Finding Isaac and Dora Peckham

During our next virtual meeting, genealogist Linda Olsen will give a LIVE presentation about her research into the eventful lives of Isaac and Dora Peckham, who served as keepers of the St. Simons Lighthouse in the late 1800s.

As usual, the meeting will be facilitated by the Florida State Genealogical Society via GoToWebinar, and you must pre-register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3308228591895150348

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing an “invitation” and information/link for joining the virtual meeting/webinar. About 10 minutes before our meeting click on the invitation link. We will join you at the time of the meeting and will then proceed with our scheduled presentation.

Webinar Abstract:

Through Ancestry.com and work with the Farmington Historical Society, it was possible to piece together the puzzle of how Isaac Peckham came from Connecticut to Georgia. After he fought in the Third Seminole Indian War and on the Confederate side in the Civil War, he became the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper on Little Cumberland Island and from there was promoted to Lighthouse Keeper at St. Simons.

Marianne Isadora Lasserre’s family came from St. Augustine, FL after her father, a shipbuilder, was invited up to Georgia by a wealthy plantation owner in 1850. After Isaac’s death in 1897, Marianne Isadora Lasserre remained in the St. Simons area until 1917 when she moved to Fernandina to be closer to her younger siblings.  She died in 1931 and is buried in her family plot at Bosque Bello Cemetery.  For information on her life in Fernandina, Linda consulted the genealogical resources at Nassau County Library and worked with the Amelia Island Museum of History.

Presenter:

Linda’s journey into genealogy began with researching her own family roots. “I’ve learned so much from walking in my family’s footsteps,” she says. “It’s amazing to view history through the eyes of the people you are researching. Linda is an active member of the Coastal Georgia Genealogy Society. In 2019, she was approached by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society to research St. Simons Island Lighthouse keeper Isaac Peckham and his wife Dora.