Gen. Francis S. Preston 1765-1835
Smithfield Prestons

 General Francis Smith Preston b.8-2-1765 at Smithfield d.5-26-1835 in Columbia, SC at the home of his son the Honorable William C. Preston. Francis Smith Preston was the son of Col. William Preston and Susanna Smith. Francis was a lawyer, a member of the State Senate of Virginia and a Brigadier General in the War of 1812. He married Sarah Buchanan Campbell b.4-21-1778 d.7-23-1846, daughter of General William Campbell 1745-1781 and Elizabeth Henry 1749-1825, on Jan. 10, 1793. (William Campbell was a Colonel prior to Kings Mtn, became a General and apparently died possibly as a result of wounds sustained in the battle. He was a hero of the battle.) (Elizabeth Henry was one of nine sisters of Patrick Henry. Four of the other sisters lived to adulthood and had children. They were Jane Henry m. Samuel Garland Meredith, Susannah Henry married Col. Thomas Madison, Ann Henry married Col. George William Christian and Lucy Henry married Col. Valentine Wood.) Francis Preston and Sarah had 15 children:{NOTE: Henry data supplied by Lani McCoy}

  1. William Campbell Preston b.12-27-1794 d.5-22-1860 was born in Philadelphia where his parents were living when his father was in Congress. He married twice, first to Miss Mary Coalter. They had no children. Secondly to Miss Louisa Penelope Davis. The Hon. William C. Preston died in Columbia, SC after a life of literary and political prominence. He served as Senator from South Carolina from 11-26-1833 until 11-29-1842. He was a member of the Whig party. They had one child:
  2. Eliza Henry Preston b.8-11-1796 d.1-11-1877, second child of Gen. Francis and Sally Campbell Preston, was born in Saltville, VA. She married General Edward Codrington Carrington, who was given a medal for gallant services in the War of 1812. She died in Charlottesville, VA. They had 6 children:
    1. Edward C. Carrington, was a Captain in the War with Mexico, was a Member of the Virginia Legislature, Brig. Gen. in the Federal Army during the War between the States and Attorney for the District of Columbia. He married Miss Maria Swope. They had two sons:
      • Edward C. Carrington
      • William Campbell Carrington. Both live or lived in Wash. D.C.
    2. Anne Lightfoot Carrington married Howe Peyton Cochran. She died in August 1862. They had one son.
      • Campbell Carrington Cochran b.7-30-1862 d.10-1922. He married Miss. Sarah Overton Rosser (dau. of general Thomas L. Rosser) on 12-12-1886. She died on 1-31-1923. They had 5 children:
        • Elise, died in childhood.
        • Campbell C. Cochran b.8-1-1889 m. Margaret Gray. They had 3 children:
          • Campbell Cochran, b.1924
          • Sarah Cochran b.1925
          • Lewis Cochran b.1928
        • Sarah Rosser Cochran b.9-30-1892 m. William Guy Hopkins on 6-4-1919 and they had one child:
          • Betty Barbara Hopkins b.10-29-1923, married Dr. Paul H. Sherman on 3-23-1946. They had two children:
            • Barbara L. Sherman b.3-27-1949
            • Douglas Paul Sherman b.2-10-1952
        • Howe P. Cochran b.3-8-1891 married first Esther Hartley and they had two children:
          • Betty Barbara Cochran
          • Howe Preston Cochran

          Howe Cochran married second Margaret Luers.

        • Thomas Rosser Cochran b.4-6-1895 d.9-16-1955 m. Miss Wallace Low on 2-28-1918. They had 3 children:
          • Frances Cochran b.6-27-1919 m. Webster E. Smith on 8-2-1941. They have two children
          • Thomas R. Cochran II, b.8-25-1920 m. Joan Hunt and they had 4 daughters.
          • Douglas Cochran b.11-27-1923 m. Eleanor V. Locke on 4-6-1953. They had three children.
      • Virginia P. Carrington (third child of Eliza Preston and Edward C. Carrington) died unmarried and is buried in Aspenvale Cemetery.
      • William Campbell Preston Carrington was killed in the Battle of Baker's Creek near Vicksburg, Miss. He was a Major in the Confederate Army. Unmarried.
      • James McDowell Carrington was also an officer in the Confederate Army. Died unmarried.
      • Francis Preston Carrington died at 2 years of age. Buried in Aspenvale Cemetery.
    3. Francis Smith Preston, died young.
    4. Susanna Smith Preston was born at Saltville, VA on 3-5-1800. She married her cousin, Gov. James McDowell. James was Gov. of Virginia 1843-1846 and he was a member of Congress from 1846-1851. She died 10-13-1847. They had 9 children.
      1. James McDowell, born in Lexington, VA, became a physician. He married Miss Elizabeth Brant of St. Louis, MO. They lived for many years in Paris, France. They had 4 children:
        • Susan P. McDowell
        • Sally B. McDowell
        • Mary McDowell
        • Brant McDowell
      2. Sally Campbell Preston McDowell married Gov. Francis Thomas of Maryland. Secondly she married Rev. John Miller of Petersburg, VA. He was a professor at Princeton University. There she raised her two daughters.
        • Susan Preston Miller
        • Elizabeth Henry Miller
      3. Mary B. McDowell married Rev. John Ross of Bladenburg, Maryland. She died in Richmond. They had no children.
      4. Francis Preston McDowell died unmarried. Buried in Aspenvale Cemetery.
      5. Sophonisba McDowell married Col. James W. Massie of Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, VA. They had one child.:
        • McDowell Massie married Elizabeth Copeland of Botetourt Co., VA. She is buried at Greenfield. They had no children.
      6. Susan Preston McDowell married Major Charles Scott Carrington. They had 3 children.:
        • Charles S. Carrington died unmarried in Bristol, VA about 1897.
        • James McDowell Carrington served as Consul to Amoy, China in 1894-1900. Died in Texas in 1923, unmarried.
        • Sarah Carrington married Dr. W. S. Currell of SC, a professor at the Univ. of South Carolina. They had 3 children.
      7. Margaret Canty McDowell married Col. Charles S. Venable, member of the faculty of the Univ. of Virginia. They had 4 children.:
        • Francis Preston Venable, a member of the faculty of Univ. North Carolina for many years.
        • Mary B. Venable married Dr. Charles C. Minor of Asheville, NC.
        • Lillie Canty Venable married Clarence Dallem.
        • Natalie Venable married R. C. Minor.
      8. Thomas L. McDowell married Miss Constance Warwick of Powhatan, Va. He died in the services of the Confederate Army. He left a widow and one child, Susan McDowell who died in 1894.
      9. Lilly P. McDowell married Major Bernard Wolff of the Confederate Army. They lived in Texas until he died and then she moved to Richmond, VA. They had 2 children.:
        • Bernard Wolff
        • Lilly McDowell Wolff married Arthur Krug of Brazil, S.A.. They had 2 sons:
          • Bernard McDowell Krug
          • Arthur Krug II
    5. Sarah Buchanan Preston b.2-14-1802 d.1879, the 5th child of Gen. Francis and Sally B. Campbell Preston was born in Saltville, VA. She married her cousin Gov. John Buchanan Floyd, Gov. of Virginia 1849-1852. She died in Abingdon, VA. They had no children.
    6. Anne Sophonisba Preston, 6th child of Gen. Preston and Sarah Campbell, married Robert J. Breckenridge. They had 11 children. To be Continued


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    Original 11/2/97
    Last updated 3/29/2008
    Page by F. L. Preston