The Death of Benjamin Franklin Johnston, November 5, 1834

[Edward William Johnston at Columbia, South Carolina, to Beverly Randolph Johnston at Abingdon, Virginia, November 12, 1834. Box 1, John Warfield Johnston Papers, 1778-1890, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University].

In the introduction, Edward recounts that he is "imperfectly recovered" from a "long malady." Of his wife Estelle: "To-morrow will make 3 weeks since your sister suffered a bilious attack, which is now subdued; but has left her in a state of extreme feebleness and of nervous irritability, verging upon continual delirium."

But the main point of the letter: "an attack of the same sort, happening only the day after Estelle's, has torn from us our poor boy -- our child, rather than brother -- for six years the companion, & lately the hope, of our fireside -- our poor Benjamin."

More details: "On his circuit, at Orangeburg, he was seized, on the 19th [of October], with a fever, that seemed, in all its stages but the last, rather serious than alarming. Your cousin William [Preston Campbell, probably] was with him, during the first 4 days of his illness; on whose return, we thought it necessary that Syd should go down to attend him: for I, meanwhile, was too feeble to attempt a 40-miles' ride by night; and, indeed, but ill-able to nurse Estelle, whose situation seemed, for the greater part, more threatening than Ben's." 

"Sydney remained with him near a week, till he reached a point of apparent recovery, at which the physicians thought he might be left for three or four days, by which point they judged it almost certain that he would be able to stand the journey up to Columbia. I judged it better, however, a few days afterwards, to send John [Warfield Johnston] to him, to watch and to beguile his recovery, until he could report him in a condition to travel. This was on Sunday last (the 2nd [of November]); about which time ill symptoms began to appear . . . of which as soon as we heard in an alarming manner, Syd again went to him, on the night of Tuesday (the 4th): reaching him, however, only twenty-six hours before his death, on Thursday morning (the 5th), about 1/2 after 9."

John returned to Columbia and reported details to Edward on the morning of November 12, 1834; Syd would see to Ben's burial in Orangeburg that same day, but Edward planned to move his remains to Columbia in the proper season.

"I have written to the Major, and am about to write to Joseph & Jane, addressing the latter at Liberty [Bedford County, Virginia] . . . as for me, I have nothing to fear, except, perhaps, an occasional visit of ague & fever; and your sister is, since yesterday, so much better, that there can now be little delay in the dissipating her only remaining symptoms -- the nervous aff[l]iction of which I have spoken . . ."

He wishes Beverly to visit for a month. "You are young, free, and must surely have some little leisure, that [you] would bestow on us."

John had brought with him news of the Major's business in Richmond, Virginia, into the winter.

Also, things were going on in Columbia, specifically regarding South Carolina College. "There are matters on foot with respect to our College, that may somewhat disagreeably set free all those connected with it, and put me on the necessity of striking out some other path of life. While I am ready to encounter any event of this sort, not only with firmness, but with a perfect self-reliance, drawn from the trial of my resources, I shall be exceedingly contented to have you & him ["the Major," if he could get away from Richmond] here, to hold counsel with."

He bids adieu with "An affectionate farewell."

Perhaps most noticeably, there are no traces of religious sentiment in this entire letter, though Edward was at least ostensibly Catholic via his marriage to Estelle. 

Maladies of South Carolina at the time included yellow fever, malaria, consumption (tuberculosis) and many more. 

Ben's death was reported in The Richmond Enquirer (November 18, 1834), page 3: "Died, on the 5th inst., at Orangeburgh [sic], S.C., (whither his professional duties had led him,) BENJAMIN FRANKLIN JOHNSTON, of this place, youngest son of the late Judge Peer Johnston, of Virginia."

[Benjamin "Ben" Franklin Johnston (1808-1834) graduated from South Carolina College in 1830 with an A.B.; apparently he was on business as a lawyer or law clerk

John Warfield Johnston [Jr.] (1818-1889) turned sixteen on September 9, 1834. He later became a U.S. Senator from Virginia

Edward William Johnston (1799-1867), married to Estelle (Also called "your sister" in this letter), Marie Antoinette Estelle Costar (De Cressac Villagrand) (ca. 1802-1848); Algernon Sidney "Syd" Johnston (1801-1852), brother of both Edward and Benjamin, was also active in Columbia at the time

William Campbell Preston (1794-1860), U.S. Congressman and Senator from South Carolina, President of South Carolina College

Beverly Randolph Johnston (1803-1876), attorney-at-law in Abgindon, Virginia, at the time of this letter

"The Major" = Peter Carr Johnston (1793-1877)
Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891)
Jane Johnston (1811-1892), who had married Harvey Mitchell (1799-1866) in 1832
Judge Peter Johnston, Jr. (1763-1831), married to Mary Valentine Wood (1769-1825)]

For their help and assistance, many thanks to the staff of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. For more information about the John Warfield Johnston Papers, here's a link to the guide.