USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 5
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KATHERINE L. PECK
Katherine L. Peck is a prominent social welfare worker who for many years served as treasurer of the Waterbury Industrial School, now the Waterbury Girls Club, and was also chosen the first president of the Young Women's Friendly League. Her ef- forts have long constituted a potent force for moral uplift and her life has been one of broad usefulness and far-reaching in- fluence. She is a daughter of Henry P. and Harriet M. (Cook) Peck and a direct descendant of two famous officers of the Revolu- tionary war, Colonel Phineas Porter and Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Baldwin. On another page of this work may be found a review of the life of her brother, Captain Henry B. Peck, who fought at the battle of Fredericksburg with his own company of one hundred men from New Haven county and who gave his life in defense of the Union. Mrs. Harriet M. (Cook) Peck, the mother of Katherine L. Peck, was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1812, and had attained the age of eighty-nine years when she passed away in 1901. She was married in 1839 and lived for a time in the southern part of Georgia but, being much opposed to slavery, succeeded in persuading her husband to move to Mil- waukee, Wisconsin, where he was successfully engaged in busi- ness as a dry goods merchant from 1846 until his death in 1854. Two years later Mrs. Peck returned to the east in order to edu-
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cate her children, establishing her home in New Haven, Con- necticut. Her last years, however, were spent in Waterbury with her daughter Katherine, who dedicated her life to the care and comfort of the members of the household. She is the sole sur- vivor of a family of five children, namely: Captain Henry B. Peck; Harriet M., who died at the age of eighteen years; Milton H., who died in infancy; Katherine L .; and Charles, whose death occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In pursuit of an education Katherine L. Peck attended the Grove Hall School kept by Miss Mary Dutton. In 1864 some of Waterbury's prominent women organized the Waterbury Indus- trial School, the purpose of which was to encourage "morals, re- ligion and fine sewing," its promoters pledging their time, money and influence in behalf of as many destitute girls as possible. Miss Peck, actively interested in this work from the start, was elected treasurer of the school in 1888, thus serving most capably for many years. It is still in existence under the name of the Water- bury Girls Club and has received her support since its inception two-thirds of a century ago. In 1889 Miss Peck became the first president of the newly organized Young Women's Friendly League. She is a valued member of the First Congregational Church, in the work of which she took a most active and helpful part for many years. Moreover, she has rendered effective service on various committees of the Mattatuck Historical Society. Her activities have been fruitfully resultant in various fields of en- deavor, and in helping others she has found the true happiness.
CARMINE G. CIPRIANO
Carmine G. Cipriano, a Yale graduate, is numbered among the younger representatives of the Waterbury bar and fully meets the requirements of the profession. He was born in Waterbury, October 23, 1903, a son of Rocco Michael and Filomena (Aldo- risio) Cipriano, natives of Italy. The father, who was born in the town of Frigento, in the region of Campania, is now de- ceased. The mother was born in the province of Avellino.
Following his graduation from the Crosby high school of Waterbury, Carmine G. Cipriano enrolled as a student in Yale University, which awarded him the A. B. degree in 1926, and
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two years later he received the degree of LL. B. from the Yale Law School. In 1928 he was admitted to the Connecticut bar and has since been associated with Meyer, Hincks & Traurig, one of the leading law firms of Waterbury. His mind is analytical, logical and inductive in its trend, and in his presentation of a case he is always well fortified by a clear understanding of the legal principles applicable thereto.
Mr. Cipriano is a communicant of St. Lucy's Roman Catholic Church and conscientiously adheres to its teachings. He belongs to Province d'Avellino Lodge of the Sons of Italy at Waterbury, and his interest in dramatic art is indicated in his identification with the Little Theater Guild of Waterbury. His college fra- ternity is Phi Alpha Delta, formerly called the Book & Gavel Club. During his student days he joined the Yale Glee Club and was a member of the Yale Choir for seven years. While preparing for the bar he also participated in athletic events at the univer- sity as a member of the swimming squad and the baseball squad, and he likewise became connected with a Yale organization known as Il Circolo Italiano. Studious and industrious, Mr. Cipriano is exerting every effort to advance in his profession and is well qualified for the practice of law.
HON. CHARLES EDWARD MEIGS
Hon. Charles Edward Meigs, long a prominent representa- tive of the Waterbury bench and bar, passed away December 20, 1925, when fifty-three years of age. A lifelong resident of New Haven county, he was born at Quaker Farms, Oxford, Connecti- cut, June 1, 1872, and was a son of Charles Augustus and Bernice (Riggs) Meigs, the former a member of the firm of Meigs & Trott, bakers and wholesale cracker manufacturers. Judge Meigs was a grandson of Samuel and Lorena (Tomlinson) Meigs and a descendant of John Meigs, who came to Weymouth, Massa- chusetts, from Dorsetshire, England, in 1635, moved to East Guilford (now Madison), Connecticut, in 1654, and is said to have led the regicides to the cave on West Rock, New Haven, while Edward Riggs, another ancestor, at other times protected them in his home on Derby hill. He was also a descendant of Lieutenant Colonel Jabez Thompson and John Holbrook of the Revolutionary
charles 3. 2
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army; Henry Tomlinson, who settled in Milford, Connecticut, in 1652; Nathaniel Bacon, who settled in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1655, and the Rev. Jeremiah Peck, who was the first ordained pastor (1691) of the Congregational Church in Waterbury. Mrs. Bernice (Riggs) Meigs, the mother of Judge Meigs, was a daugh- ter of Ebenezer and Julia (Davis) Riggs and a descendant of Edward Riggs, who came to Roxbury, Massachusetts, from Eng- land in 1633, his son, Edward Riggs, being one of the first two settlers of Derby, Connecticut, in 1654.
In the acquirement of an education Charles E. Meigs attended the Waterbury high school, the Greenwich (Conn.) Academy and the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University. He was grad- uated with the class of 1895, in which year the Ph. B. degree was conferred upon him. While a college student he became a mem- ber of the Freshman and Second Glee Clubs and of Theta Xi. He pursued a business course in the fall of 1895 and during the succeeding year was connected with Holmes, Booth & Hayden, brass manufacturers of Waterbury, and with the Excelsior Needle Company of Torrington, Connecticut. He was a student in the Yale School of Law from January, 1897, until June, 1898, when he was admitted to the Connecticut bar, after which he took a special course at the Harvard Law School in 1898-99. It was in July, 1899, that he began practice in Waterbury, which city remained the scene of his professional activities to the time of his retirement. He was appointed prosecuting attorney for the city of Waterbury in February, 1904, and continued in office until March 25, 1910, when he resigned to become a deputy judge of the Waterbury district court. He was reappointed in 1914 and held office until November 15, 1916, when he resigned on account of ill health, which made it necessary to spend much time in a warmer climate and prevented his return to active practice. His record as a judge was characterized by the utmost impartiality, for he was singularly free from the prejudices of race, religion or political creed.
Judge Meigs was unmarried and is survived by a sister, Miss Mary L. Meigs, who resides at 96 Euclid avenue in Waterbury. An Episcopalian in religious faith, he was affiliated with St. John's Church of Waterbury and he was also a member of the Connecticut branch of the Sons of the American Revolution. Along strictly professional lines he had membership in the Con-
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necticut State Bar Association, while fraternally he was affiliated with the Masonic order, belonging to Harmony Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He served on the board of governors of the Waterbury Club from 1904 until 1907 and again from 1909 until 1912 and was its vice president in 1905. He was also the secretary and a member of the executive committee of the Waterbury Golf Asso- ciation and a member of the Country Club of Waterbury, and figured prominently in local politics as a member of the Water- bury republican town committee. A man of the highest integrity and of generous, unselfish spirit, he enjoyed an enviable reputa- tion and well deserved popularity throughout the community in which his life was passed, and his death was deeply mourned by all who knew him.
DONALD T. PECK
Donald T. Peck, World war veteran, is a representative young business man and native son of New Haven, where he is at the head of the Peck Bindery, which had its inception more than a century ago and is the oldest enterprise continuously conducted under one name by one family. He was born April 22, 1897, his parents being Frederick W. and Harriet Isabel (Terrell) Peck, the former a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the latter of College Point, Long Island. Frederick W. Peck, who was con- nected with the Hygienic Ice Corporation of New Haven for a number of years, is now retired.
Donald T. Peck acquired his early education in the public schools of East Haven, completing the high school course in New Haven by graduation in 1915. His early business experience was gained in the employ of the Connecticut Company, with which he continued until April 20, 1917, when he enlisted in a New Haven cavalry troop which later became Company D of the One Hundred and First Machine Gun Battalion and was subse- quently designated as Company D of the One Hundred and Third Machine Gun Battalion. He went overseas as a corporal of this company and on the 16th of June, 1918, was wounded by a rifle bullet at Xivray, France, being thereafter in various hospitals until discharged January 9, 1919. On his return to New Haven he resumed his work with the Connecticut Company but in 1920
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took charge of the bookbinding and stationery manufacturing business formerly owned and conducted by his uncle, Henry H. Peck. This enterprise was established in 1818 under the name of Durrie & Peck and, as stated above, is the oldest concern which has been continuously under the direction of the members of a single family. The plant is located at Nos. 11 to 15 Pitkin street, New Haven.
On the 18th of November, 1922, Mr. Peck was married to Mildred E. Tait, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two daughters: Nancy C., born November 25, 1924; and Dorcas V., born July 8, 1926.
The military record of Mr. Peck does not end with his honor- able discharge from the army after the close of the World war. In May, 1923, upon the formation of a squadron of cavalry of the Connecticut National Guard, he was appointed second lieutenant on the staff of Major William H. Welch and in June, 1923, was promoted to first lieutenant, and in June, 1929, was promoted to a captaincy. He is now adjutant of the One Hundred and Twenty- second Cavalry of the Connecticut National Guard. He belongs to the American Legion and from 1920 until 1923 was commander of Harry R. Bartlett Post, No. 89, East Haven, and was district commander and member of the state executive committee in 1922 and 1923. He is also a member of the Y. D. Veterans Association and Troop A Veterans Association.
ST. MARGARET'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
The Waterbury School Association was formed in 1864 with a paid-in capital of twenty-six thousand five hundred dollars, subscribed by citizens of the place, for the purpose of establishing a girls' school. This was accomplished largely through the influ- ence of the Rev. R. G. Williams, who (as well as Mrs. Williams, before and after her marriage) had had considerable experience in teaching. The property on the corner of Grove and Cooke streets, formerly the homestead of the late Samuel Cooke, was purchased, buildings were erected, and the school was opened in the autumn of 1865. The first prospectus of the school was a pamphlet of twelve pages, entitled "Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies, Waterbury, Conn., 1865." The directors of the
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corporation were: F. J. Kingsbury, president; C. N. Wayland, secretary and treasurer; Charles Benedict, J. C. Booth, S. M. Buckingham, C. H. Carter and A. S. Chase. Three departments, an elementary, an academic and a collegiate, were proposed. Mr. and Mrs. Williams conducted the school for four years and were succeeded by Elizabeth E. Earle, previously principal of the wo- men's department in the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At the end of one successful year she was married to the Rev. George F. Magoun, D. D., president of Iowa College. Ellen J. Smith then became principal for two years, and was succeeded by Lucy S. Winston, who also remained two years.
The undertaking, although very useful to Waterbury, was not financially successful, and a debt of about fifty thousand dollars had been incurred. This, together with the difficulty of finding a suitable teacher, resulted in closing the school for a year. Mean- time, by a general subscription of citizens interested in the enter- prise, a sufficient sum was raised to pay off the debt, and the property was presented to the Episcopal diocese of Connecticut for a diocesan school. A charter was obtained June 8, 1875, under the name of St. Margaret's School for Girls. The Rev. Francis T. Russell, at that time associate rector of St. John's par- ish, was appointed rector of the school, and it was opened under the new name in September, 1875.
In addition to about eighty thousand dollars given by the citizens of Waterbury, the school has received, either for scholar- ships or for general purposes, twenty-five thousand dollars from Mrs. Cornelia H. Boardman of New Haven, two thousand dollars from the Misses Edwards of New Haven, one thousand dollars from Mrs. Henry Perry of Southport, five thousand dol- lars from the children of the late Mrs. Olive M. Elton of Water- bury, in memory of their mother and in recognition of her interest in the school, and from J. W. Smith a chapel organ, as a memor- ial to his son. Under the Rev. Dr. Russell's charge, with the foundation above named, the school became self-supporting and maintained a high standard. The number of pupils is usually about one hundred and fifty, of whom from forty to fifty are boarders and the others day pupils.
The death of Mrs. Russell, in 1889, was a great grief to all who were or had been connected with the school. Her influence was of a kind which can hardly be described. Her very quiet and
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retiring manner might have led a casual observer to suppose that it was not great, but those who came nearer knew that it per- meated and molded the whole life of the school. Her title among the inmates was the House Mother, and every girl felt that she had found a second mother in her. Her intellectual gifts were of a high order, but her extreme-one might almost say, excessive -modesty hid them from all but the nearest friends.
In 1891 Dr. Russell associated with him as principal Mary R. Hillard, a former pupil of the school, whose experience as a teacher, largely in the school of Miss Porter in Farmington, had especially qualified her for the position. The failure of Dr. Rus- sell's health, soon after, led him to devolve the whole management of the school upon Miss Hillard, who filled the position most suc- cessfully. Dr. Russell retained the rectorship, and after 1893 his restored health enabled him to take some part in the instruction.
In 1909 Miss Hillard left the old building at the corner of Grove and Cooke streets and took all of the boarding pupils to the Westover School. In the fall of that year St. Margaret's re- opened under the principalship of Miss Emily Gardiner Munro, who had graduated with degrees of A. B. and A. M. from Brown University and who had been head of the department of English at the Albany Academy for Girls in Albany, New York. The day school continued as before, and the boarding department began again to build up. Miss Munro was a born executive and a woman of great force of personality. She emphasized the need of girls being prepared for college, so the school tended in the direction of a college preparatory school. She surrounded herself with a group of splendid teachers, men and women of sound training and experience. In 1923, after several years of ill health, Miss Munro died. During the last year of her illness, Alberta C. Edell had served as acting principal, and in 1923 she assumed the prin- cipalship of the school, which has remained under her capable direction to the present time and has steadily progressed and pros- pered. Miss Edell was graduated from Barnard College with the A. B. degree and from Columbia University with the degree of A. M. In September, 1928, St. Margaret's School moved to its fine new brick fireproof building on a twenty-seven acre estate situated on Chase Parkway, where the beauty of both building and grounds has given a very gracious, dignified setting for this old and honored institution. It owes all this to the people of
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Waterbury who so liberally backed the drive for funds for this building, but in particular to those sons and daughters of the founders of the school who have been loyal and active in guiding its destinies. The high character of the school and the beauty of its situation have given it a reputation which attracts pupils from all parts of the country.
REV. R. G. WILLIAMS
Rev. R. G. Williams was born in New Hartford in 1817. He graduated from Amherst College in the class of 1835 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1847. He preached in Con- gregational churches in Woodbury and Birmingham, and during the war for the Union became captain of Company G, First Con- necticut Heavy Artillery. As already stated, the "Collegiate In- stitute for Young Ladies" was opened largely through his in- fluence. He and his wife, Mrs. M. E. Williams, were its first principals. On retiring from Waterbury they removed to Castle- ton, Vermont, and Mr. Williams became principal of a school in that place. They removed in 1883 to Amherst, Massachusetts, and opened a school there, with which Mr. Williams was con- nected at the time of his death. He died February 16, 1894.
REV. DR. FRANCIS T. RUSSELL
Rev. Dr. Francis Thayer Russell was born June 10, 1828, in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His father, the Rev. William Russell, was born and educated in Scotland, and came to America as a teacher in 1819. He was an accomplished linguist, and soon after coming to this country published a Latin grammar for beginners, known as Russell's Adam's Latin Grammar. He taught for a time in Savannah, and later in New Haven, Boston and other places, and always with success; but having become interested in elocu- tion, he turned his attention wholly to that study, and achieved in it a wide reputation. He married Ursula, daughter of the Rev. Luke Wood, who was at that time pastor of the First Church in Waterbury.
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Francis T. Russell was educated partly at Phillips Academy of Andover, Massachusetts, but mostly by his father, whom he early began to assist in his elocutionary teachings. In this he proved so competent that at the age of seventeen he had the entire charge of classes composed of men in middle life and engaged in professional work. He received his theological education at the Berkeley Divinity School of Middletown and was ordained deacon in 1854 and priest the following year. He was for nine years rector of St. Mark's parish, New Britain, for five years professor at Hobart College of Geneva, New York, for two years rector of St. Stephen's, Ridgefield, and for seven years associate rector of St. John's in Waterbury, Connecticut. From this last named posi- tion he was called in the summer of 1875 to become rector of the newly organized St. Margaret's School. Mr. Russell never gave up his elocutionary work, but through all the years of parochial and school service found time to deliver lectures and instruct classes in the General Theological Seminary of New York, in the Berkeley Divinity School, in Trinity and Hobart Colleges, in St. Paul's School of Concord, New Hampshire-in so many places, in fact, that it was hard to find a professional man who had not been at some time under his instruction. His public readings were also numerous and popular, and as the proceeds of these were almost entirely devoted to charity he was enabled to assist many a feeble parish, crippled philanthropist and needy family, to the great delight of the recipients and the giver.
On October 25, 1855, Mr. Russell married Mary Huntley, daughter of Charles and Lydia (Huntley) Sigourney of Hart- ford. She was a lady in whom were united executive capacity, excellent judgment, great kindness of heart, unmeasured self- sacrifice in behalf of others, much literary ability, a faculty of keen observation, and withal a modesty so self-depreciating that it was only to the few who were brought into close relations with her that her precious qualities were revealed. She died July 20, 1889. Soon after Mrs. Russell's death a memorial volume was printed which was not so much a record of life as a revelation of character. It was devoted largely to selections from her letters, which were written with exceptional beauty of thought and grace of expression. They reveal the simplicity of her faith and love as a Christian woman and the single-minded affection of her nature as a daughter, wife and mother. Her children were three in num-
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ber, namely: Gordon, born October 10, 1856; Huntley, born Sep- tember 1, 1858; and Sigourney, who was born October 9, 1861, and died June 20, 1880.
REGINALD PIERCE TRACY
Through comprehensive technical training and broad experi- ence in the manufacture of electrical appliances Reginald Pierce Tracy is well qualified for the responsible duties that devolve upon him as president of the Manning-Bowman Company of Meriden, where he also has other business and financial inter- ests of importance. He was born in Goshen, New York, June 14, 1885, a son of Joseph T. and Lucy Ellen (Pierce) Tracy. The father was the son of a missionary and was born in Tiruman- galan, India.
Reared in his native city, Reginald P. Tracy attended its pub- lic schools and was next a student in the College of the City of New York. Afterward he matriculated in Cornell University at Ithaca, New York, where he won the degree of Mechanical Engineer, graduating with the class of 1904. At Brooklyn, New York, he entered the employ of the American Can Company and was a member of its clerical force for two years. He then became connected with the Western Electric Company in New York city, filling a position in the financial department, and later was trans- ferred to their office in Boston, where he was assistant treasurer for six years. In 1915 he was made manager of the Lewis Elec- tric Supply Company and acted in that capacity until the fall of 1919, when he assumed the duties of sales manager of the Man- ning-Bowman Company of Meriden, manufacturers of high grade electrical appliances. Systematic and energetic, he made his department a notable feature of the business and in 1923 was called to the office of vice president, also becoming a director of the company. Since 1926 he has been its president, formulating well devised plans for the expansion of the business and main- taining a high standard of production. His cooperation has also been sought in other connections and in every instance his efforts have been resultant and beneficial. He was at one time presi- dent and is still a director of the Meriden Aircraft Corporation, and his name likewise appears on the directorates of the Meriden
OBACHRACH
REGINALD P. TRACY
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National Bank, the Home Finance Company and the Foster- Merriman Company of Meriden.
Mr. Tracy was married June 9, 1914, in Boston to Elizabeth Brown Merrill, and they have three children: William Merrill, Elizabeth and Jean. Mrs. Tracy is active in the affairs of the Woman's Club of Meriden and in the work of charitable and wel- fare associations.
In movements for civic growth and betterment Mr. Tracy also manifests a deep and helpful interest and is a director of the Boys Club of Meriden. He has membership in the Rotary Club, the Home Club, the Highland Country Club and the Manhattan Club, while fraternally he is a Mason. For recreation he turns to tennis, hunting and fishing for sword fish, and instead of spending the winter months in Florida he prefers to go to Quebec, Canada, for skeeing and other exhilarating sports. Although a business man of large affairs, he knows how to enjoy life and maintains an even balance in his interests and activities. He is a consistent member of the First Congregational Church and has ever been governed by high principles and actuated by worthy motives, thus gaining the respect and good-will of his fellowmen.
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