Benjamin Peck (1744-1824)

ID: I1756 Name: Benjamin PECK Surname: Peck Given Name: Benjamin Sex: M Birth: 1744 in, Clarke, Va Death: 1 Jun 1824 in , Va Burial: Miller Cemetery, VA 1 _UID: C2CB4A7BD3F70B4CBC709B787FF382C66C74 Note: RES: Benjamin Peck was born in Frederick Co., Va. on Obequon Creek, in the present Clarke County, Va. A caravan of Quakers first settled this county. They were from Penna. and New Jersey. Lydia Borden, his mother, came with parents from Burlington Co., New Jersey. He lived from 1772 to 1778 at New Mecklenburg, Va., which is now Shepherdstown, WV. In 1778 he removed to Botetourt County, Va. where he was located for some time on Looney's Mill Creek, east of Fincastle. After 1783 he settled on a farm in the present Craig County, situated near the Sinking Creek post office, approximately halfway between New Castle and Newport. His home, a large frame house, was standing unoccupied in 1928, and later was destroyed by fire.

BUR: He and his wife and some of their descendants were buried in the family cemetery on the farms, now known as the Miller cemetery. Only the name Benjamin is still legible on his gravestone.

OCC: From Jan. 11, 1781 to Jan. 11, 1785, he was a road surveyor. This service is accepted as qualifying his female descendants for admission to the DAR. He also served as a juror in 1783.

WILL: His will, dated Dec. 27, 1820, was probated in Giles County, Va. in May 1827, some three years after his death. (Will Book A., p. 436.)

Excerpts from "A Given Hall History and Related Families" by Dorothy Hall Givens, p. 550: The Benjamin and Margaret Carper Peck Family Benjamin, the first-born of Jacob and Lydia (Borden) Peck, and Margaret, probably the oldest of three known children of Jacob Carper, may have lived first in Sharpsburg, Washington Co., Maryland, then for a few years across the Potomac River in Berkley Co., (W) Va., and from 1778 in Botetourt Co., Va., all very mountainous areas. Their home in Botetourt was almost at the source of Sinking Creek, a tributary of New River, therefore on the west side of the Appalachian divide; it was included in Giles County in 1806 and in Craig County in 1851. Their farm of around 500 acres, included purchases of (1) 264 acres from his Uncle Nicholas Carper, and (2) 300 acres from Samuel Blac, per Summers in "Annals of Southwest Virginia." They raised cattle, hogs and other farm goods which were transported to Salem, Va., the nearest market, and had their own mill on Sinking Creek. "Benjamin was appointed by the court of Botetourt Co., 11 Jan. 1781, as Road Surveyor, (Summers, "Annals of Southwest Virginia") and, for this service his female descenants are qualified for DAR membership. "Benjamin, and presumably Margaret also, are buried in the Miller Cemetery, per Mr. Roberts, only the name Benjamin remaining on the headstone. In his will, which was made in 1820 and proved in 1827 in Giles County, he mentions "his beloved wife, Margaret," his 'son-in-law, David Johnston,' 'sons Jacob and John Peck -- Joseph Peck,' 'daughter Nancy--her husband David Johnston,' daughters Elizabeth, Polly and Hiester, and son Benjamin, as well as 'all y sons and daughters.' He also refers to the real estate willed by Benjamin Borden and disputed in law. Witnesses to his will were William and James Ross and Isaac Stever."

From "The Peck Family: Descendents of..." by Jesse Peck: "Fortunately for the genealogist, the Bordens and Pecks, almost without exception, left carefully drawn wills. Those of Jacob Peck I and of his sons John and Joseph and his daughter Hester Ann Van Meter are of record in Botetourt County. The will of Benjamin Peck is of record in Giles County, Virginia, and that of Adam Peck, and also that of Adam's wife, Elizabeth, in Jefferson County, Tennessee."

From Gerald Graves, GravesConsulting@mail.com: Benjamin Peck was granted 83 A on Looney's Mill Creek east of Fincastle.The Looney family were very early settlers in SW VA and I have a photo in my files of the family house and/or mill. Looney's Mill was a significent mill in the area. There was a Capt. Looney's Company of Botetourt Co Militia c. 1770-1783 and several Looney's in the area. Moses Looney (not Peck) received a land grant from NC in Sullivan Co, TN in 1788. Other Looneys also received grants in the Sullivan Co, TN area. So the families must have been well aquanted. There is a short bio on Moses Looney and his brother David Looney.

Also: Frederick Co. was settled in 1732, when a caravan of Quakers came from Pennsylvania and New Jersey and settled on Opequon Creek, on 100,000 acres granted by Lord Fairfax. Lydia Borden, (Peck's mother) emigrated from Burlington Co. New Jersey. Benjamin Borden and his family were included in the first caravan. Benjamin Peck was born 12 years later. Many of these "Fathers of the Colony" later moved further south for milder winters and because of so many cabin squatters through 1760-1780's. Benjamin Peck lived, after marriage, in Sharpsburg, Maryland from 1762-1772, then in New Mecklenburg, Virginia until 1778 when they went to Botetourt (later called Craig Co.), Va. where he was located for sometime on Looney's Mill Creek, East of Fincastle. After 1783 he settled on a farm in the present Craig County, situated near the Sinking Creek post office, approximately halfway between New Castle and Newport. His home, a large frame house, was standing�unoccupied in 1928, and later destroyed by fire. He and his wife and some of their descendants were buried in the family cemetery on the farm, now known as the Miller cemetery. Only the name Benjamin is still legible on his�gravestone. From Jan. 11, 1781 to Jan. 11, 1785, he was a road surveyor.�This service is accepted as qualifying his female descendants for admission�to the DAR. He also served as a juror in 1783. His will, dated Dec. 27,�1820, was probated in Giles County, VA. in May 1827, some three years after�his death (Will Book -- page 436). George Braden Roberts, GENEALOGY OF�JOSEPH PECK & SOME RELATED FAMILIES; ; State College, PA. 1955� From: "Rena Worthen" >�Herald Of The Valley 7-8-1820�List of Letters�Remaining in the Post Office�30 June 1820�A�Abner Aiken�Thomas Aiken�Joseph Allen�Joseph Armes�Wm. Anderson�B�Melegr Beals�Christian Black�John Bean�Thomas Bartlett�Sol. Bridgelund 8�Sary Butt�C�Henry Crowl�Philip Cook�Ludy Callaway�D�Peter Deal�Betsy Darr 2�James Dillon�James Duding�F�Betsy Forgarson�James Fox�Jonathan Foster 2�John Frye�John Falls 3�G�Adam Guwbacker�Christian Gish�John Gortner�George Gilmore�George Greenway�H�Peter Hipse�Polly Houven�Chis. Harsbarger�Betsy Henson 2�James Henry�J�Polly Jones�Thomas Jordon�K�Arreann Kern�Daniel Kehsey�William Knul�L�Green Lee�Joseph Looney�Samuel Leverty�Samuel Law 2�M�George M'Conkey�John Morgan�William Miller�Peter Miller�Thomas McDowel�Allen Myers�Phillip Miller�N�Rachel Nelson�O�Henry B Old�Jesse Orendoff�P�Benjamin Peck�R�Thomas Rice�Mary Rader�S�Betsey Steel�James Simpson�Botetourt Sheriff�Phillip Spickard�Nathan Switzer�Mathias Snider�T�Jacob Trevy�W�Hugh Weir�Joseph Woods�Hugh Wallace�John Wallace�John Wright�William Wilson�Christian Wingart��C Backus; P Master�Fincastle July 8, 1820�** This is typed as printed. �by Rena Worthen on 4-1-2002