1Stephen Farnum Peckham, John Peckham of Newport, R. I., and Some of His Descendants, NEHGR Vol. 57, pp. 31-32 (Jan 1903).
"1. JOHN1 PECKHAM appears in Newport, R. I., in 1638. He was associated with the Clarkes and others, who were among the active supporters of Anne Hutchinson. His name is not found in any passenger list, nor in the Boston records. It is probable that he came with the Hutchinson party on the "Griffin." He was a zealous Baptist, but his name does not appear in the list od those disarmed in Boston, nor among the followers of Wheelwright, nor was he one of the signers of the Portsmouth covenant. He was a brother-in-law of John Clarke, and his lands were allotted along with those of William Freeborn, John Coggeshall and others who were the first settlers of the Island of Aquidneck in 1638, where, on May 20th, his name is in a list of those who were admitted inhabitants of Newport. In 1640, the bounds of his lands were established. March 16, 1641, he was admitted a freeman. In 1648, he was one of ten male members of the first Baptist Church of Newport, in full communion. This same year Eleanor Peckham, his second wife, was baptized.
. . .
In a deed dated May 30, 1651, from John Coggeshall and his mother, Mary Coggeshall, to Walter Connigrave, the land is described as bounded "on land granted to Mary Clarke now deceased, sometime the wife of John Peckham." The grant referred to was made previous to 1641. Mary Clarke was the sister of five brothers, Carew, Thomas, Jeremiah, John and Joseph, and was born in 1607. It is not known where or when she was married, or when she died. The date of his second marriage, the surname of his second wife, and the date of his death, are also unknown. There are reasons for believing that Mary Clarke was the mother of his sons John, Thomas and William. They are therefore given in the following order.
Children of John and Mary:
2. i. JOHN2 b. about 1645; m. Sarah Newport; d. before 1712.
3. ii. THOMAS. m. (1) -------; m. (2) widow Hannah (Weeden) Clarke; d. 1709.
4. iii. WILLIAM, b. 1647; m. (1) ------ Clarke; m. Phebe Weeden; d. 1784.
Children of John and Eleanor:
iv. REBECCA, m. John, son of William and Elizabeth (Partridge) Spooner, and had: 1. William, b. May 11, 1680. 2. Jonathan, b. Aug. 28, 1681. 3. Elizabeth, b. June 19, 1683. 4. Eleanor, b. Feb. 1, 1685. 5. Phoebe, b. May 11, 1687. 6. Nathan, b. Sept. 21, 1689. 7. Rebecca. b. Oct. 8, 1691. 8. Deborah, b. Aug. 10, 1694. 9. Barnabas, b. Feb. 6, 1699.
5. v. STEPHEN, d. April 23, 1724; m. Mary ------.
vi. JAMES, d. Feb. 26, 1712; unmarried. March 10, 1712, an inventory of his Newport estate was shown, and his eldest surviving brother, William, and Joseph Peckham, a nephew, desired that the administration might be granted to Thomas Peckham and William Weeden, Jr., both of Newport. March 21, 1712, an inventory of his estate in Little Compton was shown by Mr. Peckham, of Newport, and Capt. Thomas Gray, of Little Compton. A power of Attorney was given William and Philip Peckham and John Taylor to sell real estate of the deceased, signed by the following legal representatives: Eleanor Peckham, John Spooner, and Rebecca Spooner, Isaac Peckham, Deborah Taylor, Thomas and Phoebe Gray, Peter and Elizabeth Taylor, Thomas and Stephen Peckham, Peter and Susannah Barker, William and Sarah Weeden, John and Sarah Underwood, John, Daniel, and Timothy Peckham. In a sale made shortly after, Job Peckham's right was excepted.
6. vii. CLEMENT, d. before 1712; m. Lydia -------.
viii. DEBORAH, m. Robert, son of Robert and Mary (Hodges) Taylor, and had: 1. John, b. Sept. 26, 1687. 2. Margaret, b. July 5, 1689. 3. Elizabeth, b. July 26, 1691. 4. Robert, b. Nov. 2, 1694. 5. Deborah, b. Jan. 13, 1698. 6. Thomas, b. Nov. 1, 1699. 7. Peleg, b. March 8, 1701. 8. Mary, b. Nov. 23, 1703.
ix. PHOEBE, b. 1666; d. 1746; m. Thomas, son of Edward and Dorothy (Lettice) Gray, of Little Compton, R. I.; no issue.
x. ELIZABETH, d. May 24, 1714; m. Peter, son of Robert and Mary (Hodges) Taylor, and had: 1. Peter, b. Oct. 20, 1697. 2. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 4, 1701. 3. Mary, b. Dec. 20, 1703.
xi. SUSANNAH, d. 1733; m. (1) Peter, son of James and Barbara (Dungan) Barker; m. (2) Peter Wells. Children by first husband: 1. Joseph. 2. John. 3. A daughter. 4. Sarah. 5. Barbara. 6. Susannah. 7. Patience."
See notes for Mary Peckham’s husband Tobias Saunders for evidence that she is indeed the daughter of John Peckham by his first wife Mary Clark.2Ellery Bicknell Crane, Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. 1, pp. 312-313 (1907).
"John Peckham was admitted an inhabitant of the island of Aquidneck, (Rhode Island) March 20, 1638. He was made a freeman of newport, March 16, 1641. He was one of the ten male members in full communion of the First Baptist Church in 1648 and one of its founders in 1644. He was a resident of that part of Newport which became Middletown, where he was made a freeman in 1655. He married (first) Mary Clarke, who died in 1648. He married (second) Eleanor ------. His children were: John, William, Stephen, (see forward); Thomas, James, Clement, Sarah, Rebecca, Deborah, Phebe, Elizabeth, and Susannah.".