The Toney Family History by Hennings and Runnels states that Charles Collier Clayton married Nancy Toney, daughter of Littleberry Toney and Elizabeth Callaway. I have never been able to document this but there is evidence to support it. (Friends have sent me copies of pertinent parts of this book but I have never seen the book so I do not know what proof Hennings and Runnels have.) The first child of Charles and his wife Nancy was born in 1801 when Charles was twenty years old so they obviously were married about 1800. At the time of their marriage Charles was living in Pendleton District, South Carolina as was Littleberry Toney (listed on the 1790 census). Charles and Nancy had a son named Littleberry Clayton and a grandson named Littleberry Toney Clayton. From this it appears that Nancy, wife of Charles Collier Clayton, was a daughter of Littleberry Toney. Littleberry's wife was a Callaway as I will point out later but I have found no proof that her name was Elizabeth. The will of William Toney, probated in 1804 in Franklin county, Virginia names Littleberry Toney as one of his sons. The Toney Family History by Hennings and Runnels says that Littleberry Toney was the son of William Moss Toney. The authors of this book have obviously found the same records that I have found but they elected to ignore some of it. The register of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent county, Virginia says that "William Moss, bastard son of Mary Toney was born June 28, 1737" (Hennings and Runnels ignored the "bastard" part). This church register also records the birth of Mary daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Toney on Jan. 8, 1715.
A message posted on a Callaway Genealogy Forum From Eugene Craven Callaway says "Thomas Callaway b Oct 12, 1712, Essex Co. VA d. Feb 1800, Ashe Co., NC m. Mary Baker c1735. He had a dau wh m. Lettleberry Toney. Thomas Callaway's father was Joseph Callaway of Essex Co.,VA. This is verified by the Callaway Family Assn."
I always question information of this sort but there is original data to support this:
There is a copy of an Anderson-Callaway Bible (Bible published in 1829) That list under the heading "BIRTHS":
Thos Callaway was born 1712
William Callaway "
1714
Francis Callaway
Richard Callaway
May 7, 1887
James Callaway the youngest of these three brothers
Their two sisters were Elizabeth and Ann
This is a type written transcript of the Bible and who added the note about James being the youngest is unknown. It appears that there were at least five, not three brothers. Richard Callaway was born about 1717 - 1720 as proven by his Bible and Francis Callaway was granted land in Bedford County, Va. in 1747 which would indicate he was about right age to be a brother of Thomas, William, and Richard. Another possibility is that the three brothers Francis, Richard, and James and sisters Elizabeth and Ann were children of either William or Thomas. Note the date beside Richard's name appears to be a date of death rather than date of birth. If so and if he was a brother of Thos and William he would have been somewhere in the neighberhood of 160 years old when he died (of course it's also possible that the date is a typo and should be 1787).
Both of these Bible records can be found on The Library of Virginia Digital Library.
An artice found in "Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches" says that Joseph Callaway, the grandfather of Richard, emigrated from England to VA, that Richard's father (Joseph, Jr.) settled in Caroline County, had seven sons and two
daughters, Richard being 6th son; that the father, mother and a brother died of fever in a short period while Richard was still a youth, yet the remaining family continued several years to live in the old homestead, then sold out, and about 1740 settled in Brunswick County (the portion which ultimately became Bedford), locating on Big Otter river at the Eastern base of the Peaks of Otter. When the war broke out in 1754 the country had become considerably populated and the people collected in forts which Washington occasionally visited. Three of the Callaway brothers held the commission of captain, Thomas at Hickey's fort, William at Pig River Fort, and Richard at Blackwater Fort.[See notes below on Draper Manuscript.]
Notes from The Heritage of Ashe County North Carolina
Article on Joseph Calloway family by Frances Beshears Cheek. "Elijah Calloway Sr. was one of the early settlers of Ash Co. His wife was a niece of Daniel Boone. Elijah Calloway Jr. was born on the south fork of New River on Nov. 3, 1802. He married Nancy Sutherland of Johnson Co., Tn. They were parents of Joseph W. Calloway born Apr. 28, 1856."
Article on Faw family by A. D. Goodman. "John Faw married Nancy Calloway. She was the daughter of Elijah Calloway and a great grand niece of Daniel Boone. Nancy was born Sep. 1796 and died in 1866. She married John Faw in 1814. Elijah was the son of Captain Tom Calloway. Elijah was born in Va. Oct 12, 1769 and died Mar 3, 1847. Elijah's wife, Mary Cutbirth Calloway's tombstone bears this inscription: Mary Cutbirth Calloway Grandniece of Daniel Boone Died Dec. 17, 1845 age 73 years."
Article on Jacob Faw by Wendell G. Faw. "Jacob II died in 1832 and was buried in the Calloway cemetery near the famous Calloway shaft with the initials TC, carved by Daniel Boone, commemorating Capt. Thomsas Calloway. Two sons of this early pioneer, Thomas Jr. and Elijah were good friends and close neighbors of the Faw family." (another article by Wendell Faw published in "The Heritate of Wilkes Co., NC (from which Ashe Co. was formed) further states "This shaft marks the spot where Capt. Tom Calloway was buried in his dugout canoe in the year 1800."
There are books of this nature on most counties, in most states, and the articles are accepted by the publishers without question. In other books of this nature I have found glaring mistakes made by people just like me who are doing their best to present the facts as they know it. For this reason I never accept this type of information as documented proof, but sometimes there is no other source and in this case there is at least documented evidence to support it:
In 1838 Lyman C. Draper became very concerned about the alarming number of romanticized and highly fanciful narratives that were beginning to appear about the early American pioneers, so he began writing letters to, and personally interviewing the survivors of these early pioneer days in an attempt to learn the facts. Over the next 53 years he compiled notes and letters that now amount to over 500 volumes that are on file in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Among these records are a number of letters exchanged between Lyman C. Draper and Dr. James Calloway (son of Elijah Calloway and grandson of Thomas Calloway), and earlier letters to Draper from Elijah Calloway. [Note: in one of these letters Dr. James Calloway says that all of his early ancestors spelled the name Callaway with an "a" in the second sylable but now they all spell it Calloway with an "o". ]
My abstracts of these letters with my notes in [brackets]:
Letter from Dr. James Calloway to Draper. August 1845.
Col. James Calloway is of Bedford and was the oldest son of Capt. Wm.
Calloway. Nephew of Col. Richard Calloway.Richard Calloway was seriously
wounded at the capture of Col. Cleveland and left on the ground by the
Tories ... he lived many years and died in Tenn. in the year 1822. Mentions
John Shirley brother-in-law of Richard Calloway. . . Thos. Calloway married
about the year 1735, Mary Baker in N.C. She was aunt of Rev. Andrew Baker.[Richard
Calloway who was wounded at the capture of Col. Cleveland and brother-in-law
of John Shirley is a son of Thomas Calloway. Col. Richard Calloway was
a brother of Thomas Calloway.]
Lyman C. Draper Questionaire for James Callaway and his replies.
Berry Toney was brother-in-law of Richard Calloway and was present
when he was wounded at the Old Fields. Married the sister of Richard Calloway.
John Shirley also brother-in-law of Rich Calloway, married his sister.[This
Richard is the son of Thomas Calloway, not his brother.]
Letter from James Calloway to Draper. Wilkesboro, N.C. Feb. 21, 1846.
Says he remembers his father, mother, and grandmother Calloway telling
of the trip his grandfather Cutbirth made to the Mississippi River and
New Orleans about 1760 ... at the time he[Cutbirth] lived in the forks
of the Yadkin, Rowan Co., N.C. Names grandmother Cutbirth's sons Daniel
and Benjamin and daughters Seary (SP?) and Sally. . .All of his ancestors
originally spelled the family name Callaway but now all spell it Calloway
with an "o". . . Sarah Calloway captured by Indians . . .Samuel Henderson
married Sarah Calloway, daughter of Col. Richard Calloway. [There is some
conflict here. Most sources, including other letters in the Draper Manuscripts
say that the daughters of Col. Richard Calloway who were captured along
with Daniel Boone's daughter, Pemima, were Francis and Elizabeth and that
Elizabeth Calloway married Samuel Henderson and this is verified by letters
to Draper from their son ]
Letter from James Calloway to Draper. Feb. 19, 1852. Note at top apparently
in Draper's hand says "Death of Elijah Calloway".
"My father died the 3rd day of March 1847. He was born the 12th
day of Nov. 1769." Letter mentions his brother Josepth W. Calloway. Most
of this letter was devoted to the location of Daniel Boone's home on the
Yadkin in Wilkes Co., NC. He then answers Draper's questions about relationship
to Cutbirth family and Daniel Boone. Says his grandfather was Benjamin
Cutbirth. His great grandmother was the sister of Col. Daniel Boone and
wife of John Wilcoxin. His grandmother's name was Elizabeth. [Sarah Cassandra
Boone, sister of Daniel Boone, married John Wilcoxin. Their daughter Elizabeth
Wilcoxin married Benjamin Cutbirth. Their daughter Mary Cutbirth married
Elijah Callaway, son of Thomas Callaway and father of the writer, James
Calloway.]
On June 10, 1845 Elijah Calloway sent a 20+ page history on Col. Richard Calloway to Lyman C. Draper. Perhaps there are better copies available but much of this is unreadable on the micro-filmed copy I have studied. Some pages were completely unreadable and as much had no genealogy value I have only transcribed what I could that has genealogy value:
Col. Richard Calloway. The Hero of ___ Kentucky who was killed by the
Indians in the early settlements of that Country was Born in the County
of Caroline State of Virginia about the year 1717 his grandfather Joseph
Callaway imigrated from England among the first settlers in Virginia Who
had one son by the name of Joseph and who settled at the place where Richard
was born, when it was a frontieer wilderness, Where he lived and had seven
sons and two daughters. His eldest son Thomas the authors Father was born
Oct. the 12th 1700. 2nd son Joseph, William, Francis, John, Richard, and
James his Two Daughters, Nancy and Seneath. Richard's Father and Mother
and Joseph all died with the feaver in a ____ Six weeks leaving a large
house full of Children where they all lived together until they were nearly
grown. They being an enterprising set of young men and finding that tract
of land being two small to be Divided among them all They mutally consented
to sell off that Land and move to the west in quest of gitting more and
better land. They sold off and started about the year 1738 to the frontier
of Virginia and settled on Big Otter River in the frontier of Bedford County
and was the first white men that cut the first stick of Timber to make
corn on Big Otter River, and they being enterprising men they ____ a great
deal of land and as Richard is to be the principal man of this memorial,
He was shortly afterwards married to the Daughter of George Walton who
was a near relation to _____ Walton who helped to ____ the day with Co.
Cleveland on Noby Chuckey (SP?) River --- and as Richard's wife was an
older Sister to Sherwood Walton who was ____ surveryor of Bedford
County it enabled Richard and all the rest of his Brothers to to
_____ a ____ of land so that most of them got very rich, and some went
to farming and some to Merchandizing. The Author's Father, Thomas Calloway,
took up the business that was then called Indian Trader by which Practice
he took great quantity of goods and a number of horses frontieers Letters
among the white people and the Indians and recieved in the exchange Furs
and peltry of all kinds. But as the Indians was frequently troublesome
on the frontieer by killing and driving off people's stock it became nessary
that the militia should be trained and Dissiflea and kept in readiness,
and as the Calloways were throughing and _____ _____ men, Richard,
Thomas, and William was all appointed ____ Capts for to raise and train
and keep in _____ Three companies of Volunteers to repell any hostilities
as the Indians were was obligesed to be kept in check.
About the year 1753 when the Indians _______
very troublesome being set only the Canadain the Capts Richard
Calloway, William Calloway and Thomas Calloway the authors father with
their volunteer companies was called in to active service as the Indians
began to butcher the ______ on all sides and war being declared between
Great Brittan and France _____________The Author thinks that the Black
water fort was assigned to Richard Calloway the Pig River fort to William
Calloway and Hickeys fort to Thomas Calloway. . . [at this point the letter
goes into great detail about the French and Indian war but contains no
genealogy data] . . . The war being ended the Calloways returned to their
private consernes. Richard Calloway soone rose to the Col. Commandant of
Bedford County which office he held until he left that County. Col. Daniel
Boone having discovered the vast rich body of land in Kentucky and Calloway
being _____ of a great land speculator he determined to move to it and
selling off most of his lands in Virginia and about the year 75 he moved
with his whole family to Boones Station in Kentucky.
In this paper Elijah Calloway tells of the capture and rescue of the Calloway girls and Boones daughter. He gives one of the Calloway girls name as "Sarah" and all other accounts I have seen of this say the girls were Elizabeth (Betsy )and Fanny Calloway. He then says that Calloway's daughter was soon after married to Samuel Henderson and shortly afterward Col. Boones daughter was married to Flanders Calloway who was one of the company that captured them from the Indians. At the end of this letter Elijah Calloway gives a brief history of himself saying he born in Bedford County, Virginia Oct. 12, 1769 and came to Surry County, NC with his parents in 1774. He married Mary Cutbirth, daugher of Benjamin Cutbirth and grand niece of Daniel Boone. They were married on 7th day of April 1789. Elijah was a justice of the peace and served 12 years as a North Carolina legislator.[From deeds, grants, patents, court orders, etc. it appears that although the other Callaway men lived in Bedford Co., Va. Elijah's father never did.At the time of Elijah's birth his father, Thomas, was living in Pittsylvania Co., Va.]
Bedford County, Virginia Deeds
Book A-1, p.83. Apr. 26, 1756. Land sold by William Calloway, planter of Bedford and wife Elizabeth.
Book A-1, p.169. Apr. 24, 1758. William Calloway to James Calloway. 288 acres.
Book A-1,p.171. Apr. 24, 1758. William Calloway to John Calloway land on Little Otter River.
Book 2,p.30. 1761. Richard Calloway sold land. Frances, wife of Richard, relinquished dower right.
Book 2,p.67. Jul 27, 1762. Francis Calloway and Jane his wife sold 200 acres.
Book 2,p.147. Feb. 23, 1763. From William Calloway, merchant of Bedford, land on buffalo Creek bounded by Francis Calloway. Part of 1747 grant to Francis Calloway.
Book 2,p.665. Sep. 23, 1765. From James Calloway and Sarah his wife,
272 acres in Bedford.
Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants
Note: These grants are from Goochland, Brunswick, Lunenburg, Halifax, and Bedford Counties but land described in one county could be the same as that described in another or very close to it because Lunenburg was formed from part of Brunswick; Halifax was formed from Lunenburg and Bedford was formed from parts of Lunenburg and Goochland. Note the name Buffaloe Creek in both Brunswick and Lunenburg Co.; Glady Fork in both Lunenburg and Halifax Co.; and Tomahawk Creek in Bedford Co. and Tommahawk Swamp in Goochland Co.
Patent Book 24 p 40. 20 Sep. 1745. Francis Callaway. 400 acres in Goochland Co. on both sides of Tommahawk Swamp on the edge of a Meadow.
Patent Book 26 p 93. 20 Aug. 1747. Francis Callaway. 244 acres Brunswick Co. on lower side of Buffaloe Creek.
Patent Book 26 p.101. 20 Aug. 1747. Richard Callaway. 244 acres Brunswick Co. on lower side of Buffaloe Creek by the side of a Mill Pond below the Mill.
Patent Book 29 p.194. 1 Jun 1750. William Callaway. 180 acres Lunenburg Co. on N. side of Otter River including the mouth of Glady Branch and Lick Run adjacent to John Phelps.
Patent Book 29 p.196. 1 Jun 1750. William Calloway 1,600 acres Brunswick Co. upper side of Buffaloe Creek adjacent to Obediah Woodson, Randolph, and Richard Calloway just below the Mill. [see Book 26 p 101]
Patent Book 29 p.197. 1 Jun 1750. William Callaway 190 acres Lunenburg Co. N. side of Otter River both sides of a branch of Lick Run.
Patent Book 29 p.198. 1 Jun 1750. William Calloway. 375 acres Lunenburg Co. on both sides of Buffaloe Creek adjacent to William Calloway.
[From these four deeds, all dated 1 Jun 1750, it appears that William Callaway acquired adjacent tracts of land on the border of the two counties]
Patent Book 32 p.632. 10 Sep. 1755.Tucker Woodson 400 acres Lunenburg Co. by side of Elkhorn Creek adjacent to Nicholas Scott and Thomas Callaway.
Patent Book 34 p.959. 25 Mar. 1762. Thomas Calloway 400 acres Halifax Co. both sides of South forck of Sandy River crossing the Glady Fork adjacent to Mitchell.
Patent Book 35 p.135. 23 May 1763. James Calloway 112 acres Bedford Co. N.E. side of Buck Mountain both sides of a branch of Ivy Creek.
Patent Book 35 p.96. David Meriwether 596 acres Bedford Co. both sides Tomahawk Creek adjacent to Francis Calloway.
Lunenburg Co. Va., Order Book
July Court 1750. Francis Calloway and his wife Frances and Richard Calloway
and his wife Frances both sold land to William Calloway. No description
of land.
Summary and Conclusions:
There is much confusion from the fact that the same name is found in different branches of the Callaway family. For example Col. Richard Callaway who died in Kentucky in 1780 was a brother of Thomas Callaway and Col. Richard Callaway who died in Tennessee in 1822 was a son of Thomas Callaway. There is also much confusion from county names that makes it appear this family was constantly on the move which is not necessarily the case. County names kept changing: The area where the Callaway family lived in North Carolina changed from Rowan to Surry to Wilkes to Ashe county in a very brief time. The letters from Elijah Calloway and his son James to Dr. Draper are probably the best original source available but it appears that they made some mistakes ... lacking birth certificates, etc., how many people can recall for sure when and where their grandfather was born, or even their father? Elijah Calloway says he was born in Bedford County, Virginia yet the Callaway Family Association says although the other brothers lived in Bedford, Thomas - Elijah's father - never did. I have found records of Thomas living in Halifax county but he can not be found in any of the records of Bedford county. Elijah Calloway says his father was born in 1700. By all accounts he died in 1800 which is a little hard to believe. The 1712 birthdate found in the Bible record is a bit easier to believe.
From all of the above record it appears obvious that Charles Collier Clayton married Nancy Toney, a daughter of Littleberry Toney. Littleberry Toney's wife may have been named Elizabeth as Hennings and Runnels say, I see no proof of that.. . but there is no doubt that she was a sister of Richard, William, Joseph, Elijah, and Thomas Calloway and a daughter of Capt. Thomas Calloway. Littleberry Toney was a son of William Toney but I cannot swear that this was William Moss Toney who was the bastard son of Mary Toney.
Obviously there are a lot of unanswered questions. If anyone reading this has any answers please let me know!!!!
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