|
A Corner in Ancestry (with history from the Peckham Genealogy and including some family tradition)
Quotes from the Peckham Family Genealogy - By Stephen Farnum Peckham “The ancestors of our Thomas and John (Peckham) while they were a race of country squires, were a race of scholars. They were not men who wobbled. They were not men who were obscure”. “To my mind there is nothing partaking of the historical novel in the conjecture that Henry Peckham was involved in Wyatt’s Rebellion, when we have record evidence to prove that every drop of Peckham blood in southwest Kent that could get into it was into it.” “They (Peckham) have by common consent, strongly marked family traits. Whether by accident or design, the motto of their Arms is extremely characteristic of their race, from the Archbishop down. When they determine on a way, they hold it! - When men withstood each other on matters of theology and politics – unto death – and hold the way – whether it leads to Tyburn, or a Peerage”. The Peckham Genealogy which was compiled and prepared for publication by Stephen Farnum Peckham, and Byron Judson Peckham, assisted as to the English ancestry by Rev. Harry John Peckham, Vicor of Nutley, Sussex, England, and his son, Arthur Nyton Peckham, an architect of London, was completed about 1911. This family history gives us a detailed and comprehensive report as to the historical data of the original people who first carried the name of Peckham, and the colorful Coat-of-Arms, from almost pre-historic times in England, to the New England Colonies in America, and the United States of today. From this record we have this early information of the past, and from which is quoted from the records of the Archbishop John Peckham: “In a dim and unremembered past – and from which no record remains – an Anglo-Saxon reared his dwelling on the crest of a hill on the North Downs, in southwest Kent, and called it ‘Peac Ham’, for which the English equivalent is ‘Peak House’, or ‘House on the Peak’.” “This remote period was before the Norman Conquest, and before families or persons had surnames. John, or James, or Reginald were born to him who dwelt in the ‘Peac Ham’, and were known as – John, or James, or Reginald de Peac Ham, - and after a time – de Peckham. But there is no reason to doubt that the family had not been permanently seated, and prosperous for centuries before anything had been recorded of them.” “The Peckhams seem to have come out of Kent. There were two villages, East and West Peckham in that county, and a very famous Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 13th century, came from there. They had a place called Yealdham, or Yaldham, in the Parish of Wrotham, where many of them are buried, and there are also Tombs and Memorial Brasses to the Peckhams, at Saleshurst, Just in Sussex. They appear to have spread westward where they established families at Archas, and at Laughton, near Lewes, at Arundel, and Chichester, at Lordlington, and at Little Green, close to the Hampshire border.” “The Peckhams were descended from the Anglo-Saxons who came from the southern Baltic regions, and who invaded England in the 5th century, settling in what is now the counties of Essex, Kent, and Sussex, where the Peckhams are most numerous.” Under the Roman Kings, Robert de Peckham was Chaplin to Henry I. Hugo de Peckham was constable of Turnbridge Castle. His sons, Peter and John de Peckham went on the 3rd Crusade, and came home with Richard Cour de Leon, (the Lion Hearted), from the Seige of Acre, in 1191. It was there that the two brothers won their Coat-of Arms by their valor and bravery. The families of the two brothers have bourne Arms since that date. Peter de Peckham is regarded to have been the ancestor of the Denham Peckhams, while John de Peckham is considered the ancestor of the Yaldham Peckham branch. By the middle of the 13th century the Peckhams had become numerous and powerful. Besides occupying the primal manors of East and West Peckham in the Parish of Wrotham, in Kent, and the Manor of Peckham, and the Manor of Hadlow, nearby, they had extended into Suffolk, and also into Sussex, around the Lewes and Chichester. Archbishop John Peckham was born at Lewes, England,in 1210. In his youth he went to Paris, and studied at the University there under St. Bonaventura, and later returned to Oxford and joined the Order of St. Francis. Returning again to Paris he lectured on Theology and Ecclesiastics, and among the publications on these subjects, are others on Perspective and Mathematics. The fame of his learning spread over the continent, and he was invited to come to Rome, by the Pope, and he became the first Theological lecturer in the newly founded Papal School in the Papal Palace. His lectures were attended by large audiences, including Bishops and Cardinals. While thus occupied, the then Archbishop of Canterbury resigned, and John Peckham was appointed by the Pope to fill the vacancy. He was consecrated, and assumed the duties of that exalted position on March 12, 1279. His numerous activities are recorded in the Dictionary of National Biography. He was of an independent and democratic nature, acting as right and justice dictated, regardless of influences of wealth or high position, not hesitating to criticize the acts of the King. His death occurred on December 8, 1292, and he was buried in the Canterbury Cathedral. Another Peckham who appeared prominent in early English history was Sir Edmund Peckham. He was born in 1495, and at an early age entered the King’s service, and was almost continuously occupied with public matters until his death in 1564. He was knighted on May 8, 1542. In 1546 he was made Treasurer of the Mint. In 1547 he was assistant executor of the Will of Henry III. In 1549, under Henry VI’s reign, he was directed to restore the Gold Standard. In 1551 he coined the pound weight of silver, and in 1557, he was executor for Anne of Cleves. His son, Henry Peckham, was member-of-parliament from 1552 to 1556. He was four times re-elected. In 1556 he (Henry), and many others, were charged with treason to the crown, and some of them, including Henry, were tried, convicted, and executed. Sir Edmund Peckham’s 3rd son, George, succeeded to the paternal estate of Henham and he was knighted in 1570. In 1572 he was High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, and from 1574 to 1582 he was associated with Sir Richard Granville, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and others in the discovery “of sundry riche and unknown landes.” Sir Edmund Peckham’s political life ended with the death of Queen Mary, other than he remained as Treasurer of the Mint. Sir Edmund Peckham was the representative of the Denham Peckham branch of the family, while the representative of the Yaldham branch was Sir James Peckham of Yaldham. He, also, had a son, Henry, who was several times re-elected as a member-of-parliament. He, too, was implicated, tried, convicted, and executed at Tyburn in 1556 for treason against the Crown. The Denham Peckhams were ardent Catholics, while the Yaldham Peckhams seem to have been reformers, and were mixed up in one way or another with all the rebellious fomentation of southwest England. In 1556 the two Henry Peckhams became involved in some conspiracy against the Queen of England, and with others were tried, convicted, and executed, at Tyburn. This act was considered to be a sort of Church affair, whereby one faction it was considered a felon, and by the other faction, a martyr, and neither sacrificed their friends. Tories, in the United American Colonies, were considered a burning disgrace, but none met death because of this. At the death of Queen Mary, a new queen, Queen Elizabeth came to the throne of England, and through her influence the name of Henry Peckham, son of Henry Peckham, who was executed, and the grandson of Sir James Peckham of Yaldham, was changed to Edward Peckham, and much of the traditional property was restored to the family. This Henry Peckham, alias Edward Peckham was the great-grandfather of our American ancestor, John Peckham who was an admitted inhabitant of Newport, Rhode Island in 1638. Our ancestor, John Peckham, was born on April 8, 1595 on the old Peckham Manor of Hadlow, East Hamptnett, and was baptized and christened in the Parish Church of Boxgrove, county of Sussex, England. The next record we have of John Peckham, he is Chaplin to the Earl of Hertford in 1634. According to English tradition and custom in the old Shakesperian days, the title of “Sir” was conferred on the members of the Clergy. However, there is no mention in our history as to this title having been conferred on our John Peckham, contrary to our introduction and belief, although he was a minister of the Church of England prior to his coming to the American Colonies. From all probability he became estranged from his patron, the Earl of Hertford and his family, on matters of religion, went to London and emigrated to America. For John Peckham was a minister of the Church of England, and was the Chaplin to the Earl of Hertford, who later was the Duke of Somerset, in 1634. Becoming estranged from his Church and his people on religious differences, he left his church, and became a Baptist. It will be supposed that through his relations with the Earl of Hertford, that he became acquainted with Sir Henry Vane, imbibed the latters extreme religious ideas and came to Boston with him in 1634. They came over on the “Griffin”, a sailing ship that could carry as many as 200 passengers. Our records of the family in America begin in 1638, although John Peckham may have been in the Massachusetts Colony for from one to four years. In the history of Rhode Island is found this interesting information: “The first settlement on the Island of was made a Pocassett, near Portsmouth, in April of 1638, by a group of colonists who had been exiled from the Massachusetts Colony because of their liberal religious sympathies. Rapid growth of the community, coupled with political differences led to the establishment of the Town of Newport, one year later. The name of the Island was changed to the Isle of Rhodes in 1644”. As to the identity of this Sir Henry Vane, of whom we will refer to as, the younger, it will be well at this time to go back and to pick up a little of the historical setting in the Peckham Genealogy. Sir Henry Vane was the son of Sir Henry Vane the elder, and was a Comptroller of the household of King Charles I, and in consequence was the King’s trusted counsellor. The name originally was Fane – and the family lived on the old Peckham Manor, which his great-great grandfather had purchased, or inherited, from the heirs of William Peckham, who was the Cup-bearer to the Archbishop, Thomas Bourchier. Sir Henry Vane, the younger, was born and reared there, which manor was the Manor of Hadlow, in Kent. Sir Henry Vane, the younger, later became the Governor of the Massachusetts Colony. It was Alice Peckham who married Sir Henry Vane, the elder. She was the daughter of William Peckham, who was the Cup-bearer to the Archbishop, Thomas Bourchier. This name – Fane – sometime, somewhere during the 16th century, was changed to – Vane, and made illustrious in English history. John Peckham settled, with others, on the north end of the Island of Acquidneck, or Isle of Rhodes. On May 20, 1638, his name appears in a list of those who were admitted as inhabitants of Newport, Rhode Island. On March 16, 1641 he was admitted a freeman. In 1648 he was one of the ten male members of the First Baptist Church in full communion. His residence was in that part of Newport, that finally became Middletown, and a stone marked “JP” is supposed to mark his grave. A reference to his Will is found in a list of 17 Wills that were presented to the Court in 1790 by the parties interested. John Peckham was the eldest son of Henry Peckham, and Elizabeth (Badger) Peckham. He was born on April 8, 1595 on the Manor of East Hamptnett, in the Parish of Boxgrove, Kent County, England. Children of Henry and Elizabeth (Badger) Peckham, were: I. John, b. 1595, April 8. Chaplin to Earl of Hertford, and later the ancestor of American Peckhams II. Henry, d. 1654. In possession of Manor of East Hamptnett by inheritance III. William IV. Thomas V. Robert VI. Grace. And perhaps several other daughters. The Coat-of-Arms is a pictorial history of the family, started centuries ago and before the printed page, when knights emblazoned their emblems on armour and shields for identification. Each tells a story of the family, with new signs and symbols added as a notable deed was performed by some member of the family before it was passed on to the next generation. All the Coat-of-Arms are still registered in the College of Arms (Heralds College) in London, England. The colors are of prime importance. Each color signifies something different in the family history, just as do the crest and shield, and which together make up the Coat-of-Arms. Even the colors speak a language all their own, with gold described as “or/”; silver is “argent”; green is “vert”, etc. The Peckham Coat-of-Arms, which may be traced from the Archbishop, John Peckham’s Tomb in Canterbury Cathedral, and down through the years, to Rev. Harry John Peckham, and for a period of seven-hundred years, is described as: - Ermine - a chief - quarterly - gules - et or/. Crest - an ostrich; proper; passant. Motto: - Tentanda Via Est. Ermine - emblem of purity. Gules - red - for courage. Or/ - gold - for character. Crest: the ostrich Crest - an ostrich; proper; passant. Motto: - The Way Must Be Held! We do not know any reason as to why the ostrich was selected for the crest of the Peckham Coat-of-Arms – there is none given. We must only conjecture – it might be – it was a symbol of swiftness and speed – swiftness in getting to the aid of a friend - or ally. The old traditional Peckham house still stands in Chichester, England. It has ostriches on the gate posts. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren, and was owned by Sir Henry Peckham. John Peckham was twice married. His first wife was Mary Clarke, and was a sister to Dr. John Clarke. Dr. Clarke is recorded to have been the first Elder of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in America. John Peckham and Mary Clarke were probably married in the Massachusetts Colony, sometime during the administration of Sir Henry Vane as Governor of the colony. Little is known of the births and the events of the lives of his children, for at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Town records of Newport, Rhode Island were placed on a vessel for safe keeping, and the vessel sunk in ”Hell Gate”, at the entrance of Long Island Sound. Later, when the records were recovered, many of them were so water soaked and mutilated that they were undecipherable. Children of John Peckham and Mary (Clarke) Peckham were: - I. Mary – married Tobias Saunders. II. John – married Sarah Newport. III. William – married (1) ? Clarke, (2) Phoebe Weeden. IV. Thomas – married (1) unknown, (2) Hannah Weeden Clarke. V. James – died unmarried.
John Peckham’s second wife, according to the Stephen Farnum Peckham Family Genealogy was Eleanor, said to have been born Eleanor Peckham, and a distant cousin to her husband, but recent searchers have advanced the theory that she was Eleanor Weaver. I have seen no proof of either statement. Children of John and Eleanor Peckham were: VI. Rebecca – married John Spooner VII. Stephen – married Mary. VIII. Clement - married Lydia. IX. Deborah – married Robert Taylor. X. Phoebe – married Thomas Gray. XI. Elizabeth – married Peter Taylor. XII. Sarah – married William Weeden.
These twelve children of John Peckham, and the second generation of the Peckhams in America, are the ancestors of the American Peckhams and allied families. This is our line of descent, or our pedigree Birth Death Lived to be I. John Peckham 1595 1681 86 II. Thomas Peckham 1645 1709 64 III. Daniel Peckham 1692 1777 85 IV. Abel Peckham 1732 1825 93 V. Joshua Peckham 1770 1851 81 VI. Abel Peckham 1798 1864 66 VII. Nelson A. Peckham 1827 1903 76 VIII. William Henry Peckham 1863 1938 75 IX. Hiram Daniel Peckham 1896 1975 79 X. Ivan Dale Peckham 1923
Joshua Peckham, fifth generation in America, was born at Westerly, Rhode Island in 1770, and removed from Rhode Island to New York state in 1800, and settled at Grafton, New York. Further emigrations to the west were made by way of Trenton, Oneida County, Stockton, Chautauqua County, both in New York State, and later, removed to Albany, Green County, Wisconsin. He married in 1793, his cousin Sarah Stetson. Seventh Generation: Abel Peckham, b. 1798 Westerly, Rhode Island, d. 1864; married Adah Brown, b. 1800 Petersburg, New York, d. 1894 Albany, Wisconsin Sally W. Peckham, b. 1822, d. 1906; m. 1849 Isaac T. Armsbury. Rhoda D. Peckham, b. 1824, d. 1890; m. 1852 Michael M. McDermott. John T. Peckham, b. 1825 drowned while washing sheep, Sugar River, Albany, Wisconsin Nelson A. Peckham, b. 1827, d. 1903; m. 1853 Anna Maria Jones b. 1834 Wales, England Winfield Scott Peckham, b. 1829, d. 1898; m. (1) 1848 Helen Chamberlain, (2) 1862 Mrs. Eleanor (Bailey) Turner. Adah Brown Peckham, b. 1831, d. 1906; m. 1848 Voltaire D. Burt. Joshua Stetson Peckham, b. 1833, d. 1917; m. 1856 Ann Atkinson, b. Yorkshire, England. George O. Peckham, b. 1835; m. 1865 Ann Curtis. Lucy J. Peckham, b. 1837, d. 1884; m. John W. Brewer. Mary R. (Polly) Peckham, b. 1839, d. 1919; m. 1861 John C Atkinson b. Yorkshire, England. Halsey G. Peckham, b. 1842, d. 1906; m. Mrs. Paulina (Bailey) Carpenter.
Eighth Generation: Nelson A. Peckham, b. 1827 Trenton, New York, d. 1903; married Anna Maria Jones, b. 1834 Radnorshire, Wales, England, d. 1908 Louella Elnora Peckham, b. 1854, d. 1879; m. 1872 Henry J. Mandeville. Emma Andrena Peckham, b. 1855, d. 1923; m. 1877 George W. Fear. Abel Jay Peckham, b. 1857, d. 1945; m. 1896 Birdie Viona Schreiber. John Nelson Peckham, b. 1858, d. 1943; m. 1890 Mary Josephine Slover. Eva Ann Peckham, b. 1860, d. 1927; m. 1880 Zack K. Johnson. Ida Olea Peckham, b. 1862, d. 1928; m. 1880 Lowell E. Turner. William Henry Peckham, b. 1863, d. 1938; m. 1885 Ella Shugars. Frank Jones Peckham, b. 1865, d. 1944; m. 1895 Rosa Mae Hellar. Charles Edward Peckham, b. 1867, d. 1928; m. 1899 Mabel Smith. Hiram Daniel Peckham, b. 1869, d. 1935; m. 1896 Clara Bogue. Mary Ellen (Mayme) Peckham, b. 1871, d. 1914; m. 1896 W. I. (Pete) Drummond. Sarah Adah (Sade) Peckham, b. 1874, d. 1942; m. 1894 Truman (Doc) Floyd. Maggie May Peckham, b. 1877, died in infancy. Harry Thomas Peckham, b. 1881, d. 1955; m. 1911 Ida Belle Kinder.
Ninth Generation: William Henry Peckham, b. 1863 Albany, Wiscinsin, d. 1938 Enid, Oklahoma; married Ella Shugars, b. 1866 Fredricksburg, Pennsylvania, d. 1963 Enid, Oklahoma. Louella Rebecca Peckham, b. 1887; m. 1929 William B. Snowden. Percy Magdaline Peckham, b. 1888, d. 1924; m. 1914 Charles M. Hawk. Andrew Jay Peckham, b. 1891; m. 1919 Ethel Elizabeth Hitch. Irving Henry Peckham, b. 1894, d. 1948; m. 1919 Velma Luella Hitch. Hiram Daniel Peckham, b. 1896, d. 1975; m. 1918 Jessie Maria James. Irene Peckham, b. 1899; m. 1921 Fred G. Hildebrandt. Cecil Dennis Peckham, b. 1902, d. 1905. Birdie Ellen Peckham, b. 1904, d. 1934; unmarried. Leona Arvilla Peckham, b. 1907, d. 1951; m. 1931 Leo H. (Mike) Meadows Mabel Clara Peckham, b. 1909; m. 1935 Fred C. Bennett. Mae Ida Peckham, b. 1909; m. 1945 Tye Anderson.
Tenth Generation: Hiram Daniel Peckham, b. 1896 Enid, Oklahoma Territory, d. 1975; married Jessie Maria James, b. 1896 Lexington, Missouri; m. 1918 Carrier, Oklahoma. Hiram James (Jim) Peckham, b. 1920; m. Betty Grace Mowen. Ivan Dale (Chief) Peckham, b. 1923; m. 1948 Loretta Mae Baker. George William (Bill) Peckham, b. 1926; m. Peggy Rose Sanders. Vernon Leon Peckham, b. 1930; m. Joan Hadden. Theodore Franklin Peckham, b. 1933; m. Julie Billings. Mary Ellen Peckham, b. 1941; m. Donald Merucci. In October 2001, all direct descendants of Hiram Daniel and Jessi Maria Peckham were living:
· Hiram James (Jim) Peckham and his wife Betty in Enid, Oklahoma. · Ivan Dale Peckham in Enid, Oklahoma. His wife of 53 years, Loretta Mae Peckham, passed away September 1, 2001 at the age of 76. · George William (Bill) and his wife Peggy in Wichita, Kansas · Vernon Leon Peckham and his wife Joan in Flagstaff, Arizona. · Theodore Franklin Peckham and his second wife Pert in Tempe, Arizona. · Mary Ellen Merucci and her husband Donald in Pleasanton, California. |
| Home |