The Johnston Family in Washington County, Virginia, in the 1800s.

Notes from Lewis Preston Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870. Richmond: J. L. Hill Printing Company, 1903. 

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 1798-1799, 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 assigned to the Prince Edward Circuit, be 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" [Panecillo], 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 [William] Johnston, General Jos. E. Johnston, Beverly Randolph Johnston, Chas. C. Johnston, Benjamin [Franklin] Johnston, Mrs. Jane C. Mitchell and Algernon Sidney Johnston.   [pages 768-769.] 

TRUSTEES OF THE ABINGDON ACADEMY, WITH DATE OF APPOINTMENT

1822. Peter Johnston.  Died 1831; president of Board 1826-1831,

1826. Chas. C. Johnston. Died 1832.
Peter C. Johnston. Removed to Smyth county.

1852. Beverly R. Johnston. Resigned 1862. [pages 882-884.] 

[See also Prestons, Campbells, Triggs.]

In the year 1846, the citizens of Washington county were very greatly interested in the war between the United States and Mexico, Captain A. C. Cummings and General Peter C. Johnston taking an active part in the efforts made to organize the citizens of this county and enlist them in the service of their country, and on the 25th of March, 1846, the County Court entered the following order: 

"On motion of Arthur C. Cummings, Captain of the Artillery attached to the 164th Regiment of Virginia Militia . . . it is . . . ordered that leave be granted the said Cummings to have a suitable shed erected for the purpose [of protecting the cannon]."

A number of the citizens of this county served in that war under Captain Cummings, while General William E. Jones and Lieutenant John Preston Johnston did valiant service for their country, Johnston losing his life in the service.  [pages 643-644.] [Note: Cummings was later a Confederate colonel, commanding the 33rd Virginia of the Stonewall Brigade at First Manassas.]

The Exchange Bank of Virginia of Norfolk [ordered the establishment of  a branch in Abingdon in May 1849, Capital of $100,000. President, Dr. Daniel Trigg. Cashier, Robert R. Preston. Directors included David Campbell, Beverly R. Johnston and Thomas L. Preston.] [page 644.]

At the April term, 1853, of the County Court of this county, the court appointed John M. Preston, Peter J. Branch and Beverly R. Johnston a committee to plant trees in the public square north of the courthouse, which duty was performed and the trees thus planted remained in the square until the year 1902, when they were cut down and removed from the premises. [(page 645).] 

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