INJURIES FATAL TO T. BOONE PEAKE, FORMER SHERIFF
New Haven Man, 28 Years 'in Public Office, Dies at Infirmary

T. Boone Peake, 63, New Haven, flormer sheriff and tax commissioner of Nelson County, died Friday, July 27, at 5:40 p. m. at St. Joseph Infiirmary, Louisville, as the result of injuries received on July 24 in an automobile accident at the edge of Bardstown.

Mr. Peake suffered cuts and bruises on the face and head and internal injuries when his car overturned on the New Haven road just south of
Baldwin's Tourist Court here. He was taken to his home and the following day removed to the infirmary .

18 Years in Sheriff's Office. He first entered public life in 1906, serving first as deputy tax commissioner and later as tax commissioner, remaining 12 years in the assessor's office. In 1917 he was elected deputy sheriff, serving 12 years and in 1930 was elected high sheriff. Later he held a position with the State Highway Department and for six years was district game warden. At the time of his death he was semployed at the Barton Distillery at Bardstown.

A member of the Holy Name Society and New Haven Council Knights of Columbus Mr. Peake is survived by his wife, Mrs. Della Peake; four daughters, Mrs. R. E. Applegate, Grayson; Sister Thomas James, of the Ursuline Order, Mt. St. Joseph, Maple Mount; Mrs. Ed Rogers, New Haven, and Mrs. Glen Sowers, Louisville; four sons, Frank Peake, Elizabethtown; Raymond Peake, near Hodgenville; Hubert and Richard Peake, New Haven. Both Hubert and Richard have been in the service and have now been discharged. Fred 0. Peake, another son, was serving in the Navy when he was killed in the Battle of Saavo Straits off Guadalcanal.

Solemn High Mass
Funeral services were held with a Solemn High Requiem Mass Sunday at .8 a. m. at St. Catherine's Church, New Haven. Rev. Fred J. Gettlefinger, the pastor, was assisted in the Mass by Rev. James H. Willett, Bardstown, and Rev. Fred Dudine, St. Mary. Interment was in the church cemetery.

Active pallbearers were Artie O'Bryan, S. R. Demaree, E. N. Fulton, R. Lee Beeler, P. Dean Johnson and Major Errol P. Johnson. Honorary pallbearers were W. J. Roby, J. W. Arnold, Nat J. Muir, Judge Wallace Brown, J. S. Claybrooke, C. P. Tong, Gerald Padgett, J. B. Carrico, Chester Howard, A. E. Kirkpatrick, J. Ekro Rapier, P. D. Johnson, Jr., Columbus Settles, Dr. E . D. Mudd, Judge L. B. Handley and Jesse Spalding. Ushers were Lt. Errol P. Johnson, II, and Pfc. Clarence R. Jchnson.


Lived with parents in New Haven, Nelson Co. in 1900 KY Census.

Boone, sheriff of Nelson County during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, gave the alarm and prevented panic when St. Catherine’s Church caught fire and burned to the ground on April 15, 1928. He was attending Mass at the time and ordered a quiet and orderly evacuation of the church. Only Rev. Willett remained to finish the Mass as the steeple collapsed. All parishioners were saved.

Boone died of internal injuries suffered in a car accident which occured on 31-E across the road from Flaget Hospital, near St. Joseph Cathedral in Bardstown. At the time he was an employee of Barton Distillery and was driving home to New HAven. His automobile went over an embankment due, it is believed, to a heart attack. He suffered a crushed chest in the accident. He was taken home after the accident.

Ann Peake Rogers recollects “The first memories of my life are of Grandpa (Boone) Peake. I loved him and he was my whole world. I am told by mother and the aunts and uncles that Grandpa loved me more than all of the cousins because I came to his house shortly after the death of his son Fred in the war. He would write me notes every day as to whether Grandma and Mother were picking on me while he was at work. He also gave me a coin every day when he came home from work. Grandma and mother had to warm my pants at least once a day because I would run the chickens all day throwing rocks. Grandpa would take me up to Chester Howard's store and buy me candy and once a wagon and spoiled me rotten. I always waited for him in the barn by the house. Actually there were two houses on the property. The big house where we lived and a smaller house that I believe was rented out. There was a well behind the small house and a black walnut tree between the two houses and a chicken house on the far side of the big house where the long suffering chickens lived. One day he didn't come and didn't come. Aunt Rose came down to get me and I noticed a lot of people in front of the house and a lot of cars. She took me into the bedroom and Grandpa was on the bed. I remember his tongue looked red. No one knew his chest was crushed and his tongue was cut from the car accident. He called me over and gave a quarter and then they took me outside. Later that night he was taken to Louisville where he died. After the war we came to New Haven pretty often to visit Grandma and all the relatives.”

Death info: vol. 035 / cert: 17236 / deathvol: 45

Boone Peak was the sheriff of Nelson Co. for many years. I am told that he named many of his children after the monks at Gethsemani, both because he was Catholic and because it helped him win the sheriff's election.

Helen (Howard) Peake told me that Boone once had a run in with the Dillinger Gang. Boone had set up a roadblock in Howardstown for Dillinger. When the car stopped, all the gang had machine guns and Boone told them to go right on through.

Richard L. Peake says that Boone was born in Larue County, KY.

It was Boone’s family that added an E to the end of Peak(e). Most say this was because his daughter Cecelia wanted it that way.

1906 Deputy Tax Commissioner, then Tax Commisioner; 1917 Deputy Sheriff (12 years), 1930 High Sheriff, State Department of Highways, District Game Warden (6 years), Barton Distillery when he died. KY Standard, front page, Aug. 2, 1945, Volume XLVI w/ photo.

WWII Draft Reg.: Age 59, 5’8”, 172, blue/gray eyes, sandy/gray hair, sallow complexion