When a boy attending a country school near his birth place, young John Howe Peyton was conspicuous for the beauty and intelligence of his countenance, the comeliness of his person, the quaintness of his humor, the vivacity of his spirits, and the pungency of his wit. The lad was fond of outdoor sports and all athletic exercises, in which he engaged daily, thus in good time developing his strength and securing for life a sound mind in a sound body. These pastimes, however, did not interfere with his studies, to which he devoted himself for years assiduously. And he succeeded so well, in both mental and physical exercises, that it was commonly said of him, that he was a boy who seemed to have come from the hand of nature, formed and destined to do extensive good, and to excel in every pursuit. So superior was he generally to his young companions that he was, before twelve years of age, pointed out as one who already gave evidence of his future abilities. When only sixteen years of age, he had grown into a young man of remarkable strength of body and vigor of mind, was full of pluck and spirit, and had acquired no small stock of learning. His father determined to send him to the North for further education. Accordingly he was entered at Nassau Hall Princeton University, N. J., in 1794, then, as now, one of the most famous seats of learning in the country, and much patronized by Southerners. His previous training prepared him well for the University, where he quickly took and kept a leading place till his graduation as A. M. in 1797.