It is believed that the first American ancestor of this branch of the Peach family, John Peach, emigrated ca 1639 from England, settling in Marblehead, Essex, MA. His great, great, great, grandson, William Peach, was born 3 May 1776 in Marblehead, Essex, MA. William's father, also named William, was a Revolutionary War soldier. William Jr. married Sarah Pearce on 22 Jan 1800 in Newbury, Orange, VT. Around 1814, William and Sarah moved to Ohio for four years, and then settled in Randolph county, Illinois on the Horse Prairie four miles west of Red Bud. He died 11 Dec 1822 on the Horse Prairie. It is believed that he had ten children, nearly all of whom eventually moved to St. Clair co., IL. A number of Peach descendants still reside in the county.
Because of the New England roots of both William and his wife Sarah, much information is known about their ancestry. Indeed, his father's home, which was sold in 1788, is still privately owned in Marblehead, MA. Various surnames from which William and Sarah are descended include the following: Bowden, Dennis, Devereux, Elkins, Fortune, Grove, Laskin, Merritt, Purchase, Sandin, Trefrey, Twisden, and Webber.
A database of all of William's descendants is being maintained by the author of this web page, and anyone descended from William is urged to write to Jim Bridges.