Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 26.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

‘ [357] the cause of education and agriculture, to which he was ardently devoted to the close of his life. For more than twenty years he presided over the Agricultural Society of Fredericksburg, always assiduous in the discharge of his duty and never flagging, even when his fellow-laborers were in despair. His addresses were characterizd by a zealous devotion to the interests, morals, education, and the improvement in agriculture, not of the people of Virginia only, but of the whole Union. He was happy in his powers of conversation, cheerful amidst adversity and affliction, and died a sincere Christian.’

Mr. Garnett was a man of imposing presence, tall and well proportioned, and of great dignity of carriage and manner, even approaching stiffness, but accompanied with great gentleness of disposition, shown especially in his fondness for children. He was a man of the most scrupulous honor and integrity, and his conduct through life was ever ruled by the principles of the Christian religion.

The late Hon. B. Johnson Barbour who attended the boys school at Elmwood in 1829, being a schoolmate there of Muscoe R. H. Garnett, wrote in 1885 some reminiscences of his school days. He says:

“Mr. Garnett's presence was very imposing, tall, well proportioned, with a fine eye, a full head of gray hair neatly brought together at the back in a queue, which was the more striking from the fact that that style of dressing the hair had nearly gone out of vogue.” Mr. Barbour says of Mrs. Garnett: ‘I cannot forbear from paying a deserved tribute to Mrs. Garnett. I still cherish her memory with love and gratitude. During my whole stay at Elmwood she was indeed a mother to me, chiding me gently when in fault, encouraging me in every way to press forward, calling me to her chamber to read a portion of the scriptures, and afterwards whatever there might be of interest in the newspapers.’ He adds of Elmwood: ‘I need not attempt any description of Elmwood, I will only say that it has suggested some of the fine old English houses to me, and for years after I lived there, when I would be reading an English novel, Elmwood with its fine hall, its library and parlor, its corridors and general spaciousness, would rise up before me.’

Mr. Barbour gives an interesting account of the school, and particularly pays a warm tribute to his friend and schoolmate, M. R. H. Garnett.