Here it is what I've promiss to do.. Peters Had Roots In Conquest: ____________________ WHAT'S IN A NAME? ____________________ By Ven Pitoni (Syndicated Columnist) The Christian name Peter, which was introduced into England at the Norman conquest, has become the parent of many surnames including Peters, Petters, Peterson, Pearson, Peterken, Parkins, Parkinson, and Peterman. The meaning attached to the surname is "the son of Peter." Before the days when surnames were adopted, the son of Peter was designated as "Peter's son" and later shortened to "Peters." The personal name Peter derives from greek for a stone or rock, implying "firm as a rock." The surname was sometimes written Petre, as, anciently, by the Petres (or Peters) of Torn Newton in County Devonshire, England. Their descendants at Harlyn, County Cornwall and other places in that area, wrote their name Peter, but another branch (that of Lord Petre's) has always written it Petre. The name of Henry fil. Pet (Henry, son of Peter) appears in the records of the County Cambridge as early as 1273. A William Petres was living in County Somerset, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). Though the Peters family was established in many sections of England, the Counties of Cornwall and Devon are considered early family seats. There were many early settlers in america bearing the name. One was Andrew Peters (1634-1713), who came from England to Boston in 1659 and later settled at Andover. Andrew was a distiller, and served with distinction as a soldier in the Narragansett campaign (King Philip's War). During 1689, his sons Andrew and John were killed by Indians at Andover. He married Mercy, widow of Michael Wilborne, daughter of William Beamsley. He died at the age of 77, leaving his name in the deed as Peters, and in another relating to the same estate it is Peterson. Another early settler was William Peters (1702-1789) who came from England to Philadelphia in about 1735, where he served as register of the admiralty, judge for the common pleas and later as member of the Assembly and secretary of the Land Office. In 1741 William Peters married Mary, daughter of John Brientnall. The following year, he bought a tract of land in what is now the West Fairmounnt Park area of Philadelphia, where he built a stone house which he called Belmont. This house, preserved as Belmont Mansion, has become a famous showplace representing "Old Philadelphia" in the Quaker City. The Rev. Hugh Peters probably came in the ship Abigail to Salem, Mass. in the company of John Winthrop II. He was born in the Parish of St. Ewe, town of Fowry Cornwall, in 1599, and settled in the church at Salem around 1635 as the fourth minister there. His younger brother, The Rev. Thomas Peters, was a minister in his native shire of Cornwall, whence he was driven by the Royalist army in 1643. He came to America in 1644 and settled in Rhode Island where he assisted the younger Winthrop in his plantation. He served as a minister at Saybrook for a short time, but was invited by his former parish and went home the next year. There is a family tradition that Thomas Peters was also a shipbuilder, and with the assistance of his brother, built the first ship which ever crossed the ocean from America to England. May the glorious family traditins and accomplishments of this type never peter out. An 1829 version of the "It's Incredible" spectacle was offered at Bowery Theater in New York presenting Peters the Antipodean, who walked on the ceiling with his head down and lifted from the stage 16 men and 10 coach wheels. It is still a secret how he managed these feats. It's no secret that Peter's Pence was a tax of a penny a household collected in England from Anglo-saxon times until the Reformation as a gift to the Pope. It is now a voluntary contribution made annually to the papal teasury by Roman Catholics. The coat-of-arms reproduced here is ascribed to William Richmond Peters of New York City. He was the second son of the Rev. Thomas McClure Peters (1821-1893), who married Alice, daughter of Rev. William Richmond in 1847. Members of this family branch are descended from pioneer Andrew Peters, who settled in Andover, Mass. The Cornish Clough displayed in the shield is called "the King of Crows." The heraldic, significance of this ancient bearing is given as "watchful activity for friends." Burke lists 7 Peter Coats-of-arms and 11 for Peters. The family motto used with the arms shown here is "San Dieu Rien," which is translated from the french, "Without God, Nothing."