George Peake (inventor)
George Peake (1722 – 1827) was an African American inventor who invented a hand mill for grinding grain.[1][2][3]
Life
Peake was born in Maryland in 1722, lived in Pennsylvania, and later, in 1809, settled in the area that became Cleveland, Ohio.[1][2] Peake bought a farm on the settlement's outskirts. He may have been the city's first African American resident. He reportedly fought with the British in the French and Indian War before deserting.[1][4][5]
Peake married a woman from Maryland and had four sons, two of whom came with him to Cleveland and two more that followed later.[1][2][4] Joseph Peake, a notable Cleveland farmer, was his son.[6]
Inventions
Peake invented a hand mill for grinding grain and corn.[1][2] His mill was found to be easier to use than a mortar and pestle.[1][2]
References
- "Peake, George". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University. June 18, 2018.
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/african-american-focus/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/peake-george
- https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/african-american-inventors-18th-century
- Davis, Harry E. (1943). "Early Colored Residents of Cleveland". Phylon. 4 (3): 233–243. doi:10.2307/271435. JSTOR 271435.
- Davis, Russell H. (2005). "Peake, George". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.42898. ISBN 9780195301731. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- "Cuyahoga County / 88-18 Joseph Peake's Farm | Remarkable Ohio". remarkableohio.org.