The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and
private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be
fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the
Head of Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Zechariah Johnston Papers, WLU Coll 0006, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library,
Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.
In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections staff to verify the appropriate format.
"Zachariah Johnston was born in 1742 in Augusta County, Virginia, to William Johnston and Ann Johnston. He attended Liberty
Hall Academy and later was a trustee of Washington College. Johnston was a prosperous farmer by the time the American Revolution
began. In 1776, he was appointed a captain in the county militia. Johnston's company actively patrolled against Indian uprisings,
and, in 1781, participated in the Virginia campaign which led to Lord Cornwallis' surrender. Representing Augusta County in
the House of Delegates from 1778 to 1791, Johnston was chair of the House committee on religion and helped pass the "act for
establishing religious freedom" in 1786. After he moved to Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1792, he represented that county
in the House of Delegates in 1792 and 1797-1798. An opponent of paper money, and a proponent of court reform and payment of
British debts, Johnston supported the federal Constitution in 1788. As Augusta County's representative to the ratifying convention,
he was influential in having his section of the state unanimously vote for ratification. In the 1790s, Johnston was interested
in connecting Virginia's western rivers to the Potomac River. Johnston owned three plantations in Rockbridge County, one in
Augusta County, and lands in Kentucky. He married Ann Robertson (d. 1818), and they had eleven children. He died 7 January
1800 in Rockbridge County." - Library of Virginia
The Zechariah Johnston papers includes personal, business, political correspondence to and from Zechariah Johnston. Correspondents
include family members and notable Virginians of his era. The collection also includes correspondence received by Thomas and
James Johnston. In addition to correspondence, the collection includes resolutions, bills, petitions, and notices of or concerning
the Virginia Assembly during Johnston's tenure as a delegate from Augusta County (1778-1792) and Rockbridge County (1797-1798).
This includes Johnston's copy of an unsigned manuscript draft titled "Memorial and Remonstrance" by James Madison concerning
religious freedom and his arguments for separation of church and state. There are also deeds and property descriptions, tax
rolls, business and account records, including documents pertaining to enslaved persons owned by Johnston; business and accounting
records (1796-1845) of Thomas Johnston, a son of Zechariah Johnston, two letters from William Graham, first rector of Liberty
Hall Academy, to Zechariah Johnston, and the will and estate inventory of Ann Johnston. Other highlights include student notes
or lectures from Liberty Hall Academy, a poem to reverends William Graham and Samuel Houston, and a petition from Augusta
County residents to the Virginia Assembly regarding fishing rights in the South River. There are ephmeral items as well.
Zechariah Johnston's personal copy of a manuscript draft of James Madison's "Memorial and Remonstrance" has been separated
and housed separate from the collection but a printed scan is provided within the collection. Please see a member of staff
for assistance.
