Why All the Craven PEYTONs?

The question is often posed as to the connection of the PEYTON family of Virginia to the CRAVEN family. There was a CRAVEN family in England and also one in Virginia, however, a familial connection with the PEYTONs has not been documented. Reverend Hayden in his "Virginia Genealogies" of 1891 ("PEYTON, of England and Virginia", ISBN 1438282710, page 499), addressed the question back then when he wrote of Craven PEYTON of Aquia Creek as "the first of the line in Va. to be named Craven, after the son of Sir Robert PEYTON." Craven PEYTON (1664-1738) was a prominent PEYTON of London who worked at the British mint with Sir Isaac NEWTON. He continued the "Craven" name in his own descendants (see pages 485, 486 of Reverend Hayden's book cited above).

The prominent Craven PEYTON of London descends from the same line of ancient PEYTONs as do those PEYTONs in Virginia who were named for him, which lineage is documented on pages 15, 25 of the "Revised and Updated" Second Edition of PEYTONs Along the Aquia Genealogy. The first Craven PEYTON of Virginia, mentioned by Reverend Hayden in 1891, appears on pages 70 through 72 of the new "keepsake" edition in hardcover.