David Martin Peden was born February 18, 1841 in Green Pond, Laurens Co., South Carolina to Thomas Alexander "T.A." and Mattie Jane Boyd Peden the daughter of James and Elizabeth Curtis Parks Boyd. He married first February 08, 1867 in Laurens County SC Elizabeth Catherine Boyd daughter of Isaac P. and Matilda Angeline Pitts Boyd and they had 1 child. He married 2nd September 11, 1869 at Sumach Presbyterian Church in Murray County GA Sarah Jane Cox daughter of Charnock L. and Ann Elizabeth "Annaliza" Barnett Cox. They also had a ceremony at Fairview Presbyterian Church in Fairview, SC per request of his father. They had 11 children. He learned the art of Portrait Painting, Illustration, and Photography as apprentice under his father Thomas and went to work for Charles Lanneau in 1859 who his father Thomas worked for. August 22, 1861 he Enlisted in the CSA as a Combat Photographer for the 1st South Carolina Calvary Company B Ferguson Rangers in Clinton, Laurens County, South Carolina and was attached to the Army of Tennessee after the Battle of Gettysburg. Was active duty for the entire war and was Honorably Discharged April 10, 1865. The day after Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. After the war his father T. A. established Peden Traveling Photographers opening up PTP Studio #1 as base of operations that he had bought from Charles Lanneau. After the death of his wife, David moved to Cohutta Springs Georgia in 1869 opening Studio #2 in the Cohutta Springs Hotel and continuing his traveling route through SC-NC-TN-AL-GA and his father ran Studio #1. His sons Robert and John ran the Studio while he traveled. In 1890 Robert opened Studio #3 in Maryville Tn. In 1896 David and his sons James and John headed out to the Yukon to photograph the Klondike Gold Rush. Many of their Klondike photographs are registered at the Library of Congress in Washington. David continued to travel until 1900 when he lost an arm in a cultivator accident on his farm ending his traveling photography. Robert closed the Maryville Studio and came back home to run the Cohutta Springs Studio then moved back to Greenville, SC in 1901 to run Studio #1 that his uncle John Ballentine Peden ran after the death of T. A in 1875. See James Robert Peden Memorial. John ran the Cohutta Springs Studio until Davids death in 1916. David passed the business on to Robert and John at his death. Robert continued in Greenville then moved to Atlanta and John moved Studio #2 into Ed Coffey's new Cohutta Springs Hotel after the old Cohutta Springs Hotel burned then about 1920 he moved to 110 N 3rd Ave downtown Chatsworth ( now Paula's Flowers & Gifts ). In 1942 as the Alzheimer's begins, it forces him to close studio #2 and retire.

David Martin Peden

Illustrator/Portrait Painter/Daguarian Artist/Photographer

Owner Peden Traveling Photographers 1875-1916

1859-1861 Photographer for Charles Lanneau Studio

1861-1865 Combat Photographer CSA

1865-1869 Traveling Photographer for Peden Traveling Photographers Studio#1 Greenville, SC

1869-1890 Manager/Photographer Peden Traveling Photographers and Studio#2 Cohutta Springs, GA

1890-1916 Manager/Photographer Peden Traveling Photographers Studio #4 Cohutta, Ga