Craven Peyton

Craven Peyton

• Craven Peyton On The Jefferson Monticello
• The Infamous Craven Peyton Letter of 1803

From Peyton's of Virginia, Volume 2 [1]

Craven Peyton 4 (T Line) (Valentine 3, John 2, Valentine 1)
Craven was the great grandson of Valentine Peyton, progenitor of the G Line, and son of some Valentine Peyton. See Chapter V for additional information; [2]
He was born 17 February 1772
He married Jane Jefferson Lewis , daughter of Charles Lilburn Lewis and Lucy Jefferson, 6 September 1792;
Jane Jefferson Lewis was born on 13 March 1777 Warner Hall, Buck Island, Virginia. She died on 7 December 1820, "Monteagle", Albemarle County, Virginia.

Children of Craven Peyton (T Line) and Jane Jefferson Lewis were as follows:

+ 392. i. Margaret Gwatkins5 Peyton, born 1796; married Randolph Jefferson.

  393. ii. Craven Peyton.

  394. iii. Henry Peyton.

+ 395. iv. Valentine Peyton, born 11 February 1801; married Elizabeth Fauntleroy Brockenbrough.
+ 396. v. Lucy Jane Jefferson Peyton, born 1803; married James Wood Eskridge.
+ 397. vi. Mary Louisa Peyton, born 1805; married William C Eskridge.
+ 398. vii. Charles Lewis Peyton, born 1 November 1806; married Susan Jane Jackson; married Margaret Amanda Tate; married Agnes Stuart

He died 23 March 1837, "Monteagle", Albemarle County, Virginia; his estate was probated Albemarle County, Virginia.

From Peyton's of Virginia, Volume 1 [2]

There have been three main founders of the Peyton groups in America, all of them in Virginia.

Shortly after Oliver Cromwell established the Protectorate in 1653, Henry Peyton (1590-1656) of Lincoln’s Inn, London, who rode with the “Cavaliers,” sent four of his sons to Virginia, and they settled in what was then Westmoreland County. Two of these, Colonel Valentine Peyton (1627-1665) and Henry Peyton (1631-1659), remained in Virginia as settlers and left descendants. We are not certain about the other two, Lawrence and John. Both are recorded as having been in Westmoreland County in 1656, but we have no subsequent entries for either. One or both may have returned to England after the “Restoration” of Charles II.

It is quite possible even likely that this John was the father of Sarah Peyton who married Sir William Skipwith, of neighboring Middlesex County, around 1699. Other Virginia groups claim descent from this John Peyton (born in England ca. 1632), but the documentary proofs have not yet been found.

Colonel Valentine Peyton (1627-1665), aforesaid, married Frances (Gerrard) Speke, daughter of Dr. Thomas Gerrard of Maryland, and widow of Colonel Thomas Speke of Westmoreland County. They had one son, Gerrard Peyton (ca. 1663-1689), who left no issue so far as we know. Colonel Valentine’s brother, Henry (ca. 1630-1659), was the progenitor of most of the Westmoreland branch families.

The next Peyton to come to Virginia was Major Robert Peyton (1640-1694), a grandson of Sir Edward Peyton (1578-1657), 2nd Baronet of Isleham. Major Robert was the son of Thomas Peyton and Elizabeth Yelverton (daughter of Sir William Yelverton, Bt., of Rougham, County Norfolk). He came to Jamestown about 1663 and acquired land in what is now Mathews County, naming his place Isleham. His grandson, Sir John Peyton (1720-1790) ultimately claimed the Isleham baronetcy.

The fourth Peyton immigrant, Philip Peyton (ca. 1645-1730) of Bisley, Gloustershire, England, left Bristol, England August 30, 1665. Court records place him in Northumberland County, Virginia as early as October 25, 1667 and until 1672. He appears in several 1667 court records. Prior to March 23, 1678, he married Mary Rush, daughter of William Rush and Ann Grey (daughter of Francis Grey, who had served with Valentine Peyton’s father-in-law Thomas Gerrard during the 1637-1643 era in the Council in Maryland.)

Following his marriage, he was given 200 acres in Westmoreland County by his father-in-law William Rush. Philip purchased land in Stafford County by September 14, 1687 at the head of Potomac Creek, known by the name of Rock Point. Subsequently his name appears on a 1723 Quit Rent Roll and he was listed along with John Payton and Charles Payton as tobacco tenders in Overwharton Parish. His will is indexed in 1727 for the missing Stafford County Will Book.

Most of Philip’s descendants moved to Kentucky via Amherst County, Virginia and many of our Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas Peytons stem from him. He was likely a kinsman of Henry Peyton (1590-1656) of Lincoln’s Inn, but this relationship has not been established.

Several other Peytons came to Virginia in the seventeenth century, but none of these left known descendants who have been traced to modern times. Some of the members of the Peyton Society of Virginia are descendants of sixteen other Peytons living in Virginia in the eighteenth century, who cannot be definitely assigned to a line of descent from one of the three immigrants named above. All three had descendants who moved to the frontier areas of Virginia and North Carolina, including the parts which later became Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. During the first half of the nineteenth century, many moved on to Indiana, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi and other states.

Sources:

↑ Peyton's of Virginia, vol 2 - G line pg 327
↑ 2.0 2.1 Peyton's of Virginia, vol 1 - Chapter 5 pg 18-19
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Craven Peyton was an Albemarle County merchant who owned acreage along the Rivanna River, including the Lewis homestead of Monteagle. Peyton leased Thomas Jefferson's farm at Shadwell from 1799 to 1801 and by 1802, he moved to Monteagle.

Jefferson had financial ties to Peyton, which proved to be an expensive venture for Jefferson. The heirs of Bennett Henderson owned over a thousand acre tract of land at Milton that Jefferson wanted to own due to its location on the Rivanna River. In 1801, Jefferson asked Peyton to buy and manage that land until Jefferson left public office. Peyton, however, was not up to the task of sorting out the complex legal trouble the Henderson widow and ten children began to create for himself and Jefferson.[1] Part of the difficulty was that three heirs were under age at the time of Peyton's purchases, which meant Jefferson had to pay rent and repurchase those parcels.[2] Jefferson finally got clear title of the land by 1811.

Peyton and Jefferson were also linked by marriage. Peyton's wife, Jane Jefferson Lewis, was the daughter of Jefferson's sister, Lucy.

Primary Source References:

1797 August 10. "Settled with Mr. Peyton my acct. with Chas. L. Lewis as follows. ... 46-0-9 ...."[3]

1801 July 14. "Inclosed & delivered 600. of them to Thos. Walker for Craven Peyton in part paiment of the shares of the Henderson's lands he has purchased for me."[4]

1801 October 8. "Remitted the sd. post notes as follows to wit. ... to Craven Peyton for Henderson's land (see ante July 14) 1240.27."[5]

1802 May 22. "Settled with Craven Peyton balance due him 131.47."[6]

1802 June 8. "Inclosed to Craven Peyton 140.D. in bank bills for balance of May 22."[7]

1803 February 23. "Gave Craven Peyton ord. on Gibson & Jefferson for 1000.D. part paimt. land."[8]

1803 March 18. "Gave Craven Peyton my note for 1300.D. payable July 12. at the counting house of Gibson & Jefferson, towards paimt. for land. There will then be due 700.D. besides Joshua Key's part should that be purchased."[9]

1803 May 3. "[Rents recd. & analysed] allowed in acct. with Craven, Perry, Peyton abt. 700."[10]

1803 August 11. "On settlement with Craven Peyton on account of Henderson's land, there is due to him 558.14 for which sum I gave him my note payable Dec. 15. at Gibson & Jefferson's counting house."[11]

1803 September 6. "Gave an order on Gibson & Jefferson for 600.D. to D. Carr or order, on account of Craven Peyton for Henderson's land."[12]

1803 December 27. "Inclosed to G. Jefferson 560.D. to pay my note to Craven Peyton 558.14 ante Aug. 11."[13]

1804 January 28. "Accepted Craven Peyton's ord. in favr. D. Higginbotham £47. = 156.67 paiable Apr. 15. This is on Peyton’s corn contract with Lilly."[14]

1804 April 17. "Drew on Gibson & Jefferson for 156.67 in favr. D. Higginbotham on account of Craven Peyton for corn. See ante Jan. 28."[15]

1804 May 5. "Settled with Michael Hope for the toll mill house, Craven’s house, kitchen & barn, & some small jobs. Balance due him 241.25. ... Settled with John Perry for the mill house, Craven’s house & kitchen, & jobs on Lilly’s house & elsewhere, balance in my favr. 311.33."[16]

1804 May 8. "Drew on Gibson & Jefferson for 50.D. in favr. Craven Peyton on our corn contract for next winter. Drew on them also for £5. in favr. George Hay as fee in the suit Peyton v. Henderson."[17]

1804 August 23. "Gave Mrs. Key an ord. on Gibson & Jefferson for £33–1–5½ = 110.25 in favr. Alexr. Garrett in part paiment of £60 for corn assumed to her for Craven Peyton."[18]

1804 December 10. "Inclosed to Dabney Carr for Craven Peyton 135.D."[19]

1805 April 28. "Assumed to pay George Jefferson the first week in Aug. 201.D. for Craven Peyton."[20]

1805 July 13. "Note they are to stop out of my note ante July 5. my assumpsit <ante Apr. 28> for Craven Peyton which is reduced to 156.67 paiable in July."[21]

1809 January 7. "Craven Peyton 100. part paimt. of land bot. from James Lewis."[22]

1812 June 18. "Purchased of Craven Peyton 20. lots in Milton, being all he holds there under the Hendersons, except the improved one in which Conrad & Henderson's store was. The consideration 150.D. to be credited in his acct."[23]

1812 November 5. "Bought of Craven Peyton 100. Bar. corn to be delivered Nov. 25. at 2.D. paiable Apr. 30."[24]

1813 July 27. "... clk. Ct. Appeals Peyton v. Henderson 19.16 ...."[25]

1813 October 4. "Settled with Craven Peyton the balance and corn ante Nov. 5. & assumpsit ante May 30. and gave him ord. on Gibson & Jefferson for balance in full, to wit 483.34."[26]

1813 October 13. "Bought of Craven Peyton 100. Bar. corn or more if he has it to spare @ 20/ paiable Mar. 1."[27]

1814 March 6. "Drew ord. on do. for 280.D. in favr. Martin Dawson assee. of Craven Peyton for 84. B. corn @ 20/ dated Mar. 1."[28]

1815 July 30. "Inclosed to Dabney Carr an order on Gibson & Jefferson for 68.10 in payment of the assumpsit for Craven Peyton ante 1813 May 30."[29]

1816 March 4. "Paid ... to E. Bacon for Craven Peyton 99 B. corn @ 18/6 305.33."[30]

1817 February 7. "Recd. of Craven Peyton an order on David & E. Anderson for 1500.D. as a loan for which I gave him my note for the same sum & interest payable on demand. Note the order was made payable to Thos. J. Randolph and I delivered it to him to replace 766.80 awarded agt. me for rent to the Hendersons, which he paid."[31]

1820 October 19. "Drew order on Bernard Peyton in favr. of Craven Peyton for 500.D. on account of my note."[32]

1821 March 5. "Drew on ... Craven Peyton 700. Feb. 7. 17. Oct. 19. 20."[33]

1821 September 22. "Drew order on Thos. E. Randolph in favor of Craven Peyton for 608.86 being in full for my debt to Craven Peyton ante Feb. 7. with int. to this day."[34]

- Text from Douglas Evans, "Jefferson's Neighbors," Monticello Research Report, 1995

Further Sources:

• Massachusetts Historical Society. Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts.
• University of Virginia Library. Special Collections. Thomas Jefferson Papers.
• Woods, Edgar. Albemarle County in Virginia. Charlottesville: The Michie Co., 1901. See page 295.

References

^ See PTJ:RS, 1:415-16n (editorial note available at Founders Online); Malone, Jefferson, 6:505-07; Boynton Merrill, Jr., Jefferson's Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976), 58-70.
^ Malone, Jefferson, 6:506.
^ MB, 2:968. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1047. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1055. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1073. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1074. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1093. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1094. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1099. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1106. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1107. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1115. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1119. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1124. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1125-26. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1126. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1134-35. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1142. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1151. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1160. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1237. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1280. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1284. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1290. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1293. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1294. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1298. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1312. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1319. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1330. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1369. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1373. Transcription available at Founders Online.
^ MB, 2:1379. Transcription available at Founders Online.