Family Record of the Descendants of Peter Johnston, Part 1

[Folder 5, Trigg-Floyd Collection, Special Collections, John Cook Wyllie Library, The University of Virginia's College at Wise (formerly Clinch Valley College), Wise, Virginia. This is my rough transcription. Note: handwriting in the original most closely resembles that of Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891). Though the document is undated, by the dates included it must have originated in 1846 or after. It could have been drafted by Johnston for his wife, Lydia Milligan McLane (1822-1887), after they were married (in 1845) but before he headed off to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). By the handwriting and style, it almost certainly dates to no later than the end of the nineteenth century].

Family Record of the descendants of Peter Johnston, of Edinburg [Edinburgh, Scotland].

Peter Johnston, the first of his family known in America, was born in Edinburgh, on the 10^th of November 1710, & came to Virginia about the close of the reign of George 1^st (1726 or 1727). He was occupied in mercantile business, & remained single until the year 1761. On the 19^th of March in that year, he was married by Mr. Thomas Wilkinson, a clergyman of the Church of England, to Mrs. Martha Rogers, widow of Thomas Rogers, captain of a merchantman in the Colonial service. She was the daughter of John Butler, a merchant of the county of Prince George, who lived on the south bank of the Appomattox one mile below the town of Petersburg. She was born in May 1732.

On Monday, June 23d in 1788, Peter Johnston, first son Peter & Martha Johnston, was married by Mr. John Todd, a Presbyterian clergyman, to Mary Wood, second daughter of Col. Valentine Wood, clerk of Goochland, by his wife Lucy, a sister of Patrick Henry.

Dr. John Warfield Johnston, eldest son of Peter & Mary Johnston, was married on Thursday 7^th Oct. 1817, to Louisa Smith Bowen, daughter of Col. Henry Bowen, of Tazewell.

On Wednesday 1^st January 1823, Charles Clement Johnston, third son of Peter & Mary Johnston, was married to Eliza M. Preston, daughter of Gen. John Preston.

Edward William, fifth son of Peter & Mary Johnston, was married on 7^th Feb. 1824 to Estelle Costrar, a lady of French parentage, born in the island of San Domingo, but brought up in the City of New York.

Jane Wood Johnston, youngest child of Peter & Mary Johnston, was married on 24^th Sept. 1832 to Harvey Michel, an artist, of Lynchburg.

Joseph Eggleston Johnston, eight son of Peter & Mary Johnston, was married on 10^th July 1845 to Lydia Milligan McLane, daughter of Hon. Louis McLane, of Maryland. This marriage took place in Baltimore.

(The record given below, should have been put in its proper place as to date, before the two last on preceding page.) [Note in original].

On Saturday evening, Dec. 13^th 1828 Peter Johnston was married to his second wife, Miss Ann Bernard, daughter of John Bernard Esq. of Buckingham.

Births

On 6^th Jan: 1763 the first son of Peter & Martha Johnston was born; and was baptized by the name of Peter. Osborne’s Landing, a hamlet on the James River, was his birth=place [as in original].

On 9^th Sept. 1764 their second son was born – He was baptized John. Died in infancy.

On 6^th March 1767 the third son of Peter & Martha Johnston was born, in the county of Prince Edward, to which his parents had removed in 1765. He was baptized Andrew.

On 28^th April 1769 the fourth son of this couple was born, & was baptized by the name of Charles.

On 15^th November 1774 the fifth & last child of this couple was born, and was baptized Edward.  [To be continued].

[Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy and Sally Young for their ongoing research collaboration.]