The Yancey Family

Notes by Dr. Philip Slaughter as published by Raleigh T. Green in "Genealogical and Historical Notes of Culpeper County" - 1900. Later included in "History and Genealogies of the Families of Miller . . . Yancey . . ." By William H. Miller in 1907. (Imbedded bold numbers correspond to notes found after this citation - written by Dennis J Yancey)

The Yancey Family

The first trace we have of this family is that four Welshmen, Charles, William, Joel and Robert Yancey who came to Virginia in 1642, with Sir William Berkeley, afterwards Governor, and settled in the James River region and prospered [1]. From one of the original four was descended Lewis Davis Yancey, who settled in Culpeper county about 1710; married Mildred, daughter of Charles Kavanaugh, of Irish parentage, who owned a large land estate of 40,000 acres in said county [2]. This tract extended westward and above the Beverly line up Muddy Run to Judge Field's Mill, across by Poor Town to Gibson's Mill on Mountain Run. A portion of this land he bequeathed to his daughter Mildred, which portion has never been out of the Yancey family, and is still owned by Benjamin M. Yancey, a great grandson of Lewis Davis Yancey and by James Wm. Yancey a great great grandson. Lewis Davis Yancey lived and was buried on the estate of the latter, "Arlington". From the "Crawford Book" we have "John Yancey came from Wales about the middle of the 17th century"; then there must have been another brother.[3]

Ch. of John Yancey: 1. Charles m Mlle. Dumas 2. Leighton moved to Rockingham County, 3. Bartlett to N.C.

Charles m. Mlle. Dumas. Ch: 1. Capt. Charles (1741-1841) of Louisa county m. Mary Crawford; 2. Rev. Robert (was ordained by the Bishop of London at his palace in Fulham in Middlesex, 25th July 1768 as an Episcopal Priest, there being no Bishop in this country under the colonial government. On his return from England he accepted the Parishes of Tillotson and Trinity in his native country, 1774. He was the first who preached in that section of the country the doctrine of Universal Redemption). He married Ann Crawford, dau of David Crawford.

Ch. of Capt. Chas. and Mary Crawford Yancey: 1. Ann, 2. Elizabeth m. Jos Kimbrough, 3. Unity, 4. Louisa Temperance, 5. Robert, 6. Mary, 7. Rhoda m Rev. Wm. Crawford, 8. Joel Crawford, 9. David, 10. Wm. Crawford.

Ch. of Jos. Kimbrough and Elizabeth Yancey: 1. Dr. Wm. 2. Unity m. Col. Edmund Pendleton, 3. Sarah m. Peter S. Barrett, 4. Maria D. m. Bickerton Winston, removed to Ky., 5. Capt Chas. Y. m. Mary P. Honeyman, 6. Elizabeth m. Dr. L. M. Ligon, 7. Susan H. m. Robt. H. Anderson.

Ch. of Rev. Robert and Ann Crawford Yancey: 1. Betsey 1775, 2. Charles 1770-1857.

Maj. Charles, son of Rev. Robert and Ann Yancey, born 1770 in Trinity Parish, Louisa County, Va. removed to Buckingham County. He was known throughout the state as the "Wheel Horse of Democracy" and also had the sobriquet of "Duke of Buckingham". He married Nancy Spencer and had 1. Mary Chambers m. Col. John Horsley, of Nelson county 2. Francis Westbrook, 3. Elizabeth Ann m 1st Robt. Williams, of N.Y., 2nd Richard Morris of Gloucester, Va.

Lewis Davis Yancey, a son of one of the original four, as stated above m. Mildred Kavanaugh and had nine children, John, Richard, Charles, Philip, Robert, James, Lewis, Nancy, and another daughter [4].

I. John settled in Rockingham county, ch: 1. Layton (was lieut in "First Continental Dragoons in Revolutionary War") m. Fanny Lewis, 2. Ludwell, 3. John 4. Fanny, 5. Polly.

Ch. of Layton and Fanny Lewis Yancey are 1. Layton, 2. Col. Wm. Burbridge, 3. Charles, 4. John, 5. Albert, 6. Thomas, 7. Fannie, 8. Clarissa, 9. Maria, and 10. Louisa.

Col. Wm. Burbridge m. 1st Mary Smith, 2nd Mary Gibbons, ch. 1. Diana Smith m. Geo. Oliver Conrad (Harrisonburg), 2. Capt. Thomas L. m. Margaret Newman, 3. Edward S. m. Fannie Mauzy, 4. Wm. Burbridge, Capt of Peaked Mountain Greys, Civil War) m. Victoria Winsboroug, 5. Chas. Albert m. Julia Morrison, of Cumberland, Md. 6. Mary Frances, 7. Margaret J. m. Jos N. Mauzy, 8. Dr Layton B. m. Virginia Hopkins, (McGaheysville, Va), 9. John Gibbons m. Bennett Bradley, (Harrisonburg).

Ch. of Chas, (son of Layton) and Lucinda Moyers, 1. Charles, 2. Elizabeth m. Hudson, 3. Ann m. Thos K. Harnsberger, 4. Columbia, 5. Fountain Taliaferro.

Fannie (Layton) m. Wm. Price (Standardsville), Clarissa (Layton) m. Wm. Rhodes (Albemarle Co.), Maria (Layton) m. Grans, Louisa (Layton) m. Thos. Garth.

II. Richard (Lewis Davis), ch. 1. Henry, 2. Elizabeth m. Mr. Story, 3. Judith m. Daniel Field, 4. Agatha m. Benj. Pendleton.

III. Charles (Lewis Davis) m. Miss Powers (1740) of Eastern Va., ch: 1. Keziah m. Geo. Freeman (Ky), 2. Ann m. Geo. Doggett, (N.C.), 3. William m. Miss Stone, 4. Thomas m. Sarah Mitchell, 1799, 5. Charles, major, 1774-1849, m Susan Mitchell, 6. Jas.

Ch. of Thomas and Sarah (Mitchell) Yancey m. 1800. 1. Charles 1801-1867 m. Miss Withers and removed to Tennessee. 2. John William 1803-1894 m 1834 Jane Terrell, ch: Wm. T., m. Nannie Stevenson, ch. William, 3. Elizabeth 1806-1841 m. Wm Wiggington, ch. Sallie, Edmonia m. Henry Field, Benjamin m. ________ removed to Missouri, Susan E. 4. James Powers 1804-1884 m 1845 Mary Coons, and had Jas. Wm. m. Florence Miller, ch Ethel, James and Wm. 5. Benjamin b. 1809 m. 1839 Catherine Banks, dau of Dr. Wm. Tunstal Banks, of Madison C. H. 6. Kesia Ann (1812-1881) m. Edward Lightfoot, 7. Susan.

Ch. of Benj. Mitchell Yancey and Catherine (Banks) Yancey.

1. Pamela Somerville m. Capt. Joseph D. Brown, ch: 1. Mary Catherine m. Rufus T. Carpenter, and had Stacy Harris, Joseph Daniel, Ellie Florence, Frank Hill and Leslie Pamela. 2. Lily Banks m. Thomas M. Henry, Atty at Pittsburg and had Lucy Maxwell, Pamela Brown. 3. Josephine m. J. Benj. Flippen (Cumberland Co.) and had Sue Gray, Elise Josephene, Majorie Pamela, 4. Benjamin Armistead m. Frances Todd Faunt LeRoy, King and Queen County, and had Virginius Faunt Le Roy, Joseph Daniel, Juliet Faunt Le Roy, 4. Andrew Edward [ . . . left blank . . . ] 6. Gertrude Pamela m. John Bannister Sparrow, of Danville Va. 7. Florence Armistead m. Oliver G. Flippen (Cumberland County).

2. Edward Duke

3. Dr. Chas. Kavanaugh, U.S.N.

4. Mary Crimora m. Jno. W. Payne ch. Mary Catherine, Emma Carson, Fannie Keith, Crimora Yancey.

5. Sallie Thomas m. Jno W. Payne

IV. Philip (Lewis Davis) [5] ch. 1. Lewis, 2. Philip, 3. Richard, 4. Jechanias, 5. Achilles, 6. Robert, 7. Kavanaugh, 8. Polly m. Jonas Menefee, 9. Delpha m. Henry Menefee, 10. Mary Ann m. Wm. Johnson.

V. Robert (Lewis Davis) m. Hollliday. He was a Captain in the Revolutionary War.

VI. James (Lewis Davis) was a Maj. in Gen. Greene's army in the Revolutionary War, and after the war he settled in Western South Carolina, and practiced law, he m. a Miss Cudworth, of Charleston, and had Benj. Cudworth Yancey m. Caroline Bird, dau of Col. Wm. Bird, of the "Aviary", Warren Co., Ga. having Wm. Lowndes (the "Orator of Secession" the "fire eater" as he was termed in the invective of those days), and Benjamin Cudworth.

Wm. Lowndes Yancey m. Sarah Caroline Earle, dau of Geo. Washington Earle, of Ga. and had 1. Col;. Wm. Earle m. _________ ch: Virginia m. Mr. Besson, 2. Ellen m. Hon W. H. Skaggs, 3. Mary m. Claude Preston Lewis, 4. Martha, 5. Eva Cubet, 6. Wm. Lowndes, 7. Benjamin Cudworth, 8. Dalton Huger, 9. Goodloe Harper, 10. _________ wife of Jno. L. Harrett.

VII. Lewis (Lewis Davis) ch. Geo., Garland, Mary m. Thompson Tutt, Ibly m. Lewis Tutt.

VIII Nancy (Lewis Davis) m. Nalle. [6]

IX. daughter (Lewis Davis) m. Nalle. [7]

Notes by Dennis J. Yancey:

[1] Although a common family tradition, there is no evidence found to support the claim that four (or more) Yancey brothers came over with Sir William Berkeley in 1642. There does not appear to be any special connection between the Yancey family & governor Berkeley. In view of the fact that the very first documented source (of any kind) that records a Yancey living in America is the Quit Rent Rolls of Virginia of 1704, it would seem very probable that the Yanceys did not come in 1642 but came much later in the 17’th century.

[2] The father of Mildred Winifred Kavanaugh was Philemon Kavanaugh, not Charles. The oft-quoted "40,000" acres must be in error. The 1704 Quit Rent rolls records only a handful of land owners over 10,000 acres – and they were rare and in most cases members of the ruling aristocracy. An analysis of Deed records indicates that Philemon Kavanaugh had land amounting to about 4,000 acres. Somewhere along the line an extra zero seems to have been added.

[3] It would seem that Philip Slaughter did little, if any, primary research on the family of this immigrant John Yancey and supposed descendants. His principal source for this info seems to have been the "Crawford Book" published in 1888. Unfortunately, however, what the "Crawford Book" records concerning the "immigrant John" was in error. There is no extant information proving an "immigrant John" – and the three children attributed to him here are in error. The Charles Yancey who supposedly married Miss Dumas was a confusion with Robert Yancey who married Temperance Dumas. The Leighton Yancey named could only be William Layton Yancey of Rockingham Co., VA who was the son of John & Mary Layton Yancey. Bartlett Yancey of North Carolina was the son of James Yancey of Granville Co., NC. The succeeding generations shown: of Capt. Charles, & Rev. Robert Yancey are correct, but they were children of Robert & Temperance Dumas Yancey (as was Jeremiah Yancey also).

[4] There is no proof that Lewis Davis Yancey was a son of one of the immigrant Yanceys. If they came over in 1642 it would seem he would have to have been a grandson or great-grandson. If the Yanceys came over at a later date, it would seem quite possible that he was a son of an immigrant. Lewis Davis Yancey appears to have had at least ten children. Not recorded here is a daughter, Elizabeth, who did not marry and died during mid-life.

[5] All primary documents seem to record his name as Philemon Yancey (not Philip). There are few primary documents found to help document his descendants. But there does seem to be an error here as Mr. Slaughter records the family. There were at least two Philemon Yanceys (father & son) – it would seem that most, if not all, the children recorded here as children of Philip were actually children of Philemon Jr. No primary evidence has yet been found proving the relationship to these children – but there is quite a bit of circumstantial evidence – This info probably came from family records – and a slight error was made somewhere in the research or printing process attributing the children to Philemon Sr instead of Jr.

[6] The husband of Ann Eleanor (Nancy) Yancey was William Nalle. They had various descendants.

[7] The other daughter who married a Nalle was Winifred Yancey who marred Martin Nall. They also had various descendants.