Friday, October 28, 2005

For Whom Was Yanceyville Named?

For whom was the Town of Yanceyville named?

Does it matter?

Some have concluded that it was named for Bartlett Yancey, Jr. (1785-1828). William Powell in his History of Caswell County (1977) concludes that the weight of the evidence supports Bartlett Yancey, Jr. See pages 341-343 of his history.

However, other prominent historians, including some with much better connections to Caswell County than William Powell, believe that Yanceyville was named for James Yancey, the older brother of Bartlett Yancey, Jr. Supporters of James Yancey include Mrs A. Yancey Kerr and Katharine Kerr Kendall.

Do you have inside information? Is this a tempest looking for a pot? What about those who believe that Yanceyville honored the entire Yancey family? Were that the case, should the name have not been Gravesburg in honor of the family that owned all the land that became Yanceyville?

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