YANCEY RECORDS
FROM EARLY VIRGINIA STORE ACCOUNTS
Sources for documenting some of the earliest Yanceys of Virginia
Hanover County Virginia
It was not until recently that the relationship of one Charles & (Mary Bartlett?) Yancey and seven other Yancey men of early Hanover County Virginia was established. It is now known that Charles & (Mary?) were the parents of at least these seven men and probably (but not proven various daughters). This relationshiip was not fully documented and proven until an article appeared in 1982 in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy entitled "Accounts from the Store of Thomas Partridge & Co., Hanover Co., Virginia, 1734-1756". (It should be noted that the article continued through various issues of the magazine for a period of about 2 years). Thanks to this information, what was suspected for some time now stands proven. Various bits of information from this article are included in this supplement.
Quoting from the article we can obtain some very interesting information concerning a small aspect of life in early America for some of the first known Yanceys in America. The time period is from 1734-1756 and the place is St Paul's Parish in Hanover County in colonial Virginia:
"The general store, which survived as an institution into the early years of this century, has long associations with the American frontier. We can now scarcely imagine the full extent of its importance, for aside from the civil administration and the Church. These commercial operations were among the few civilizing influences in the lives of early colonial pioneers. Certainly the chief function of these stores was to act as a supplier of goods, of which they offered a wide selection. In fact, they apparently carried in stock most of the items necessary for housekeeping and farming during the period in which they were in operation and, for those able to afford them, a small selection of luxury goods as well.
. . . If the Partridge Store stock may justly be taken as typical of early retailing, any notion of the Virginia frontier as an isolated, homespun community is dispelled. For grooming, there were razors and combs, and for adults and children there was a remarkable variety of hats, gloves, hose, garters, buttons (in metal, horn, and mother-of-pearl to sew on coats, shirts, vests, and sleeves), buckles (in silver, steel, and colors for shoes and for knees), handkerchiefs, ribbons, caps, and wallets. . . For the kitchen there were pewter plates and basins, china, knives and forks, frying pans, funnels, pots and pot hooks, brass kettles, meal sifters, egg flasks, nut crackers, bottles, water pails, and jugs. Hams and cheeses were for sale at the store and to wash them down, rum, beer,cider, and tea. For the cook there was sugar in loafs, single and double refined, salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. For the household, Mr. Partridge sold bed cords, blankets, rugs, carpets, chamber pots, candlesticks, pictures, mirrors, chests, and brass locks. For the users of tobacco there were pipes and snuff boxes, and for the affluent a Japanese tobacco box was available . . . The farmer could buy hoes, reapers, axes, sheep shears, butchering knives, and cabbage seed, and among the tools available were saws, hammers, augers, gimblets, and chisels, besides nails which sold in great quantities in size 3 to 10 d. For those who could write there were ink powder and pots, paper, and ivory-, red handled, and French penknives. History books, Bibles, Testaments, Psalters, and prayer books were for sale, and spectacles with which to read them. For the young, the store stocked spelling and horn books, primers, and slates. Fish hooks and fishing line were popular, and guns and gun parts (flints, hammers, and locks) could be had as well as gun powder, shot, and bullet molds. Partridge also had saddles, bridles, horse whips, 2 foot rulers, carpenter's compasses, telescopes, and even mill stones.
Two items sold in notable quantities: textiles and rum. The variety of the former was impressive, including garlix, double garlix, brown-, checked-, blue-, and Princess-linen, duffill, silk ferritt, Irish- and striped-Holland, kinting, drugett, blue shilloes, muslin, brown and white-sheeting, Persian silk, kersey, shaloon, nickanees, pennystone, plains, crocus, callico, dowlis, nonsopretty, patterbones, rolls, Scots cloth, white cotton, buckram, hessins, hare cloth, filleting, duroys, swanskin, cherrydery, ribing, byramphants, bolster- and bed-tick, seasucker, Kenting, pernellows, fustin, and broad cloth. . . . As to rum, it was so heavily consumed in St Pauls Parish as to make it doubtful there was little more than a vestige of religious or social restraint on its use. The horse races, fairs, shooting matches, and bowling tournaments mentioned are likely to have been occasions of considerable revelry, so much so as to make one wonder if the monotonies of frontier life have been stressed at the expense of its lighter side."
Some, but not all, of the entries in Legder B of the Partridge Store Accounts which refer to Yanceys include the following.
(The Text appears exactly as it appears in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy and no attempt has been made to correct spelling errors or make the text any more readable - the following abbreviations with their meaning, however, should be noted: Hhd-Hogshead (a unit of measure of tobacco); pr-pair; dd-delivered; Tobo-Tobacco; pd-paid; yr-your; p-page.)
P. 13 MR. CHARLES YANCE, SENIOR. Mar 6 (balance due to T. R. BROWN?) from Ledger A, 1 qt. rum dd CHRISTPR BUTLER. 1 pr gerles shoes); Jun. 5 (1 pr. sisers dd your son ARCHS., cash paid your son CHARLES for your son ARCHELUS); Jul 17 (paid BARBARY HARRIS); Sep 16. Credits: Apr. 2 (1 Hhd. Tobo.); May 4 (I Hhd. Tobo one transferred note); May 6 (1 note at Pages, carried to p. 120).
P. 15 MR. ARCHELAUS YANCE. Mar 6 (paid your brother CHARLES, brought from Ledger A); June. 3 (1 pair wos shoes). Credits: Jul 6 (carried to p. 232).
P. 26 MR. CHARLES YANCE. Mar 10, 1735/6 (1/2 oz. Nutts 0. 0. 9., 3 boys hatts); Apr 15 (1 doz Mettle buttons). May 1 (brought from A. Cash paid WILLIAM JOHNSON for the use of JOHN THOMSON) 17.27; Jun 5; Jul 19 (dd your Father 5 Ells best linen), 26 (2 prs. womans shoes) Aug 16; Sep 27; Oct 18, 22 (paid WILLM COOK); Nov 1. Credits: Mar 10, (1 crop Hhd Tobo.); Apr 15 (by cash, by note drawn by your brother ARCHELAUS); May 17 (by cash recd of your brother JOHN YANCE), 27 (1 note at Pages, cash recd of CHRISTOPHER BUTLER); Jun 5 (by cash); Aug 4 (by cash); Mar 4 1736/7 (balance to p 145).
P. 36 MR. RICHARD YANCE. Mar 20 1735/6 (1 pr womans gloves; Apr 2; May 6; Jun 5 (Paid BENJAMIN HARRIS) 8,30; Jul 2 (cash lent you 9.4.8); Oct 8, 15; Nov 6 (dd BENJAMIN HARRIS 2 lbs. shott, balance brought from A.); May 27 1737 (2 boys hatts). Credits Mar 20 (1 Hhd Tobo crop @ pages); Apr 30 (1 Hhd Tobo.); Aug 17 (1 note at Pages); Apr 6 1737 (1 crop Hhd Tobo. carried to p. 184).
P. 43 MR. JOHN YANCE. Mar 29, 1736; May 17 (paid your brother CHARLES, CAPT OVERTON, ANTHONY WADDY); Jul 1; Sep 25; Dec 21; Feb 16; Apr 13 (5 lb Tobo pd. CAPT OVERTON & omitted); May 27 (1 pr Knee Buckles 0. 1. 6) Jun 13, 18 (paid THO. KIVELL); Aug 19 (paid your bro JECONIAS YANCEY. 1 knot fishing line 0. 0. 6); Sep 19 (1 Pockett Case 0. 6. 3) Credits: Apr 30 (1 Hhd Tobo [this entry crossed through with note that credit was posted to the account of JAMES YANCE.]; May 17 (1 Hhd Tobo.) Jun 13 (1 note at pages); Aug 19 (DOCTOR TULLOH note. BENJ DENEY, carried to page 256).
P. 54 JAMES YANCE. Apr 30, 1736 (2,500 10d nails, 2,500 8d Do., 1,000 6d Do, pd THOS THOMSON, 2 prs womans shoes). Aug 6; Oct 8 (pd BENJ HARRIS); Jul 8 (1 pr women's shoes); Sep 26; Dec 20; Jan 13; Feb 8 (pd WM. WEATHERFORD); Mar 22 (pd MATHIS MULLINS); Apr 11, 1738; May 5 (paid SAMLL SEXTON), Credits: Apr 30 (1 Crop Hhd Tobo.); Feb. 8 (carried to p. 306.)
P. 120 MR. CHARLES YANCEY SENER. Oct 18 11736; Nov 10, 30; Dec 1 (brought from p. 13); Mar. 7; May 2, 1737 (2 pr mens Shoes @ 6/, 1 pr womens gloves), 27 (2 Psalters @ 18d); Jun. 3, 6 (pd yr Son ROBER YANCY, 1 quire paper); Aug. 19 (pd yr son JNO. YANCEY); Sep 30; Oct 18 (2 pr boys yorn hoes); Nov 19 (1 narrow axx 0. 4. 0). Credits: May 27, 1737 (1 Hhd Tobo at Pages, 1 note, carried to p. 285).
From these records it can be determined that the children of Charles Yancey of Hanover consisted of at least seven sons: James, Charles, Richard, Robert, Archelaus, John and Jechonias.
Images from the orginal records:
( Thanks to Richard Fischer for obtaining the copies - FISCHRK@PTD.NET )
Account of Charles Yancey Sr
Culpeper County Virginia
Other account records, besides those of Thomas Partridge's store in Hanover, have given us some interesting insight into various members of the early Yanceys in America. In 1962 an article entitled "BRITISH MERCANTILE CLAIMS" appeared in The Virginia Genealogist. This article continued through various volumes for many years. It was in later continuations of this article that various bits of interesting information were recorded concerning various members of the Culpeper County branch of the Yancey family. To give some information as to the origin and purpose of these store account claims the article is quoted as follows:
"In the years immediately before the American Revolution, British mercantile houses operated numerous stores in Virginia which supplied the needs of the local residents. When hostilities began British property was confiscated and the Virginians refused to pay such debts as remained due on the books of the various firms.
The Treaty of Peace of 1783 provided for the settlement of debts owed British merchants. It was not until some years later, however, that it was possible for suits to be instituted for recovery in Virginia courts and not until around 1800 that special agents of the United States began investigating individual debts to determine their status.
The reports made by the special agents are among the Treasury Papers in the Public Record Office, London."
The following include some (but not all) of the entries which refer to members of the early Yancey families of Virginia as quoted from The Virginia Genealogist. The Yanceys mentioned below are all sons of Lewis Davis Yancey of Culpeper County except John Yancey Junior who was a grandson.
James Yancey, Culpeper. L8.8.0, account, Culpeper Store. He resided in Culpeper County before the war and pursued the occupation of a dancing master. From thence he ran away before the commencement of hostilities and went to one of the Carolinas. At the time of his elopement he was indebted many hundreds of pounds more than he was able to pay.
Robert Yancey, Culpeper. L1.16.6, Culpeper Store. He moved to Kentucky about 1793 and carried with him estate sufficient to pay his debts.
John Yancey, Junr., Culpeper. L45.1.11, bond, Culpeper Store. He removed to Rockingham County about 1790 and carried with him a very good estate. He now resides in the same county and has always been reputed solvent.
Philemon Yancey, Culpeper. L1.5.0, account. He died in Culpeper about 1786. At the peace he was generally considered a very poor man, living on rented land and possessed very little personal property. His estate after his death was unequal to the payment of his debts, nor is it believed that at any time since the peace, British claims now known to exist against him could have been recovered by process of law.
