Thruston Family; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 6, No. 1, 1897 Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Thruston Family Buckner Thruston William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 1. (Jul., 1897), pp. 13-18. THRUSTON FAMILY(1). (Continued from Vol. V., page 120) "Charles Mynn Thruston, second son of Col. John Thruston and Elizabeth Thruston Whiting, was born at Sans Souci, Jefferson county, Kentucky, February 26, 1793, married Eliza Sydnor Cosby, eldest child of Judge Fontunatus Cosby and Mary Ann Fontaine, September, 1818. C. M. T. died January 7, 1854. E. S. C. T. died January 27, 1841. CHILDREN. Mary Eliza, born July 7, 1819, married Dr. Lewis Rogers June 9, 1839, and died August 25, 1888. ______________________________________ (1) From a letter of Dr. John Thruston, of Louisville, KY. Page 14. Eliza, born January 19, 1821; died in infancy. John, born March 5, 1822, died in infancy. Sidney Eliza, born January 16, 1824; married Thos. N. Hornsby February 16, 1844, and died October 10, 1853. John, second, born January 28, 1826; married Ellen Pope December 14, 1858. Emma Cosby, born June 5, 1827; died January 23, 1873. Anna Blake, born May 16, 1829; married Wm. J. Johnson October 13, 1849. Charles Mynn, born December 24, 1833; married Leonora Keller March 5, 1862, and died April 22, 1888. Vernon Cosby, born May, 1834; died in infancy. Barbara Fontaine, born February 11, 1835. Elizabeth Pope, born 1837; died in early childhood. Lewis Rogers, born 1839; died in infancy. My grandfather, John Thruston, was one of the early magistrates (called the Court of Quarter Sessions) under Virginia and Kentucky appointment, until regular courts were organized, and was also one of the earliest and one of the three last trustees, of Louisville, holding under the same authority until a new system was established. Mrs. Rogers' children were: Jane Farrar, married R. Atwood; Eliza Thruston, married Rev. B. M. Messick; Dr. Coleman, married Mary Gray; Caroline, never married; Anna Thruston, married Harvey Yeaman; Harriet, married Geo. Gaulbert; Ella, married Chas. Robinson. Several dying in infancy, and none surviving but Dr. Rogers, Mrs. Atwood, Mrs. Messick, and Mrs. Gaulbert. Mrs. Hornsby left two daughters, Mrs. Violet Anderson and Hortense Hornsby. The latter alone surviving. The writer has two children: Sarah Lawrence, married Dr. W. A. Hughes; Dr. C. M. Thruston, married Olivia Dean. Mrs. Johnson left Chas. Thruston, married Sally Ward Danforth; Mary Thruston, never married; Eliza Thruston, married George H. Breed. Several dying in infancy. Chas T. Johnson alone surviving. In my brother Charles' marriage there was no issue. My grandfather Cosby was a graduate of William and Mary - the second circuit judge of Jefferson county, Kentucky. His father-in-law, Capt. Aaron Fontaine (one of the younger sons of Peter Fontaine, forty years rector of Westover Parish, Virginia), was the Page 15. father of nin daughters by his marriage with Barbara Terrell, of Virginia, all marrying men of prominence here and hereabout. It has been said of my grandmother Cosby that she could maintain an argument with the ablest in the land. My father, C. M. T., was at the head of the legal profession here - an able advocate and eloquent speaker. My brother, C. M. T., sixteen years clerk of our county court, had he desired, and his health permitted, could have held office indefinitely. Dr. Lewis Rogers was confessedly at the head of his profession in Louisville." [EXTRACT FROM A LETTER TO ROBERT THRUSTON HUBARD, ESQ., OF BUCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA., FROM JUDGE BUCKNER THRUSTON, SON OF COL. CHARLES M. THRUSTON.] WASHINGTON, 8TH Apl., 1840. Dear Sir: Your letter of the 4th inst. requesting information relative to my family came to hand yesterday, and it affords me pleasure to communicate to you all the knowledge I possess on the subject. It needed no apology in asking of me this information, as I deem it a very agreeable if not laudable feeling which prompts the desire to be acquainted with one's blood relations. It is a feeling which I have found pretty strong in myself and which led me mainly to write for the gratification of my children the little biograhical sketch published in the last Literary Messenger of which you have been pleased to speak with more favor than it per- haps deserves. It was with some reluctance that I consented to its publication at the suggestion of a very intelligent friend. You are very correct in your apprehension that "we are related". Your grandfather's wife, Miss Frances Thruston, was my father's sister, and I remember to have seen at my father's house in Frederick County, Va., some 45 years ago, a gentleman of your name, who called my father uncle and who was perhaps your father(1) or his brother. My father and myself are natives of Gloucester County, and so far as regards him, this is seen in my memoir, as also an account of the family from the period of the restoration of Charles II. Therefore I need go no farther back, in answering your enquiries, than the period of my father's birth. My grandfather had the following children besides my father - John Thruston, who married and died many years ago in Gloucester County - Robert Thruston, after whom you state you were named - your grandmother, Mrs. Frances Hubard; Mrs. Sarah Thornton, the wife of Col. John Thornton, of Hanover County, Va., whose family you are better acquainted with than I am, altho' I have seen Col. Thornton and his son John I think, and a Mrs. Finney, whose first name I am ignorant of and whom I never saw, but knew her husband at Williamsburg, who resided in that city when I was at college there in the years 1784-5-6. He was a Col. Finney of the Revolu- __________________________________________ (1) Dr. James T. Hubard, of Buckingham, father of Hon. E. W. and Robert T. Hubard. Page 16. tionary Army, a gentleman of fortune. His wife died leaving no issue. My Uncle John left some children at his death, of whom Col. Robert Thruston, a very respectable gentleman, is one, and whom I have seen sometimes in this city. The rest of his children I know nothing of, except one, called after his father, John, whom I knew when a youth in Kentucky some fifty years ago, and who returned to Gloucester County, where he married and died, leaving child- ren I believe. Col. Robert Thruston is residing in his native county, Gloucester, and has a large family, some married very respectably as I am informed, and are spoken of as people of great worth. My Uncle Robert, at whose house I spent some time in the winter of 1801-2 and who was then living, left also several children, of whom I know but little. One of his sons married the daughter of the Revd Mr. Bracken, Master of what was called the Brafferton School, some appendage in former days of Wm & Mary College. I now come to my father's family and descendants. My father's first wife, and my mother, Mary Buckner, was a native and resident also of Gloucester County, after whose family I was named. She died in my infancy, leaving three sons, John, Charles and myself. The two first you have some notice of in the biographical sketch. Myself was bred to the law and went early to Kentucky, where I resided 17 years in the practice of my profession and on the judicial bench until 1804, when I was elected a Senator of the United States and served in that station until Jan. 1810, when a vacancy occurring in the Circuit Court of this District, Mr. Madison, then President, was pleased (unknown to me, and without any solicitation on my part) to nominate me to fill the vacancy. I accepted the office with some hesitation, how- ever, having after nine years experience of judicial life in Kentucky no great relish for it, but so it is. I then became a judge again, and have continued so to this day. I have no just grounds, however, to be dissatisfied with my lot in life. Providence has been kind and merciful towards me and I have endeavored to be thankful for it. My father's second wife was Miss Sarah Alexander, by whom he had nine other children, all of whom attained to maturity - viz - Sarah, married to George Flowerdien Norton; she had three children, John, now living in the State of Mississippi, late marshal of that State; Charles deceased, who was a midshipman on board our frigate Chesapeake when attacked by the British ship Leopard; and Courtney, a girl who died unmarried. Alfred, Surgeon & M.D., who died Surgeon to the 7th Regt of Infantry in Louisiana, after having married and childless. He was eminent in his profession, having studied in and attended the Hospitals in London, Edinburgh and Paris. Betsy, who married William Dangerfield of Va. He was secretary of the Territory before Mississippi became a state and died there some years ago. She had many children (of whom only a daughter is living, the wife of Genl Felix Houston of the Texas Army, a gallant soldier and sensible man; she my sister is still living near Natchez. Frederick who died unmarried. Edmund, formerly of the Navy, a fine youth, who died young, leaving an only daughter, married and living in Mississippi. Sidney who married Alfred Powell of Loudoun Co., Va., a lawyer of eminence and some time member of Congress from the Winchester District. He died suddenly at the bar some four or five years ago. He left one son, Leven Powell, now in this city, an old Liuet. in the Navy and a very respectable man; he had a separate command in Florida some 2 or 3 years ago, of a considerable Naval force in the Gulf of Mexico, in which he Page 17. acquitted himself very creditably. Louisa married to Mr. Edmund Taylor. They have several children and are living at or near Louisville, Kentucky - some of their children married. I have overlooked my sister Fanny, married to Frederick Conrad. In 1809 my father removed to Louisiana. My sister went with him. She and her husband are dead, leaving numerous offspring - Frederick(1), a wealthy Planter near Baton Rouge, Charles, a lawyer of New Orleans of great celebrity. He married a daughter of Lawrence Lewis, who was a nephew of Genl Washington. She died last fall near New Orleans. Frank, a lawyer also, a fine youth. Nancy and Mary and one or two other daughters, all married and wealthy. Mary married a Mr. Weeks, who died, leaving her immensely rich. I have also over- looked my sister Polly, who married Charles Magill, Esquire, a Revolutionary officer, she had 8 or 9 chldren, all in good circumstances. Her son Alfred was a Professor of medicine in the University of Virginia, married a daughter of St. Geo. Tucker, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Va. My sister Magill is still living; her daughter Anna is married to Majr. Fauntleroy of the 2d Regt. of Cavalry. She has a large family and is now near me in Alexandria. Another daughter, Mary(2), is married to Col. Robert Randolph of Fauquier Co., Va. She is living and has three children. So much for my father's children by his second wife. Of his three sons by his first wife, my brother John you have some notice of in my memoir. He died in 1803 or 4, leaving numerous children; Charles, a lawyer of celbrity in Louisville, Ky. - Algernon, now Attorney-General in Texas, Betsy(3), married to Wordon Pope, a respectable lawyer and clerk of the County Court of Jefferson, Kentucky, and Cousin to John Pope now in Congress. His son Patrick Pope was in Congress some 4 or 5 years ago from the Louisville District, Ky. Charles, my younger brother, of whom you also see mention made in the memoir, married Fanny, the daughter of John Clarke of Jefferson Co., Ky., and sister of the distinguished Gen. George Rogers Clarke, and of Governor Wm. Clarke of Missouri, and the aunt of Col. Croghan. He left a son in affluant circumstances, now living in Louisville, Ky. I have also a numerous family, of eight originally, now only 7 living, having lost last fall my son Robert . . . he was gaining high character as a lawyer, was a member of the Ohio Legislature and said to be the most talented & eloquent member of that body . . . Thomas Lee Thruston (whom I named Lee from respect to my friend Gen. Charles Lee of the Revolutionary Army, whose kindness to and notice of me, when a mere stripling, deserved every mark of re- spect from me, and also at his death left me a legacy of his valuable Library and made honorable mention of me in his will, as you may see if you should chance to see the "Life of Charles Lee" - now a scarce book I apprehend) is living in this city, having a wife, the daughter of Genl Thomas Ward of Newark, New Jersey & five children. When quite a youth I had him put in the Secretary of State's office by Mr. Adams, then at the head of the office, where he continued until Genl Jackson became President, when Van Buren that . . . succeeding to the Department of State put him out of office, one of the victims of their pretended re- form . . . . My second son, _________________________________________________________ (1) Secretary of the Navy under Taylor and Fillmore. (2) Mother of Bishop Alfred Randolph, of Virginia. (3) Grandmother of General Pope, United States Army. Page 18. Charles, was some 20 years in the Army, was educated at West Point & after arriving at the grade of Captain of the 3d Regt of Artillery and serving a campaign in Florida resigned. If you have ever cast your eyes over the trial of Genl Scott you may see honorable mention made of him by Generals Scott & Clinch. I have often heard it said by his brother officers that he was the best officer of his grade in the Army. He married the sister of Christopher Hughes, once minister to Sweden - has six children & left the Army in much disgust at the favoritism & corruption of hte present administration & because he though he could make better provision for his family in civil life. He is wealthy and residing in Cumberland, Md., attending to Agricultural pursuits & President of the Mineral Bank of that town. I have a son at Mobile named Alfred - inspector of Revenue at that place, unmarried. I have two daughters - the eldest, Sidney, married to William A. Bradly, late Mayor of our City, President of the Patriotic Bank, a respectable and wealthy man; she has 3 fine children who are among the solaces of my old age. My other daughter, Jeanneatte is still single(1). . . I have two other sons unmarried and living with me, the elder of the two was in the Navy, and after some 7 years service resigned, dissatisfied with the profession. With much respect, I am sir, Yr relative & Obt Servt, BUCKNER THRUSTON. __________________________________________________ (1) Later Mrs. Admiral Powell, of Washington, D.C.