John J. Peck
The Peeks are of German descent. John Peck, the father of John J., was born in Virginia about 1793. When but a child he was left an orphan, and lived among strangers. When quite a young man he came to Miami County, where he worked and made his home with Col. John Johnston. It was while here that he entered the army and served under General Harrison in the war of 1812. After his return from the army he again made his home with Colonel Johnston, and remained there until the time of his marriage. Colonel Johnston had taken an orphan girl to raise by the name of Barbary French, who was born in Pennsylvania about 1791. It was at the Colonel’s that these two orphans met and were married about 1815. Young Peck, prior to his marriage, had saved of his wages some money; with this he came to the present limits of Washington Townsliip, and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, and brought his wife to it the same year he was married. Here they lived to raise a family of six children, viz., Elizabeth, the wife of Esquire J. Johnston, Mary, the wife of Christopher Johnston, John J., Julia, Samuel, and Catherine. Mr. Peck died in 1853. His wife died in 1877 at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Johnston. She had become blind a number of years prior to her death.
John Johnston Peck was born in Shelby County in 1821. He was named in honor of Colonel John Johnston, with whom his father and mother had lived for years. Mr. Peck lived to manhood at the home of his father. In the year 1856 he married Miss Martha Gillespie, a daughter of Williain and Mary Gillespie. Mrs. Peck was born in Warren County, Ohio, in 1823. They have had born to them two children, viz., Mary M., born 1858, and Emma A., born 1860. Beside these two Mrs. Peck took to raise a niece, Mattie B. Gillespie, whose mother died when she was but eighteen months old. This adopted daughter is as one of the family. Mr. Peck became the owner of part of the homestead after the death of his father, which he owned for a number of years, then sold and bought part of the Gillespie place, where he has lived since that time.
From History of Shelby County, Ohio; R. Sutton & Co, Philadelphia PA, 1883