publish the
Abingdon Virginian until February, 1873. Was
elected a member of the House of Delegates from
this county in the year 1875. Was the author of a

Jonas S. Kelly.

book entitled "Wilburn Waters," in which much of
the history of this county has been preserved. While
not a native of this county, he contributed his time
and energy to a greater extent than any that had preceded
him in preserving the history of the county.
Was an active member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge, of
Abingdon, Virginia, and took an active part in the
founding of Martha Washington College. He died on
January 3d, 1879, and was buried in Sinking Spring
Cemetery. He left no descendants.

JONAS S. KELLY.

The subject of this sketch was born near Emory,
Virginia, February 22d, 1819; died November 29th, 1895. He was a member

of the House of Delegates from Washington county for eight years. Was
a member of the Board of Supervisors from Saltville District for many
years. He was one of the most popular men that

Daniel Trigg.

ever appeared before the people of Washington
county.

DANIEL TRIGG.

The subject of this sketch is a son of Dr. Daniel
Trigg and Anna Munford Trigg, daughter of Alexander
Tompkins, and was born in Abingdon on the 12th
day of March, 1843. Was educated at the Naval
Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, resigned therefrom
in 1861 and joined the Confederate States navy,
and served therein throughout the war, attaining the
rank of lieutenant. After the war he studied law,
was licensed, and settled in Arkansas in the year 1868, but returned to
Abingdon and settled in the year 1869, where he has since practised his profession

Chas. W. Alderson.

with success. Was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in
the year 1882, and took high rank in the proceedings
of the following sessions of the General Assembly.
He married Miss Louisa Bowen Johnston,
daughter of Judge John W. Johnston, and has
three sons and two daughters now living.

CHAS. W. ALDERSON.

Born at Lebanon, Russell county, Virginia, June
21st, 1846. Settled in Washington county. Was
elected a justice for the Glade Spring District for
the year 1887. Was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in the year 1891. Served as
school trustee in Glade Spring District from 1896 to 1900.

L. H. SNODGRASS.

L. H. Snodgrass.

The subject of this sketch was born in Sullivan
county, Tennessee, June 18th, 1859. Married and
settled at Craig's Mills, in this county. Served as
supervisor and school trustee of Kinderhook District
for several years. Was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in 1891.

JAMES CROW.

James Crow was born near Friendship, October
15th, 1821, and died November 14th, 1902. He was
the descendant of one of the original settlers of this
county. Was well known and respected for his fine character and ability.
Was a justice of the peace for fifteen years; supervisor, first of Glade Spring

District and afterwards of Holston District for a number of years. Was
elected a member of the House of Representatives from this county in 1889.
He accumulated a considerable fortune and left very respectable descendants.

E. S. KENDRICK.

Was born in New Garden, Russell county, Virginia, September 20th, 1856.
Removed to Bristol in 1882. Was a member of the Washington County
School Board for Goodson District for several years

James Crow.

and a member of the Town Council for Goodson for
four years. Represented Washington county in the
House of Delegates 1889-1890, and during this time
secured an act of the General Assembly changing
the name of Goodson to the city of Bristol. Was a
member of the City Council for Bristol for four

E. S. Kendrick.

years and a member of the
School Board of the city.
Again represented Washington
county and the city of
Bristol in the House of Delegates
in the years 1893-1894.

ANDREW F. RAMBO.

The subject of this sketch was born near Palestine,
in this county, July 5th, 1845. Educated in the
schools of the county. Has been a merchant most of
his life. Joined the Washington Mounted Rifles in
April, 1861; served through the war. Has been

Andrew F. Rambo.

postmaster at Palestine since 1881. Was elected a
member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county in the year 1895.

JOSEPH M. BUTT.

Joseph M. Butt.

Was born four miles northwest
of Abingdon, October
29th, 1846. Was the youngest
child of Rignal and Sarah
Butt. Served as lieutenant in
Company E, Thirteenth Battalion
of Virginia Reserves.
Was elected a member of the House of Delegates from
Washington county in 1895. Twice married—first to
Theresa J. Lyon, of Washington county, and secondly
to Fannie A. Drinkard, of Richmond, Virginia.

W. H. TOMNEY.

Great-grandson of Christopher Simmerman, who gave the land for the
location of the town of Wytheville. Was born in Wytheville, September

15th, 1862. Has spent his life in the newspaper business. Was elected a
member of the House of Delegates from Washington county in the year 1893,
at which time he was the editor of the Glade Spring Citizen.

JOHN ROBERTS.

Born on the head waters of Rattle Creek, in this county, five miles north
of Abingdon, on December 9th, 1834. Was the son of Henry and Elizabeth

W. H. Tomney.

Roberts. Was captain of militia in 1858. Enlisted
as a private in Company I, Forty-eighth Virginia
Regiment, in 1861, and was elected lieutenant of
the company at the reorganization in 1862. He
lost his right leg at the battle of Chancellorsville,
May 3d, 1862. Was appointed purchasing agent

John Roberts.

for the county in 1864.
Twice represented North
Fork District as a supervisor.
Elected a member
of the Legislature in 1887.
Has served as Commissioner
of the Revenue for the Western District since
1895.

SAMUEL P. EDMONDSON.

The subject of this sketch is a direct lineal descendant
of one of the heroes of King's Mountain.
He was born in this county, educated in the schools

Samuel P. Edmondson.

of the county, and for many years has been a very
successful farmer and cattle trader. Has held a
number of very responsible positions. Was elected
a member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county in the year 1887.

CHAS. H. JENNINGS.

Charles H. Jennings.

Born in Bristol, Virginia,
February 9th, 1865.
Has lived in Abingdon
since January 1st, 1883.
Member of the Town Council
and the School Board of Cave City School District.
Married Miss Hattie McChesney Jones, December
9th, 1884. Was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in
1897. Is now the proprietor of the Hattie House
and of Jennings' drug store, Abingdon, Va.

THOMAS J. CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch is a son of Wm. B. Campbell, and was reared
on the Jonesboro road, about nine miles west of Abingdon. Has been a

farmer all his life. Was elected a member of the House of Delegates from
Washington county in 1897.

JOHN W. PRICE.

John W. Price, a son of Rev. Wm. H. Price, was born at his father's home,
on the Middle Fork of Holston river, in this county. Was educated at Emory

John W. Price.

and Henry College. Studied medicine and graduated
with high honors. Afterwards studied law, and
settled and began to practise his profession in Abingdon
in 1894. Was an unsuccessful candidate for
Commonwealth's Attorney in 1895. In the following
year removed to Bristol, where he has since
practised his profession with success. Was elected
a member of the House of Delegates from Washington
county and the city of Bristol in 1899, and was
recently elected judge of the Corporation Court for
the city of Bristol for the term beginning February
1st, 1904.

C. H. McCLUNG.

C. H. McClung.

The subject of this sketch was born on a farm in
Greenbrier county (now West Virginia), April 30th,
1841. Was educated in the common schools of his
county. Entered the Confederate service as a private
in Company C, Nineteenth Virginia Regiment
of Cavalry, in 1861, and served as such until 1864,
when he became adjutant of his regiment. Was captured
in the fall of that year, and remained a prisoner
at Camp Chase, Ohio, until after the close of
the war. After the war he began farming, and at
times managed hands in the grading of the Chesapeake

A. J. Huff.

and Ohio railway on New River, West Virginia.
Was appointed sheriff and treasurer of Fayette county,
West Virginia, in 1877, and at the following election
was elected to the same office for the term of four years.
In 1888 he removed to Meadow View, Washington
county, Virginia. In 1895 was a candidate for treasurer
of Washington county, but was defeated by S. M.
Withers. Was elected a member of the House of Delegates
from this county in the year 1899; since which
time he has been farming and merchandising.

A. J. HUFF.

The subject of this sketch was born in Roanoke
county, May 27th, 1865. He has been an extensive farmer and stock-raiser
since maturity; is a part owner of the Byars' farm, in the upper end of this

county, and has lived in this county since October 15th, 1901. Was elected
a member of the House of Delegates from this county in the year 1901.

J. W. MORT.

Was born in Strasburg, Shenandoah county, Virginia, September 10th,
1855. Moved to Bristol in 1876. Was appointed Commissioner of the Revenue
for the city of Bristol in 1890. Was afterwards elected to succeed himself
four times in that office, and served ten years. Was twice elected a

J. W. Mort.

member of the City Council. Was elected a member
of the House of Delegates from Washington county
and the city of Bristol in 1901.

CHARLES STUART BEKEM.

Charles Stuart Bekem was born in Abingdon, Virginia,
December 25th, 1802, and died in his native
town, August 19th, 1875, in the seventy-second year
of his age. He was the son of William and Jane
Bekem, who came to America from Ireland before the
close of the eighteenth century and settled in Abingdon.
Mrs. Bekem was a sister of Lieutenant John
Carson, of the First Continental Artillery, who died the 12th of September,
1781, of wounds received at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina, 8th September,
1781, and of Chas. S. Carson, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, and who
figured conspicuously in the business affairs of Southwest Virginia. The
subject of this sketch was a graduate of Washington College, Tennessee.
Mr. Bekem was a prominent lawyer, distinguished for his honesty and integrity,
and was called upon often to represent his county in the Legislature,
which he did with great fidelity. He was Commonwealth's Attorney for the

Chas. S. Bekem.

counties of Washington and Russell, and achieved quite
a reputation in this capacity for uprightness of conduct
and fair dealing with those he had to prosecute. Mr.
Bekem had as his contemporaries at the bar such men as
James W. Sheffey, Samuel Logan, Arthur C. Cummings,
John W. Johnston, John A. and Jos. T. Campbell, and
others equally as prominent. Mr. Bekem was a prominent
Mason. In politics he was a Whig, and was an
ardent admirer of the principles of that party, his counsel
often being sought in regard to party affairs. Mr.
Bekem had three sisters—Margaret C., who never married;
Sallie K., who married Wm. King, of Saltville, and
Jane Eliza, who married Rev. Lewis F. Cosby, D. D.; two brothers, John C.
and James C., who died unmarried. In religious belief the Bekems were
Presbyterians.

JOHN CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch was the son of David Campbell, and was born
in Augusta county. In about the year 1765 he accompanied Dr. Thomas

Walker to the waters of the Holston, and with his father and brothers purchased
a valuable tract of land on the waters of the Middle Fork of Holston
river, called the "Royal Oak," now about one mile east of Marion, Virginia.
He was a captain of militia and took part in the battle of Long Island
Flats. He was a member of the County Court of Washington county,
became clerk of the court of the county in the year 1779, and served until
1815, thirty-six years. About the beginning of the nineteenth century he
purchased from Jacob Young a valuable tract of land in the lower end of
this county, since known as "Hall's Bottom." This Jacob Young came
directly from Germany with a large household; was a wealthy man, and
lived and ruled his household and tenantry like a lord. To this tract of
land John Campbell removed and lived for many years, and reared a large
family of children, many of whom became distinguished. John Campbell,
his son, was for ten years treasurer of the United States, and represented
this county in the Legislature before he was twenty-one years of age. David
Campbell, his son, was for twenty-two years clerk of the County Court of
this county, member of the Senate of Virginia for four years, and Governor
of Virginia from 1837 to 1841. A grandson, Wm. B. Campbell, was Governor
of Tennessee, and a brother-in-law, Archibald Roane, the husband of Ann
Campbell, was judge of the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee and
Governor of that State from 1801 to 1804. Another son, Edward Campbell,
was a distinguished lawyer, and lived in this county.

COLONEL JOHN PRESTON.

The subject of this sketch was the son of Robert Preston, the first surveyor
of this county. He was born in Abingdon in 1781, and died at
Walnut Grove in 1865. He was educated for the law, but never practised
his profession. The landed estate inherited by him from his father was
immense, and he devoted his life to farming pursuits. He was for many
years presiding justice of the County Court for Washington county, and
exercised great influence in his time. He left a large and highly respectable
family of children.

COLONEL JOHN CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch was the son of John Campbell, and was born
at Royal Oak in about the year 1791. He was educated at the Abingdon
Academy, and in the year 1811 was elected a member of the House of Delegates
from Washington county, became a member of the Council of State,
and acquired an excellent reputation. In the year 1818 he decided to settle
in Alabama, and President James Monroe, when informed of that fact, addressed
the following communication to Governor Bibb, of Huntsville, Alabama,
in regard to Colonel Campbell:

Colonel Campbell did not remain long in Alabama, but returned to this
county, and in April, 1829, he was appointed Treasurer of the United

Col. Jno. Campbell.

States by President Jackson, and discharged the duties
of that position with distinguished ability until
1839, when, finding himself opposed to many of the
policies of President Van Buren, he resigned his position,
returned to his home, and ever afterwards advocated
the policies of the Whig party.

COLONEL JAMES WHITE.

The subject of this sketch was born at Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, February 22d, 1770, of Scotch-Irish parents,
and when quite young was a clerk in the concern
of Talbot, Jones & Co., of Baltimore, Maryland,
with whom he remained two or three years. This firm advanced him a small
stock of goods, with which he made his first trip to Southwest Virginia.
On the 4th of January, 1798, he married Miss Eliza Wilson, and settled in

Col. James White.

Abingdon. All of his undertakings seemed to prosper,
and at the date of his death, which occurred October
20th, 1838, his estate was estimated to be
worth more than two-thirds of a million dollars. He
was over six feet in height, of broad shoulders, deep
chest, and that symmetry of limb that indicates
agility and strength. He left a very large and distinguished
family of children.

WILLIAM KING.

Was born in Ireland in 1769, and came to America
at the age of fifteen years, landing at Newcastle,
Delaware, August 17th, 1784, and was for five years engaged with a merchant
at Philadelphia, his father, Thomas King, having previously to that
time settled in Fincastle county. William King remained in Philadelphia
until 1791, when he joined his father at Abingdon. (The home of Thomas
King was near to and a little east of the present residence of Dr. Wm.
White.) He received a legacy of 100 pounds from his grandmother, Elizabeth
Davis, and with this capital he started as a pedler to make his fortune.

His success was rapid, and he established stores along his line of
travel and stocked them with such merchandise as best suited the people of

Jos. W. Davis.

the country. In 1799 he married Mary Trigg, and
built the first brick house in Abingdon. (This house
is still standing on Court street opposite the courthouse.)
He died in 1808. The crowning act of his
life was the devise of $10,000 to the Abingdon
Academy.

JOSEPH W. DAVIS.

Joseph W. Davis was born in what is now Smyth
county, Virginia, in 1798. Moved to Washington
county in 1846 from his former home at Pleasant
Hill. For several years he represented Smyth
county in the Legislature, and after the war was
State Senator for two years. He did much as a
magistrate, surveyor and civil engineer. Became manager of the Emory
and Henry College boarding-house and farm in 1846, holding this position
for six years. Subsequently engaged in merchandising, and finally in farming.
He was a trustee of Emory and Henry College for about twenty years.
Major Davis was a man of deep and earnest convictions, and few men
have exerted a more positive influence on others.

ROBERT W. HUGHES.

Judge Robert William Hughes was born in Powhatan county, Virginia,
June 16th, 1821, and was reared by Mrs. General Carrington, daughter of

Robt. W. Hughes.

General Francis Preston, of Abingdon. He was educated
at Caldwell Institute, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Was tutor in Bingham High School, Hillsboro,
North Carolina, 1840-1843. Was a practising lawyer
in Richmond 1843-1853. Was editor of the Richmond
Examiner 1850-1857, and joint editor of that paper
from May, 1861, to April, 1865. Upon the close of the
war he aligned himself with the Republican party,
and edited first the Richmond Republic and afterwards
the Richmond Journal. In 1873 he was the Republican
candidate for Governor of Virginia, and in
January, 1874, he was by President Grant commissioned
United States District Judge for the Eastern
District of Virginia, in which position he served with
marked ability and distinction till February 22d, 1898, when, owing to his
advanced age, he tendered his resignation. On June 4th, 1850, at the Governor's
Mansion, in Richmond, he married Miss Eliza M. Johnston, daughter
of Hon. Chas. C. Johnston and Eliza Mary Preston, niece of General Jos. E.
Johnston. For many years he occupied as a summer home his fine
estate, about three miles southeast of Abingdon. He was the author of
biographies of General Floyd and General Joseph E. Johnston, published in
"Lee and His Lieutenants," 1867; a volume entitled "The American Dollar,"
1885, and of five volumes of United States Circuit and District Court
reports, entitled "Hughes' Reports, 1879-1885." In the year 1866 Judge
Hughes fought a duel with Wm. E. Cameron, afterwards Governor of Virginia,
which resulted in Cameron's receiving a broken rib at the first fire.
He died December 10th, 1901. His remains were interred in Sinking Spring
Cemetery.

REV. LEWIS F. COSBY.

Rev. Lewis F. Cosby, D. D., was the son of Dabney Cosby, deceased, of
Staunton, Virginia. Was born the 15th day of January, 1807, and departed
this life the 6th day of July, 1883, in Abingdon. At the age of
eleven years he was converted, and some years afterwards became a minister

Rev. Lewis F. Cosby.

of the gospel in the Methodist Protestant church,
serving many charges in Eastern Virginia. He
came to Abingdon and assumed charge of the
church here. During a revival in said church a
very accomplished young lady (Miss Jane Eliza
Bekem) professed religion, and on the 13th day of
January, 1833, she became the wife of the young
preacher, the ceremony being performed by the
Rev. David R. Preston, of the Presbyterian church.
To this union seven children were born, four of
whom are yet living. After this Dr. Cosby returned
to Eastern Virginia, but in the year 1844,
with his family, removed to Washington county,
and settled at "Oakland," where he farmed successfully
and preached in Abingdon and often in the surrounding country. Mrs.
Cosby departed this life June 13th, 1853. He was married the second time,
his last wife being Mrs. Elizabeth Montgomery, who survived him a few
years. Dr. Cosby was noted for his kindliness of heart, his generosity to the
poor and suffering, and for the purity of his life. He was a fluent speaker,
and had a voice in song that was unexcelled. He lived honored and respected
by all. He took great interest in public affairs, and gave much of
his time and talents for the good of the public. His dust lies in Sinking
Spring Cemetery.