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Grandmother Gray's Wedding Party

September 4, 1895, Seven Mile Ford, Virginia
(Descendants of John and Mary Preston Lewis)

We are grateful to Anne J. Hager for sharing the photograph with us.

wedding picture

The wedding party is identified from left to right, back to front, in the words of Mary Preston Gray, the donor's aunt, in a hand written letter, dated August 22, 1981. All unquoted comments are from Ms. Hager.
  1. James Levy, "one of your grandmother's beaus from Texas"
  2. Will Cobb, "another beau..."
  3. John M. Preston, III, "Mama's brother"
  4. Blair Preston, "Mama's first cousin and the son of Grandpa Preston's brother, Uncle Charley"
  5. Steve Barnett, "a beau of Mama's who lived in Atlanta, Ga..."
  6. Dr. F.T. McFadden, "Pastor of Seven Mile Ford Presbyterian Church in 1895"
  7. Mary Peyton Gray, my grandfather's mother.  She also was descended from John and Mary Preston Lewis through Anne Montgomery Lewis who married John Howe Peyton.  My grandmother's mother, Elizabeth Preston Lewis Cochran, was descended from John and Mary Preston Lewis through Margaret Lynn Lewis who married John Cochran of Charlottesville.  Anne Montgomery Lewis and Margaret Lynn Lewis were sisters making their grandchildren second cousins.  Mary Peyton Gray and her husband Robert Gray lived in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
  8. Joe Kent, "Papa's first cousin and Grandma Gray's nephew"
  9. Joe Cochran, "of Folly Mills, Staunton, VA.  Mama's first cousin and Grandma Preston's nephew (her brother James's son)"
  10. Frank Sanders, "a neighborhood friend..."
  11. J. Cloyd Byars, "He was a good friend of Papa's in Bristol..."
  12. "Monty" Jones, "a beau of Mama's who lived in Abingdon"
  13. Tarleton Alexander, my great-grandfather's body servant during the Civil War.  Tarleton lived with the family the remainder of his life.  "Family servant who served as butler and was loved by the family, who call him 'Uncle Tarleton'"
  14. Jennie Greenwood, "a friend of Mama's who lived in St. Louis, Mo..."
  15. Lizzie Cochran, "daughter of Grandma Preston's brother Howe"
  16. Sarah (Sallie) Preston Dean, "Mama's sister"
  17. John Montgomery Preston, my great-grandfather, my mother's father,  "Mama's father"
  18. Elizabeth Cummings Preston, my grandmother, "My precious Mama -- Bride"
  19. Robert Gray, my grandfather, "My precious Papa -- Groom"
  20. Mary Preston Lewis Preston, my great-grandmother, "Mama's mother"
  21. Margaret Preston Woods, my grandmother's sister, "Mama's sister"
  22. Nelly Cummings Preston, my grandmother's sister, "Mama's sister"
  23. Gilbert Preston, "Mama's cousin who lived in Abingdon and was the youngest of the 'Bank Preston' family"
  24. Susan Sheffy, "cousin who lived in Marion"
  25. Margaret Sheffy, "Cousin Sue's sister...moved to Texas"
  26. Annie Belle Martin, "friend of the Seven Mile Ford family and visited there often...from Eastern Va..."
  27. Johnnie Richardson, "a very distant cousin who lived in Bristol..."
  28. Campbell Cochran, son of Anne Carrington and Howe Peyton Cochran
  29. How Cochran, son of Anne Carrington and Howe Peyton Cochran
  30. Cochran Preston, my grandmother's brother, "Mama's brother, was a preacher"
  31. Mary Barnett, "sister of Steve Barnett, she was a very dear friend of Mama's..."