Yelverton Peyton

Draper Manuscripts 18 S 238-242

Yelverton Peyton was the son of Henry Peyton and was a native of Albemarle Co., VA on the James River. Henry was killed by Indians in going from his house to his barn of the Virginia frontier.

Yelverton, John, Ephraim, and Thomas Peyton (all brothers and all grown men) and a stranger named Bonham followed the Indians. At night while the whites camped, the Indians crept in and shot at them wounding John’s right arm, Thomas’s thigh was broken and Ephraim broke his ankle jumping a steep bank. Bonham was mortally wounded. Ephraim, hearing the Indians cocking their guns, kicked the blankets covering them over the fire which darkened the place or else all might have been killed. Bonham was found at the camp scalped. Evidently he had crept off and when the Indians departed he was so cold he crept back to the camp and died there.

Yelverton escaped unhurt and John and Thomas Peyton got in. Ephraim always had a turned foot in consequence of his broken ankle. He settled and died in Warren Co., KY and died since the War of 1812 about 8 miles below Springfield. John got in and the shattered bone was taken out and gristle grew in, so he could write and survey lands. He lived and died in Tennessee.

A party went back with Yelverton Peyton and buried Bonham and brought in Thomas and Ephraim who were considerable distance and had some trouble in finding them. Thomas finally settled in Missouri.

Yelverton Peyton came with a guard to Boonesboro in 1775, through Boone’s Gap, In Madison County, between head waters of Roundstone and Silver Creeks, a range of mountains through which Boone’s Trace passed. In passing through Powell’s Valley, they were fired on and several killed.

Once Yelverton and Charles English were together near English Station, returning from hunting a horse stolen by a white man. English had heard one night that a rattlesnake bit him in the side and next day as they were riding along, Indians fired on them from the came and shot English, who fell from his horse. Peyton slid from his horse and darted into the cane hearing as he fled the tomahawk cleave English’s skull. Horses ran to English Station and a party went back with Peyton and buried English.

Yelverton was selected to act as a spy and guard from Boonesboro to Boone’s Gap. Sometimes out as many as nine days at a time, to watch and reconnoiter for Indian sign and kill his game to live on and had to be exceedingly cautious when he would shoot a deer or turkey, lest an Indian might hear the report of the gun and steal up and shoot him while securing his game. If signs were discovered he would report at Boonesboro.

Near Boone’s Gap, two miles north of the gap, is the Slate Lick. There he came one day and discovered a drop of fresh blood spreading upon the water in the Lick and at once knew an Indian had shortly before killed a deer there. He instantly made his way into the cane. While on this service, he one day shot a deer and watched his game and soon discovered an Indian watching him and raised his gun to shoot the Indian when the latter commenced zig-zagging, jumping one way and then another, by aid of his hand seizing a bush and then another, so Peyton could not get a shot. The Indian got out of sight and cleared himself

The above information was given by Guffey Peyton, son of Yelverton, who was born in Madison County, Ky August 29, 1796.