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Richard Peacock, farmer, section 32, Garfield Township, was born at Kirton Lindsay, in Lincolnshire, England (situated 20 miles from Hull on the River Trent), March 15, 1822. His parents, Richard F. and Elizabeth (Stowe) Peacock, were born respectively at Kirton and Scotton, England, and came to the New World in 1844, settling in Dunham, Canada, where the mother is still living. She was born May 19, 1812. [Transcriber questions mother's date of birth - could it have been 1802?]. The father died when he was 74 years old.
When he was 12 years old, Mr. Peacock entered the employ of a man named Thomas Brown, who was in the service of the British Government, buying horses for the batteries of artillery. In this position he remained five years, traveling through England, Ireland and Scotland. He next engaged as a plowman on the estate of Lord Thomas Hudson, where he served two years. He has in his possession four medals awarded him by the agricultural societies of his own and three other counties of his native country, attesting his superiority in has calling. He came to Canada with his parents and engaged for a time as a day laborer, and during the first year purchased 200 acres of farming land of a fine grade, for which he paid by the accumulations from his labors as a farm hand. He gave his parents a life lease of the place, and after seeing them established in comfort he went to the State of New York and engaged as a lumberman in Essex County several successive winters, and operating as a farm assistant in Bridgeport, Vt., in the alternate summers. While thus engaged he obtained his credentials of citizenship and exercised the freeman's privilege for the first time, in voting for James K. Polk.
He returned to Canada and was married September 22, 1847, to Martha M., daughter of William and Marian (Hare) Lavery, born at St. Armour Tower, Canda, May 9, 1824. Of this marriage seven children were born: William J., George R., David J., Thomas N., Martha E., Ann J. and Stephen Robert. All have grown to maturity and are settled in life. Mr. Peacock transferred his family and interests to Michigan in August, 1863. He worked through the harvest season of that year, in Branch County, where he left his family, and came to Newaygo County to operate as a lumberman during the succedding winter. His family joined him in September, 1863, when he entered the service of Samuel R. Sanford, and worked for him in lumbering 12 years. The firm with which Mr. Sanford was connected failed, owing Mr. Peacock a large sum of money which he never received. In 1875 he purchaed the farm where he now resides, which was then in a state of nature. He bought 40 acres and now owns by later purchase 160 acres, with 40 acres under improvement. He has a comfortable house, convenient barns and other creditable farm fixtures. He also owns 40 acres of unimproved land on section 33. Politically Mr. P. is a Republican.
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