“Thomas Peck, son of Joshua and Rachel (Mallory) Peck, was born probably in Washington County, New York. He married Lovisa Arnold the daughter of James and Mary (Whitcomb) Arnold. She was born in Jericho, Vermont on September 28, 1806 and at the age of 9 she was sent to live with her Uncle Levi and his family in Jay, New York. Thomas became a member of the First Baptist Church on May 26, 1816, the same day as his older brother Joel. Lovisa was accepted about 1828. Together they spent most of their lives in the Jay and Wilmington area and were very religious and strong supporters of the church. Thomas made his living as a farmer and at times a basket-maker. In 1863 Thomas was recorded to have purchased land in Wilmington, New York from Horace Harrison. This land was originally owned by Captain Daniel Blish, an officer of the town militia during the War of 1812. After 1865, Thomas and Lovisa applied for and received a pension from the government for their son Levi’s service during the Civil War. Levi died in a field hospital of a gun shot wound he received in the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia in 1864. It was stated in the records that Thomas and Lovisa were too old and feeble to work and depended on their son’s military pay for support. Lovisa suffered for many years from poor health after the death of her husband Thomas and died on February 15, 1889. Her passing was mourned by the church and the community that she had served for most of her adult life.”96