Meet the Johnstons

After serving in the Revolutionary War, David Johnston arrived in Giles County in 1778 and settled on what is known as John Phlegar's farm. David and his young sons, Andrew Johnston, and David were among the first settlers of Giles County, Virginia. David’s oldest son, James Johnston, served in the American Revolution.

In 1806, the boys were hired to survey and lay out the town lots of Pearisburg, which became the county seat. Andrew was a farmer and raised five children on his town lot farm with his wife Jane Henderson Johnston (James Johnston, Andrew Henderson Johnston, Docter Harvey Green Johnston, Mary Johnston, and Eliza Johnston). His son Harvey became the principal doctor of Giles County in the mid-19th century. These two men made significant contributions to the development of the Virginia frontier and represent the Scottish migration to this area in the 1800s. Andrew's contribution was important in the context of local history, while Harvey's contribution was his service to the community.

Andrew and David Johnston were commissioned by the town to survey and lay out the town lots in the county seat. They were also among the original merchants of the town, opening the first tannery. The brick house in the center of town was built by Andrew and David Johnston in 1829. Andrew and his family resided in the house, while David lived outside of town. Andrew died in 1838, and his will describes the boundaries of the lot as consisting of 40 acres and half an acre upon which the house, barn, and yard were situated, as well as 10 acres of pasture land across the wagon road.

Harvey G. Johnston, Andrew's eldest son, inherited the house after the death of his mother in 1853. He was one of the most highly educated men of his time, having earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia. He established a medical practice in the house to serve Giles County and built an office in the northwest corner of the town lot between 1857 and 1859. Local histories acknowledge that Brigadier General Rutherford B. Hayes made his headquarters in this office during the Civil War. The office was in constant use until Johnston died in 1881. The property was inherited by his second wife, Mary Halsey Johnston.