MARBLEHEAD BOOK IS OFF THE PRESS

Based on the response I received from those who have ordered my latest book, THE PEACH TREE HANDBOOK, Vol.III The Marblehead Branch, I have sent the book off to Gateway Press in Baltimore, which has just published it.  I have already received all the copies for distribution.

The book is bound with a soft cover, suitable for both home and library usage.  It shows how more than 3000 descendants of John Peach, Jr. of Marblehead are related to their immigrant ancestor from Dorset, England.  Only a limited amount have been printed.  If you want a copy, send $69.95 to my address above.  I will take care of the postage to United States addresses.  For those who live outside the U.S., please add an additional amount for postage.

8TH NATL. PEACH REUNION Marblehead, July 8, 2000

The Peach Reunion is only three months away.  Are you coming?  Please let me know A.S.A.P. so proper plans can be made.  The Reunion will be planned around the amount who are coming and what are their preferences. I have the Masonic Hall in the historic part of old Marblehead reserved.  It will seat at least 85-100 at tables.  All who have contacted me prefer a lunch of coldcuts, potato salad, baked beans and veggies delivered from a local deli.

We would have the hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then we could break up into groups and take in a restaurant in the local area for our evening meal.

Remember to plan for the historic Peach home and old Marblehead tour. Marblehead was founded by several fishermen, one by the name of JOHN PEACH, Sr. in ca.1629. Our afternoon tour will take you to one of this founder's original buildings and to other homes of the Peaches in Marblehead in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Also, Marblehead's historic district remains much the same as it was in colonial days and its quaint coastal charm and its majestic harbor are all breathtaking.

While you are in Marblehead, be sure to take time before or after July 8 to take in a whale watch and/or a trip to historic Salem (just miles from Marblehead).

A word of warning: Get your overnight accomodations reserved early. There are no hotels or motels directly in Marblehead. If you want to stay there, you need to reserve a Bed & Breakfast. There are dozens of them in Marblehead, some overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  If you want a list of them, just let me know.

It would be fabulous to meet some of you whom I have been corresponding with for awhile, but have never had the opportunity to talk with you personally.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

ROSALEE MOORE of California said that her husband, (T.CLAYTON MOORE)'s father died on 12/2/1999 at 92 years of age.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Moore family in this time of their loss. They're hoping to make it to the reunion in July. Hope to see them there.

GEORGE A. PEACH of Littleton, Colorado, writes to thank me for keeping him informed about the Peach happenings and genealogy.  His son, GARY PEACH is living in Russia. Gary is quite interested in his heritage and ordered one of my books before returning to Russia.

DAVID L. PEACH of Hampshire, England, is my most valuable researcher of Peach genealogy in Great Britain. You will find an extensive article on him in Issue 114 of my printed Peach Tree newsletter.  After sending him some of my books, I just received another letter from him, where he writes, "They are a super piece of heritage and a great source of interest and delight."
(Editor: You don't know much it means for me to have my books accepted with open arms in our homeland, England).

"I was delighted to see that the Peche coats of arms on THE PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS is identical to Bartholomew and John Peche, constables of Corfe Castle.  That at least goes some way to making the connection back to Kent."

PHOTOGRAPHER FROM OLD WEST

GENE PEACH of New Mexico is a photographer par excellence.  Recently, he spent six months documenting and photographing the Navajo rodeo circuits. Plus, he says, "I'm still shooting on ranches throughout the West."

He was so gracious to send me some of his photos in magazines of the West. His is the cover photo on the magazine NEW MEXICO - 1999 Vacation Guide.  In the July 1999 issue of New Mexico Magazine, his was the cover photo.  Also, his story and photography "Junior Rodeo"  was part of the same magazine.

In the March 2000 issue of "the Premier Magazine of the West" called Cowboys & Indians highlights his photo of little cowboys and cowgirls.  At the end of the photos, a brief bio. is given of Gene, part of which is quoted as follows.

"An active advertising and editorial photographer, Peach's photos appear in numerous magazines; his photos are in publications throughout the world..."

"His childhood on an Indiana farm fostered his respect for hard-working agricultural people.  Currently, he is beginning a book project about children who are growing up in today's cowboy world. "I keep meeting ranch kids who I think are both the hardest
working and luckiest kids I've known.  I hope to be able to tell some of their stories." Peach and his wife, architectural designer SHARON MORRIS, have lived outside Santa Fe for 10 years."

I am proud to claim Gene as a fellow descendant of the SO. CAROLINA BRANCH.

KENTUCKIANS  and their way with guns

On page 4 of Issue 114 of my printed Peach Tree, I reported on the descendants of EMMA MAE PEACH and her husband, Arthur Woodcock. She was from the Kentucky Branch of Peaches.  I gave the names of the eight children of the Woodcocks.

Several of the Woodcock boys were kind of loose on the trigger.  In 1945 Hilbert, Robert Corda (called “R.C.) and Gil(bert), three sons of Emma Peach, went rabbit hunting together.  Hilbert had just come back from war in the Pacific, and Gil was ready to go into Army basic training to join him.  Says the Woodcock source,

"R.C. saw a rabbit, Hilbert tossed him the rifle, and when he caught it, his finger hit the trigger, shooting Gil in the stomach.  Gil did not go into Army after all and still has the bullet in his side."

15 years later, R.C. met the bullet, but this one killed him.  The Louisville Courier-Journal reported on July 31, 1960 that, Robert C. Woodcock, an Illinois Central Railroad employee, said he had been bothered for several nights by tomato thieves.

"Police quoted his wife as saying he heard a noise about 12:45 a.m. in his tomato patch, got his shotgun, and investigated. Finding nothing, he returned to the kitchen, put the gun on the floor, and laid down beside it.  She added that she saw him roll over on the gun.  It fired, hitting him in the heart."

His Mom and six of his siblings survived him.  His brother, Gil, was one who was at the funeral.  I wonder if he still had the bullet in his side.
 

DR. JOHN PEACH obituary

BILL ALESHIRE, a City Councilman for the city of Bowie, Maryland, sent me the following death notice of Dr. John Peach of the So.Maryland Branch.  This was found in the 12/11/1925 issue of The Enquirer-Gazette.

Dr. John Peach, 90 years old, a native and lifelong resident of Prince George's County, died at his home, 'Forest Place,' near Mitchellville, early Monday morning.  Dr. Peach had been in declining health for the past year or so.

He was born at 'Ash Grove,' the home of his father and grandfather, which adjoins 'Forest Place'.  His early education was received in the private school conducted by Prof. Pervall.  He was graduated from Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., and from the University of Maryland Medical School of Baltimore.  He practiced medicine continously nearly forty years.  Following retirement, he devoted much attention to his farming enterprises.

In Jan., 1870, Dr. Peach married Miss Betty Howe Wellford of Fredericksburg, Va.  Mrs. Peach died in March, 1920.  Surviving Dr. Peach are five sons and three daughters. They were Robert Wellford Peach, Baltimore; Miss Nannie Peach, Mitchellville; John Franklin Peach, Mitchellville; Mrs. Miriam Roane, Portsmouth, Va.; Herndon Peach, Mitchellville; Samuel Marvin Peach, Hyattsville, former State's Attorney for this county; Mrs. Betty Slingluff, Mitchellville; and the Rev. Preston Littlepage Peach, Methodist Missionary to Singapore, Malaysia, now visiting his home.  Funeral services were held Wednesday at 11o'clock at his late residence and interment was in Mt. Oak Cemetery.

ANOTHER SO.MARYLAND Obit.

JAMES HAMILTON PEACH 'Ham' (Age 77) of Mitchellville, on Thu., Feb. 10. Husband to the late Daphe Peach; he leaves behind his children, John, Barbara, Sandra and Eric; his grandchildren, Pam, Paul, Jim, Cara, Jason and Shannon; his sister Ida; his brother, Herndon and wife, Mary.  A memorial service will be held Sat., Feb.19 (2000) at 11 am at BEALL FUNERAL HOME
(Bowie, MD). In lieu of flowers, contribute to your favorite charity. Thanks to Edward and Lola Peach of McLean, Virginia for this obit. Our prayers will be with all those concerned.

101 Yr.old TENNESSEAN PEACH

WILLIAM LaBRECHE of Connecticut sent me the recent Jan. 11, 2000 article gleaned from the Fairfield Tennessee Weekly.  This was about his wife's aunt, who has lived to ring in two centuries.

"Fairview Centenarian BERTHA ENSEY  of Taylor Road celebrated the New Year just as she would any other day - by going to bed at 8:30 and getting a good night's sleep.  One of the first people to wish her a Happy New Year was President Bill Clinton, with a beautiful card which arrived on Dec. 31,1999."

"Born July 12, 1898 BERTHA PEACH ENSEY has lived in three centuries.  During that time she has seen a lot of changes - some of them were good.  She is the tenth child in a family of eleven born to JAMES WILLIAM PEACH and his wife Mattie of the Pasquo area.  In the fall of 10-5 Bertha was enrolled in elementary school. "We didn't have kindergarten in those days and there were so many kids in our family I had to wait until I was seven years old to start to school."

On Dec.25, 1915, she married Henry Ensey, and the following year they went to Colorado and homesteaded five years.  Their first child, Jo Lee, was born in Colorado on Jan. 5,1917.  They returned to Tennessee in 1921with their family of 5....
Three more children came along in the next 8 years making a total of six....

"She remembers the sinking of the Titanic and used to sing a song to her children about it.  Going to the Grand Ole Opry with her sisters and staying overnight with them was a highlight in her life.  She also recalls working for a family in Nashville helping make live wreaths and garlands that were used to decorate the City of Nashville at Christmas time.

"She made a lot of money doing that," her daughter Augusta Tidwell said, "That was our Christmas."

"At 100 she has lived through six wars and the Great Depression.  She outlived her ten siblings, her husband, two children, one grandchild and two great grandchildren....

"She was baptized at an early age and has devoted her life to Christianity. She worships at the Fairview Church of Christ every Sunday, unless she's sick.

"Computers & Internet mean nothing to her, & she wasn't concerned about the beginning of a new century.  Why should she be? - she has lived in 3 of them."

I really appreciate this article and hope you all have a chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. William LaBreche this summer at Marblehead.  She's quite a cook!

THE PEACH TREE HANDBOOK, Vol.I has been reprinted

Due to many requests to reprint my South Carolina Branch book, THE PEACH TREE HANDBOOK, Vol. I, I have it now available to order.  If you want a copy or know someone who does, please let me know.  Many have requested the book over the past few years, but I have failed to keep a record of them.

The book is in an 8 1/2 x 11 notebook format, consisting of 136 pages.  It traces the history of  John Peach and William Peach, believed to be brothers, showing their vast amount of descendants spread throughout the South and the vast regions of America.

To order the book, send $29.95 + $5 for postage/packaging to the address on the top of this newsletter.  If you wish to reserve a copy, but want to pay for it later, just let me know.  If you have requested a copy in the past, please remind me, as I have failed to keep a list of those wanting a copy.

THE PEACH TREE HANDBOOK, Vol.III Marblehead Branch

In May, 1983, I began an intensive study on the genealogy of the Peaches of and from Marblehead, MA.  Here it is nearly 17 years later, and finally all the research has been completed and the book has been published.

To me, it is a dream that seems would never be fulfilled.  It has been 9 years since I have written a book, and I thought I may never write again. However, I realized I was sitting on all this research, involving over 3000 descendants and 14 generations of John Peach, Jr. - early settler of Marblehead.

My conscience kept stirring within me, realizing if I died or became incapacitated, much of the research would be lost forever.  Of course, some of the genealogists in the branch had part of the history, but none of them had the whole puzzle put together.

In looking back on the experience, I must admit if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have written it.  I knew it would be challenging and a hard sell.

I expected it to be my longest book, which it is - over 400 pages of full 8 1/2 x 12 text.  Although it only covered one branch, this Peach branch was the oldest in America and had the most descendants and generations of people.

Besides, it has a rich history in England, from which I trace the lineage of John Peach, Jr. back to his father, grand- father, greatgrandfather,etc. in England.

I expected it to be a hard sell because although there are so many descendants, some of my best Marblehead supporters have died in the past 10 years.  And most all the Marbleheaders of today have never heard of me.

How to best get the information to the others is far beyond my wildest dreams. If I knew a way I could do it with little money and time, I would give it a whirl.

Thus, I realized I was writing my biggest book to a very limited audience. Thus, I could not expect it to sell many copies in its initial printing. Therefore, the book would have to cost much more to get printed and thus, to purchase.

I am just so glad I finally got enough orders and backing to get it printed. You can still order a copy.  It's $69.95. I will pay the postage to U.S. destinations.

PEACHES FROM PENNSYLVANIA

MARY ANN GALLO has emailed me regarding a REBECCA PEACH who was born between 1816 and 1823.  She married John Wesley Frazier.  They lived in Hopwood, Fayette Co., PA.  In the 1860 census, her husband and children appeared in Taylor Co., WV, census with Rebecca.  Her family then moved first to Ohio, then to Warren Co., Iowa, and other points as well.

John Wesley and Rebecca had the following 9 children:
1. Joseph b. abt. 1834 in Fayette Co.,  PA, m. Sarah Dillon on April 2, 1857 in Taylor Co., WV; died Jan.    15, 1866 in Taylor Co.
2. Elizabeth, b.1838 Fayette Co., PA
3. Margaret, b.abt.1840 Fayette Co.
4. Mary A., b.abt.1843 Fayette Co., PA;     m. 11/15/1866 in Taylor Co., WV to James Watkins.
5. Caroline Frazier, b.1845 Fayette Co.
6. William H., b.abt. 1847 Fayette Co.
7. Emma(or Emily) b.abt.1849 FayetteCo     m.William Lot Hatch before 1884
8. Alice, b.1852 in PA.
9. Rudolph, b. 4/26/1855 in Webster,                        WV, m.Rebecca Beery 1/13/1887     in Ohio.

Can anyone help us with this family?  This just has to be another twig off the So.Maryland Branch.  We know that William Peach moved from Maryland to Fayette Co., PA prior to 1800 and had four children: William, Joseph, Charles  Hugh and Elizabeth.

I show the marriage and descendants of Charles and Elizabeth in my So.Maryland book, but I didn't have those records for William and Joseph. Most likely, Rebecca is one of their children.  Let me know if you have the answer.

A MARBLEHEADER IN NAPLES, FL

ELLEN ALTHAUSEN found out about me and the Marblehead book recently.  She called and updated me with all her family info. to be included in new book.

As a Jewelry Designer and Manufacturer, she keeps quite busy making jewelry out of Sterling silver and beads.  However, she is really excited about her Peach genealogy, having sent for and received my PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS book.

Born as Ellen Phillips Peach, she was the great granddaughter of John S. Peach and Ann Trefry of Marblehead. Her father was Edward Clinton Peach, who moved to Wells, Maine, and took his family in the winter to Florida.

PEACH TREE PRODUCTS

peach tree handbook, vol.I, so.carolina branch $29.95+$5

peach tree handbook, vol.II, so.maryland branch $29.95+$5

peach tree handbook, vol.III, marblehead branch $69.95

peach/peachey migrations, 1066-1990 $39.95 + $5

peach heritage video (traces the history of the Peaches through England, beginning with 1066 A.D.) $15 + $5

the peach tree (a subscription to this newsletter issued 4 times/year). $12
for 18 mos. (U.S.and Canada) $17 International. To order any of the above,
please send it to John H. Peach, 221 Geronimo Rd., Knoxville, TN 37922.
 
 

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