Most sincerely, John

FAITHFUL SUPPORTERS
lose loved ones

How shocked and saddened our hearts felt when we received a letter from June Peach of Louisiana that her dear husband, John Hill Peach III deceased. This couple have been one of our most faithful supporters and dearest friends. John was born Nov.11, 1935 and died May 24, 2001 at 65 yrs. old. Our prayers are with June and her family as they deal with their loss.

We were also saddened to hear that Mabel M. Peach, a Marbleheader of O'Fallon, IL died on June 29, 2001. She was born Dec.10, 1900 and lived to be 101 years. She was the mother of Samuel Peach of Bowling Green, KY.

NEW PEACH BOOK
in formation stages

During this summer while vacationing from my high school counseling job, I started writing my next book. It still needs direction, and I am calling upon you to help me with this.

My idea is to create a book based on Peaches that are rooted in Virginia. These would include the Kansas Branch, the Pennsylvania Branch, the Indiana Branch, the Kentucky Branch and the Pittsburgh Branch.

I realize the Pittsburgh and Indiana branches have no connections with Virginia except that some Southern Maryland Peaches descend from a family of northwest Virginia, in the same area from which some of these other Peaches descend. Therefore, I feel justified including them in the book.

What branches are included in the book are up to you, my reading audience. And whether I ever publish the book will depend on you.

Let me ask you this? If I was to publish a book including your branch, would you be interested in buying a copy? I really hate to do this, but I can't afford to publish a book that has little demand for it. If I include a branch of which there is little interest, then of course it would not sell, and I would go broke financing a failure.

I have no plans to complete the book until I find enough interest about its publication. Whether I include all these branches or only one is all up to you. I will anxiously await your response.

New PEACHES on the Tree MARBLEHEAD BRANCH

Heather Rose Peach was born Jan.13, 2001 in Bagley, Minnesota to David Joseph Peach, son of the late Roy Peach Jr. of Marblehead, Mass.

Kenny Peach and wife, Deborah (Holebrook) Peach are expecting a boy in October. Kenny is a Marblehead descendant from John W. Peach.

Sam and Gloria Peach are expecting their first grandchild in September, a girl to be born to their daughter, Angie, and her husband,John Santoni of St. Louis.

SOUTH CAROLINA BRANCH

Abbey Wheeler Peach was born March 2, 1999, daughter of Thomas Glen and Jennifer (Dinnat) Peach. This is the latest granddaughter of June and the late John H. Peach on page 1.

Cole Julian Maring was born to Bob and Carla Maring on March 16, 2001. Cole is the grandson of the late Betty Maring and nephew of Pat Gebura, whom many met at M'head Reunion.

RECENTLY DECEASED

Oscar Nelson Peach of Kershaw, S.C. died on May 15, 2000. Born on Oct. 14, 1938 to Oscar and Minnie Baker Peach, he lived to be 61. Thanks to Jean Pierce of Memphis, TN for sending obit.

Betty Maring of the S.C. Branch died on Feb. 24, 2000 in Columbus, Ohio. We will miss this faithful supporter of our Peach Tree Project.

DOLLY PARTON and Peaches

"How do you feel about bald men?" Dolly Parton said, "I love bald men. Just because you've lost your fuzz, don't mean you ain't a Peach."

Whenever I see some of our older Peach men losing their hair, I think of this. Thanks to Robert W. Peach of Cary, N.C. sending this from the May 1995 issue of Reader's Digest.

New SO. MARYLAND Peaches

Ron Peach of Godfrey, Illinois recently wrote, "I stumbled upon your web site by accident this evening. It has certainly made for some enjoyable reading...I moved from Walnut, IL area 23 years ago. The info. you have provided is wonderful. I will make sure my family is given your web site address."

I told Ron about the great Peach reunion we had in Walnut in the 80s, where many of the So.MD Branch descendants live. I look forward to hearing more from Ron and his family.

Debbie Hammer is a new contact from this same branch. She says she descends "through William Peach and Elizabeth Woods' son, Charles Hugh Peach, and his son Alfred Bryan Peach and his daughter Ida May Peach. Ida was my great grandmother," writes Debbie, "Thanks for your work and effort in this project."

You can find Debbie's ancestor's genealogy on pages 128 & 129 of THE PEACH TREE HANDBOOK, Vol.II, The Southern Maryland Branch.

SOUTH CAROLINA to MISSISSIPPI

ln Issue 119, I reported on info. sent to me by Patsy Carpenter Craig regarding her ancestry. Since then, she has sent a correction to this saying,

"Research has shown that my ancestor was Monroe Peach."(rather than John Peach) "Monroe sold his land in South Carolina and moved with his wife, Mary McGill, and several of her brothers to Autauga County, AL in the mid-1820s.

"There is a cash entry land patent for purchase of 80.05 acres of land in that county by Monroe on 16 Nov 1830; when he also appears on the federal census with his wife and daughters. Monroe apparently died in Alabama before 1840, since his widowed wife and children appear twice on the 1840 Autauga Co., AL census. One listing has Mary Peach living with her sister, Margaret Creton (Creighton); she is also shown living by her brother, William McGill.

"William McGill came to Tippah Co., MS where he is shown on the 1845 state census. On the 1850 Tippah Co., MS federal census, William McGill is shown with his family; then Mary Peach and her children; then Margaret Crighton; then James McGill and his family.

"Known children of Monroe and Mary Peach are:

• 1. Ellen A. b. 9/2/1824 AL m. Edward Strange and had 6 Strange children.
• 2. Loueza b.1826 AL
• 3. Clarinda b.1830 AL
• 4. Indiana b.1837 AL

PEACHES from the BLUE RIDGE

Daniel Peach, founder of The Kentucky Branch married Elizabeth Gibson in Fauquier Co., Virginia in 1793.

Jacob (b.1785) and Charles (b.1787) Peach were from Virginia - believed to be brothers. Where in Virginia they were born is unknown, but Jacob married Rachael Brelsford, who had their first child born in Frederick Co., Virginia in 1808. This was only two counties from Fauquier County.

Jacob was the father of what I previously called "The Pennsylvania Branch". However, after discovering his family’s migration patterns, I feel like this should be renamed "The Ohio Branch" and will hereafter refer to it as such.

Charles Peach first married Rebecca Brown in Hardy Co., Virginia (now West Virginia), just one county removed from Frederick County. He became the founder of The Kansas Branch.

A little later, Samuel Peach, fourth generation descendant of Joseph Peach, who founded the So. Maryland Branch, was found in Virginia. He married Rebecca Anne Gibson of Loudoun Co., another county in Virginia in the same Blue Ridge mountains.

Meanwhile, Samuel's first cousin once removed, William Peach, Jr. moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Among William's sons were William Joe and John Peach, founders of what I call the Pittsburgh and Indiana Branches.

Each of these five branches I hope to include in my next book all have ties to the Blue Ridge Mountain area of northwest Virginia during about the same time period.

For those of you who have lived in or visited this area, you must agree it is one of the most beautiful parts of our nation. Hopefully, we will be able to find what lured them away from this area in our research.

The IRISH in the Peaches

In the past, I mentioned that some of the Indiana Branch members believed their ancestry came from Ireland. However, we have since substantiated that they probably descend from Joseph Peach, who was from England.

However, Emily Peach writes that, "It is all but proven that Mary Polly Cain (wife of William Joe Peach, founder of the Indiana Branch), was the daughter of Michael Cain (from Ireland) and Elizabeth Warman. Michael Cain came to the USA with two older brothers, Matthew and Patrick Cain, and they settled in the Meade Co., KY area. This is most likely the Ireland connection...."

Later, William Joe's brother, John Peach, married Jane Campbell, who was born in Ireland in 1808. Thus the two Peach brothers married two fine Irish lassies, substantiating the Irish roots in both the Indiana and Pittsburgh Branches.

Later on, Charles Francis Peach of England took the boat to America, where he married a new arrival from Ireland in Elizabeth Kelly. They were married in 1850 in Brooklyn, NY. before they moved to Baltimore, MD.

In my friendships with the descendants of Charles and Elizabeth, I have found that their Irish ancestry is more significant to them than their English ancestry. So I suspect this may be true of many in the Indiana and Pittsburgh Branches.

New Contacts

David White of Houston, Texas first contacted me recently, writing: "My son, Jonathan White, is related to the Peaches through his mother, Linda Lee Stokes. She was born in Camden, S.C., and her mother's maiden name was Willie Mae Peach. She was the daughter of Thomas Daniel Peach."

Deborah O. Fisk emailed me that she was a descendent of the Kansas Branch, through the grandson of founder Charles, Josephus Moody Peach. She is supplying me with all the information of his family through his second wife, Bertha Briggeman.

If you want to subscribe to the hard copy of this Peach Tree newsletter, send $12 for 18 mos. (6 issues) to: John H. Peach, 221 Geronimo Rd. Knoxville, TN 37922. By doing this, you will get your newsletter delivered in a professional printed foremat in your mailbox months before it ever gets reprinted on this web site and emailed to all those aboard this project.

Once again, have a very Happy 2002.

Sincerely, your captain, -John Harding Peach

Back to the Genealogy Page

Back to the Home Page

Send e-mail to: Todd & Sharon