Russell Ramblings: Silas Bronson Library

In 1997, the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury, CT, began the process of identifying individuals related to that city who were worthy of being recognized for their contributions to society. This included both those who were born in Waterbury while their contributions may have been elsewhere (such as people in the entertainment industry), those who were born elsewhere but made their contributions in Waterbury (such as local business leaders), and those who were “hometown heroes.” After recognizing 35 individuals that first year and 41 more over the next 5 years, the committee has recognized around three to four additional individuals each year. As of 2018 there have been a total of 140 individuals (or sometimes groups of individuals) selected for recognition. (*1)

A week ago, my paternal grandfather, Harold Pierpont, became the 140^th person to be recognized. The nomination, selection, and recognition process has taken about two years – a reasonable time for such a worthy endeavor – and was initiated by my cousin, Rob Pierpont. I was happy to have been of assistance in helping him gather the necessary material. I was not able to attend the recognition ceremony, but some of my siblings and other cousins were. My sister sent me a copy of the booklet from the ceremony. In reading through it I was struck by the appearance of several last names that were the same as individuals in my family tree and wondered how many of the 140 individuals were related to me.

Some of these individuals I have blogged about earlier and the references are below. Others (or their offspring) I had mentioned in my blog about the first families of Waterbury (*2). For each of the individuals for whom I was able to quickly trace them I have given my ancestral connection to them, but substituting (nx) for (n times removed) in cousin relationships so as not to burden the reader.

Note that there are quite likely others who have a connection to me, the ones identified here are just those whose last names were recognizable to me as being in my ancestral family tree. I am proud to be connected to so many notable individuals.

· The Brass Worker, a group rather than an individual. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, as well as a number of other relatives worked for one of the three great brass companies in Waterbury – Anaconda American Brass, Chase Brass and Copper, and Scovill.

· Henry Bronson (1804-1893), 3^rd cousin 3x (*2)

· Silas Bronson (1788-1867), 3^rd cousin 4x (*2)

· Robert Wakeman Hill (1828-1909), 1^st cousin 4x

· David Hoadley (1774-1839), 1^st cousin 7x

· Lemuel Hopkins (1750-1801), 5^th cousin 5x (*2)

· Stephen Hopkins (1721-1803), 4^th cousin 5x (*2)

· Sturges Morehouse Judd (1809-1904), 5^th cousin 4x (*2)

· Frederick Kingsbury (1823-1910), 4^th cousin 3x

· Mattatuck Drum Band, an organization rather than an individual, but a great number of the individuals in that organization are related to me (*3)

· Harold G. Pierpont (1898-1969), grandfather (*4)

· Timothy Porter (1792-1864), husband of 1^st cousin 4x

· Sarah Johnson Prichard (1830-1909), 5^th cousin 4x