Johann Jacob Beck (1723-1801)/notes

Note 1
reached Orange Co., VA. Virginia prior to May 5, 1740. On May 5, 174 7, Jacob Peck renounced his German allegiance, and became a Virginian (Frederick County Book No. 2, May 5, 1747.)

probably with older relatives and probably did not enter through the port of Philadelphia, PA. He possibly was with two brothers Wilhelm and Ludwig, who settled "in the north". Settled near Opequon Creek, Frederick Co., Va which (later Clark Co.) After 1747 moved near Sharpsburg, MD. About 1780 moved to southwestern Virginia and settled near Fincastle, in Botetourt Co., VA

Annuals of South-West Virginia, by Summers, 1769-1800 pg. 570 states: Sept. 4, 1782, Jacob Peck Sr. purchased from McMakin, Thomas and Sarah his wife, five acres near the town of Fincastle.

In 1783 member of Captain Robinson's company of militia, as Jacob Peck appears, together with his sons John and Adam, (Kegley's Virginia Frontier, p. 479.) List includes heads of families on the Catawba

1797 Jacob Peck brought suit against the Borden estate for his wife's inheritance. The Borden litigation continued until 1907, over a period of 110 years. The Pecks accepted a settlement in 1839 and withdrew from further participation in the suit.

There is a Jacob Beck who is recorded as having arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Lydia from Rotterdam by way o f Dover on Sep 27 1740? His age is recorded as 16. There were also on that ship a Johann Wilhelm Beck (age 18) and Johann Hendrick Beck (Age 30). There are two sources for this: (1)Strassburger (ed. by Hinkle) "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" with a second volume having facsimile signatures of the passengers where they signed the oath of allegiance and (2) "A Collection of Upwards of Thirty Thousand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and other immigrants in Pennsylvania... " by Prof. I. Daniel Rupp.

You should be able to get many records from Fincastle VA, it is a quaint small town, still with a lot of original buildings. There is a "Peck Cabin" still maintained in the town. (1995)

The will of Jacob Peck, written in Botetourt Co., VA, was dated Oct 8 1800, Proved Oct 1801. He divided his estate among all his children and left "one large chest I give to my son Jacob Peck and one large Dutch Bible I give to my son-in-law Jacob Carper".

At the time of his death he was living in the home of Jacob Carper (1748-1829) who married Mary Peck (1755-ca 1829).

In 1802 this Carper family moved to Jefferson Co., TN. From "The Peck Family: Descendents of..." by Jesse Peck: "Fortunately for the genealogist, the Bordens and Peck, 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 Counoty, Virginia, and that of Adam Peck, and also that of Adam's wife, Elizabeth, in Jefferson Counoty, Tennessee."

In 1743 he married Lydia Borden, the eighth of the 10 children of Benjamin and Zeruiah (Winter) Borden.

On February 7, 1744 he signed as a witness a deed executed by Zeruiah Borden and Benjamin Borden, Jr.

From the time of his marriage until 1747 or later, he resided on Borden land that was then in Frederick County, Va. and is now in Clarke County.

The following order locates his place of residence: "On motion of Samuel Earle it is ordered that John Rout be overseer of the road from Gregory's ford to the Top of the Ridge and that all male Laboring Ththables belonging to the rht Honble Thomas Lord Fairfax' Quarter, James Seaburn's, Widow Borden, William Remy, Edward Rogers, Jacob Peck, Esw. Corder, Thos. Postgate, John Painter, James Buck, Thomas Hooper, John Gregory, Richd. Gregory, Genj. Gregory, Sam'l Earle and John Oldrage work on same ..." Frederick County Order Book 1, p. 15, (July 1744). This was a part of the road from Howell's Ford (also known as Ashby's Ferry) to Ashby's Gap, which Washington traveled in 1748. Edward Rogers was a brother-in-law of Lydia (Borden) Peck, and Edward Corder was a witness of the will of Benjamin Borden, Sr. on April 3, 1742.

"Oath of Allegiance, 5 May 1747-Frederick Co., MD Order Book No.2 pg. 238 states: "Jacob Peck, a German Protestant, after having made it appear to the court that he has been a liver in the Colony above seven years and that he has complied with the Act of Parliament in that case made and provided and also produced a certificate under the hand of the Rev'd George Samuel Klug, minister of the gospel for the Germans of Orange Co. that he had received the sacrament of the Lords Supper in order to obtain Naturalization, took the oath prescribed by the Act of Parliament to be taken instead of the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy and took the Oath of Abjuration and having subscribed the test the same was submitted to record, at Court held in Frederick Co., VA on Tuesday the 5th day of May 1747." This citation states that Jacob Peck was living in the Colony (Virginia) more than seven years at the date of 5 May 1747.

"Some time prior to 1753 Jacob and Lydia (Borden) Peck removed from Frederick County, Va. to Sharpsburg, Frederick County, Md. In 1776 Washington County was formed from Frederick County (which was formed in 1748 from Prince Georges County). Sharpsburg is in the present Washington County. No record has been found of Jacob Peck's acquiring land in Maryland, nor have the dates of his various move been established, though he is said to have lived for many years i n Maryland. "Local historians and court depositions represent Jacob Peck as a veritable Methusaleh, having been born, according to some accounts, as early as 1696. An investigation of available records proves this to be erroneous. He died near Fincastle, Va., in the summer of 1801. Many discrepancies have been found in the depositions, some of which are noted below. "On April 1, 1797, in a deposition drawn up at the home of his son-in-law, Jacob Carper, near Fincastle, Va., Jacob Peck is said to be 'upwards of 90' and to have arrived in this country 'fifty-two years ago.' As proved above, he had arrived at least five years earlier. "At the same time, Jacob Peck stated that William Nicholas, the son of Benjamin Borden's daughter Elizabeth was born 'two years later,' accordingly, in 1747. A deposition of Samuel McDowell, in the Draper Collection at the University of Wisconsin, a long and, on the whole, accurate recital, shows that Benjamin Borden, Jr., who died in March 1753, had at that time been wearing mourning for his mother for some time. This would fix the date of his mother's death as approximately 1752; and it is stated in another deposition that she died on the day of Elizabeth Borden's marriage to John Nicholas, and that Elizabeth died some twelve months after her marriage, leaving a son William. "Jacob Peck was doubtless a young man when he married Lydia Borden. The marriage occurred after Benjamin Borden wrote his will, dated April 13, 1742, l but not a great while thereafter. The eldest child, Benjamin Peck, was born in 1744.

"On September 14, 1782, Thomas and Sarah McMakin deeded to Jacob Peck, Sr. five acres of land 'near the town of Fincastle.' It is evident that Jacob established his home on this land, which was still in the possession of his heirs in 1811. Had he been extremely old, he would probably have made his home with one of his children rather than establish a new residence. "According to the deposition which makes Jacob Peck 'upwards of 90' in 1797, Mrs. Peck was then 'upwards of 80.' She was by no means so aged. In reducing her traditional age, we also adduce further evidence for subtracting years from that of Jacob. "Mrs. Hattie Borden Weld (Borden Family, p. 131) gives the year of birth of Joseph Peck, the youngest child of Jacob and Lydia, as 1757. The census records of 1810, 1820, 1830 and 1840 combined show that Joseph was born in 1770. Corroboration of this date is found in the tax lists. The Bot etourt County personal tax returns, from the beginning in 1784 through 1787, show Jacob Peck charged with one tithe. This, of course, was for himself. From 1788 through 1792 he paid two tithes. Accordingly, his son Joseph reached the age of 18 about 1788. In November 1792 Joseph married and in 1793 he appears for the first time in the tax lists as the head of a family. Jacob Peck appears as the head of a family for the last time in 1795. By 1796 he had apparently begun to make his home with his son-in-law, Jacob Carper, as indicated by the deposition of 1797, cited above. Jacob Peck is said to have died quietly while seated in his armchair, reading his German Bible, probably the 'larger Dutch Bible' which he had willed to Jacob Carper. "One of Jacob Peck's depositions states that he came from Wuerttemberg, Germany. The late Mrs. May Inman Gray, of Atlanta, Ga., a descendnet of Adam Peck of Tennessee, wrote Nov. 27, 1918: 'I have a copy of a letter written April 27, 1769 to 'Herrn Jacob Beck...Residing in Maryland near Scharbsburg...My dearest Cousin...This was from Ebingen, Wurtemberg.' Several years later, when a full copy of this letter was sought, Mrs. Gray wrote that it had been lost in a fire that destroyed her home, 'Greystone,' in Peach street, Atlanta. She was unable to say who possessed the original, but thoutht it was a descendent of Jacob Peck I who lived in Kentucky. The published obituary of Adam Peck, written by his son, Judge Jacob Peck, states that Adam was born near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in 1753. Records at Staunton show that the family lived at Sharpsburg for many years."

In 1936 when Dr John A. Kelly visited Ebingen and went to search the records of the Evangelical Church telling the Kirchenpfleger that he was seeking the birth records from the first years of the eighteenth century, of one Johann Jakob Beck, whose parents were conjecturally Jacob and Mary. The books were remarkably comprehensive and were well preserved. Beside the names were frequently notations as to the emigration of their bearers. The very first of these Auswanderereintrage stands beside the name Hans Jakob Beck, and reads: "Gieng nach Amerika und war in Maryland sessh aft" (Went to America and was domiciled in Maryland.) Herr Maute, the Kirchenpfleger, conjectured that this entry was made some thirty years after the birth was recorded. This is the only reference in the books to a Maryland emigration. All others were to Pennsylvania. This Johann (or Hans ) Jakob Beck was born July 7, 1723. The name Beck is stil l widely represented in Ebingen and the vicinity.

From Susan Moore Teller: Here is my record on this man: Jacob Peck, aka Hans or Johannes Beck, from Ebingen, Wurtemberg, Germany to Virginia circa 1740, later settled in Frederick County, MD. Records of the Evangelical Reformed Church, of Ebingen, Wurtemberg, GR; 12th child of Hans Jacob Beck, a schmied, was Hans Jacob born 7 July 1723, note states: moved to America and settled in Maryland. Descendants held letter to "Herr Jacob Peck" sent to Maryland. Burned with owners home (on Peachtree St.) in Atlanta GA. Jacob wrote his family, and they returned letters to him in America.

Historical Southern Families: Vol. XIV indicates Jacob was a native of Wurttemberg, Germany.ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS OF THOMAS & REBECCA BORDEN BRANSON; 1380-1950; 53 pages quoting research by John A Kelly of Haverford College, Penn, pub 190-, filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976 ; p 39; LDS Family History Library Film 0928077, item 11 ;

NOTES: changed name to Jacob Peck. Resided at Sharpsburg, MD and later near Fincastle, VA.

BIOGRAPHY: Benjamin Borden, Shenandoah Valley Pioneer: His Ancestry and Descendants by J.A. Kelly; (1931); 2nd Series, Vol. VI, p 259-264; from GENEALOGIES OF VIRGINIA FAMILIES from the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine (1982) Genealogical Pub Co., Baltimore; ;

EXTRACT: immigrant from Ebingen, Wuerttemberg, Germany. Their home was near Sharpesburg, Md until their old age when they removed to Fincastle, VA .BIOGRAPHY: FAMILIES OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, TN. "James Peck originally Johann Jacob Von Beck (arrived in Philadelphia, PA 27 Sept. 1740 with his 2 brothers on the ship "Lydia " via Rotterdam to Dover. James Allen was Captain. (This information is incorrect, so noted by Dr. Kelley, and vertified by this writer, who obtained copies of bible records from Ebingen, Wurtemberg, Germany. Von is simply a form of respect, a kind of address like "Sir" or "Mister" or "Lord" which in the case of some noted German families becomes fairly permenent, and is used as part of the surname in the US. His name was actually Hans Jacob Beck, there were letters exchanged between German kin in Ebingen and Mary land, and he is well known to have emigrated by the a rchivists. But his father, claimed to be "noble" by authors in Tennessee, was simply a blacksmith in a poor village. One maternal grandfather was a "Senator" -- similar to a Mayor of a city, not no! bility. An He was not the Johanne Jacob Beck who came on the Lydia. He received his naturalization papers in 1745 in Frederick Co., VA.REF: George Braden Roberts, GENEALOGY OF JOSEP H PECK & SOME RELATED FAMILIES; ; State College, PA. 1955 ; ; Family History Library Book 929.273 P334r, Fiche 60491 46; NOTES: We find him in Frederick County, Virginia in 1741. He remained after marrying until after 1747 when he moved near Sharpsburg, Maryland until 1780 then he moved to South-West Virginia near Fincastle.REF: Cartmel's History of Shenandoah Valley says, "Jacob Peck applied for citizenship in 1745 in Frederick Co. Va." Johann Jakob Beck was known in this country as Jacob Peck. His German name was written Beck and pronounced in English as Peck.REF: Frederick Co. Order Book No. 2, 5 May 1747, p.238 states: "Jacob Peck, a German Protestant, made it appear to the Court that he has been a liver in the Colony above seven years & that he complied with the Act of Parliament and produced a Certificate in the hand of Rev'd. G.S.Klug of the Gospel for the Germans of Orange County that he had received the Sacrement of the Lords Supper in order to obtain naturalization. He took the oath prescribed by the Act of Parliament to be taken instead of the Oath of Allegiance & Supremacy and too the Oath of Abjuration & having Subscribed the Test was admitted to Record."From Susan Moore Teller: Hans Jacob Beck had no living brothers. I have proof of this. When I was researching this line, heavily between 1982- 87, I noticed differences, sharp differences, in some old Peck histories. I acquired a xeroxed copy of the records from the Evang elical Church of Ebingen, Germany, to resolve the "brothers" disparities.

From Susan Moore Teller: WILL: dated 8 Oct 1800, Proved Oct. 1801; of Botetourt Co. Va. EXTRACT: "In the name of God, Amen. I Jacob Peck of Botetourt County in Virginia being weak in body and sound of mind and memory thanks be given unto God for it therefore calling unto mind the mortality of my body I do make this my last will and Testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul unto God that gave it and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a Christianlike manner at the direction of my executors nothing Doubting but the General Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Almighty Power of God. And touching such worldly estate as it pleases God to bless me with in this I give and dispose of the same in manner and form following. Imprimis I will all my funeral charges and just debts be paid and satisfied. Item I give will and bequeathe all my personal and Real Estate in Botetourt County to be sold and the money equally divided among my children, Namely, my son Benjamin, my son Jacob, my son John, my son Adam, my son Joseph, my daughter Mary, my daughter Hester, and my daughter Hannah. I also will and bequeathe all my part and interest in the lands ordered to be sold in my father-in-law's will devised to his daughter Lydia whom I intermarried with the said land lying in Rockbridge County and elsewhere to be equally divided among my five sons and all bearing a proportionate part of all the cost at law and other expenses together with the time lost in obtaining said lands. I give for compensation to my five sons for sueing for one thousand acres of land devised to Lydia by the Testament of her father and if recovered said land of one thousand acres to be equally divided between my five sons and three daughters names Benjamin Jacob John Adam Joseph Mary Ester and Hannah. Except one large chest I give to my son Jacob Peck and one large Dutch Bible I give to my son-in-law Jacob Carper. I constitute and appoint my son Benjamin Peck and my son Jacob Peck executors of this my l ast will and Testament to sue for and recover the said above mentioned land. This will I publish to be my last will and Testament and all other wills made by me to be null and void. Jacob Peck Witnesses: Jacob Peck Joseph Borden Thomas McFerran Mary (X) Sauternand Susannah (X ) Way."