Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton

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Genealogy of Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton

This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources.

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Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton was born January 27, 1872, at St. Peter Port, Guernsey, the only child of John Lewis Peyton and Henrietta (“Betty”) Washington. The account traces his paternal line through John Howe Peyton and Anne Montgomery Lewis to John R. Peyton, and more remotely to the immigrant John Peyton and Ellen Parkington.

On December 6, 1905, he married Margaret Erskine Catlett, daughter of Richard Henry Catlett and Fanny Bolling Gay. Their children were Richard Catlett Peyton, John Lewis Peyton, Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton, Jr., and Betty Washington Peyton.

Family outline

Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton

• Father: John Lewis Peyton
• Mother: Henrietta (“Betty”) Washington
• Wife: Margaret Erskine Catlett
  • Father: Richard Henry Catlett
  • Mother: Fanny Bolling (Gay) Catlett
• Son: Richard Catlett Peyton
• Son: John Lewis Peyton
• Son: Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton, Jr.
• Daughter: Betty Washington Peyton

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Source

This biography appeared in History of the Shenandoah Valley: Family and Personal Records, Volume III (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1952), pages 39-40.

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Verbatim biography

The following is a faithful transcription of the original biography. OCR errors have been corrected against the printed page images, but the original wording, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and factual claims have not been rewritten.

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LAWRENCE WASHINGTON HOWE PEYTON —Long a leading member of the Staunton bar, Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton filled an important position in the life of this Virginia community. Some of his outstanding work was done in education as president of Staunton Military Academy and chairman of the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute. In every circle in which he was known he gained admiration and confidence and his qualities were such as to distinguish him among his contemporaries.

Mr. Peyton was born January 27, 1872, at St. Peter Port, Guernsey, where his parents were then living. The name of Peyton is one of the earliest connected with the colony of Virginia, Sir Henry Peyton having been knighted by James I and having become a gentleman of the Privy Chamber of Prince Henry. He was a member of the London Company to whom King James granted a charter in 1610 to form a colony in Virginia. The Virginia branch of this family of Peytons traces its descent from the nephew of Sir Edward Peyton, Baronet of Iselham, Cambridgeshire, England. John Peyton, the first American immigrant of the family, married Ellen Parkington, of London, and they had two sons: Henry and Valentine, of Westmoreland County, Virginia. Their descendants scattered throughout the state and other parts of the South and West. John Howe Peyton settled in Staunton in 1809, upon being appointed attorney for the Commonwealth. He was a son of John R. Peyton of Stoney Hill, Stafford County, Virginia. John Howe Peyton, a graduate of Princeton and a state senator, built Montgomery Hall near Staunton, a magnificent mansion, and owned one hundred slaves. He married (first) Susan Madison, and they became the parents of a son, the late Colonel William M. Peyton of Roanoke; and (second) Anne Montgomery Lewis, daughter of Major John Lewis of Sweet Springs. John Howe Peyton died in 1848.

One of the children of the second marriage was John Lewis Peyton, an author of note, his books including “The American Crisis,” “Over the Alleghenies and Across the Prairies,” “The Adventures of My Grandfather,” and other popular works. He also wrote a fine history of Augusta County, Virginia. He was an accredited Confederate state’s agent to England and France during the Civil War, assigned to purchase needed supplies for the South. He was born September 15, 1824, attended Virginia Military Institute, and received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Virginia in 1845, and in 1851 was sent by the United States government on a secret mission to England, France, Austria and Canada. He married Henrietta (“Betty”) Washington, daughter of Colonel J. C. Washington of North Carolina, a wealthy planter. Their only child, Lawrence W. H. Peyton, attended Staunton Military Academy, where he was graduated. In 1893 he was graduated from Virginia Military Institute as a civil engineer, winning the second Jackson Hope medal. After graduation, he served as assistant professor of mathematics and tactics at Virginia Military Institute, where he held the commission of captain. Mr. Peyton studied law at Washington and Lee University and at the University of Virginia, was admitted to the bar in 1895, and opened his office for the practice of law in Staunton.

In addition to his professional work, Mr. Peyton interested himself in a wide range of civic activities. During the Spanish-American War he was a lieutenant in the Fourth United States Volunteer Regiment, stationed in Cuba. When he returned to civilian life, he resumed his law practice. In 1916 he was appointed to the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute, serving until 1924. He was president of the board from 1920 to 1924. After eight years of retirement from that office, he was reappointed to the board of visitors in 1932, continuing as a member for the rest of his life, and also serving as president of the board during his latter years. He was also president of the General Alumni Association of the Institute and was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity there. Mr. Peyton also served as president of Staunton Military Academy, as well as of the Farmers and Merchants Bank. A Democrat in his political views he was for ten years head of the Augusta County organization of his party, afterwards becoming chairman of the Staunton Democrat Committee. He was elector for the old Tenth Congressional District from 1920. He regularly attended state conventions of the party, and at the close of his life was a member of the Seventh District Committee. He belonged to the Sons of the American Revolution and the Society of the Cincinnati.

Lawrence Washington Howe Peyton married, December 6, 1905, Margaret Erskine Catlett, of Staunton, daughter of Richard Henry and Fanny Bolling (Gay) Catlett. Her father, who was a lawyer, a member of the firm of Echols, Bell and Catlett, served on Governor Letcher’s staff at the outbreak of the Civil War and was a major in the Confederate forces. Prior to the Civil War he was associated with Virginia Military Institute.

Mr. and Mrs. Peyton were the parents of four children: 1. Richard Catlett, born November 18, 1906, graduated from Virginia Military Institute, married Caroline Rogers; they became the parents of two children: Valerie and Richard Catlett Peyton, Jr. 2. John Lewis, born March 20, 1908, became a major in the United States Army; he married Daphne Henderson, an Englishwoman. 3. Lawrence Washington Howe, Jr., graduated from Staunton Military Academy and was in his third year of law studies at the University of Virginia at the time of his death. 4. Betty Washington, born September 3, 1914, became the wife of William Grosvenor Davis of Newport, Rhode Island, and the mother of their two children: Alice Grosvenor and Margaret Peyton Davis.

The death of Lawrence W. H. Peyton occurred on Saturday, June 11, 1949, at his Staunton residence, “Steephill,” and was an occasion of widespread sorrow throughout this region of Virginia and the South. His contribution to professional and community life was outstanding, and he will long be affectionately remembered by a host of his friends and acquaintances.

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