My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in The History of Newton County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Thomas Peckham was born in Miami County, Kas., November 15, 1851. His father, Lewis Peckham, was born in Canada, and came from there to Indiana, where he was reared. He was a French-American. He left Indiana and went to Kansas in 1832, where he was married to Loungequa, a member of the Wea tribe of Indians, and the daughter of Charley, chief of the Wea tribe. In 1866 they came to the part of the Seneca Reservation which they had purchased. The tribe to which they belonged is known by several names, among them are Wea, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Paugshawiss, etc. They purchased 30,000 acres from the Senecas, and 18,000 acres from the Quapaws. He located on this land in 1866 and in 1867, and here the father and mother of Thomas Peckham died. When he was about five years of age the tribe came to the territory, and in 1886 he was elected to the office of second councilman of the Peorias. May, 16, 1878, he married Miss Mattie Flint, daughter of Levi Flint, of Seneca, Mo. She died May 3, 1887, leaving three children: Eliza (who is attending school at White Institute, Ind.), Lewis and Pearl. Mr. Peckham’s farm lies about ten miles west of Seneca, and he has about 120 acres under cultivation. He raises stock, including a great many hogs, etc., and feeds about eighty head of cattle.

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This family biography is one of 220 biographies included in The History of Newton County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Newton County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Newton County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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