Peach Genealogy - Newsletter, Issue 15
THE PEACH/PEACHEY PROJECT
The Electronic Peach Tree Issue 15
Editor: John Harding Peach Peachroot@aol.com
WEB PAGE: http://home1.gte.net/tpeach/Genealogy/Genealogy.htm
SEARCHING FOR BURIED TREASURE
While traveling to Suffolk, so many of you on board have been sharing your roots and inquiring how you might be related. This is exciting! Therefore, before we go any further, I thought I should spend some time responding to those who have sent out their inquiries on Peach@Onelist.
These will be categorized by the country, county and/or state of origin. In the U.S.A., two of you trace your history back to Ohio. Two go back as far as Pennsylvania; one as far as Massachusetts; and six come from Virginia. One traces his lineage back to Switzerland.
Those on board sending inquiries who can trace themselves back to England represent the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Isle of Wight, Rutland, Gloucester, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The three whose roots go back to Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA will be placed in Dorset, England, since that is where their immigrant ancestor, JOHN PEACH, Jr., descended. Likewise, any in the So.Maryland Branch (USA) will be identified with the Isle of Wight in England. This was the original home of JOSEPH PEACH, the immigrant ancestor.
Let's start our search for buried treasure in the southern part of England, going from West to East. The furthest west we go would be SOMERSET. PAUL PEACH of New Zealand told us about his family coming from the Stoke St. Gregory area of Somerset. His grandparents were born and died in Somerset. They leave behind those who stayed in that area of England, as well as those who migrated to Australia and New Zealand.
I believe Peaches from both Somerset and Dorset are directly related. They appear to be from the lineage of those called "The Keepers of Selwood Forest". See THE PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS, 1066-1990, pp.81-83. Selwood Forest was a royal hunting forest for the kings of England. It was associated with the city of Frome, Somerset. These are also believed to be from the Wormleighton Branch I referred to in my last newsletter.
Three of our tourists inquired about their Marblehead, Mass. lineage. They can trace their lineage back to Symondsbury, DORSET, the original home of JOHN PEACH, Jr. One of these is TODD PEACH, who established and maintains our web page and Onelist. I know each of you appreciate Todd's contribution and the expertise he has brought to this project. He was a novice to genealogy, while I was a novice about computer technology on the internet. By bringing our strengths together, we have hopefully diminished our weaknesses. Todd is from the state of Washington (USA).
JUDY McINTYRE and BETTY DEARING, both of California (USA) also queried about their Marblehead Branch ancestry. Judy, along with Todd, each trace their lineage from Marblehead through Newbury, Vermont. Judy is particularly interested about finding her ancestor who left Vermont for North or South Dakota. Does anyone know?
BETTY DEARING has done extensive work on her Marblehead genealogy. I am sure we all enjoyed the account she gave of her family's survival plan. Although I am sure it was not enjoyable to them at that time, it sounds like they came out as true survivors. It makes you wonder how many families could endure such hardships today without any outside assistance.
The ISLE OF WIGHT is a separate county in England, located in the south central area of the British Isles. The only Peach/Peacheys in America we know of who came from there descended from JOSEPH PEACH, who migrated to the southern part of Maryland (USA) prior to 1700. His descendants have been identified as the Southern Maryland Branch.
Among other descendants of this branch on board, one of our newest additions to the group is RENEE LANDE-O'MALLEY. Her husband's aunt is one of my faithful long-time supporters of my Peach Tree Project, LEONA PIKE. Renee descends from EARL HERBERT PEACH, a printer who moved from Chicago to Mt. Ranier, Maryland. This was a case of a Peach family leaving Maryland for Ohio and then Illinois and then generations later, some descendants return to their native state. Welcome aboard, Renee.
EILEEN WHITE of Australia shared her family's migration from OXFORD and GLOUCESTER, due north of the Isle of Wight in central England. She said that ELIZABETH PEACHEY married GEORGE SOUTHAM in 1874. Before long they headed for Australia (1877). Note that we are now heading more toward the eastern part of England, where the Peacheys are more prevalent than Peaches.
Heading further north and leaning toward the East, we come to an extinct county in England which was once named RUTLAND. Sorry to say, this seemingly small and insignificant county was eventually swallowed up and become a part of the county of LEICESTER. The North Jersey Branch in USA had its beginnings in Leicester. The northern Maryland Branch (USA) trace their lineage to Rutland.
MARTIN R. PEACH of Canada also claims lineage from Rutland. He shared that his family comes from RICHARD PEACH (b.ca.1630/40. On 26 Aug. 1656, he married Elizabeth Castlin, who gave him six children. They lived in Empingham, Rutland. This extinct county was so small that it seems most all the Peaches in it were related. So I am certain we will be able to show a relationship eventually with the Northern Maryland Branch.
In fact, CHARLES FRANCIS PEACH, the immigrant ancestor of that branch in Maryland (USA), was born in Empingham. In THE PEACH/ PEACHEY MIGRATIONS, 1066-1990, on pp. 223-227, I report on much of the research I did on the Rutland records. Empingham keeps popping up on each page.
In answer to Martin Peach's question, I believe these Peaches came from the Wormleighton side of the family, which seemed to migrate westward from Wormleighton throughout England. There seems to be some good parish records in Rutland from 1800 on, but before that they could be scarce. I look forward to uniting these two families, one in the USA and one in Canada, in the near future.
GORDON PEACH of Ontario, Canada shares that his family traces its heritage back to the counties of LINCOLNSHIRE and NORFOLK. He says that JOHN PEACH (1812-1887) married Jane Foster (1817-1886) at Parson's Drove, Norfolk. Two generations later, MARY PEACH, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Peach gave birth to a CHARLES PEACH in 1896 in Pinchbackwest, Lincolnshire. I know of no other families that immigrated from this branch. Can anyone help Gordon in his search?
HELEN BATTLESON of Virginia (USA) is working on her brother-in-law, LARRY PEACHEY's line. His ancestry goes back to SUFFOLK in the eastern part of England. CHARLES PEACHEY died in Beck Row, Mildenhall, Suffolk. He was married to Elizabeth Childerstone, who gave him a son named JOHN EDWARD PEACHEY. John was born in 1849 in Lakenheath, Suffolk and came to the USA ca.1873. Helen says he worked in a distillery near Champaign, Illinois and moved to Iowa in 1892.
Helen also mentions SAMUEL PEACHEY who came from Mildenhall, Suffolk in the late 1600s to Richmond Co., Virginia (USA). The original home still stands in Urbanna, Middlesex Co, VA. This was the first I have heard of this. And believe you me, it is now at the top of my list of places I need to visit as soon as possible.
Dr. WILLIAM S. PEACHY of Saudi Arabia and his family also descend from Suffolk through the Samuel Peachey or Peachy who migrated to America in 1659 (see THE PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS, pp.93-96). Thus, their lineage also goes back to Mildenhall, Suffolk.
Well, believe it or not, people, I have spent an entire day on this one newsletter. In order to do it I had to take a day off work due to sickness. But I have really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I was going to highlight the queries of the rest of you, but I have run out of time and out of gas. It is now 11 p.m., and I am about ready to turn into a pumpkin.
So until next time, have a nice journey. Captain John H. Peach
Send e-mail to: Todd & Sharon
