The Peyton Connection

Whether you’re a cousin on the Wiser side or on the Russell side of Gracie and John Wiser, you’ll find that the Peyton family line runs through your veins. All roads trace back to a man named Valentine Peyton (1749-1831) from Stafford County, Virginia.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit Stafford County, Virginia. Many of you may know it as George Washington’s boyhood home, but it’s American roots run even deeper than that. For the purposes of this blog it’s important to know that we are in Kentucky by way of Stafford County, Va.

Valentine Peyton was born on March 9th, 1749. He fought in the American Revolutionary War prior to settling in Lincoln County, KY. There is a plaque to commemorate his service located in Kentucky Historical Society Museum in Frankfort, KY. Doing research on Valentine Peyton is a little tricky. There are actually more than one man with that name who fought for America and lived in Virginia. Apparently, it was a very popular family name!

What I DO KNOW about our Valentine is this: he was an Ensign in the military, and he had a relative named George who also fought during the Revolution. This is factual and can be proven with land records at the Casey County and Lincoln County KY courthouses. After his service in the war, Valentine received a land grant to settle the wild Kentucky hunting ground. That was a pretty common practice at the time: take your best soldiers and reward them with land. If they can tame it then they can keep it.

Sometime between 1834 and 1844, the living children of Valentine Peyton petitioned for land owned by George Peyton, who was also an Ensign during the Revolutionary War. Further, the living children of Valentine Peyton petitioned for the land on behalf of his grandchildren (living heirs of his deceased children). The petition was granted and so George Peyton’s land reverted to Randolph, Buford, Simeon, and Lucy Peyton Hill (our ancestor). Already deceased at this time were Vincent Peyton, Rhoda Peyton Goode, Delia Peyton Speed, and Dilla Peyton Tinsley. Their children received what would have been their portion of the land.

Lucy Peyton Hill

So, Lucy Peyton Hill is the great-great-grandmother of Gracie Lee Russell. Lucy married William Hill. They had a daughter, Martha, who married James Richards. James and Martha’s son George had a daughter named Ann Eliza, who married Clay Russell. Ann Eliza and Clay are the parents of Gracie Lee, who married John Wallace Wiser.

James Peyton

It’s unclear what connection James and Valentine Peyton have, except that they are both from Stafford County, Va. and ended up in Casey County, KY. They also both served in the Revolutionary War and received land grants. On pure speculation, I assume that they are at least cousins.

James is the ancestor for both James and Sophronia Wiser, as well as Christopher Columbus Peyton. These are three of the four grandparents of John Wallace Wiser. Yes–you read that right–three of the four grandparents.

Let me explain: James Peyton married Elizabeth Cox. They had a daughter named Elizabeth, who married Joseph Wiser. They also had a daughter named Sally who married Thomas McGlothlin.

Elizabeth and Joseph had a son named James Joseph. James Joseph Wiser married his first cousin Sophronia Peyton, and they had a son named James Mattison. James Mattison Wiser married his first cousin named Nancy Peyton, and they are the parents of John Wallace Wiser.

Thomas McGlothlin and Sally had a daughter named Jane, who married Bennett Peyton. It’s unclear who the parents of Bennett are, but he must be a relation to James Peyton. At any rate, Thomas and Jane’s daughter is Sophronia (grandmother of John Wallace Wiser). Thomas and Jane also had a son named Christopher Columbus, who married Nancy Jane Clarkson. The daughter of Christopher and Nancy is Nancy F., who is the mother of John Wallace Wiser.

So, wrapping it up: it was common at that time for first cousins to marry because of land barriers and proximity to other families. And now you see how many intersecting lines there are in the Wiser/ Russell/ Peyton family.