Person:Jacob Peak (5)

Jacob lived in Tennessee. He later moved to Illinois.

Jacob was a farmer and breeder of Durham cattle.

Jacob served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He enlisted inCompany F, 129th Illinois Infantry.

In 1850 Jacob was living with his parents in Morgan County, Illinois.(Source: 1850 Census - Morgan County, Illinois)

Part 2, Mr. Peak, whose name appears at the beginning of this sketch, wasthe father of seven children, four of whom are living: Mary J., Kate,Dora and Lula. Kate married Sherman Luttrell, and is the mother of twochildren: Rova May and Lois, Alice (deceased) married Jacob Bowyer ofthis county she left three children who are living with theirgrandfather. Their names are Scott P., Mary J., and Herschel. When Mr.Peak commenced life his possessions consisted of a horse, saddle andbridle but by hard work on a farm, he accumulated enough money from hismonthy wages to buy a place containing 118 acres of partially improvedland, soon after his marriage. He afterward sold this farm and purchaseda quarter section of land in this county, adding each year thereto, untilhe now owns 330 acres of rich Illinois prairie. This farm is all under ahigh state of cultivation, and upon it have been errected good buildings.He does a general farm business and is eminently successful. He is oneof that class of farmers who believes that ifanything is worth doing atall, it is worth doing well, and upon that precept he has built up areputation as a farmer whose method of operations might be profitableimitated. his wife and children are member of the Chrisitan Church. Mr.Peak, politically is sound democrat, and firmly believes in theprinciples of his party, although he was kept aloof from politics and hasheld no office except that of township trustee a position whose dutieswere discharged in his usual painstaking manner. He was often served onthe county juries and as a Juryman has invariable given satisfation. Ina summary of his life Mr. Peak may be traly called representativeIllinois farmer. Among the pleasant homes of Morgan county, view ofwhich appear on thse pages, few are more attractive externally orinternally than the county resident of Mr. Peak. It protrays thecomforts of rural life amid the pleasant prospect of nature. (Source:Portrait & Biographical Album of Morgan and Scott Counties, Illinois,Chicago: Chapman Bros., Publishers, 1889)

PEAK, JACOB H. farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 23, P. O. Franklin; oldestson of Absalom and Rebecca Peak, natives of Tennessee, where Jacob wasborn, May 26, 1829; the following autumn the Peak family, then consistingof husband, wife and three children, set out in a covered wagon for thfar West, settling in Morgan County; purchasing a farm of 80 acres, thehead of the family built a log cabin of the usual description, no floor,rough logs, etc.; Absalom Peak lived in Scott County from the time ofhis settlement until he died, May 23, 1867; it should be stated the farmproperty settled on first was afterward merged into Scott County; hebecame a successful farmer, an energetic man, who contributed verymaterially to the present prosperity of the county in which he lived; thewife, aged seventy-three is living on the old estate in Scott County;when quite young, Jacob attended school in a log cabin that stood nearwhere the town of Exeter is now located; at Exeter also attended school;in 1852, purchased a farm of 119 acres in the vicinity of the oldhomestead; two years later married Miss Matilda Campbell, daughter ofJohn B. and Cynthia Campbell, who settled in Scott County prior to thedeep snow; in 1857, Mr. P. moved from Scott County to Morgan, and therepurchased part of the farm he now owns comprising then 160 acres; nowowns 400 acres; in 1862 enlisted in Co. F, 129th Regt. Ill. Vol., inScott County; was in the battles of Peach Tree Creek, Buzzard Roost,Resaca, Dalton, siege of Atlanta; with Sherman in his famous march to thesea; he attained to the rank of third sergeant; honorably discharged atthe close of the war; has six children now living: Scott, Alice, May,Mary L., Kate L., Dora, and Lulu, John C. deceased. (Source: Historyof Morgan County, Illinois (It's Past and Present) Chicago: Donnelley,Loyd & Co., Publishers, 1878)

PEAK, JACOB H. (deceased), formerly a prominent farmer of Morgan County,Ill., living on Section 13, town 14, Range 9, where his widow, Mrs.Matilda Peak, still resides, was born in Anderson County, Tenn. May 26,1829, the son of Absalom and Rebecca (Buttler) Peak, who were the parentsof eighteen children. Upon coming to Illinois, the Peak family firstsettled in Scott County, where Jacob H. was reared to farming andeducated in the public shcools. On November 5, 1854, he was married toMatilda Campbell, daughter of J. B. an C. B. Campbell, her father being anative of Tennessee, but of Scotch and German descent, who moved toIllinois in the fall of 1830. To Mr. and Mrs. Peak seven children wereborn, four of whom survive, viz.: Mary L. wife of H. Q. Rimby, amerchanged of Winchester, Scott County; Lois Kate, wife of ShermanLuttrell, a farmer of Morgan County, and LuLu A. wife of Edgar L.Sweett. Mr. and Mrs. Sweet and Dora A., wife of J. P. Woods now residewith Mrs. Peak and assist in the management of her estate. (Source:Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois & History of Morgan County (MunsellPublishing Company, Publishers, 1906)

Mr. Peak in his day was a typical Illinois farmer, beginning the battleof life with little or no capital and by industry, thrift and goodmanagment accumulated a very valuable estate. He settled about two andhalf miles north of the village of Franklin in 1868, and there beganimprovmenets of his farm, in 1877, erecting the present commodiousresidence. Improvements continued until the farm of 330 acres wasbrought to its present condiiton of fertility and completeness. Mr. Pwas a member of the Christian Church, to which faith has widow andchildren adhere. He served his district as Township Trustee, and innational affairs voted the Democratic ticket. He followed generalfarming in his later years, but previously had been a breeder of Durhamcattle and other thoroughbred stock. Mr Peak died September 25 1894, andhis widow, who survives him, resides on the family homestead with themature relatives mentioned above, as well as her two grandchildren, AllynP. and Cullen B., aged respectively, seven and two years. (Source:Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois & History of Morgan County (MunsellPublishing Company, Publishers, 1906, Part 2)

Civil War, IL Co. F, 129th Regiment, Illinois, Jacob mustered in 13 Aug1862 in Exeter, Scott, IL for a period of 3 years. (The muster in datefor the entire company is shown as 8 Sept 1862, Pontiac, IL). On 20 Oct1862 he was detailed ot go to Louisville, Kentucky with a team ofhorses. He was appointed as a teamster on 1 Nov 1862 for a term of 61days. He returned to duty on 15 Feb 1863. On 14 Apr 1863 he reportedfor a speical muster. He was promoted from an 8th to a 6th Corporal on 15June 1863, to a 3rd Corporal on 30 May 1864 and to a 5th Sergeant on 8Sept 1864. He appears on the Co. Muster-out Roll on 8 June 1865 nearWashington D. C. He was in the battles of Peach Tree Creek, BuzzardRoost, Reseaca, Dalton, siege of Atlanta; with Sherman in his famous"march to the sea"; Jacob attained the rank of third sergeant; hororablydischarged at the close of the war.

1. ↑ Clyde W Peak notes copied by Paul Reed Peak Junior
   August 6, 1950.