Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/714

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\'IRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY

Patton Preston, of Smithfield, Montgomery county, \'irginia. Hugh Caperton Preston was born in Union, Monroe county, West Virginia, September 5, 1856, and died Janu- ary 3, 1905. His education was acquired at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the Virginia Military Institute, class of 1877, from which he graduated. He then returned to White Thorn, the homestead of the Pres- ton family. This consisted of four thousand acres of blue grass country, well stocked with fancy breeds of cattle, horses, sheep, etc. Subsequently he removed to Bel Alto, the present home of the family at Radford. W'est \"irginia. He was honored with elec- tion to the office of mayor of the town three times, and for some years was engaged in the real estate business. In 1898 he was captain of the Fourth Immunes, and went into active service in Cuba. He served in the Philippines as first lieutenant of the Thirty-first United States Volunteer Infan- try, and upon his return to this country re- sumed his business operations. His political affiliation was with the Democratic party, and his religious with the Episcopal church. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Mystic Chain. Mr. and Mrs. Preston had children: i. James Francis, born December 31, 1878, died August 18, 1879. 2. Robert Baldwin, born May 12, 1881. 3. Caroline Marx, born October 22, 1883; married, March 17, 1907, Hartwell Henry Gary, and has children: Cary Preston, born April 23 1909; Hartwell H., Jr., born June 15, 191 1

4. Sarah Caperton, born December 27, 1885

5. William Ballard, born June 3, 1888. 6 Hugh Caperton, born August 7, 1891. 7 Katherine Stuart, born May 9, 1894.

John Macky Baldwin, son of Robert Frederick Baldwin, was born February 3, 1875. i" Staunton, Virginia, and there at- tended the public schools and studied under private tutors. He then went to the Vir- ginia Polytechnic Institute, and there took a comprehensive engineering course, being graduated as a civil and railroad engineer. After his graduation he was connected for a time with two of the largest railroad sys- tems in the country, then established him- self in business independently in which, owing to his technical experience, his busi- ness ability, and accurate and thoroughly reliable methods of conducting his business. he has been eminently successful. During

the Spanish-American war he served as first lieutenant in the Fourth United States Vol- unteer Infantry, "Fourth Inmunes." In political belief he is a Democrat, and in re- ligious an Episcopalian. Mr. Baldwin mar- ried, October 22, 1908, Florence, a daughter of Raymond G. McLellan, and they "have had children : Florence McLellan, born April 2. 1910; Cary Barton, born October 29, 191 1 ; John M., Jr., born November 19, 1914.

Barton Myers. Fourth in descent from Moses Myers, the founder in 1786 of the family in Virginia, whose father had some time prior thereto settled in New York from Amsterdam, Holland. The. line of descent is through ^Moses (i) Myers (founder) and his wife. Eliza Judd, of Montreal, Canada ; their son. Samuel Myers, and his wife, Louisa Marx, of Richmond, Virginia ; their son, Moses (2) Myers, and his wife. Juli- anna Grammar Barton, of Winchester. Vir- ginia ; their son, Barton Myers, of Norfolk.

(I) Moses (i) Myers moved from New York City to Norfolk, Virginia, in 1786, and engaged in foreign trade, becoming a promi- nent merchant and ship owner. He married Eliza Judd, of Montreal, Canada, and in 1 791 erected the fine colonial mansion in Norfolk still occupied by his descendants. In this mansion many prominent men of the nation have been entertained, the list of guests including Henry Clay, who visited Norfolk during his presidential campaign of 1844; President Theodore Roosevelt, members of his cabinet, and James Bryce, I'ritish ambassador, on the occasion of the o})ening of the Jamestown Exposition, April 26. 1907. guests of Henry St. George Tucker, president of the exposition. In 1795 Moses Myers was elected president of the Norfolk city council ; in 1804 was commissioned colo- nel of a regiment of Virginia volunteers; in 1809 was appointed vice-consul for Den- mark at Norfolk; in 1819 was appointed vice-consul for the Netherlands govern- ment; and on January 21, 1828. was ap- pointed by President John Ouincy Adams collector of customs for the port of Norfolk. He died in 1833.

(II) .Samuel Myers, son of Aloses (i) and Eliza (Judd) Myers, was a graduate of both William and Alary and Harvard colleges. and \\\ 1820 was licensed to practice law at the X'irginia bar. He rose to eminence in