Citation
  • Kentuckian Citizen Newspaper, Sponsored by JEMIMA JOHNSON CHAPTER D.A.R., "Early Bourbon Families: Layson Family".
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  • Category: Memoir
Detail
  • Author: Kentuckian Citizen Newspaper, Sponsored by JEMIMA JOHNSON CHAPTER D.A.R.
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KentuckianCitizenMagazine-EarlyBourbonFamilies-1 KentuckianCitizenMagazine-EarlyBourbonFamilies-2
Content
  • Text: Layson Family
    From an old manuscript in the posession of Miss Lydia Brown of Bourbon County, Kentucky, which was loaned Mrs. W. B. Ardery for publication.

    The Layson family came to America from England. John Layson, the Bourbon county pioneer, was reputed to have been a soldier in the Revolution.

    Note by Mrs. Ardery: In the Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series col. VI, pp. 133, 134, we find John Layson and Robert Layson as soldiers in the militia of Cumberland county in company commanded by Capt. Jos. Brady and Colonel Jas. Dunlap. As the Nesbitts served in this same company and the families were closely associated it is almost certain this was John Layson who later came to Bourbon along with the Nesbitts and Arderys.
    John Layson married Margaret Martin, whose brother, John Martin, was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks. John and Margaret (Martin) Layson located near where Paris, Kentucky, now stands, later moving to a farm close to the town of Stoner Creek near the Peacock Pike. It was owned in 1920 by Mrs. Lou Palmer and daughter, Mrs. John McClintock, and there is a hill close by still known as "Layson's Hill," on the Paris and Rud...es Mills Road. It is here he and his wife were buried but there are no grave stones standing. They located there before the first houses were built at Paris and the settlement be... was built in 1787. "Hopewell" (now Paris) having been chosen as the county seat, November 1789. In 1790 the name Hopewell was changed by act of the Virginia Legislature to Paris.
    Children of John and Margaret (Martin) Layson were:

        I - Issac Layson, born July 7, 1782; died July 6, 1822, married Oct. 8, 1807, Mary (Polly) Moore - see hereafter.
        II - Nancy Layson.
        III - Sarah (Sally) Layson.
        IV - Margaret Layson.
        V - John Layson Jr.
        VI - Robert Layson.
        VII - Oliver Layson.
        VIII - Archibald Layson.

    I - Issac Layson, son of John and Margaret (Martin) Layson, married Mary (polly) Moore on October 8, 1807 - see Moore sketch in Kentuckian - Citizen. He was born July 7, 1782, died July 6, 1822, and his wife was born November 15, 1787, and died May 6, 1878.Polly (Moore) Layson was a little girl living in Lexington when the panther attacked her school teacher, Captain John McKinney. Miss Martha Moore Layson, the oldest living member of the Layson family in Bourbon county, now in her 84th year and an honored resident of Millersburg, Kentucky, remembers hearing her grandmother, Mary Moore Layson, tell this story and also give reminiscences of the "Great Revival at Cane Ridge" which Mary attended when she was a young girl in her teens. Miss Layson said in writing of this respected grandmother: "She was one of the most perfect Christians I ever knew and an aristocrat". ... story ofCaptain John McKinney's encounter with the wild-cat is given in Shane's notes on his interview with Mrs. McKinney and son, Harvey - see Filson Club Quarterly and Historical Scapbook, Bourbon county, Kentucky. Captain McKinney was said to have been the first school teacher in Kentucky. He died near Clintonville, Bourbon county, Ky.

    Issac Layson and Stephen Owens, brothers-in-law, when they chased the indians out of the county, followed them to Maysville (then Limestone). As the men, when returning could not reach home in a day they were forced to sleep out of doors one night. They went up stream some distance to cover their trail and cut cane, stacking it high in the stream for a bed. When they awakened in the morning they were covered with snow.

    Children of Issac and Mary (Polly) Moore Layson were:
        A - Andrew M. Layson, born July 9, 1808, died August 16, 1809.
        B - William Layson, born December 22, 1809, died February 4, 1888.
        C - Zedekiah M. Layson, born May 11, 1811, died November 19, 1893.
        D - Margaret Ann Layson, born April 4, 1813, died August 11, 1903.
        E - John Martin Layson, born May 2, 1815.
        F - Robert Wallace Layson, born July 23, 1818, died March 7, 1879.
        G - America Layson, born June 23, 1820, died March 1884.
        H - Issac James Layson, born February 28, 1822, died October 9, 1823.

    Of the foregoing -

    A - Andrew M. Layson died aged one year and nearly one month.

    B - William Layson married Elizabeth Ann Patton and had daughters (a) Alice, born Nov. 1853, married Oscar Rankin and had three children, viz: Annie married John Grimes and has two children, Alice and Oscar Grimes, and twins born March 24, 1878, Mag Rankin married Dr. Nathaniel McKinneyof Carlisle, Ky., no children, and Kate Rankin married Edgar Hurst and has two sons, Rankin and Jesse Layson Hurst; (b) America (Mag), born Feb 10, 1886, was single.

    C - Zedekiah M. Layson, born 1811, married first Margaret H. Miller, who died Dec. 18, 1851, daughter of William Miller, son of Major John Miller of Millersburg. There children were:
        (a) William M. Layson, born May 6, 1844, married Mrs. Maggie (Orr) Morehead, daughter of B. G. Orr of Nicholas county, Ky., son of John Orr who served in the war of 1812. William M. Layson died June 1919. Issue: Two children who died at almost the same time from scarlet feverand Charles B. and Zed. Clark Layson.
        (b) John Clarke Layson married Laura Vimont. He died June 19, 1913. Their children: 1 - Lewis Layson, lived in Detroit, Michigan; 2 - John Baxter Layson married Louella Fisher of Cynthiana, Kentucky, who had two sons, Eldridge and John Clarke Layson who live in Saskatchewan, Canada; 3 - Mary Layson married David E. Clarke and had two children: James and Laura Vimont Clark; 4 - William Layson Married Daisy _____ lived in Tennessee and had chaildren - William, a daughter, and John Layson; 5 - Stanley Layson married Nell Swett, a French Candadian, live in Chicago, have children: Laura Josephine and Doris Jean Layson.
    C - Zedekiah M. Layson married second in 1854 Sarah W. Varnon (daughter of Benjamin and Sally Varnon), who died in 1877 leaving 5 children.
        c - Margaret H. Layson married Dr. Charles Varnon, a cousin, of Mexico, Missouri, no children.
        d - Laura R. Layson married Garett Weathers and had three children, Scott, Margaret, and Ruth Weathers.
        e - Martha (Mattie) Layson of Millersburg, Kentucky.
        f - Edward V. Layson.
        g - Eugina B. Layson.

    D - Margaret Ann Layson married James McClure Moore and had:
        (a) Mary and (b) Margaret (twins); Mary died young and Margaret married Thomas Jefferson Shipp and had: Richard, Wlizabeth (married Millard F. Kenney), William, Ella, Annie, Mattie, Bertie, and Edwin T. Shipp.
        (c) - Elizabeth Moore married Dan Thompson and had: Mary, John, McClure, Margaret, Samuel, French, Presley and Harry Ward Thompson.
        (d) - Hettie William Moore married Charles Brown who was born in Boonesboro, Maryland, and these had James and Lottie Brown (twins), Lydia Ann, Edward Taylor, William McClure, Charles Willet and Robert Lee Brown.

    E - John Martin Layson ("Uncle Mart") married 1st Susan Current and had four daughters:
        (a) Mary Layson married Mr. Morris of Hopkinsville, Ky., and had several children.
        (b) Emma Layson married Lucian Mann and these have several children, viz: Carrie Lee Mann and Minnie Mann Bryson and her children are Gladys and others and Robert T. Mann and David Layson Mann were the sons of Emma (Layson) Mann.
        (c) Marie Layson married Jas. Conway and had several children. She died 1920.
        (d) Ann Layson married Mr. Mercer and lived in Iowa. John Martin Layson's second wife Sarah (Smith) Moore, widow of Abraham Moore who was a brother of Britan Moore. They had one daughter Lannie Layson of Millersburg, Kentucky.

    F - Robert Wallace Layson, born July 23, 1818, married Catherine Kennedy. Issue:
        (a) Ammerica Moore Layson, born Jan. 1, 1842, married Robert Tarr, Sept. 5, 1861, (son of John B. Tarr, son of Charles Tarr and Marion (Richardson) Tarr, early settlers in Bourbon county, Ky., who later moved to Adams county, Illinois, and died there). Children of Robert Tarr and wife, America (Layson) Tarr: Robert Layson Tarr, John Bishop Tarr, Robt. Layson Tarr married Jeanette McFarland Nov. 5, 1900, and had daughters, Eleanor, Esther, and Catherine Tarr. The former married James Thorn Dotty and later married Frank Robert Montgomery.
        (b) Issac Layson, born Sept. 22, 1843, died June 14, 1867.
        (c) Mary Lou Layson, born Feb. 1, 1849, died August 13, 185_.
        (d) Robert Wallace Layson Jr., born April 29, 1858, died December 1899.

    G - America Layson married James B. Moore - for record of descendants of this branch see Moore Family sketch published in Kentuckian - Citizen. For descendants see Layson Bible owned by Layson Tarr, printed 1812.
    To return to children of John and Margaret (Martin) Layson:

    II - Nancy Layson married Stephen Owens who built the stone wall around the old Paris Jail. He accompanied Issac Layson when he chased the last indians out of this part of the country, later moved to Monroe City, Missouri.

    III - Sally (Sarah) Layson married David Pond. They lived at Monroe City, Missouri, and had several children.

    IV - Margaret Layson married Denmark Forsythe and moved to Illinois about twenty miles from Quincy. These had several children.

    V - John Layson Jr., married a sister of George Mock's wife. Mr. and Mrs. George Mock were grandparents of Joe Mock of Ashland, Kentucky. They moved to near Rushville, Indiana, because John Layson did not believe in owning slaves. They had two sons: Harvey Layson who married Kitty Ann Burris, and Albert Layson who married a sister of Kitty Ann Burris, when Robert Layson died in New Orleans and John Layson inherited property from him and returned to Bourbon county, Ky., and bought a tract of land in the forks of the Cane Ridge and North Middletown pikes. Here Harvey Layson and family lived a few years and John Layson would ride over on his horse once a year from Indiana to attend to his business. All of John Layson's family returned to Indiana to live.

    VI - Robert Layson married twice. He lived in New Orleans and had a son Robert Layson Jr. by his first wife but this young man died a bachelor. Robert Layson Sr. was tall, handsome and wealthy. His second wife was originally from Harrodsburg but was seperated from him and returned to Harrodsburg, Ky. Robert Layson Sr. died 1848/9.

    VII - Oliver Layson went to California during the "Gold Rush" of 1849. His son was born on the Humbolt River and was named Humbolt Layson. He lived in California.

    VIII - Archibald Layson went to South Carolina and made his home. He left descendants.
Personal Names
PersonClaimDetailEvidence
John LaysonNameJohn Layson [S143] [S194] [S255:169] [S1206:307] [S1223:106] [S1225:133] [S1226] [S1230:377] [S1233] [S1234] [S1239:128] [S1242] [S1244] [S1270:529] [S1502] [S1506] [S1766:127] [S2590:JL]
primary
Margaret MartinNameMargaret Martin [S143] [S194]
memoir
Relationships
PersonClaimDetailEvidence
Margaret Rebecca LaysonFatherJohn Layson (~1745-<1829) [S138] [S143] [S1242]
dna
Margaret Rebecca LaysonMotherMargaret Martin (~1753-1852) [S82] [S143] [S2907]
dna
Events & Attributes
PersonClaimDateDetailAgeEvidence
John LaysonMilitaryCumberland, Pennsylvania, United States [S143]
revolutionary soldier in the militia
memoir
John LaysonBurialLayson's Hill near Paris, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States [S143]
memoir