My Family Tree

James bought land, which he named High Peake, in Charles City Co, Va., in 1655. The present day site of high Peake is on Bailey's Creek, at some point between the Fort Lee military reservation and the creek's junction with the James River, on the south edge of the town of Hopewell, which is six to eight miles east of Petersburg.

IN A PEAR TREE by Marjorie Parham Hailey
"The first Parhams came to Virginia from England 'in 1655, but the first recorded mention of the surname, which means "a piece of land, enclosure, homestead, or village where pear trees grow in abundance", was in Sussex County, England, in 959. It was then spelled Perham. Other spellings through the years include Perreham, Pereham, and Perham, and several others. Pronunciation of the name also varies. In England it's Pair-um. In the United States, the British version is used as well as Parr@um, and Parr-HAM."