Calaveras
County
Biographies
WILLIAM P. PEEK
William P. Peek, one of the early
settlers of California, is a native of the Green Mountain state, his birth
having occurred in Bethel, on the 11th of March, 1828. The family is of English lineage on the
paternal side and of Irish descent on the maternal side. The great-grandfather of our subject
emigrated from England to America at an early period in the history of the
country, taking up his residence in Vermont.
John Peek, the father of our subject, was born in that state and was
married there to Miss Lucretia Lamb. In
1837 he removed with his wife and seven children to Polo, Ogle County,
Illinois, becoming one of the pioneer settlers of that state. He established his residence on a farm where
he resided until his death, which occurred in the seventy-seventh year of his
age. His wife passed away in her
sixty-fifth year. The farm is still in
the possession of the family, being owned by two of the sons, George and Frank
Peek, and it is now a desirable country property. One child was added to the family in
Illinois, and the eight sons and daughters are all yet living.
Mr. Peek, of this review, was the
second son and was only nine years of age when he accompanied his parents on
their removal to Illinois, and was therefore reared amid the wild scenes of the
frontier and experienced all the hardships and trials that fall to the lot of
those who establish homes in a new district.
He worked on the farm through the summer months and during the winter
season pursued his education in a primitive school near his home. In 1852 he crossed the plains to California
in search of gold, leaving Council Bluffs on the 13th of April and
arriving at Volcano, in Amador County, on the 13th of September, that
season of the year in which the emigrants suffered so extensively with cholera.
The party with which he traveled was not attacked by the disease, nor were they
troubled by Indian raids, making their five months’ journey in safety to the
place of their destination. Mr. Peek
first began teaming, hauling goods from Stockton to Mokelumne Hill. After following that occupation for a year he
opened a livery stable, having but one horse at first. He soon secured a larger stock, however, and
his business steadily grew, while in proportion he increased his facilities.
After carrying on operations along
that line for thirty years he came to Jackson, in 1884, purchasing a half
interest in a livery business here, and conducted that enterprise for fourteen
years. He then sold his interest to his
partner and in February, 1897, retired after a connection of forty-four years
with that enterprise. He met with
creditable success in his undertaking and is now the owner of a nice home in
Jackson, together with twelve acres of land which he has platted, laying it off
in town lots, which are fifty by one hundred feet. Each lot fronts on a street and has an alley
fifteen feet wide in the rear. He sells
these lots for two hundred dollars each, and upon a few of them good residences
have already been erected. The land is beautifully located on a hillside
near the business center of the town and is a very valuable property.
In 1855 Mr. Peck returned to Polo,
Illinois, to marry the lady whom he had wooed ere he started for the west. On the 9th of September Miss Sarah
Allen became his wife and she is still living, their happy married life covering
a period of forty-five years. The lady
is a native of Ireland and during her childhood was taken by her parents to
Illinois. Mr. Peek brought his bride to
his new home in California, and their union was blessed with seven children,
namely: W. G., who died in infancy;
Frank Wilson, now the postmaster of Mokelumne Hill; Henry Allen, a resident of
Fresno, California; Millie, John C. and Thomas Allen, all at home; and Alice,
the wife of Harry Jones, a son of one of the prominent pioneer settlers of Jackson. They have a large farm and reside near her
father. Mrs. Peek is a member of the
Presbyterian Church and a lady of most estimable qualities.
Mr. Peek belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Legion of Honor, and has always been a staunch
advocate of Republican principles. At an
early date he was elected one of the supervisors of Calaveras County and was
also chosen to represent his district in the legislature, being a member of the
house during the sessions of 1873-4. He
was for eleven years the efficient postmaster at Mokelumne Hill, and in those
positions discharged his duties with faithfulness and fidelity. Probably no man in this section of the state
has as wide an acquaintance, and certainly none is held in higher regard, for his
business career has ever been straightforward and his private life has been
true and honorable, commending him to the confidence and regard of all with
whom he has been associated. He is a
citizen of the highest respectability, and his identification with the
interests of his adopted state has been of material benefit thereto.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 161-163. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Calaveras County Biographies