Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Le Vert, Octavia Walton

LE VERT, Octavia Walton, author, b. in Bellevue, near Augusta, Ga., about 1810; d. in Augusta, Ga., 13 March, 1877. She was a granddaughter of George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Her father, George, removed to Pensacola in 1821, as territorial secretary under Gen. Jackson, upon whose retirement he acted for a time as governor. His daughter acquired some knowledge of Greek, Latin, and science, and became an Italian, French, and Spanish scholar. She was asked to name the capital of Florida, and selected the Seminole word Tallahassee, meaning “beautiful land.” She was presented to Gen. Lafayette when he visited Mobile, who, in speaking of her, said: “A truly wonderful child! She has been conversing with intelligence and tact in the purest French. I predict for her a brilliant career.” She spent the winter of 1833-'4 in Washington, D. C., and during the congressional debates upon the removal of the deposits from the U. S. bank wrote such accurate reports that it is said Clay, Calhoun, and Webster frequently called her to read their speeches from her portfolio. In 1836 she married Dr. Henry S. Le Vert, whose father was fleet surgeon under Rochambeau, and present at the siege of Yorktown, and resided with him in Mobile. In 1874 she made her appearance as a public reader. She rendered much service in behalf of the Mount Vernon association. She was opposed to secession, but remained in Mobile, and rendered service to the soldiers during the entire war, after which she visited Washington to ask pardon for her friend Gen. Beauregard. Lamartine advised her to prepare a book of her travels, which was written in the form of letters to her mother, and entitled “Souvenirs of Travel” (Mobile, 1858; 2d ed., New York, 1866). She also wrote “Souvenirs of Distinguished People” and “Souvenirs of the War,” which were never published.