PEYTON.
John Peyton, son of Craven Peyton, of Loudoun County,
was an officer in the Revolutionary army, and during the war
was sent to Fluvanna County to purchase supplies. Three
nephews, sons of his brother Valentine, joined him there,
Craven, Robert and John. The nephews settled in Milton,
and Robert and John died unmarried at an early age. Craven,
inheriting the property of his brothers, and likely that
of his uncle, who also died unmarried, became the possessor
of a large estate. He purchased from the family of Bennett
Henderson more than eleven hundred acres surrounding Milton,
which in 1811 he sold to Mr. Jefferson. He also acquired
from his father-in-law nearly a thousand acres on both
sides of the Rivanna, including the old Lewis homestead of
Monteagle, which he made his home. He married Jane Jefferson,
daughter of Charles Lilburn Lewis and his wife Lucy,
a sister of Mr. Jefferson. He died in 1837. His children
were Margaret, the second wife of Isham R. Jefferson, Valentine,
Lucy, the wife of James W. Eskridge, Mary, the wife
of William C. Eskridge, and Charles Lewis. The family
removing to other places, most of them to the Valley, the
estate passed into other hands. Charles Lewis settled at
Richlands, Greenbrier County, where he died a few years
ago, and his son, Rev. Charles W. Peyton is preaching as a
Presbyterian minister in Texas.
Bernard Peyton, a merchant of Richmond, about 1850
bought Farmington from John Coles Carter, when he removed
to Missouri. He made it his home, and died there suddenly
in 1854. He was the father of Major Green Peyton, Proctor
of the University, and a second cousin of Craven before mentioned,
and of John Howe Peyton, the distinguished lawyer
of Staunton.
Another family of the name was settled in the county.
Henry Peyton became the owner of Park Hill, the old Drury
Wood place near Stony Point, where he resided until his death.
His wife was a sister of William P. Farish, and his sons were
William, Benjamin, George L., Dr. E. O., Bernard and Eugene,
all of whom exhibited a marked degree of enterprise,
some in conducting lines of Stages, and some in hotel keeping.
They removed for the most part to West Virginia.
