1793

Thomas and Judith Dodge Peabody rent a farmhouse in Danvers [Peabody]. The village population was about three thousand, and there were tow churches, two district schools, and few shops. The farm is located on the old Boston Road.

1795

February 18. Son George is born to Thomas and Judith Dodge Peabody.

1806

GP is apprenticed to Captain Sylvester Proctor's general store and apothecary in Danvers [Peabody]. For his work he receives room and board and exposure to the business world.

1810

GP spends most of the year with his maternal grandparents in Thetford, Vermont.

1811

Joins his brother David in the drapery business in Newburyport, Mass. On May 11, their father dies in an accident. At age sixteen, GP assumes financial responsibility for his mother, brothers and sisters. On May 31, a devastating fire consumes the city of Newburyport, destroying many businesses. David Peabody and Company does not go up in flames, but suffers financially nonetheless.

1812

May 4. GP, along with his uncle John Peabody, leave Massachusetts for Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, President James Madison declare war with England. GP enlists as volunteer in and artillery regiment. In Baltimore, he was stationed at Fort Warburton with Francis Scott Key, the composer of The Star Spangled Banner.

1815

GP partners with Elisha Riggs in the wholesale dry goods business and relocates the firm to Baltimore, Maryland.