A month ago, I posted in my blog an article about my grandfather,
Harold Granger Pierpont, that had appeared in the Waterbury Republic-American
in 1968 (*1). That article was simply a reprint of that newspaper article. In this
blog I’d like to give some personal details about my grandfather and the impact
that he has had.
1898 – My grandfather was born this year in Waterbury, CT. His mother
died as a result of complications from childbirth and he was given to family
friends in Prospect, CT to be raised. There he met and married my grandmother
and they moved back to Waterbury to raise what would eventually be a family of
five children.
1938 – The story in the Waterbury newspaper relates that my grandfather’s
involvement in maintain trails in the Waterbury area began in 1938 when he went
for a hike with his youngest son, my uncle Dick. As he later related, “We had
continuous trouble most of the way as the trail was badly overgrown. Near the end
we lost it completely.” He wanted to do something about it and wrote to the
Connecticut Forest and Park Association, saying that he liked to hike as did
his children and he would be glad to give a hand in maintaining a portion of
the trails. This led to a 30-year relationship where he eventually was
responsible for maintenance of 175 miles of trails.
1948 – When I was born in 1948, Harold became a grandfather for the
first time – of what eventually would be 18 grandchildren. Because of his
interest being passed on to his children it was passed to our generation as
well. We grew up in a family that camped during family vacations. And my
parents had purchased 23 acres of woodland behind our house that became very
familiar to us. My cousins, especially those who lived just a few houses away,
also shared in this love of the outdoors.
1958 – My youngest brother was born. He went on to major in Forestry at
the University of New Hampshire and was most at home going hiking in the White
Mountains, usually by himself. He used his outdoor skills when he worked as a
missionary in Haiti which is where he met his wife.
Over the following years our family involvement in nature continued. My
uncle became a forest fire ranger and had a crew of young boys (including
myself and one of my cousins) who would go with him to put out fires deep in
the woods where the hoses of the volunteer fire department could not reach.
1968 – When my grandfather was 70 years of age, the local newspaper
honored him with a story of his time in maintaining trails. No one knew yet
that it would only be the following year when his life would come to an end
when a ladder slipped out from under him when he was clearing leaves from the
gutter on the back of his house.
1998 – A portion of the woodlands behind our family home is donated to
the Wolcott Land Conservation Trust so that it may be preserved for future
generations (*2). It is called the Russell Preserve.
2018 – It is 50 years since that newspaper article was written. Another
two generations of descendants of Harold Pierpont have been born. I recently
turned 70 – the same age that my grandfather was when he was recognized in that
newspaper article. But his legacy of love for the outdoors and stewardship of
the land has continued and is being passed on.
My son and his family also love nature. When they come join us each
year on a family vacation his entire family sleep in tents rather than in a
motel room. My daughter also loves nature and her sons are attending a charter
school, Seven Generations Charter School, which has its focus on the environment
and stewardship. The school website notes (*3) – “In our every deliberation, we
must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” This
is taken from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy (*4). I have chosen to
serve on the Board of Trustees for that school because I also believe strongly
in their mission.
In October my grandfather will be recognized in a ceremony and his
biography will be posted on the Silas Bronson Library’s Waterbury Hall of Fame
(*5). I will be writing another blog entry when that happens. Stay tuned.
The Iroquois Confederacy did not come as far east as Waterbury. But as
the tribute to Native Americans notes in the article about them in the Hall of
Fame (*5), “The lack of a permanent settlement in the Waterbury area was due in
part to raids from the West by the more powerful Mohawks.” The Mohawks were one
of the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (*6).
I don’t believe that my grandfather was thinking of the Great Law of
the Iroquois Confederacy back in 1938 when he made that decision to begin
working on the blue trails in the Waterbury area. And it has not yet been seven
generations since that decision – my grandchildren are only the fifth
generations. But his impact continues to be manifest in their lives – in their
love of the outdoors and their stewardship of the environment.
Thanks, Grampy! Your legacy is continuing.
Notes:
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