John Peach - Alice (Unknown Surname) Family Group

What We Know About This Family

Noteworthy

John Peach was one of the earliest settlers in Marblehead, and he and his wife, Alice, had two children who are our direct ancestors.

An Overview of Their Lives

Two men named John Peach sailed to America in 1630 on the Mary and John with fellow passengers John and Parnell Hodder Bartoll (our direct ancestors) and the Maverick family with their young son, Moses, who later became one of the most respected citizens of early Marblehead, probably in some part due to his marriage to Remember Allerton, who had come with her family on the Mayflower. The Mary and John sailed into Dorchester Harbor two weeks before the arrival of the Winthrop fleet. The elder John settled in Marblehead in 1630 soon after his arrival in New England. John, the younger, settled there about eight years later. His whereabouts in the early years are unknown. The two John Peaches were early and very active participants in the Marblehead community, their names appearing often in court and other proceedings of the town. The age difference between them is estimated to be between one and eight years, and the elder, who arrived in Marblehead a few years before the other John, was known as John, Sr., the younger, John, Jr. They were granted and settled large tracts of land, some 18 lots in town comprising several hundred acres at one point. They identified each other as "cousins," and through the generations, some genealogists surmised they may have been half brothers, but later ones accept they were probably first cousins. John Sr. never married nor had known children, but he named numerous "cousins" in his will.

John Jr. married Alice, whose maiden name on her Find-A-Grave record is "Ester." I haven't been able to find another source that verifies that. Her name (Alice Peach) also appears in numerous records as well as in his will. Margaret Snooke (widow of James), who died in Weymouth 3 May 1660, designated her cousin "Allice Peache" of Marblehead as her executrix. John and Alice Peach had four known children. A Familysearch source gives them a fifth, named John. The existence of a John would not be unlikely, but I can find no further records of him, and assume that if he was born, he died young.

Some of the court appearances of the Peaches:

• 1643 John Peach and Goody Bartoll to answer for recorded speeches, witness by Goody Stacey (all are our direct ancestors).
• 1644 John Bartoll and his wife vs, Alice Peach for defamation (John Peach was at sea when the process was served). Witnesses: Richard Cook and wife; Goody Thompson; Moses Maverick; John Devereux and wife: Abraham Whitheire and wife. Goody Devereux called John Peach a "wittol" (cuckold). (John and Ann Devereux were also our direct ancestors).
• 1645 John Bartoll vs. Alice Peach for defamation of his wife when she accused her of adultery with the Sampson's boatswain while on passage from England. Alice's witnesses proved her accusation.
• 1662 John Devereux sued Moses Maverick, the two John Peaches, and Richard Rowland for failing to set up a boundary fence as agreed, resulting in the loss of a horse and the death of a mired bull. John Devereux eventually lost this case.
• 1671 Richard Rowland and the two John Peaches tried to reactivate an old town ordinance requiring the townspeople to pay for keeping livestock on the common land. A petition demanding they stop collecting these fees was signed by a majority of their neighbors.
• 1672 John and Florence Hart sued John Peach, Jr. for possessing and withholding a dwelling and six acres of land in a case that went on for years, but was finally settled in favor of John Peach.

In spite of what were obvious spats, the families did not avoid each other. Elizabeth Peach married John Legg. Jr. , and William Peach married Emma Devereux. John Peach, Sr. in his will left the enjoyment of his dwelling to widow Parnell Bartoll.

John Jr. also served as a Selectman in Marblehead in 1656, 1660, and 1661.

John Peach, Jr. signed his will 10 Jan 1687/88, and in it, he designated his wife Alice as the sole executrix. He also identified himself as a "planter." She was therefore still alive as of that date. The date (1660) on her Find-a-Grave record is therefore not correct. His will was probated in 1694, but she does not appear. His daughter, Hannah Waters, predeceased him. He left legacies to "my grandchildren left by my Daughter Waters," his daughter Mary Woods, his daughter Elizabeth Legg, and his only son William. William's wife Emma (Devereux) was left to enjoy her husband's legacy during her widowhood. An instrument signed in 1694 mentioned: William Peach, John Legg, merchant, (husband of Elizabeth), William Woods, vintner (husband of Mary), William Waters, Thomas Waters, Elias Staddin, and Robert Gifford. The latter four were Hannah's two sons and her two sons-in-law.

About the Children

• Hannah Peach married first John Bradstreet, who had arrived from England with his parents when he was three. A mariner by trade, he suffered notice from the community probably due to mental illness. He was accused of bewitching a dog and was whipped (the poor dog was hanged as a witch). He was tried in Ipswitch for "familiarity with the devil" after hearing voices. He was accused of lying and was again whipped. He and Hannah did not have children before he died at 29. She soon after married mariner, William Waters. She and her second husband are our direct ancestors and have their own family group page.


• Mary Peach married William Woods, an innkeeper. They had at least two children, Alice, whose husband, Richard Skinner, was mentioned in William Woods' probate papers, and John, who co-administered his father's estate with his mother. A woman named Grace Woods was married about the same time that Alice married Richard Skinner, but I cannot ascertain for certain that she was their daughter. She was not mentioned in William's will.


• Elizabeth Peach married Colonel John Legg, a tavern keeper, ship owner, merchant, and fisherman. He was born in Marblehead to John Sr. and Elizabeth, who were required to appear in court often for various community infractions. (See the Documents section.) John Jr. received in legacy from John Peach Sr. who was a a first cousin to John Peach, father of Elizabeth. Legg was designated as "a cousin" - whether that was a blood relationship or by his marriage to Elizabeth is not known.


• William Peach and his wife Emma Devereux were also our direct ancestors and have their own family group page.
  

What Else We Need to Learn

The goal of this project is to trace every line of ancestry to the arrival of its first immigrant to America. The basic information of each couple is considered complete when we know the dates of birth, marriage, and death for both spouses. their parents' names (or whether they were the immigrant), and the child or children in our ancestry line.

The research on this family is basically complete. Further research may reveal some of the missing vital records.