USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 50
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(III) Samuel Peck, son of Jeremiah and Johannah (Kitchell) Peck, was born in 1659, in Guilford, Connecticut. He was a man of large wealth and influence, hold- ing the office of justice of the peace and other important positions. He married, in 1686, Ruth Ferris, said to have been a daughter of Peter Ferris, and a grand- daughter of Jeffrey Ferris, of Stamford. Samuel Peck died in 1746.
(IV) Theophilus Peck, son of Samuel and Ruth (Ferris) Peck, was born in 1702. He was the owner of an extensive tract of land in the town of Greenwich, where he spent his entire life. He mar- ried, in 1728, Elizabeth Mead, daughter of Benjamin Mead, of Greenwich. His death occurred in 1783, his wife surviving him but ten days.
(V) Benjamin Peck, son of Theophilus and Elizabeth (Mead) Peck, was born October 10, 1740, and lived and died in Greenwich, Connecticut. He married (first) in 1766, Deborah Sackett, who died in 1769. He married (second) in 1772, Hannah Reed, who died November II, 1783. Benjamin Peck died March 12, 1806.
(VI) Elias Peck, son of Benjamin and Hannah (Reed) Peck, was born May 9, 1779, in Clapboard Ridge, Connecticut. He married (first) in 1804, Deborah Hobby, who was born September 4, 1784, and died May 24, 1818. He married (sec-
ond) Mary Haight. Elias Peck was a farmer. His death occurred May 14, 1846.
(VII) William (2) Peck, son of Elias and Deborah (Hobby) Peck, was born November 6, 1809, in Clapboard Ridge, town of Greenwich, Connecticut, and was a farmer and shoe manufacturer, employ- ing eight or ten men. He was captain of the militia, and a member of the Con- gregational church. Mr. Peck married, in 1838, Caroline Sherwood, born November 28, 1816, daughter of Benjamin and Annie (Anderson) Sherwood, the former a farmer of Riversville, town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Benjamin Sherwood was born May 9, 1773, and died in 1862. His wife was born June 20, 1775, and died in 1848. The death of William (2) Peck occurred March 3, 1885, and his widow passed away, November 28, 1896, the day on which she completed her eightieth year.
(VIII) Elias Sherwood Peck, son of William (2) and Caroline (Sherwood) Peck, was born February 6, 1842, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He received his education in public schools, Button's Academy, and also attended the academy presided over by the Rev. William Peck, of North Greenwich. He afterward learned the tinner's trade. During his apprenticeship the Civil War began and he enlisted in Company I, Ioth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, serving within a few weeks of three years. After the war he became for a year the assistant of his father in the management of the farm, and then spent three years as a journeyman in New York City, afterward living for a year in Port Chester. In 1870 he went into business in partnership with George La Forge under the firm name of La Forge & Peck. They established the first hardware store in Greenwich, Con- necticut, but at the end of a year the part-
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nership was dissolved and Mr. Peck asso- ciated himself with his cousin, Addison Peck, under the firm name of E. S. & A. Peck. This connection was maintained for a number of years, the firm engaging in roofing and tinning. Eventually Mr. Peck purchased his partner's interest and continued the business alone, continuing until January, 1919, when it was taken over by his son. Elias Sherwood Peck was at that time the oldest man in Green- wich actively engaged in business. He took a prominent part in town affairs, serving at one time as a member of the Board of Burgesses. He affiliates with Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Accepted Masons, for two years holding the rank of master. For two or three years he was commander of Lombard Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and he now fills the position of adjutant. He and his family are members of the Second Congrega- tional Church.
Mr. Peck married (first) Emma R. Ritch, daughter of Justus and (Rodman) Ritch, who died May 20, 1883, leaving two children : Elizabeth, who died in childhood; and Gordon, of New York City. Mr. Peck married (second) Sarah Amelia Marvin, born March 15, 1859, daughter of George Marvin, of Staten Island, and a cousin of his first wife. The children of this marriage were: Wilbur Marvin, of whom further; Walter Sher- wood, a sketch of whom follows; Martha Elizabeth; and Frank R., of Greenwich. Mrs. Peck died March 10, 1908, and Mr. Peck died September 3, 1920.
(IX) Wilbur Marvin Peck, son of Elias Sherwood and Sarah Amelia (Marvin) Peck, was born December 22, 1887, in Greenwich. He was educated in the schools of his native city, graduating from the Greenwich High School in 1907. For two years thereafter Mr. Peck was in the service of the Greenwich Electric Light
Company, being employed in their testing and inspecting department. He then spent a year with Walter Sheldon, an electrical contractor, at the end of that time becoming assistant to the manager of the New England Engineering Com- pany. A year later he was made manager of the concern, his promotion being a notable recognition of the business ability of a man as young as he then was. This position was retained by Mr. Peck until October 1, 1917, when he resigned in order to accept the presidency and treas- urership of the Greenwich Electrical Company, then newly organized. The concern took over the Greenwich end of the business, which had previously in- cluded both Stamford and Greenwich, and under Mr. Peck's efficient leadership has steadily strengthened and prospered. The company employs about twenty-two men, maintaining a store in which a general line of electrical merchandise is handled and also carrying on an electrical con- tracting business.
On March 1, 1919, Mr. Peck became president of the Stamford Electrical Con- tractor, Inc., a Stamford concern which carries on a business in that city similar to that of the Greenwich company, of which Mr. Peck is also president. They give employment to thirty-five men, and Mr. Peck, as head of this organization, has accomplished by his energy, aggres- siveness and skillful management results fully equal to those which he has achieved as president of the Greenwich company.
It may well be supposed that business positions as onerous as those held by Mr. Peck leave their incumbent little time for aught else. Never does he fail, however, in any of the duties of good citizenship, or abate a jot of his habitually keen inter- est in every plan having for its object any phase of municipal reform. He affiliates with Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Ac-
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cepted Masons, and the Knights of Pyth- ias, in Greenwich. Of the latter he is past chancellor-commander. He is also past commander of the local camp of the Sons of Veterans. His clubs are the Suburban and Kiwanis clubs of Stamford.
Mr. Peck married, June 30, 1920, Ber- nice E. Rockwell, daughter of Frank S. and Elizabeth Rockwell, of Olean, New York. Mrs. Peck was a teacher in the Port Chester schools before her marriage.
The record of Wilbur Marvin Peck, considered as that of a man who has not yet completed his thirty-fourth year, is a notable one and seems to open the way to a future full of promise.
PECK, Walter Sherwood, Plumber, Heating Engineer.
Few names are more familiar to the people of Greenwich than the one in- scribed at the head of this article. As a descendant of ancestors who became two centuries ago residents of the town, and as the head of a flourishing business, Mr. Peck stands in no need of an introduction to his fellow-citizens.
Walter Sherwood Peck, son of Elias Sherwood and Sarah A. (Marvin) Peck (q. v.), was born June 15, 1889, in Green- wich, and educated in the public schools of his native town. He learned the plumber's and tinsmith's trades under the instruction of his father, becoming pro- ficient in both. On February 1, 1919, he succeeded his father as head of the busi- ness which Mr. Peck, Sr., had many years before helped to found and which he had ever since been continuously engaged in building up into a large and flourishing concern. Under the leadership of his son it has steadily increased in strength and in the scope of its transactions.
To his present responsible position Mr. Peck brought the equipment of five years
of valuable experience acquired while serving as manager for his father. The business is conducted chiefly on a basis of local contracts, giving employment on an average to about thirteen men. The establishment, situated on Greenwich avenue, is thoroughly modern in all its ap- pointments.
While never neglecting the duties of a good citizen, Mr. Peck's time is so fully occupied as to render it impossible for him to take an active part in community affairs. He is ever ready to give all the attention possible to any project for ad- vancing the town's best interests.
Mr. Peck married, in April, 1912, Eliza- beth I. Thompson, born in County Long- ford, Ireland, daughter of James Thomp- son, and they are the parents of one child : Hazel K., born March II, 1915.
Mr. Peck, in succeeding to the headship of an old established and flourishing busi- ness, has proved himself to be the right man in the right place, and there is every prospect that under his wise guidance and skillful management the house has entered upon a future which will in all respects be worthy of its past.
DAYTON, Henry,
Man of Great Usefulness.
The Dayton family is an old one in the annals of Greenwich, Connecticut. For many generations there have been mem- bers of this family prominent in the busi- ness and public life of the town and vicinity. Especially is this true in public matters, and it seems fitting that the de- scendants of the early settlers should be found at the helm of the town's affairs. Henry Dayton, a worthy scion of the family, has brought honor to his name through his work with the schools, which has extended over a period of three dec- ades. There is perhaps no other man of
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his town who has done more for the youth of the day in an educational way, which, after all, is the foundation of their life's career. Mr. Dayton is held in the highest respect and esteem; he is among Green- wich's ablest citizens.
The origin of the name of Dayton is from Dal-ton, previously Dale-ton, mean- ing a farm in the dale, which places it among the names derived from location. The ancestor of the family was Ralph Dayton, of whom further.
(I) Ralph Dayton, who was probably born in County York, England, about 1588, and was one of those who formed the company of Governor Theophilus Eaton and Rev. John Davenport, settled in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1638. Later, Ralph Dayton sold out and re- moved to Easthampton, Long Island, where he died in 1657.
(II) Robert Dayton, son of Ralph Day- ton, was born in 1628, in England, and came to New Haven with his father, re- moving with him to Long Island, and there he died, April 16, 1712. He mar- ried Elizabeth Woodruff, a daughter of John Woodruff.
(III) Beriah Dayton, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Woodruff) Dayton, was born in 1668, and died April 30, 1746. The Christian name of his wife was Jane.
(IV) Beriah Dayton, Jr., son of Beriah and Jane Dayton, was born in 1708. Lit- tle is known of this generation except that he had a son.
(V) Jesse Dayton, son of Beriah Day- ton, Jr., was born in 1733, and he mar- ried Hannah They were the parents of David Dayton, of whom fur- ther.
(VI) David Dayton, son of Jesse and Hannah Dayton, was born in Easthamp- ton, Long Island, December 21, 1761, and died in Greenwich, Connecticut, January 23, 1838. He married, January 21, 1789,
Elizabeth Osborne, who was born in Easthampton, November 2, 1766, and died April 10, 1837, in Greenwich.
(VII) David (2) Dayton, son of David (1) and Elizabeth (Osborne) Dayton, was born March 2, 1798, and died January 26, 1872. He married, March 6, 1827, Eliza- beth Brush, daughter of Edward Brush, and member of a family long resident in Greenwich. Elizabeth (Brush) Dayton was born in 1797, and died September 20, 1863. David (2) Dayton learned the trade of weaver, which he followed for many years. He was also an extensive farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Dayton were the parents of seven children, two daughters and five sons, one of them Henry Day- ton, of whom further.
(VIII) Henry Dayton, son of David (2) and Elizabeth (Brush) Dayton, was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Septem- ber 10, 1834. He was educated in the district schools of his native town, and early in February, 1849, he went to the metropolis to engage in business. His first employment was with a cousin, who was in the grain business in "The Old Greenwich Village," New York City, and after a few years Mr. Dayton drifted into mercantile fields, as a salesman on the road. Over a half century ago, Mr. Day- ton became identified with the insurance business and this has been the occupation which he has since followed, maintaining offices in New York City.
Mr. Dayton has spent his life among children, having been interested and ac- tive in Sunday school work from early boyhood, and also has served for thirty- eight years on different school boards. For ten years he was a trustee of the old public schools of "Greenwich Village," New York City, and when he returned to his native town as a resident in the mid- dle of April, 1885, he was put on the school board there. Mr. Dayton was an
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active man on the board. He had an im- portant part in the work prior to the building of the school presented to Green- wich by Mr. and Mrs. Henry O. Have- meyer, and which bears their name. Mr. Dayton also took an active part in con- nection with the high school. It is un- doubtedly true that Mr. Dayton put a greater impress upon the work of the school board than any other man of his day. He encountered much opposition to many of his ideas, particularly in bringing in many teachers from other towns. In this he was greatly opposed, as there were many who believed that this patronage should be distributed among the daughters of the town, but Mr. Day- ton maintained that teachers from other fields would bring in many new ideas that would strengthen and broaden the work of the schools. Mr. Dayton was chairman of the School Committee that built the high school building. He is a trustee of the Havemeyer fund left for the upkeep of the school.
Mr. Dayton has ever been in great de- mand as a public speaker. He is a gifted speaker, with a fine command of English and a sense of humor which gives great delight to his audiences. He is familiar with the best of literature and possesses a sound judgment. During the recent World War he gave freely of his services in many instances. His oratory helped the sales of the Liberty Bonds, and his public spirit was an example to his fel- low-citizens.
Mr. Dayton married Elizabeth Davies, daughter of John L. Davies. Mrs. Dayton was born in New York City, her father a native of Wales, her mother, Annie Ro- gan, a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Dayton were the parents of two children : I. Charles H., born August 6, 1881 ; mar- ried, June 10, 1915, Alice Francis Smythe, and they are the parents of a son, John ;
they reside in Riverside, Connecticut. 2. Edith Elizabeth, born January 6, 1883; married Godfrey V. D. Titsworth, of Mil- waukee, and they have four sons : Godfrey V. D., Jr .; Henry Dayton ; John Ran- dolph ; and Eugene Whittemore; and one daughter, Ann Titsworth. The family at- tend the Congregational church, and Mr. Dayton has held many of the offices of this church.
The following is a contribution from Rev. Oliver Huckel, D. D., Mr. Dayton's pastor, on the occasion of Mr. Dayton's eighty-sixth birthday :
Has he drunk from some old fountain Such as Ponce de Leon knew? Or, mayhap, is the old birth-record In the Bible, not quite true?
Here he is, as hale and hearty As a youth of gay eighteen, Straight and slender as a poplar- Have you e'er his equal seen?
Brain as crisp and keen as ever, Memory a treasure store ; Tongue still eloquent and golden, Wit as sparkling as of yore.
Hair and beard a little snowy, But his eye as bright and gay, Hand and heart as warm as ever- "Hot for business" every day.
What's the secret of this wonder- This perpetual youth fulness ?
I have questioned 'til I learned it, Tho' perhaps you'd never guess.
First, he always loved the children- That's the big part of the truth- And he keeps young as he loves them And absorbs their glow of youth.
Second, he always lived religion, That's his second source of wealth .- Loves his church and loves God's precepts, Says a true life makes for health.
Third, he always loved old Greenwich- That's the third and crowning word, All his life he's lived in Greenwich- Even in New York, I've heard.
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So he claims a youth, perpetual, Greenwich special "Grand Old Man," May he live to be a hundred ! He will do it, if he can.
TODD, Arthur Stanley, Enterprising Citizen.
Among the hardy pioneers of the early settlements, the members of the Todd family held a prominent place. They con- tributed much to the growth and pros- perity of the colonies. They were honest citizens, industrious toilers, and when necessity demanded, hard fighters. Of such worthy ancestors is Arthur Stanley Todd, one of the leading merchants of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, a descendant.
Arthur S. Todd was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, July 15, 1881, the son of Wil- liam Sheridan Todd, M. D., and his wife, Mary (Conklin) Todd. He is a grandson of David Todd, who married Clarissa Bradford, a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford, who was one of the most important figures in the early his- tory of New England.
William Sheridan Todd, M. D., father of Arthur S. Todd, was born in Colerain, Massachusetts, January 1, 1840, and died February 19, 1893. His father, David Todd, was a Methodist clergyman, and his son, William S., was brought up in various towns, as Rev. David Todd was assigned to various pastorates. William S. Todd was graduated from Deerfield Academy, and from Wesleyan University, in 1864. From Middletown he went to Ridgefield as an instructor in the clas- sics in the famous Peter Parley School. Subsequently, Mr. Todd became principal of Hill's Academy, in Essex, Connecti- cut. The medical profession had early appealed to him, and the opportunity pre- sented itself in Essex to take up this
study under the able preceptorship of the leading physician of that town. Mr. Todd availed himself of this chance, and pre- pared himself for entrance to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York City, and was graduated from this insti- tution in due course of time. He took up the practice of his profession in Ridge- field, continuing until his death. By his uprightness and high ideals he won many friends ; he was the true physician, and brought solace to the mind as well as to the body.
Dr. Todd was interested in many activi- ties outside of his profession, particularly those which had to do with the welfare of the community. He served in the Leg- islature, and was on the Committee on Prisons. A great deal of his time was de- voted to educational matters, and he also served on the State Charities Commission. He was a member of the staff of the Bridgeport Hospital, and was frequently called in important consultations. Dr. Todd was a member of the Fairfield Coun- ty and Connecticut Medical societies, and the American Medical Association. It was through the efforts of Dr. Todd that the public library in Ridgefield was founded, and he was also one of the founders of the Ridgefield Press. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the Masonic order of Ridge- field, and was a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows.
Dr. Todd married Mary Conklin, daugh- ter of Gamaliel Conklin, and they were the parents of two children : Walter Brad- ford, and Arthur Stanley Todd, of further mention.
Arthur Stanley Todd received his ele- mentary education in the public schools of Ridgefield and Norwalk, and under the able teachings of his father. On complet- ing his studies he went to New Haven and there entered the employ of the New
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York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company; in 1902 he located in Green- wich, where for a time he worked at the building trade. In 1908 he became iden- tified with his present business as an em- ployee, and sufficient warrant of his abil- ity is shown by the fact that four years later he became a member of the firm. The business is conducted under the name of the Mead Stationery Company. They have a very fine store, up-to-date in all its appointments. A fine general line of sta- tionery is carried in addition to gift ar- ticles. Besides these lines a very large job printing business and finishing for amateur photographers forms an import- ant part of the work.
Like his father, Mr. Todd is interested in many outside matters. In 1904 he be- came a member of the National Guard of Connecticut, and the same year was made a corporal ; in 1905, lieutenant ; first lientenant in 1906. Mr. Todd continued in the Connecticut Guard until 1910. Later he went in again and was commissioned second lieutenant of the Connecticut State Guard, in which he continued two years as a member of Company A, Fifth Sepa- rate Battalion.
Mr. Todd was the first president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and held this office for two years. During the World War he was treasurer of the local Liberty Loan Committee, and was a member and treasurer of the Young Men's Christian Association drive, and the United War Work drive ; he was one of the executive committee and treasurer of the Greenwich War Bureau. The Red Cross also came in for a share of his ac- tivities, he serving as a member of its executive committee ; he also was secre- tary of the Greenwich Fuel Commission. Mr. Todd was a representative of the United States Army Intelligence Service,
and served on the Citizens' Committee and the executive committee.
Mr. Todd married Nellie Louise Hop- kins, daughter of James Allison and Maria Hopkins, of Oxford, New York. Their children who grew to maturity were: Arthur, born June 21, 1911 ; James Hop- kins, born May 24, 1916. The family at- tend Christ Episcopal Church.
ST. JOHN, Darius Ayres, Farmer, Public Official.
The ancestry of the St. John family is an old and honored one. The records of this family are found very early in the annals of Connecticut and particularly in Fairfield county.
(I) The immigrant ancestor of the fam- ily was Matthias St. John or Sension, as the name was originally spelled. He was among the earliest settlers in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1631-32, and was free- man of the town, September 3, 1634. In 1640 he took up his abode in Windsor, Connecticut, and there he was among the earliest planters and acquired land by pur- chase and by grant. Between 1636 and 1655 he was in Wethersfield. In 1654 he removed with his family to Norwalk, Connecticut, where he was prominent in the affairs of the town government. His will was dated October 19, 1669, and he died in Norwalk, in the latter part of Oc- tober or the first part of November, 1669.
(II) Matthias (2) St. John, son of the immigrant, Matthias (1) St. John or Sen- sion, was born in England in 1631-32. He died in Norwalk, Connecticut, December, 1728-29. He was a freeman of Norwalk, and served as selectman and fence viewer in 1659. The Christian name of his wife was Elizabeth.
(III) Ebenezer St. John, son of Mat- thias (2) and Elizabeth St. John, was
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born about 1660, and died in 1723-24. He 1798, died January 24, 1877, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah W. (Gregory) Cro- foot.
was a cooper by occupation. He married Elizabeth Comstock, born October 7, 1674, daughter of Christopher and Han- nah (Platt) Comstock, and granddaughter of the immigrant, William Comstock. They were members of the Norwalk church in 1725.
(IV) Daniel St. John, son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Comstock) St. John, was born in 1693, and died December or Jan- uary 28, 1757. He followed his father's occupation of cooper. He was twice mar- ried ; his first wife was Grace Sherman and his second, Hannah Seymour, daugh- ter of Captain Matthew Seymour.
(V) Daniel (2) St. John, son of Dan iel (1) St. John, was born in 1716, and died November 10, 1802. He was a shoe- maker, and lived in New Canaan. Dan- iel (2) St. John married Mary Mills, and she died February 3, 1806.
(VI) Benoni St. John, son of Daniel (2) and Mary (Mills) St. John, was born December 5, 1763, and according to the family Bible, December II, 1762. He died in Binghamton, New York, October 5, 1814. He married, November 8, 1781, Elizabeth Burchard, born June 13, 1764, died December 9, 1836, daughter of James Burchard. Benoni St. John served as col- lector in 1785 in Wilton, and as surveyor in Norwalk in 1791, 1793, and from 1797 to 1799.
(VII) Darius St. John, son of Benoni and Elizabeth (Burchard) St. John, was born March 20, 1799, and died August 25, 1880. He was a farmer and dealt exten- sively in timber. For some years he served as tax collector. He was one of the organizers of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Norwalk, and was demitted to the lodge in New Canaan when that was estab- lished. He married, October 16, 1829, Elizabeth Ann Crofoot, born June 12,
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