Peach Genealogy - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

According to the best information available, two Peach Brothers, ANDREW and ROBERT, left the Shire of Somerset, England, about 1785. ANDREW settled in Newfoundland. ROBERT married Jane Andrews and settled in Sydney.

Somerset is a county in southwestern England with an area of 3,451 sq. km. bordering on the Bristol Channel in the north. It consists of central lowlands and hilly area in the west and east. Dairying is the principal economic activity; livestock, tourism, fruit growing, the manufacture of woolens and leathers, and Coal and limestone mining complement the economy. Occupied by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the region became part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in the 7th. During the English Civil War, Somerset was a Royalist stronghold. This area was run by The Duke of Somerset.

Speculation had it that one of the early Peach's owned the land now occupied by the Sydney Steel Plant; that this could have been possible is shown by the first address of a Peach in the record of St. George's Anglican Church in Sydney. The first land grant to ROBERT PEACH was for "a lot of land above the second fork of the southwest Branch of the Sydney River on the Northern Side of the road to St. Peters" (1812)*. No land grant that could be found was issued to JAMES PEACH and or ROBERT PEACH (sons of the first Robert), the two brothers, who settled at South Head. JAMES PEACH had his legs frozen at sea while fishing one winter and had them removed. He spent the rest of his life walking on stumps, covered with a kind of leather shoe. ROBERT also spent his life as a fishermen at South Head. THOMAS PEACH, the third son, established himself in Big Lorraine and raised a family there.

The christening dates of the whole family are as follows:

Martha married a John Boutilier in Sept. 1814 after a petition to the Courts was granted. (1814)**   NANCY married a Boutilier and had at least one son George (1828-1906)

By best information to date the interment of Robert Peach is at St. George's Sydney. There is no headstone because a lot of the stones were destroyed.

ROBERT son of ROBERT married Hannah Forbes had the following issue: two sons two daughters by best information to date interment is at Christ Church Cemetery South Head

JAMES, son of ROBERT married Margaret Wadden and had two sons and four daughters. After the death of his first wife Margaret, JAMES married Susan Andrew and had three sons all of whom died young with tuberculosis. Interment is at Christ Church Cemetery South Head

  • JOHN (1833-1924) ( Father of the Morien Peaches ) married Ellen Andrews had SIX SONS and TWO DAUGHTERS (see entry farther down this page)
  • THOMAS (1847-1908) married Jane Levina Martell Five sons four daughters interment Baptist Cemetery Black Brook
  • ELIZABETH JANE (1837-1904) married George Martell of Black Brook interment Baptist Cemetery Black Brook
  • MARIANNE (1839- )
  • SARAH MARTHA (1842- )
  • DINAH (1844- ) married "A" Tutty and lived at Louisburg

    • CHILDREN of JAMES and SUSAN ANDREW (second wife)

  • JAMES (1860-1885) interment Christ Church Cemetery
  • ROBERT (1861-1888) interment Christ Church Cemetery
  • GEORGE (1864-1882) interment Christ Church Cemetery

    • THOMAS ( named "THE GOVERNOR") son of ROBERT married Sara Wilcox. His family were as follows: three sons and three daughters interment at St. Petes & St. Judes Big Lorraine

    THOMAS, son of THOMAS, son of ROBERT had the following family:

    JOHN, son of JAMES, son of ROBERT married Ellen Andrews had six sons and two daughters, interment St. Paul's cemetery Port Morien

    Ron Martell writes:

    (Peach researchers may be interested in) the Martell Family Research Project, which is documenting the Martell family of Cape Breton (the non-Acadian Martells that is) and which has a web site at http://onlinehelp.bc.ca/martellfa. Because of the several inter-marriages between the Martell and Peach families we currently have information on 51 members of the Peach family included on the web site.

    FRED'S AND SUSAN'S OFFSPRING

    The Newfoundland Peach's settled in Salmon Cove near Carbonear. Some of them subsequently moved to Glace Bay and worked in the mines. Originally COMPILED BY EARLE S. PEACH IN 1970 with the assistance of THOMAS PEACH, of Glace Bay. Most information from the records in the COUNTY COURT HOUSE, Sydney, N S. The 1996 edition compiled by GEORGE T. PEACH, son of FRED, son of JOHN, son of JAMES, son of the first ROBERT. Additional information from the PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF NOVA SCOTIA; MEMBERS OF THE PEACH FAMILY; ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH SYDNEY and from Cemetery Headstones around CAPE BRETON County.

    * Copy of the First land grant on file at THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES OF NS in Halifax ** Copy of the petition to marry on file at the Public Archives of NS. in Halifax

    A 3 1/2 HD COMPUTER DISK IS AVAILABLE WITH THIS INFOMATION DONE WITH MICROSOFT WORD 6.0 FROM G.T.PEACH 7056 CHURCHILL DR., HALIFAX NS B3L 3H5

    Submitted to this website by Robert F. Peach. Corrections of fact or additions should be sent directly to: rpeach@fox.nstn.ca

    Webmaster issues should be brought to the attention of Todd Peach: tpeach@gte.net

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