THE CRAWFORD BOOK

Subject: Very clear erroneous conclusion concerning John Yancey as father of Ensign Charles, Leighton, and Bartlett Yancey as recorded in two 19th Century works.

LAURUS CRAWFURDIANA (THE CRAWFORD BOOK), by Frank A. Vanderbilt - 1883, is one of the very few books written in the 19th century giving an account of the history of the Yancey Family. The CRAWFORD BOOK tells of John Yancey who came from Wales in the middle of the 17th century and was the father of (1) - Ensign Charles Yancey, (2) - Leighton Yancey who moved to Rockingham County and had descendants being officers in the Mexican War, Civil War and WW-I, and (3) - Bartlett Yancey who moved to North Carolina. This information was included in Phillip Slaughters NOTES ON CULPEPER COUNTY as compiled and published by Raleigh Travers Green.

This information was about all that existed of "published" information concerning the history of the Yancey family available to Yancey genealogists working in the early 1900's. It was almost without exception quoted in the more extensive and inclusive genealogical reports and publications that were compiled at later dates from the research done by these early 20th century Yancey researchers. However, no documentation was included in these later reports concerning the relationship of John and his three sons and this information often seemed to be integrated with apparent confusion or uncertainty by these later compilers. Some researchers of later date even discarded the info concerning the relationship of John and his three sons and came up with distinct conclusions concerning the parentage of Ensign Charles, Leighton, and Bartlett.

It now seems clear as the result of research done in recent decades by various reseacrhers that the conclusion made by Vanderbilt concerning the relationship between Immigrant John and his three sons is erroneous. Ensign Charles Yancey is known to have been from Culpeper County and was the son of Lewis Davis Yancey. The Leighton Yancey who's descendants were involved in Mexican , Civil, and World War I  is clearly William Layton Yancey as recorded in the book by Rebecca Yancey. Bartlett Yancey who was a legislator and congressman of North Carolina is known to be the descendant of Charles and Mary Bartlett Yancey through their son Capt. James Yancey who lived in Granville. Even the existence of an "immigrant John"  seems very very questionable. (What evidence?)

It seems clear that some errors were made in the Crawford book - as to the very earliest Yanceys in America and their relationships to each other.  Such errors were only made clear in more recent generations.

Here is additional information that leads one to believe that the story about the "Yancey brothers of 1642" may have been a "twisted" story originally based on the Crawfords and not the Yanceys.

"David Crawford . . . came to America with his father somewhere between 1643 and 1667 at which later date a grant of 86 acres of land was made him by Sir William Berkeley, the governor of the colony. . . . The location of this land was in the Parish of St Martins Hundred in James City, County. The second grant of land was made by Sir W Berkeley in 1672 securing him 1,000 acres of land, in view of the said Crawford having fulfilled the condition of bringing into the colony twenty persons" doubtless from the old country. [This was land in New Kent County, - probably some of which became Hanover County - of where the earliest Yanceys are found]

DJY: people who made it a business of bringing people here to America - were granted 50 acres per person brought over - in the case of Crawford - 20 people x 50 acres - 1000 acres. grandchildren of this David Crawford married into the Yancey Family. The fact that David Crawford was able to organize transport for 20 people to come to America - seems to clearly indicate a man of means.