Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Richard Caperton

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Descendants of Richard Caperton

Generation No. 2

2. JOHN² CAPERTON (RICHARD¹)^1,² was born 1725 in England France Scotland Ireland, and died 1789 in Monroe Co., Virginia. He married MARY POLLY THOMPSON 1750 in Giles Co., Virginia, daughter of ADAM THOMPSON and ELIZABETH. She was born 1725 in England, and died 1799 in Monroe Co., Virginia.

Notes for JOHN CAPERTON:
John arrived in New York in 1725. Caperton is Scottish name. Admiral William Banks Caperton is buried in Arlington Cemetery. In story about him, John Caperton is listed as coming from Scotland. Other sources say he came from Scotland afer a stop in Ireland. Also he is listed as an immigrant to Virginia with Scotland as his homeland. Hugh, John and Alexander Capitan/Capidan are recorded in Inverness, Scotland, the last record being 1748. Capitan was one of the early spellings in Virginia according to Bernard Caperton in his book, The Caperton Book.
Caperton
Author: Jack Childers Date: 13 May 2000 3:06 AM GMT
In Reply to: Caperton by: Mary Azevedo
Will this help??
Evidence indicates John Caperton – American immigrant – came from Ireland, then Scotland, and a long way back - France. It appears quite likely that John Caperton was born about 1735 in Kilmorack parish, Inverness county, Scotland and that his parents were Alexander Capitan and Isobel McIver, both of the same parish- reference Old Parish Records of Scotland. His family moved to Ireland shortly after 1748 and John Caperton was in Augusta county Virginia by May 8, 1753. He was likely married by 1755 - birth date of oldest son Adam (not Hugh, born abt 1757) per Elmwood manuscript - see p.197 of "The Caperton Family" by Bernard Caperton - 1972, Katherine Phelps letter dated 7/23/1930 and the fact that Adam was listed in early Virginia tithables in 1773 and Hugh not until 1774 (see p. 9 of "The Caperton Family"). The evidence below supports this proposal. Comments welcome.
1. Caperton family history from 1800’s and early 1900’s. Reference article from 1972 Harper’s Magazine and 8/7/1921 letter from G.W.Caperton, president of Slab Fork Coal Co. – 2 nd paragraph. Also Katherine Phelps Caperton’s early research (reference her letter dated 7/23/1930) and Admiral Capertons’ research in Scotland as the initial source of Capertons, before coming from France.
2. Reference p. 192 of "The Caperton Family" by Bernard M. Caperton in the discussion on European background of John Caperton. In 1932 a genealogist was hired to search to search for a connection with Caprington and Cunningham in Scotland - finding no connection Katherine Phelps Caperton had sources in England checked and found references to families with name spelled Caperton, i.e. Richard Caperton and Thomas Cappiden (this was the spelling interestingly, same as the Scottish spelling, except with an extra ‘p’). Katherine Phelps Caperton’s first belief of the family origin in Europe was Scotland, however and she changed latter. Unfortunately, back in the 1930’s, the Old Parish Records in Scotland were only available on paper records, mostly unindexed. Now, computer aided search tools are available on old parish records that have been indexed by name, available via internet access and the Family History IGI in larger public libraries.
3. Name was not originally spelled Caperton, reference above letter dated 1921 from G.W.Caperton. In Bernard Caperton’s book on he references some of the early spellings of Capertons in early Virginia records – i.e. 1774 tithables for Augusta county – lists Adam Capitan. Most often the spellings were more phonetic than based on standard spellings in those times – that is, how the listener guessed the spelling.
4. Book "Scottish Emigrants to the USA", page 65, by Donald Whyte, lists John Caperton as coming from Scotland.
5. Book "Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy" by Fredrick Adams Virkus, p. 299 Vol. I, dated 1925, says John Caperton came from Scotland. Book in item 4 above references this work.
6. According to Bernard Caperton’s book, the Elmwood Manuscript, which he estimates dates to before 1844, says the Capertons came from Ireland and left after some trouble. A copy of the manuscript appears in his book. Suspect stay in Ireland was rather short.
7. The Old Parish Records (OPR) of Scotland list a Hugh Capitan/Capidan and an Alexander Capidan in Kilmorack parish, Inverness county. There family records of marriage and their childrens’ births last from 1735 until 1748. Interestingly, no other published records in all of Scotland list any families by the surname of Capitan or Capidan, 1748 is the last reference – also see Family History IGI records. Suspect the remenants of the family moved to N. Ireland to escape English oppression in Scotland, especially ruthless in the mid-1700’s. At this time in history, N. Ireland was a better place to live than parts of Scotland, especially Inverness area, and Scottish migration to N. Ireland was not uncommon.

8. All the family first names listed in the OPR noted above were fist names used in the family here in America. The first name Hugh especially stands out – it was not a common first name in early days of USA.
9. Katherine Phelps Caperton references that Capertons originally came from France with William the Conqueror and his Norman host in 1066. Interestingly, Kilmorack parish noted above in Scotland is predominately populated by Frasers, a Scottish clan who came to Britain with the Normans as noted above and held ties to France. Reference the Fraser history, clan motto in French (rare for mottos of that time, most in Latin.) Seems the Ireland and France connection are common to most theories about the Caperton origin, it’s just the middle country that’s at question. A name in early Kilmorack parish records - about 1675, was Captaine, which with that spelling died out early 1700’s, may be an earlier spelling of Capitan/Caperton.

10. Estimating about 1735 for John Caperton's birth, given a note in Katherine Phelps Caperton's letter noted above that Hugh was born in 1735. Suspect that was really John Caperton's date, which would fit with Alexander Capidan's marriage time frame in Inverness county.

England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland France have all been advanced as the origin of the Caperton name this John Caperton was the only person to immigrate to America, in this time frame , and it was thought that he came in the late 1740's or early 1750's -certainly by 1753. John and Polly purchased a tract of land in 1755 in the Beverley Manor Tract of August County, Virginia.

Caperton, Fayette Co. WV
      Author: Duncan Hollar            Date: 4 May 2001 12:00 PM GMT
      Classification: Query
I am looking for printed information or other information on the Caperton coal mining community in Fayette County, WV, located between Keeney's Creek (Nuttallburg) and Mann's Creek (Sewell).
Caperton was around for a long time, and there are many historical ruins in this area, including the standing remains of a three story house or boarding house or hotel.
I hear there was once a water powered mill here, as well as many other structures.
Anyone with information that would be willing to share with me, much appreciated.
Duncan
      I guess you know his son was the Democratic? Govenor of
West Va.for 8 years . Gaston Caperton in office about
1988 to 1996 . That is close dates for his office term.A person
might locate the family history and the mining affairs if he
could be located.
      Re: Caperton, Fayette Co. WV
Author: Duncan Hollar            Date: 24 Oct 2001 3:47 PM GMT
In Reply to: Re: Caperton, Fayette Co. WV by: dollie marcinkus
      The area is still called Caperton. It is now part of New River Gorge National River, a unit of the National Park System.
The area is very inaccessible, no road or trail into the area. There are lots of stone foundations and even several very large houses, hotel-type structures, still standing, along with remains of many, many other structures. The area of Caperton appears to have extended almost all the way upriver to near the mouth of Manns Creek that comes out of Babcock State Park at the old town of Sewell.
There is also a huge cemetery located just downriver from the main part of Caperton, but very few headstones.
It was such a large area and probably a large coal mining operation, and I am surprised at the little to no information that seems to be written on the history of Caperton.
Duncan Hollar
New River Gorge National River

More About JOHN CAPERTON:
Burial: Rulsterns, near Hans Creek, West Virginia

Children of JOHN CAPERTON and MARY THOMPSON are:

HUGH³ CAPERTON, b. 1751, Augusta County, Virginia; d. September 1816, Greenbrier County, Virginia; m. RHODA STODGHILL, September 21, 1785, Green Briar County, Virginia.

Notes for HUGH CAPERTON:
Author: Marcia Ernst Date: 17 Jul 2001 6:06 AM GMT
Surnames: COOPER, LACY, DUNBAR
Classification: Deed
In Reply to: Greenbrier Co. Coopers by: Bill Fenimore
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I have an indenture dated 9th of August, 1804 whereby Mark Lacey of Montgomery Co, KY sold 533 acres to Juhonias Cooper of Monroe Co, VA lying in the county of Monroe on Brush Creek the Widows and Butcher's Run. The deed was presented in Monroe Co. Court Nov. 22, 1804 and approved by oaths of Hugh Caperton, Hugh Capterton Jr, and Henry McDaniel witnesses. John Hutchison D. C. Monroe Co.

3.	ii.	ADAM CAPERTON, b. 1753, Augusta Co., Virginia; d. March 22, 1782, Mt Sterling, Kentucky (Hinkston Creek).
4.	iii.	SARAH CAPERTON, b. Abt. 1755; d. Unknown.
	iv.	MARY CAPERTON, b. 1757, Rutherford County, Tennessee; d. Unknown.
	v.	ELIZABETH CAPERTON, b. 1763, Augusta County, Virginia; d. Unknown, Madison county, Kentucky; m. JOSHUA TOWNSEND³, June 19, 1784, Virginia; b. 1762, Lunenburg County, Virginia; d. Aft. 1840, Jackson County, Alabama.
	vi.	NANCY AGNESS CAPERTON, b. Abt. 1766, Virginia; d. Aft. 1852, Morgan County, Missouri.
	vii.	WILLIAM CAPERTON, b. 1766, Virginia; d. Bef. 1877.
	viii.	JAMES ALEXANDER CAPERTON, b. 1770, Virginia; d. June 12, 1847, Spring Hill, Tennessee; m. SARAH WELLS⁴, July 06, 1791, Madison, Kentucky; b. Abt. 1770; d. Unknown.

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