Peacock’s in Brown County

 

                Sometime in the mid 1830’s three Peacock ladies moved to the area. Constance Peacock Briggs and Delila Peacock Sides located in the Versailles area. Elizabeth Peacock Hedrick was in Beverly Township just east of the entrance to Siloam Springs State Park. Edward Person Peacock and Mary S. Peacock were in Brown County by 1840 and they most likely made the move from North Carolina with their Aunt Constance. Samuel Jones Peacock arrived in 1850 and lived with his Aunt Elizabeth Peacock Hedrick. Samuel J made the trip by wagon train with Alexander, Leonard and Obediah Hedrick half brothers of George Hedrick husband of Elizabeth Peacock Hedrick.

 

                Elizabeth Briggs daughter of Constance Peacock Briggs married John Stephens a Mormon and moved to Nauvoo. John then led one of the wagon trains to Utah. Daniel Monroe Stephens and his brother James Otha Stephens visited Brown County in 1881 as a part of their two year mission for the church. They used part of the day talking to Briggs and Peacock relatives to obtain information about their ancestors. The evenings were devoted to Mormon Services in various homes around Brown County. They next went to Michigan and then returned to Brown County before going back to Utah.

 

                Constance, Delila and their oldest children were all dead at the time of the visit. They were also told Elizabeth Peacock Hedrick was dead and made no attempt to visit cousins in Adams County. They did make contact with Samuel Jones Peacock by mail several years later. The bottom line is they did not learn the names of their great-grandparents. This is supported by the ordnances they arraigned upon returning to Utah. They did arrange a Mormon Baptize of the dead for William, John and Samuel Peacock the names of Constance’s brothers. The same three names could also be the names of Delila’s brothers. The names do not work for sons of Samuel and Leah because they did not have a son named Samuel.

 

                The big misconception occurs when Daniel referred to Delila and his great aunt the correct title should be great aunt-in-law. John Sides son of Delila married Rachel Briggs. Caroline Sides married James Briggs. The two Briggs are Elizabeth Briggs Stephens’s first cousins. Because of the in-law relationship Elizabeth Briggs Stephens would have called John Sides and Caroline Sides Briggs her cousins. The mother of a cousin is of course an aunt. Elizabeth Briggs Stephens did in fact refer to Delila as Aunt Delila in a letter. Constance and Delila are first cousins and not sisters.

 

                The next misconception is Samuel Peacock and Leah Jones were the parents of all the second generation Peacocks. This misconception causes people to make Elizabeth and Sarah (Sally) also sisters to Constance. The 1802 and 1803 poll tax shows Samuel, William and John Peacock paid the tax in the area south of Lexington, North Carolina. Samuel’s sons would have been teenagers so they were not the ones paying the tax.

 

The first records of Samuel are in the Caswell District of Orange County were he married Leah in 1787 and paid taxes in 1790. He is not listed in the 1790 census but the census records before the Civil War are not complete. Samuel is not in the 1800 or 1810 census but can be found in the 1820 and 1830 census of Davidson County. Samuel appeared in court to post bond for his son William in 1814 for the child out of wedlock with Sally McKern. Sally was living at home when her father wrote his will in 1822. The court record is the last public record naming William son of Samuel. John son of Samuel was in court two times once for the child of Anna Gallimore and once for the child of Lancy Williams. Notice; John appeared on his own behalf where for some reason William had to have his father appear. Samuel’s will names Leah his wife, Sally and Ruthey his daughters. John son of Samuel is to get the balance of the estate when Leah dies.  William son of Samuel and Elizabeth are not named in the will. I concluded William has died or moved from the area. Elizabeth has married into a family with lots of land. The census and will would indicate the Sally and Ruth are not married though there is a child the correct age to be the Ruth’s son by Leonard Cross. The other female in the home is most likely the illegitimate daughter of John or William.

William joined the Jersey Church and purchased land near Flat Swamp Creek. William SR and William JR purchased land in mid 1820’s. William SR sold it in 1830 without William JR. The 1830 census shows a William Peacock Senior but no junior. The William SR household in the 1830 census has a young woman with three small children. These are Sally Pippinger McKern Peacock and her children. Sally married a son of Michael McKern and had a son Henry McKern. When her husband died she married William Peacock JR. William JR and Sally had Edward Person Peacock and Mary S Peacock. Abraham Pippinger’s will in 1822 list his daughter as Sally Peacock and his grandson Henry McKern. Sally Peacock can be found in the 1870 census of Missouri living with her son Henry McKern. Edward Person Peacock reported his father was born in Maryland and Constance Peacock Briggs reported both her parents were born in Maryland. The McKern’s and Pippinger’s were from New Jersey and can be found in the records of the Jersey Church. Sally Pippinger McKern Peacock was the sister-in-law of Sally McKern mother of William of Samuel’s illegitimate child. John son of William settled his father’s estate when William SR died.

 

The John Peacock paying tax in 1803 does not appear in any records in the area of today’s Davidson County after that date. John moved to Buffalo Creek in Cabarrus County and then on to Lincoln County. The 1810 census shows John with 4 children in Lincoln. His oldest two children are not listed in this census.  Delila was 19 and William was 14, it appears they were back in Cabarrus County where Delila married John Michael Sides JR in 1812 and William married Amelia Ludwick 8 years later. John Peacock then seems to go back and forth between Cabarrus and Lincoln Counties with several records in both counties. . The Cabarrus records involve marriage and baptism of John’s children. Delila, William, Samuel, Constance, Elizabeth, Susanna. These all occurred between 1809 and 1830 but there were two births and a marriage in Lincoln in the same time period.   The Ludwick and Sides were members of the Dutch Buffalo Creek Church.

 

                Samuel Peacock married Leah Jones May 3, 1787 in Orange County

                                William Peacock                  born 1788 never married

                                John                                       born Sept. 12 1789 married Christine Holloway

                                Sarah (Sally)                         born 1793 may have married Solomon Hedrick

                                Elizabeth                               born April 4, 1800 married George Hedrick

                                Ruth                                       born 1807 married Leonard Cross

 

                William Peacock married unknown

                                William JR                            born 1787 married Sally Pippinger McKern

                                Constance                             born May 1, 1789 married John L Briggs

                                John                                       born 1790            

                                Samuel                                  born 1791-1800 married Rebeka

                                Mary                                      born 1792-1797 married Mr. Stephens

 

                John Peacock married unknown

                                Delila                                      born Dec 6, 1791 married John Michael Sides

                                William                                  born 1796             married Amelia Ludwick

                                Daughter                               listed in the 1810 census but no other record

                                Susan                                     born 1800             married John LeFever

                                Elizabeth                               born 1807             married William Culp        

                                Samuel                                  born 1809             married Elizabeth

                                Constance                             born 1810             married John Hicks

Susannah                              born 1814             married John Probst

John B                                   born 1816             married Amelia Klutts

 

Constance birthday is from LDS records. I think her daughter would know her mothers birthday. John son of Samuel’s birthday is from his daughter’s bible. The dates Sept to May does not work for siblings.

The Solomon Sarah married was not likely George’s brother for he married Mary Polly Swing in 1836. This is the same year court records show her as Sarah Peacock administrator of her fathers will.

 

 

 

Sources

Dr. Harold Barker was the authority on this clan. He was working on a Peacock book with Maureen Clifford a descendant of Elizabeth Briggs Stephens. I have part of this book and it is the source of most of the data above. Dr. Barker and Miss Clifford wrote two books on the Briggs of Old Anson and Rowan Counties. I have a copy of this book on film at the local LDS Family History Library. The main reason is the appendix has part of Daniel’s Diary. Dr. Barker had a complete copy of the diary.

 

Logic

Samuel’s children married those in the area of Four Mile Branch.

William’s children married those in the area of the Jersey Church.

John’s children married those in Cabarrus and Lincoln County.

The move to Brown County was prompted tobacco farming had ruined the land.