CAMPBELL COUNTY, VA - HISTORY - Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches Family Sketches - Johnston ----¤¤¤---- CAMPBELL CHRONICLES and FAMILY SKETCHES Embracing the History of CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1782-1926 By R. H. EARLY With Illustrations J. P. BELL COMPANY LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 1927 Johnston Several Campbell residents bearing name of Charles Johnson or Johnston, are among early settlers; and this appearance, disappearance and re-appearance of a certain name in the records raises a question as to whether it is one and the same person first encountered, and becomes confusing in the large connection. Charles Johnston, "of Goochland county," is found in Campbell deeds, in 179O; eight years later he and his wife, Mary, appear to have exchanged their county property with Caleb Tate for a lot in Lynchburg, and he probably was the Charles Johnson who was the first manufacturer of tobacco in the town. Charles Johnston, former Indian prisoner on Ohio river, married, 1st, Letitia Pickett, established himself at Richmond, was living there in 18O2; had one son and a daughter, Lucy, •who, in 1818 married an Ambler. Johnston left Richmond in 18O8, purchased 243 acres lying on Blackwater creek of John Timberlake, also purchased 92 acres of Joseph Pratt and widow Timberlake, the latter tract having formerly belonged to William Burton and been deeded by him to Philip Timber-lake in 1797. Johnston married, 2nd, Elizabeth, a daughter of James Steptoe and had a large family. About this time Johnston built a home upon his land, naming it Sandusky, for the Indian trading post which sheltered him after he was ransomed. He continued to buy Campbell land and in 181O procured from John Lynch 35 acres near the Quaker Meeting House, adjoining Lynch property; bought land from Thomas Burgess the same year, and, in 1812 bought of James Stanton 83 acres on Rock Castle (later Burton's) creek, running along Timberlake's line to a point opposite the Quaker house. In 1818 Johnston sold Christopher Clark, Jr., 92 acres and the tract of 279 acres where he lived on the south side of Rock Castle creek, moved to Botetourt, where he practiced law and was living in 1827. Sandusky changed ownership several times afterwards. In 1823 James Bullock, trustee for Clark, conveyed the property to Wm. Radford, Isaac Otey, Edward Watts and Thomas Moore. In 1826 Isaac Otey in bond of $2O,OOO with John M. Otey and John O. Leftwich, securities, obtained the property described as lying on the north west side of the road leading to New London. In 1831 Elizabeth, widow of Isaac Otey made a deed of trust on lands where he had resided to Thomas A. Holcombe, of Lynchburg, and Chiswell Dabney, of Amherst, who sold the property the same year to his son, John M. Otey, for $8,OOO. Between 1841-2 John M. and Lucy Otey conveyed 512 acres and a small tract of 92 acres (upon which last, widow Timberlake resided for life) to George C. Hutter, a paymaster in the United States army with title of major, and one of the earliest graduates of West Point Academy. At the declaration of war in 1861 Major Hutter handed in his resignation to the government and retired to private life at Sandusky on the plea of age. He was then offered the similar position of general pay-master of the Confederate army by President Davis, which he declined, but his three sons became officers in Confederate service. During his raid on Lynchburg Gen. Hunter made his headquarters in Major Hutter's home, and the family received some little protection from the fact that Hunter and Hutter had been fellow officers in the United States army. Major Hutter married Harriet, the daughter of Major James B. Risque, a brilliant lawyer of Lynchburg, and his wife, Elizabeth Kennerley. Had three sons:-Ferdinand, m., 1st, Isabel Goggin; m., 2nd, Mary Lyons of Richmond; -Edward, m. Nannie, dau. of Major Jno. S. Langhorne;—J. Risque, m. his cousin. Lottie, dau. of Edward Sesctus Hutter, (formerly of U. S. Navy). The family of Major Risque Hutter yet own and occupy the Sandusky home. Ada married Major LeRoy Long. Ransomed From Indians Charles Johnston, at 19 years of age, took service as clerk in 1788 in the employment of John May, of Petersburg, then engaged in purchasing and locating large tracts of land in Kentucky. May and Johnston made a trip, by way of what was known as the Wilderness Road to May's lands, returning safely to Virginia. In 179O a second trip was planned by water travel down the Kanawha and Ohio rivers in a flat, clumsy boat without covering, called an ark. This open transport was considered a safe enough conveyance from Indian attack, as long as it was kept in mid-stream of the broad Ohio. They were joined by three fellow-travellers, a man and two women, as was the custom of banding together for protection in unfrequented sections. But, decoyed to the bank by two treacherous white men, their boat got caught in overhanging tree branches, when a party of Indians sprang upon them, killing May and one of the women, and taking the others prisoners. These Indians embraced members of four tribes, Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandots and Cherokees. In the distribution of spoil, Johnston was given to Messhawa, of the Shawnees, who proved a kind master; but as Indians were known to be deceitful and cruel in the treatment of prisoners, they were constantly agonized by fear of the fate awaiting them. Two Mingoes joined the party, one of whom had killed a Wyandot husband and father of a family. The usage prevailed among the savages that if one took the life of another, he was bound to make reparation either in property value or by substituting some one to fill the relation of the deceased in the community, else the murderer forfeited his own life. The culprit in this instance represented himself as without the means to pay the forfeit in property, and begged the gift of a prisoner who might rescue him from his bad plight. Johnston was then handed over to him, as substitute for the murdered Wyandot, a situation he viewed not unfavorably, because it suggested a possible means of escape ultimately. But after two or three days' separation from his original keepers, they re-appeared and demanded back their prisoner. Messhawa settled the dispute, which then arose, by catching two horses, mounting Johnston on one and himself on the other, and, with his rifle on his shoulder, riding to the Indian town at Upper Sandusky, five miles distant, a town of Wyandot or Huron Indians. Here Johnston met with a Canadian trader, Duchouquet, who ultimately succeeded in ransoming him at the price of $10O worth of goods, paid in 6OO silver brooches, on April 28th, 1790, the day Johnston reached his twenty-first birthday. When Duchouquet was ready to carry his pack of fur to the trading post at Detroit, he took Johnston with him: from there the latter was furnished transportation by the British authorities as far as New York, in which city he was visited by Washington's secretary, Nelson, and interviewed by Washington himself. He had then been absent from Virginia several months, during five weeks of the time a prisoner in the hands of the Indians, so he returned to Richmond, where he borrowed a horse and gig and rode to see his brother who had taken charge of his small estate in Hanover, and from there rode to Prince Edward on a visit to his mother, who was living in that county. Called to Europe on business in 1793, Johnston returned to America next year on the Pigeon, in company with La Rouchefoucould, author of "Travels in the United States," in which he included Johnston's experience with the Indians, but misspelled proper names, and this provoked Johnston to write his own narrative in 1827, thirty-five years after it had occurred. In the meantime Johnston had lived in Campbell county, built a home he named Sandusky, married the second time while there, and finally moved to Botetourt county, where he died. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. 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