Craven Peyton (1775-1837) 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.
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 Geo. 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
