Charles Peyton of Culpeper

The marriage record of Ephraim PEYTON to Mary F. BREEDEN is of record in 1889, Madison County, Virginia, and census records record their children as Cora L. PEYTON (born 1891), Bessie L. PEYTON (born 1893), Andrew B. PEYTON (born 1895) and Ephraim PEYTON (born 1899). Ephraim's parents were documented as James and Mahaly PEYTON. James PEYTON born about 1825, his wife "Haley" lived in Green County, Virginia, where their children were born. The 1830, 1840 and 1850 Census records of Orange and Greene Counties, Virginia, indicate that James was the child of Ephraim and Elizabeth PEYTON and I assume it is he who is one of the two teenaged males ages 10 to 19, in the household of Elizabeth PEYTON, age 40-49, in the 1840 Census of Greene County, Virginia. Ephraim PEYTON was not found, so I assume that he had died between 1830 and 1840.

Who were the parents of Ephraim PEYTON born between 1800-1810, with connections to Orange County, Virginia? I have found no proof connecting him with a family, but location evidence suggests he would have been a grandson of George PEYTON on pages 107 - 111 of "Peytons Along the Aquia." The one son of George PEYTON of whom we know almost nothing is #192 - Charles PEYTON on page 110 of said genealogy book. I no longer believe that Charles had moved on to Missouri, and Indiana (that was another Charles Peyton). I suspect that Charles PEYTON, son of George PEYTON, is possibly the father of Ephraim PEYTON who died before 1840 in Greene County, Virginia.

Descendants of this line should do further research to confirm this connection. On the 1840 Census of Culpeper County, Virginia, Sarah PEYTON, age 80-90, (born 1750-1760) had living with her a couple aged 40-50 (born 1790-1800). On 6 August 1841, in Fredericksburg, Virginia newspaper, "Political Arena", page 3, column 3. Sarah, Benjamin and John PEYTON advertised property for sale. Identifying the people named in these records may further elucidate this PEYTON lineage of Greene and Orange Counties.

The Northern Neck of Virginia

Ancestral Home of the Peyton Family

Photograph of Popes Creek, Virginia

"Across the ocean, meanwhile, developments were taking place that would have a tremendous impact on the Northern Neck. In 1649 Charles I was executed, and Cromwell ascended to power. At the time, Charles II was in exile. In 1649 he made a grant of the Northern Neck territory to certain of his loyal subjects (much as the monarchy had earlier granted Pennsylvania to William Penn and Maryland to Lord Baltimore). Three years later, 100 men signed the Northumberland Oath—ninety-nine of them gathered at Chickacoan to do it—pledging support of an England "without Kings or House of Lordes," although privately, no doubt, many felt otherwise. When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, his land grant took effect, shakily at first, but clouding ownership of the newly settled territory nevertheless. During the next century, this Northern Neck Proprietary became a source of power, and huge land holdings were achieved by those who served as its agents, overseeing and collecting quitrents on the Proprietary-patented land."  History of the Northern Neck

See pages 17 through 22 of PEYTONs Along the Aquia Genealogy, where the arrival on Virginia's Northern Neck of the Colonial PEYTONs of Aquia is documented along with their connection to Charles I and Charles II. In addition, "Peyton, of Stafford and Westmoreland County, Va." begins on page 480, of Reverend Horace Edwin Hayden's 1891 genealogy: PEYTON, of England and Virginia.

For more genealogical research on the Northern Neck of Virginia see Northumberland County, Virginia at FamilySearch.

The Haunted Aquia Church

"Stairways to the Belfry" photograph by Edna Barney

Aquia Church dates from February 17th, 1754 when it was severely damaged by fire, three days before the completion of its construction. The haunting of the church began with a murder more than two hundred years ago.

"A young woman was violently murdered by one or more highway men. She was murdered in the chapel and her body was hidden in the belfry. The chapel was not in use and it was several years before her body was found. Her skeletal remains with her long golden hair were discovered and the legend began. Her blood stains where visible of the floor boards for 100 years, until a new cement floor was put in the early 20th century. The most common reported phenomenon is the loud sounds of a struggle, the sound of running up and down the belfry stairs, and the appearance of a terrified woman standing at a window."

Story from "The Haunted Aquia Church"

"Old Joe" Bourbon Whiskey

"Old Joe" has the distinction of being America's first known brand of bourbon whiskey. It was crafted by JOSEPH PEYTON (1787-1859) and manufactured from about 1818 to 1840, by the Old Joe Distilling Company, which is now closed and in ruins. It is supposed that JOSEPH PEYTON built the distillery shortly after arriving in Kentucky by way of canoe in 1818. Originally going by the name “Old Joe,” PEYTON’s products were hugely successful. After the distillery was sold to Gratz Hawkins, it was renamed Old Prentice. The distillery ended up changing ownership frequently, once purchased by the Ripley Brothers. Finally, in 1888, it was bought by Paul Jones who registered it under its current name. In 1917, the still was closed, and then reopened in 1933, as the Old Prentice Distillery. Today, in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, sits the Spanish Mission style distillery, Four Roses, also known as "Old Joe's." This distillery is possibly one of the loveliest in the United States; currently it is also one of the most beloved, being named "2011 American Distiller of the Year" by Whisky Magazine.

 JOSEPH PEYTON, SR.  -- "son of BENJAMIN and ELLEN PEYTON was born about 1787 and died in Anderson County, Kentucky on March 11, 1859. His marriage bond to ELIZABETH MCMICHAEL, daughter of JAMES MCMICHAEL was filed in Franklin County, Kentucky, November 6, 1811. A deed located in Anderson County, Kentucky Deed BK E, pp. 233-234, dated July 14, 1842 would indicate JOSEPH and ELIZABETH MCMICHAEL PEYTON agreed to separate due to unhappy differences. Forty acres and personal property deeded to BENJAMIN PEYTON in trust as her full part of alimony. On October 19, 1848, Deed BK G, p. 127 mentions land devised to ELIZABETH PEYTON, SR. AND her children, by her father JAMES MCMICHAEL, deceased to BENJAMIN PEYTON. ELIZABETH PEYTON, age 63, born Virginia appears on the 1850 census for Anderson County, Kentucky, page 205. It is believed ELIZABETH died sometime prior to the 1860 census in Anderson County, Kentucky." ( "Genealogies of Franklin County Families" )

JOSEPH "Old Joe" PEYTON appears with his parents, wife and son, on page 100 of PEYTONs Along the Aquia Genealogy, where his descent from the PEYTONs of early Colonial Virginia and England is documented.

PEYTONs of Indiana

My research suggests that many or most of the PEYTONS who settled nineteenth century Indiana were descendants of Philip PEYTON who appears on pages 92, 93, 94 and 95 of PEYTONs Along the Aquia. See my blog post Nelson PEYTON of Kentucky and Indiana for more information. Augusta PEYTON of Harrison County, Indiana seems a proven son of Philip PEYTON according to Revolutionary War records. The John PEYTON who settled at Clark County, Indiana in the early 1800s, I consider to be a "presumed" son of the same Philip PEYTON mentioned above. John's children settled in Clark County. Perhaps someone has been able to document John PEYTON's lineage.

Philip PEYTON and his descent from the PEYTONs of early Colonial Virginia is documented on page 92 of PEYTONs Along the Aquia Genealogy.

Henry Lindsey Peyton

Henry Lindsey Peyton (I first wrote the following post for "Blog Some Genealogy" on 28 July 2007.)

AKA Henry PAYTON
Henry PAYTON served as a private in the Revolution with the Amherst County Riflemen. The “Cabell County Annals and Families” by George Selden Wallace of 1935, credited the service of Henry PAYTON as “first as a substitute at $20.00 a month, was on garrison duty at Point Pleasant, was at Guilford Court House and at Yorktown, later at Winchester guarding prisoners, a privater in the Virginia Militia.”

Henry PAYTON made application for a pension on 28 October 1833, when he was seventy-three years of age and a resident of Cabell County, Virginia. His pension was approved, but then, as often happened with these honorable patriots, for some reason his statement of service was declared fraudulent, resulting in his name being removed from the Revolutionary Pension Rolls.

I have encountered this same sequence of events with one of my own ancestors who was impressed as a teenager to carry a message from southeastern Virginia to Fort Pittsburg and who afterwards enlisted in the Continental Army, yet was never able to document his service to the government’s satisfaction. Another of my ancestors did qualify for his pension, but his exact-named cousin in the adjoining county was declared a “fraud” because the government considered it was already paying him a pension. I have sympathized with them at having given such invaluable service to their new nation, and then be declared dishonest and frauds as old soldiers in their waning years.

During his lifetime, Henry PAYTON petitioned several times to restore his good name, and finally on 16 February 1839, an act of the U.S. Congress reinstated his pension and made it retroactive to 1831. To add further insult to the soldier’s memory, the death date of 1836, on his grave marker that was placed by a Revolutionary War lineage society, was wrong. Henry PAYTON was alive in 1839, and still writing letters to Washington as late as 1842.

As of today, even though a number of descendants of three different children of Henry PAYTON had joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) under his Revolutionary War Service, his line has been closed, as the statement of fraud has been “rediscovered” in his pension record. Once again as genealogists, we see how difficult it is to correct errors of many years ago that were put in “official” writings. It will now be necessary for a descendant of patriot Henry PAYTON to join the DAR under his lineage and include a copy of H.R. Bill 1150 as proof of his service, or for a descendant who is already a DAR member to make a supplemental application proving his Revolutionary War service. Hopefully, someone will be able to once again, reinstate the good “Patriot” name of Henry PAYTON (Henry Lindsey PEYTON) of Amherst and Cabell Counties, Virginia.

When I first published the First Edition of “PEYTONS Along the Aquia Genealogy” in 2004, I included on page 140, a photocopy of H.R. 1150 of the United States Congress, dated February 16, 1839, “For the relief of Henry PEYTON.” Page 141 onward contains some of the descendants of Henry PAYTON – one of the ‘PEYTONs Along the Aquia’ descendants.

A comment was made on May 17, 2008, at "Blog Some Genealogy" by Barbara Van Houte: "Thank you for this information about Henry Peyton. He wrote a letter that is in the RW file of William Davis of Amherst County, VA, who married Benedicta Milstead in 1787 in Amherst. William and Benedictia and family moved to Greenbrier & Fayette Counties of WV. Benedicta was the daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Milstead."

See Henry Lindsey Peyton of Cabell County