This page is an attempt to get my rambling thoughts together as I piece together the genealogical puzzle that is TPH's immediate family. I completed the transcription of the 1930 diary on 3/18/2025. It is now 7/21/2025 and I have yet to start the 1931 diary. I think I occasionally get caught up on details and that makes it difficult for me to continue transcription work when the simplest answer is almost always the correct one. # Which Sister / Who's Harry? The lingering question of the 1930 diary is the 12/26/1930 entry. Vernon states "Tessie received telegram while here from her sister saying that her son Harry had died and one today from her brother saying his wife Etta had died." From this entry, Theresa received two telegrams (though even that is up for contention as Vernon crosses out "a telegrams" to make the sentence just "telegram"): 1. From her sister saying that her son Harry had died 2. From her brother saying that his wife Etta had died Her brother is almost immediately identifiable as Charles Dwight Peck (not to be confused with her uncle and father figure) as his wife, Etta Sarah Fawcett, passed away on Christmas Day, 1930. But Theresa's sister remains an enigma. If we go by the 1880 census, we have the following entry: 1. William H. Peck (35 years old) - William H. Peck died 1887 2. Rosetta Peck (35 years old) - Rosetta de Lagos died 1881 3. Isabelle E. Peck (8 years old, would be 58 by 1930) 4. Eugene Peck (7 years old, would be 57 by 1930) 5. Harry B. Peck (6 years old, would be 56 by 1930) 6. Charles D. Peck (3 years old, would be 53 by 1930) 7. Maria T. Peck (2 years old, would be 52 by 1930) - This is almost certainly Theresa, herself 8. Lena D. Peck (3 months old, would be 50 by 1930) Since "her sister" could refer to her biological sister or sister-in-law, I will look into all of her siblings. ## Isabelle E. Peck For a long time, I couldn't find any records for Isabelle Peck besides the 1880 census. I finally did an open search on all census records after 1880 that had mother's birthplace as "Chile" and father's birthplace as "Connecticut". This led me to Isabelle E. Richmond, who seems like the perfect fit. - Same first name - Same middle initial - Roughly same birth year (1872-1873) - Same birthplace (Chile) - Lives in Connecticut (New London) so wouldn't have moved out of state - Has a son named Harry - Harry has a death date of 1930 ## Eugene Peck Eugene Peck married Margaret A. McLean on Jan 31, 1900. He died Jan 21, 1913 in Boston, MA. His death certificate says he was widowed at the time. It is signed by Mrs. Hodges (likely Theresa). It is unlikely that the sister is Eugene's wife if he was widowed at his time of death 17 years prior. ## Harry B. Peck Harry Peck died Feb 24, 1906 in Norwich, CT. In the 1900 census, he was already married to Grace Norris. They had a 1 year old child (Florence?). They also have a son, Harry Peck (born ~1900), but he lives into the 1970s. ## Charles D. Peck Charles was married to Etta Fawcett at this time. She passed away in the same entry. It's unlikely the sister refers to Etta. ## Lena D. Peck I cannot find any records for Lena Peck besides the 1880 census. # Conclusions Isabelle E. Peck seems to be the sister in question. And she married George Richmond. And their son is Harry Richmond. # Connecting Theresa Peck to William Henry Peck to Newton Carver Peck While investigating Theresa's siblings, it also occurs to me that I have very weak connections between her to her father as well as her father to her grandfather. ## Theresa Marie Peck to William Henry Peck I've found that I've been accepting as face-value that she was who I thought she was and raised by her aunt/uncle without much proof. There is no Theresa Peck birth record. There is no Theresa Peck in the 1880 census (the only census I can be sure includes William Henry Peck, her father). There is no Theresa Peck born to William Henry Peck in the CT Vital Records. So what do I know and what can I prove? 1. 1877 + 1880 - William Henry Peck and Rosetta de Lagos of Canterbury, CT have a daughter named Maria T. Peck. This is supported by both the 1880 Census and CT Vital Records (Birth record). Maria T. Peck has the same birthday (day and year) as Theresa per Vernon's diaries. 2. 1881 - Rosetta de Lagos died in childbirth in 1881. This is supported by CT Vital Records (death record). 3. 1887 - William Henry Peck died in 1887. I am physically in possession of a letter from a ship captain writing to Charles D. Peck, "his brother". 4. 1895 - Theresa graduates high school and is referred to as "Theresa Marie Peck" in the paper. This is the earliest record I have of Theresa being her first name instead of Maria T. Peck. 5. 1899 - Theresa and Vernon marry. Theresa's biological parents are named "William Henry Peck" and "Rosetta de Lagos". This is supported by CT Vital Records (Theresa's marriage record, which I obtained a copy of). Theresa is again referred to as "Theresa Marie Peck" in the paper about the wedding. The paper also mentions her parents in attendance. 6. 1930 - Vernon's diaries mention the death of both "Father Peck" and "Mother Peck". These death dates both match the death dates of Charles D. Peck and his wife Mary E. Peck. Conclusion - I believe combined, this is sufficient evidence to conclude my assumptions have been correct. - "Maria Theresa Peck" and "Theresa Marie Peck" are the same person. - Her parents are "William Henry Peck" and "Rosetta de Lagos", who both died while she was young. - She was raised by her aunt and uncle, who she came to see as mother and father. The obvious question of "where did her siblings go when their parents died?" has always seemed hard to answer without the 1890 census being available. But I am alright leaving that question for another day. ## William Henry Peck to Newton Carver Peck Moving back one generation, Theresa's father (William Henry Peck) has been a unique problem on his own. He has very loose connections to his father (Newton Carver Peck). FamilySearch has them connected as father-and-son with no source for this connection. There is no census that includes the two in the same household, though the 1880 census has them next door to each other. Were it not for a physical letter regarding his death, I would start to question if he truly existed at all. The only record that directly links them is a DAR lineage book which includes the following lines from Theresa's DAR membership: ```MS. THERESA PECK HODGES. 144470 Born in Canterbury, Conn. Wife of Vernon H. Hodges. Descendant of Jesse Peck, as follows: 1. William Henry Peck (1845-89) m. 1870 Rosetta de Lagos (1844-81). 2. Newton Carver Peck (1809-90) m. 1836 Fannie Francis Adams (1818-1908). 3. Jesse Peck m. 1795 Sarah Carver (1776-1859). Jesse Peck (1764-1827) served as a private in the Connecticut militia under Col. Levi Wells. His widow received a pension. He was born and died in Canterbury, Conn. ``` But how did they know that? William Henry Peck is a complete ghost, appearing only in the 1880 census as far as I can find. He does not have a birth record in CT Vital Records (only some of his siblings do, notably all the ones younger than him), he does not have a marriage record in CT Vital Records (he married Rosetta de Lagos, likely while at sea), and he does not have a death record in CT Vital Records (he died at sea per a letter to his brother). I purchased copies of Theresa's application to join the DAR. She has written out the exact lineage as printed in the lineage book. When asked to provide reference of her lineage, it is written (likely by Theresa): "Record of line of descent taken from The Peck Genealogy by Ira B. Peck. The record of Jesse Peck (indirect line from Henry Peck, who settled in New Haven in 1638) is found on the additional page inserted between pages 328 and 329 of the appendix of above mentioned volume, published in 1868. Statement from Pension Bureau." The Peck Genealogy book is easily found online, but obviously without the inserted page. I do not know which library this inserted page is located in but I have asked the DAR Library if it is in their copy. The comment about the Pension Bureau led me to finding the documentation from Jesse's pension record, which includes any inquiries into it. Multiple people wrote in to them in 1849 (after the pension date was extended to widows that would include Jesse's wife Sarah) to attest to Jesse's service. It also includes a 1916 request from Theresa, likely for her DAR application, which she submitted in early 1917. Her letter reads: ``` Feb 7 - 1916 To The Hon. Commissoner of Pensions Washington, D.C. Dear Sir, Is it possible for your department to furnish me with the Revolutionary record of one Jesse Peck, born in 1764 - enlisted when a very young boy toward the class of the war. Died September 26, 1827 and is buried in Canterbury, Conn. His wife Sarah Carver Peck received a pension as a widow of a Revolutionary Soldier until her death came where around 1859 or 1860. It has been impossible for me to find if he enlisted from Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Vermont and I felt that there would be an official, therefore accurate, record among the pension records. I am a great grand daughter of the aforesaid Jesse Peck and would appreciate very greatly this information along with any facts which may be recorded of his service. Thanking you in advance I am Very Respectfully Theresa Peck Hodges Mrs. Vernon H. Hodges 79 Norton St. New Haven, Conn. ``` It seems clear at least that Theresa believes this is the correct lineage and for now, that's good enough for me and I can put this issue to bed.