Transcriber Notes: 1 Mathieu here is an obvious orthographic variant of the common NL Mc family name Matthews. See endnote 2 below. 2 This is cross-referenced with endnote 1 above; cf. the Newfoundland place name or toponym Mattis Point (sic.), named after this NL Mi'kmaw family Matthews/Mathieu/Mattis that once inhabited this area. 3 Note the baptisms of Charles Peck of Jean/John Peck & Marie Paulette (sauvages) (born 1845/03/04, bapt. 1845/06/04) with sponsors Marin LeBlanc and Marie David, and a Noel Peck of Jacques [James] Peck & Helene Paulette [Polet] (sauvages) (bapt. 1845/06/04), both at St. Michaels Church, Margaree, Cape Breton, N.S. , sponsors Florian Hache & Anne Paulette [Bras d'Or Mi'kmaq First Nations Homepage]. Note also the baptisms of a Michael Peck of James [Jacques] Peck and Helen Polet, in 1848 at Havre Aubert, Iles-de-la-Madeleines (Magdalen Islands), with sponsors Francis Feroce & Celeste Polet (Martijn . James Peck and Helen Polet are listed as sauvges errands (wandering Indians) in the Registres paroissiaux de Notre-Dame-de-la-vistation de Havre Aubert (Martijn 1986:187). Source: Les Micmacs aux iles de la Madeleine: visions fugitives et glanures ethnohistorique, pp. 163-194 in Charles Martijn, 1986, Les Micmacs et la mer, Recherches amerindiennes au Quebec. Caroline Mitchell, private family history researcher and genealogist, and great-granddaughter of Laura Peck of Whycocomagh, retraced the founding progenitor of the NS Peck patriline back to a George Peck, b. ca. 1761, Howden, Yorkshire, England, emigrated from there ca. 1789, m. unknown woman of Cape Breton, and reportedly served in the 72nd Regiment of the Royal Manchester Volunteers (C. Mitchell, personal communication, Feb. 2009). C. Mitchell in quoting a band council spokesperson from Whycocomagh commented on the obscure origin of this rare family name "I called Whycocomagh one day looking for information and was told Peck was not a Native name" [C. Mitchell personal communication Feb. 2009]. Likewise, Charles A. Martijn after interviewing Mi'kmaw elder informants during the course of his anthropological-ethnological fieldwork research on the history and ethnology of the Mi'kmaq came to the conclusion that no one could retrace with certainty the origin of the family name Peck. Selon tous less informateurs consultés, on ne retrace aucune famille micmaque du nom de Peck [Martijn 1986: 273]. Seary (1998:405) gives the following information on the etymology or origin of the Newfoundland family name Peck: Peck-surname of England, from Old English p?c -(dweller by the) peak, hill, from the English place names Peak Hill, Peek, or Peck Hill (Devon), or from Middle English pekke (maker of) peck(s) Early instances of Peck found in Newfoundland include: Charles and John Peck, fishermen of Codroy and Rivers, 1871 (Lovell Directory) [Seary 1998:405] The death of Harriett Louis/Gabriel (1873) at Codroy seems to correspond to the approximate date for the emigration (ca. 1874-5) of the Peck family from Codroy, N.L. to Whycocomagh, N.S. Note also that the Pecks are absent from the church dues account books or ledgers for the Codroy area for this time period [PANL Codroy Box 1:39-65]. The first reference to a Peck as a Native in published historical references studied to date is for an Isaac Peck dated 1745 in Cape Breton.. Colonel Jospeh Thatcher, who died in this town in 1763 was a popular character, and through his influence principally, company of forthy, thirteen of which were Indian, was raised all except six or eight, in Yarmouth, his native town, to go on the Cape Breton expedition, in 1745. A A condition of embarking on this bold enterprise was That Mr. Thatcher, should have their captives. It is remarkable that the Indians, three only lived to return, two having been killed by the enemym and eigth, probably in of a mode of living to which they had not been accustomed, dying of disease; and that the rest if the company, though exposed to great hardships, were all providentally spared to see their native places again…. The following anecdote is related of him, by Mr. Devin Matthews, one of Thatchers company, who is still living. [60] It exhibits the unfeeling disposition of the American savage. Through the treacherous of a certain Frenchman a party of twenty provincial soldiers had been amuscaded, nineteen of which were killed,. The Frenchman was taken and at first was given up to the Indians, to be destroyed by them as they might See proper. Isaac Peck, a bloodthirsty Indian, began immediately to sharpen his knife, and thinking it too good for the traitor to die at once….. Source: Barber, John Warner. 1839. Historical Collections Being a General Collection of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes &c. Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every Town in Massachusetts with Geographical Descriptions. Worcester: Door Howland & Co. Note also an Isaac Peck listed in the 1891 Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw census as residing at Whycocomagh (We'koqmaq) Peck with place of birth in Newfoundland [ca. 1875], a possible great-great-grand-nephew of this said Isaac Peck above: Isaac, Age 16, Shanty, Illiterate, Whycocomagh, originally from Newfoundland The next reference to a Mi'kmaw Peck in the published research literature comes from a Mi'kmaw Grand Council chief appointment, dated 1791, as preserved through ancient community oral traditions: Recorded Grand Chief Appointments: 1792-1818 Francis Peck Source: Mi`kmaq History Month Sponsored by The Confederqcy of Manilad Mi`kmaq, Native Council of Nova Scotia, Union of Nova Scotia Indians (HistoryMonthPoster2006[1].pdf There is a reference to a James Pick (or Peck) in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly petitions as one of the Mi'kmaw petitioners or signators in a Petition from the Mi'kmaq of Wagmatcook for Financial Aid [dated 1859]. Other Mi'kmaw petitioners include: Clemo Branur [Clement Bernard]; Leucky? Adely Paull [Lucas Andrew Paul]; Francis Coop [Cope]; Newel Clemo [Cremo]; Francis Branur [Bernard]; John Branur [Bernard]; Sulian Branur [William/Julian Bernard]; Peter Richard; John Likma..?; Can? Michael (Newfoundland Captain); James Joe; Branur Coop [Bernard Cope]; Charles Richard; Peter Sulian [Julian]; James Peck; Stephen Brazur [Brazil]; and Gregoire Bask. [ NSARM (Nova Scotia Archives Records Management), RG 5 Series P, Vol. 49, no. 39] (also on-line: http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/Mikmaq/archives.asp?ID=561] Other possible candidates from which the family name Peck may historically derive include: 1708 Indian Census Nova Scotia Perquiouesche cf. Anne (widow) of LaHeve Band as if reflecting reconstructed phonemic pe'kiwe'j, of obscure origin, meaning and un-analyzable parsing. Pecobourg as if reflecting contemporary Mc pekwapaq cf. Etienne Pecobourg of Mouscoudabouet (sic.). A distant connection with the Pekitualuet/Piktenaruet/Pikteuaruel (Bernard), and perhaps Pictou patrilines is remotely possible, pending future YDNA STR studies, while considering skewed results from historic non-paternal events where the paternal line may have been broken. The 1708 Indian census of Acadia should be viewed with some caution as it excludes coastal bands of Maine, New Brunswick, Gaspé peninsula (Que)., and southern-western Newfoundland. An alternative hypothesis on the origin of the patriline Peck may include the ancient Abenaki (Ab.) family name Peckenowax (sic.), now obsolete, the descendant of this patriline having taken the family name Claude/Glode/Cloud, Pagaune, and Pajanet. The earliest attested ancestor of this group was Pierre Peckenowax who signed the Robertson lease of Mississquoi land in 1765 [Haviland 1994:273]. Source: Haviland, William & Marjory W. Power. The original Vermonters: Native inhabitants, past and present. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. It is known that the Abenaki Claude/Glode extended kin-group has known connections to the Mi'kmaq Glode group. It is not known however at present whether this Ab. Glode patriline is indeed related to the Mc one, the latter with known connections to Cape Sable. This proposed relationship between both patrilines may require further genealogical and/or YDNA STR-SNP research. Source: Day, Gordon M. 1981. The Identity of the St. Francis Indians. Ottawa: National Museum of Man. Mercury Series. Ethnology Division. It is not uncommon for some mainland Mi'kmaw families to trace ancestry back to Abenaki (Sokoki, Penacook, Pigwacket, Cowassuck, & Androscoggin) splinter groups displaced from the diaspora of the French-Indian Wars in New England, Vermont, and New Hampshire. For instance, the contemporary Restigouche Quebec family name or patronyme Metallic derives from an ancient Abenaki family name (fr. Abenaki madahlakw "bad metal, or cast iron") of the Androscoggin watershed area, with connections to, or origins from a Cowas or Pigwacket coastal group which later migrated to Saint Francis, Que before emigrating to the Gaspé peninsula. It is possible that the Peck group of Whycocomagh-Codroy derives from an Abenaki group of Vermont-Maine that migrated into Acadia ca. 1720-30. It is not known if this Codroy-Whycocomagh Peck patriline is related to the Trinity-Old Perlican Peck one, presumably originating from Christchurch, Hants County, England, ca. 1720-40. The earliest reference for a Peck in Trinity Bay comes from a James Peck (Warn 1758:176-7) listed in the William Warn Ledgers for Trinity Bay, dated 1758 with an outstanding account for sundries [William Warn Ledger, PANL B-5-3, MG 476]. Note also the baptism of a Mary Peck at Trinity, Trinity Bay on Jan 03, 1789, of Geo Peck and Catherine Bettice/Battice [Eng. Baptiste]: Bapt Mary daughter of Catherine Bettice by Geo. Peck, servt. To Mr. Street (Bastard) [Trinity Anglican, PANL, Box 1] (also National Archives of Canada, microfilm #: M-1947) Future genealogical research and perhaps comparative YDNA STR testing between descendants of the NS Peck patriline and the Newfoundland Peck/Pick (later Pike) patrilines may rule out any shared ancestry based on apparent convergence in family names. 4 This may be the same Mary Peck listed in the 1891 Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw census, residing at We'koqmaq, with place of birth in Newfoundland [ca. 1816], perhaps at Codroy or Grand River, probable sister of John/Jean and James/Jacque Peck listed above in the St. Margarets and Magadalen Island RC parish registers: Peck, Mary, Age 75 , S Shanty, Illiterate, Whycocomagh, originally from Newfoundland 5 The Mc family name Peter(s) as listed herein may also derive from be an anglicization of Fr Pierre. 6 The patronym Germain as listed here may be either an Acadien or Mi'kmaw family name; cf. the Mc family name Germaine as noted in the Saint-Pierre et Miquelon parish registers. 7 Gab.. as transcribed in the original parish register copies may be a rendition of Gabriel, also abbreviated in other records as Gabe or Gable. 8 The family name Kettle as attested here in the records may be a spelling corruption of the common NL Mi'kmaw family name Jeddore from earlier Geodol/Kieto'l; cf. Kieto`lek /kiyeto:l-ek/ (Jeddore-LOCATIVE) Jeddores Pond lit "at Jeddores, or Jeddore Place". Hewson (1978:10) gives Kietol as the Mc spelling of the ancient hereditary family name Jeddore. Compare also earlier attested form of the same toponym or place name Gadoleiik. This may be related to the family name Gadouillak preserved in Magdalen Island oral traditions as once inhabited the area, cf. Mc family names Blais [Prisk/Prisque/Presque/Priest] and Carabit [Coararet/Koaret/Kovaret] [Martijn 188] from Amquarret/Memecharet… Source: Martijn, Charles A. 1986. Les Micmacs et la mer. Montreal: Recherches amérindienne au Quebec. 9 Stride is also attested in other parish registers as Street. 10 Marie as listed here derives from Jean Marie Prejon/Pegeon, a Malouin Breton with loss of the surname. In all probability this patronym differs in origin from the earlier attested form Marie/Mary/Molly from Cabish/Cobage (and variants), from Mc tqope'j "twin". 11 Michael as transcribed here in this form is also attested in other historical records and parish registers as Michel (Agathe) /Miguel/Mitchell. 12 The Joe/Joseph family has also been recorded KCRC parish registers in the King's Cove, BB area as early as ca. 1815, and as early as 1829 in the historical records, attesting to the widespread migratory domain of this and other NL Mi'kmaw families: Monday 3 August 1829 - Boat Plover, Jas. Shockley? Skipper fr. Catalina John George? passenger acc..s? ferried with three Micmac indigenes say John Stevens and two sons of Thomas Joseph also passenger Mess Garland Brig. Marie Froud from Lston [Elliston] In 21 days. MUN DIA (Digital Archives Initiative) http://collections.mun.ca/adm4/document.php?CISOROOT=1ths_slade&CISOPTR=381&CISOSHOW=336&REC=5 13 John Peck as listed here may be the father of Charles Peck [b. 1845, at Whycocomagh/We'koqmaq, Bras d'Or Lake, N.S.] and Marie Polet [Paulette]. Note a Germain Poulite in the 1708 Indian census of Nova Scotia. Source: http:www.Acadian-home.org/Census-Mi`kmaq.html. This NL-NS hereditary family name should be distinguished from the Newfoundland patronym Pollett/Pullet [also Pawlet] of New Harbour, from Trinity, T.B. deriving from the English family name Paulette, of possible French origin. The same argument may apply to the NL family name Sooley [also Suley/Scully] of English extraction for the same area of New Harbour, T.B., As distinct from the ancient NL Mc family name Souly, a truncation of Soulien/Sourien/Julien/Julian [also Amquarret/Nemecharet] of Cape Sable, N.S., deriving from Fr. Le Celier/Soulier. 14 DuHart of de Harte as attested here is later written as du Basque/de Basque. It is uncertain at this point how and if this patronym is related to the earlier attested NL Mc family name (Le) Bask/Basque, and perhaps Harte (sic.). 15 Mara (sic.) is another obvious variant of the Mari(e)/Prejohn/Pegeon cluster of patronyms; cf. also attested as Morrow. 16 Dinni (sic.) as attested here is also found in other church records and historical documents as Deny(s) and Den(n)is respectively. 17 Frank as transcribed here is an obvious anglicization of the Mc patronym Francois/Francis. 18 While it may appear from an examination of the church records that parish priest sometimes confused Gabriel and Louis as a family for Harriett Gabriel, daughter of Louis Gabriel (or Gabriel, Louis) a more logical explanation is that she presented her name as Harriett Louis, Gabriel. Endnote: This survey focuses primarily on traditional NL Mc family names for this era and omits contemporary Mc patrilines such Benoit(e), Youn/LeJeune, Doucette, DeBois (Woods), etc.. For instance, Doucette as listed here may be either an Acadien or Mi'kmaw family name; cf. Doucette/Doujet, a NL Mc family name, as listed in the Saint-Pierre et Miquelon parish registers. Dwayne Pike B.A., M.A. 2009 © 2009 Dwayne Pike & NL GenWeb West Coast - Codroy