Peter P and Lavina Cox Pyeatt
Peter Paulus Pyeatt was born in April of 1803 in Warren County, Kentucky to James and Catherine Finley Pyeatt and died March 10, 1884, in Jackson Township, Polk County, Missouri. Peter is buried in the Mitchell Campground Cemetery in Polk County, Missouri, with a headstone that reads 'Peter P Pyeatt'. Peter married first on January 15, 1827, in Washington County, Arkansas, Lavinia Cox who was born December 15, 1810, in Kentucky to Coleman and Martha Patsy Buchanan Cox and who died February 2, 1859, at Mars Hill, Washington County, Arkansas. Peter married second, March 23, 1862, Susan C Link. This marriage is not indexed in Washington County, Arkansas.
Following the information given in Goodspeed's for Peter's brother, John R Pyeatt, he moved from Kentucky to near Little Rock, Arkansas, with his parents in 1812 and moved to Washington County, Arkansas, around 1826 or 1827. Note his marriage to Lavinia took place there in January of 1827.
The children of Peter and Lavinia were:
- Martha S Pyeatt b: 1828 Washington Co, AR d: 1893 Bell Co, TX (buried Pleasant View Cemetery, Bell Co, TX) m1: 15 May 1851 Washington Co, AR, Andrew B Crawford d: bef 1870 m2: bef 1871 Phillip Gregory b: c1820 VA (this family moved to Bell Co, TX before 1880)
- Catherine Pyeatt b: 12 Jan 1830 (this child not listed by all researchers; not an heir on father's 1884 estate)
- Elizabeth Pyeatt b: 14 Oct 1831 (this child not listed by all researchers; not an heir on father's 1884 estate)
- James Paulus Pyeatt
b: c1833 Washington Co, AR m1: Mahalia Neal (living in Polk Co, MO 1884)
- Mary Pyeatt b: 7 Sep 1835 Mars Hill, Washington Co, AR d: 10 Nov 1865 Mars Hill, Washington Co, AR m: 28 Jul 1853 in Washington Co, AR, William D Hodges
- Caswell Hodges b: c1855 (lived with Phillip and Martha Pyeatt Gregory on 1880 Bell Co, TX, census)
- Irene/Cyrene Rose Hodges b: c1858 AR
- William Hodges b: c1860 AR
- Margaret M Pyeatt b: c1839 Washington Co, AR d: aft 1884 m: 20 Jul 1854 Washington Co, AR, Samuel King (moved to Texas)
- Nancy Ellen Pyeatt b: 18 Nov 1840 Washington Co, AR d: between 1880 and 15 Mar 1884 (probably Bell Co, TX) m: 6 May 1860 Washington Co, AR, William Stout d: bef 1870 (widowed Nancy lived with Phillip and Martha Pyeatt Gregory in Bell Co, TX, on 1880 census)
- William Henry Pyeatt
b: c1843 Washington Co, AR d: bet 1880-1884 m: Mary E McMahan b: c1844 AR d: aft 1880 (moved to Grayson Co, TX; not on Peter P Pyeatt's 1884 estate administration)
- Alvin Finley Pyeatt
b: c1845 Washington Co, AR d: aft 1884 m: Mary N ?Buchanan b: c1846 AR (moved to Denton County, TX, before 1870 (on 1870 Fannin Co, TX, census))
- Sarah A Pyeatt b: c1848 Washington Co, AR d: aft 1884 m: 28 Apr 1867 Washington Co, AR, George L Gregory b: c1837 TN (moved to Bell Co, TX)
- Miriam Lavinia Pyeatt b: 1850 Washington Co, AR d: aft 1884 m: 5 Oct 1867 Washington Co, AR, David F Marrs/Moss
In an article published by the Washington County (Arkansas)
Historical Society, on the Pyeatt's of Old Cane Hill, the author (a Pyeatt, herself), said that James P. Pyeatt (son of Peter P. & Lavinia Cox) and his wife, Mahala Neal had no children. According to Sharolynn Pyeatt, her great-grandfather, John Thomas Pyeatt, was their son and the 1850 census showed that they had 3 children, Martha, John T. and a baby, Mary. Martha & John T. were farmed out with families in Kansas during the Civil War. Their mother had died and James was remarrying. For whatever reason, James never returned to claim his son and daughters. The article's author was born after the Civil War and would never have known these children. So, she couldn't have remembered them and didn't include their information in her 1940s work.
On the 1830 census of Washington County, Arkansas, Peter had the following in his household:
Pyeatt, Peter P 1m20-30; 2f<5; 1f15-20 (pg 4 line 21)
Peter and family appear as follows on the 1840 census of Washington County, Arkansas:
- Pyatt, Peter P 1m5-10; 1m15-20; 1m30-40; 2f<5; 2f10-15; 1f20-30; 1f40-50 / slave 1bf0-24 (Pg 21 line 16)
Peter and family appeared as follows on the 1850 census of Cane Hill, Washington County, Arkansas:
- Pyeatt, Peter P age 47 / m / born KY / Farmer
- Pyeatt, Lavina age 40 / f / born KY
- Pyeatt, Martha 21 / f / born AR
- Pyeatt, James age 17 / m / born AR / Farmer
- Pyeatt, Mary age 13 / f / born AR
- Pyeatt, Marget age 11 / f / born AR
- Pyeatt, Nancy age 9 / f / born AR
- Pyeatt, William age 7 / m / born AR
- Pyeatt, Alvin age 5 / m / born in AR
- Pyeatt, Sarah age 2 / f / born AR
- Pyeatt, Miram age 1/12 / m / born AR (this family enumerated #81 on page #416)
It appears that Catharine and Elizabeth are probably omitted from some research as they were married or deceased by the time of this census. Or, at least, do not appear with this family.
Lavina died in 1859. Peter and remaining family appeared as follows on the 1860 census of Boonesboro, Cane Hill Township, Washington County, Arkansas:
- Payatt, Peter age 59 born KY / wm / Farmer / $2000/$1500
- Payatt, William age 17 born AR / wm
- Payatt, Alvin age 15 born AR / wm
- Payatt, Sarah age 13 born AR / wf
- Payatt, Miram age 11 born AR / wf
This family was enumerated #650/79 pg 567 image 93/338. Neighbors are John Chism, James Wheler, Jesse Blair, Elijah Dill, and Jackson Story. Daughter, Nancy, had been married the previous May, although I do not find her with husband William Stout. Margaret and Samuel King and children along with the widowed Mary Hodge and children were living in Cove Township.
Peter had one daughter with his second wife, Susan, as follows:
- Lena "Lini" Rebecca Pyeatt b: c1864 MO (or c1860 IN) d: aft 1884 (buried Mitchell Campground Cemetery, Jackson Township, Polk Co, MO) m: 26 Sep 1883 Polk Co, MO, William M Griffin b: c1862 MO (or 1850 MO) (living Polk Co, MO, 1884)
- unknown Griffin b: bef 1886
- female Griffin b: 3 Jun 1886 Jackson Twp, Polk Co, MO
- twin girl Griffin b: 11 Apr 1888 Looney Twp, Polk Co, MO
- twin girl Griffin b: 11 Apr 1888 Looney Twp, Polk Co, MO
Some marriages of Washington County, Arkansas, which may belong to the children of Peter Pyeatt (though there were many {Pyeatt families in that area) are as follows:
- Mary Pyeatt and W. P. Patterson 10-05-1870
- Mary E Pyeatt and B M Mitchell 24 Dec 1895
The probate records for Peter P Pyeatt were copied from microfilm at the Polk County, Missouri, courthouse in Bolivar, Missouri, by Sharolynn Pyeatt. It appears that he had a will on file, however, somehow Sharolynn failed to locate it. Peter apparently lived and died in Jackson Township, Polk County, Missouri, though some researchers list his place of death as Washington County, Arkansas (an easily made mistake). Peter's property in Polk County appears to be near the Mitchell Campground Cemetery where he is buried, though it is not certain. Other of his family buried in Mitchell Cemetery are his wife, Susan, their daughter Lena “Lini” Rebecca Pyeatt Griffin and her baby; also, the wife of Peter Pyeatt Jr., Sarah A. “Orlena” Scroggins.
The following land records appear to 'belong' to Peter:
Peter P Pyeatt 08/20/1838; doc #140; NWNW sec 28 town 14N rang 32W 40 acres; AR0850_.135
Peter P Pyeatt 08/20/1838; doc #500; NENE sec 29 town 14N rang 32W 40 acres; Ar0850_.476
Peter P Pyeatt 03/10/1843; doc #3309; SWSW sec 21 town 14N rang 32W 40 acres; AR0920_.162
Sources:
- "History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas." Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889
- 1830-1860 census of Washington County, AR
- Washington Co, AR marriage records
- Arkansas land records
- Sharolynn Pyeatt sharolynn_pyeatt@byu.edu
- Polk County, MO, probate records
- Polk County, MO, birth records
- Mitchell Cemetery headstone inscriptions
Last Updated Apr 2009
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