Pero and Mead

Sallie Eugena PERO (1893 - 1981) and Charles Edwin MEAD (1887 - 1934)

Sallie E. PERO was born 1 Oct 1893 in New York City, and died 16 Apr 1981 in Paramus, Bergen, NJ, age 87, daughter of Robert R. PERO and Lillian M. FOGGIN. She married Charles Edwin MEAD, who was born 2 Aug 1887 in New York City, and died 4 Jan 1934, age 46. Charles was the son of Charles Henry MEAD and Laura GAGER. Sallie married (2) on 25 Nov 1938 in Greenwich, Fairfield, CT to Chester Ellis GRANT, born 29 Jul 1895 in Manhattan, NYC and died in 1960, age 65.

Sallie and Charles grew up less than 5 blocks apart in Manhattan, and probably attended the same grade school, although Charles was more than 5 years older.

Sallie became a pioneer in electrical engineering, with several patents and technical papers to her credit, and a long career at Bell Labs.

Sallie before Charles

Sallie was one of three children of Robert R. PERO and Lillian M. FOGGIN, who were married on 25 Dec 1886 in Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York City, NY.

Robert R. PERO was born during the Civil War, in Jul 1864, NY, son of Walter PERO and Elizabeth KELLY. He died on 12 Apr 1931, in Manhattan, New York, NY, age 66. Lillian M. FOGGIN was born in Jan 1864, NY. Robert began as a store clerk, and became manager of a lumber company between 1915 and 1920.

Sallie's brother Bertram was also an electrical engineer. There is more about him in a section below. Her other brother was Eugene, who probably died in childhood, as he doesn't appear with the family in any census. Eugene is only mentioned his father's will (below).

Robert R. PERO seems to have had a brief period of real estate transactions, from 1889 to 1895. I don't read real estatese, so I'll just leave these here, for your perusal.

If this is 102 W 120th St in Manhattan, it is in Central Harlem, just a few blocks SE of the Pero and Mead residences.

Columbus Ave in Manhattan, runs SW-NE, one block NW of Central Park. The intersection with 74th Street is near the Strawberry Fields area of Central Park.

This property at 103rd St and Amsterdam Ave is west of Central Park, in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, near the present HI New York City Hostel, and about 6 blocks from 1294 Columbus Ave, where the Charles Henry MEAD family lived in 1900.

The property at 103rd St and 10th Ave (Amsterdam Ave) must be the same as mentioned above.

This is the same property at 74th and Columbus that is mentioned above.

The 1900 US Census has the PERO family in a rented house at 406 W 124th St, in Manhattan. Robert’s occupation is “Clerk Sash a Doors”. The census confirms that Robert and Lillian had been married 14 years, and Lillian had 2 children, both surviving in 1900.

In 1905 the family lived in an apartment at 2 St Nicholas Place, in Manhattan. Robert was a clerk at a dry goods store, and Bertram, at age 17, was in college.

In 1910 the PERO family had a rented apartment at 8 St Nicholas Terrace, Manhattan. Robert and Lillian had been married 24 years. Lillian had 2 children, both surviving, presumably the 2 shown.

Sallie attended Barnard College, in Manhattan, less than a mile from her home. Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college. It was founded in 1889 as a response to Columbia University's refusal to admit women. Another famous Barnard alumna was Margaret MEAD, Class of 1923. I'm not sure if she was related to Charles Edwin MEAD.

A member of the Class of 1913, Sallie was active in athletics, winning several events. On Field Day, held 4 May 1912, Sallie took 1st place in the 75-yard dash, with a time of 9 seconds, and 1st place in the high jump, with a height of 4 ft 5 in. She also played on the field hockey, basketball and baseball teams. In the 1912 Greek Games she took 2nd place in discus hurling, She was Vice-President of her Sophomore Class. She graduated with highest math honors.

Sallie received a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College in 1913, and Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1914. The 1940 US Census (below) records that she had completed 5 years of college. In 1914 she was a substitute teacher at Evander Childs High School in the Gun Hills neighborhood of the Bronx, NYC. [AABC, p. 84]

The 1915 NY State Census has Sallie living with her parents. He occupation was "Computter"! The families are not numbered in this census. At the same address was the SUDBRINK couple. I don't know if this was some kind of duplex, or if they were related. Fredrick SUDBRINK was a naturalized citizen, in the US for 13 years, and Gisella had been in the US for 10 years.

The PERO family lived at 30 Convent Ave, less than 2 blocks from their home in 1910.

Of course there were no electronic computers in 1915, so Sallie's occupation called "Computter" meant that she did computations.

In 1920 the family was still at 30 Convent Ave. Bertram had left home, bust Sallie was still living with her parents, and working as an electrical engineer. Robert was no longer a clerk, but now a manager at a lumber factory.

Sallie's Research at Bell Labs

Sallie had a 43-year career at Bell Labs, from 1915 until her retirement in 1958. She wrote or co-wrote at least 4 excellent research articles in the Bell System Technical Journal, and had several patents.

Her first paper was a solo effort, taking up 12 pages in the Journal:

Wave Propagation Over Parallel Tubular Conductors: The Alternating Current Resistance, by Sallie Pero Mead, Bell System Technical Journal, 4: 2. Apr 1925 pp. 327-338 link

This was an extension of a 1921 paper by John R. CARSON, on the impedance due to current in parallel wires, using Bessel function expansions. Sallie extended the results to the case of currents in parallel conducting tubes. The application mentioned at the end of the article is for an O-gauge copper wire, of radius 0.4125 cm.

Sallie Pero MEAD and Norman R. FRENCH field patent US1769959A on 18 Aug 1926, for a Loading System. It was approved and published on 8 Jul 1930. link

Charles before Sallie

Charles may have been an only child. His father was Charles Henry MEAD, a store clerk, and Laura GAGER. Their residence was 306 W 129th Street, Manhattan.

The birth record below doesn't name the child, but the birth date matches Charles Edwin MEAD in other records. It does give good information about the parents.

In 1900 the MEAD family had a rented home at 1294 Columbus Ave, Manhattan. They had been married 13 years, and Laura had 1 child, surviving. C. Henry MEAD's occupation: "Real Estate".

The 1915 NY State Census appears to show two families residing at 124 Morningside Ave. Charles Edwin is called Edwin C, living with his parents. The second head-of-household is Edward C. HOGG, an electrician. His wife is Emily or Emly. Then Mary B. MEAD is "Mother" of the head-of-household. I don't think she is the mother of Edward. She must be the mother of Emily. So I thought maybe Edwin and Emily were half-siblings.

As shown on the map above, the MEAD home at 124 Morningside Ave was less than 5 blocks from the PERO home at 30 Convent Ave. So Sallie and Robert lived in the same neighborhood at age 21 and 27.

Sallie and Charles

Sallie E. PERO and Charles Edwin MEAD were married on 9 Sep 1924, in Manhattan, NY. In 1925 they were living with his parents, at 124 Morningside Ave, Manhattan. Sallie began using the name Sallie Pero MEAD, hence the middle initial of P instead of E.

On 3 Dec 1929 Charles E. MEAD (42) and Sallie MEAD (36) embarked on the ship Bermuda from the port of Hamilton, Bermuda, arriving at the port of New York on 5 Dec 1929. The ship's manifest also says they were both born in New York, and resided at 124 Morningside Ave, NYC.

In 1930 the family was still at 124 Morningside Ave. Their rent was $50 per month. Charles Henry MEAD had died, since his wife Laura was a widow. His son Charles Edwin MEAD was now head-of-household, although his mother was still there. The census also tells us the Charles Edwin was 35 (or 36) when first married, and Sally was 29, making it about 1924. Laura G. MEAD was 20 when first married, about 1885. They also had a roomer, H. J. HERRON, age 50, single, owner of a store that sold shoes etc.

Charles Edwin MEAD died on 4 Jan 1934, at age 46.

Sallie and Chester

Sallie remarried, to Chester Ellis GRANT on 25 Nov 1938 in Greenwich, CT. Chester was born on 29 Jul 1895 in Manhattan, son of Robert GRANT and Emma R. MARSH.

They appear to have taken a 2-week cruise for their honeymoon, as they embarked on 26 Nov 1938 from New York on the Chiriqui, and arrived back in New York on 11 Dec 1938. The ship's manifest has Sallie's birthdate as 1 Oct 1898 instead of 1 Oct 1893. Their home address is 124 Morningside Ave, NYC.

The Chiriqui was a cargo and passenger liner, built in 1932, part of the Great White Fleet, owned by the United Fruit Company. It was sold in 1941 to the US Navy, and called USS Tarazed (AF-13) during WWII.

The 1940 US Census shows several families living at 124 Morningside Ave, including the two above. Sallie lived with her mother and mother-in-law. She was 47, making a good salary at Bell. Chester had completed 4 years of college, and Sallie had 5 years, presumably including a year of graduate school. The others had only an 8th grade education.

The 1942, 1943, 1944 City Directories for Manhattan have Chester E. GRANT at 124 Morningside Ave. There is no mention of his wife. In 1945, 1946, 1948, 1957, 1959 he appears at 344W84. There was a Chester GRANT who died on 14 Apr 1960 in Manhattan, age 61. Our Chester would have been 64 on that date.

For Sallie, the AIEE and IEEE membership lists give these addresses:

1952 — 5900 Arlington Avenue NY
1961 — 344 West 84th Street NY
1966 — 5900 Arlington Avenue NY

Sallie retired from Bell Labs in 1958.

Chester and Sallie have a shared gravestone in Arlington Memorial Park, Kearny, Hudson County, NJ. Chester died in 1960 and Sallie 16 Apr 1981 in Paramus, Bergen, NJ.

Bertram Simonson PERO (1888 - 1976)

Charles Edwin MEAD was an only child. Charles and Sallie do not seem to have had any children. Sallie did have one brother, Bertram, who married and had a son and a daughter.

Bertram Simonson PERO was born 23 May 1888 in NYC, and died 24 Apr 1976 in San Clemente, Orange County, CA. He married Sarah BLEECKER, about 1910. He was apparently still single when the 1910 US Census (above) showed him living with his parents on 15 Apr 1910 in Manhattan.

Sarah was born about 1886 in NJ, and died in Guttenberg, Hudson, NJ in Feb 1968, as her obituary appeared on 19 Feb 1968. So Bertram lived to age 88 and Sarah 82.

Note: There was a Bertrand PERO, born about 1881 in France, living at 333 W 50th St in Manhattan in 1920, with wife Marie and daughter Madeline. He was a cook at a hotel. Probably no relation.

Bertram S. PERO lived in Schenectady, NY in 1915, Jersey City in 1917, Schenectady in 1918 and 1920, and settled in Jersey City by 1925. He worked as an electrical engineer for various employers, including General Electric.

The WWI card for Bertram S. PERO, dated 5 Jun 1917, has him living, with his wife and 1st child, at 102 Beach St, Jersey City, NJ. He was working as an Electrical Engineer at Steele Utilities Co, located in the Kinney Building, Newark.

The 1920 US Census has Bertram and family in a rented house at 117 Elm Street, Schenectady, Schenectady County, NY. Bertram was working for General Electric. His wife was Sadie, possibly a nickname for Sarah.

In 1930, Bertram and Sarah rented an apartment for $65 per month at 111 Sanford Place, in Jersey City, NJ. They were 21 and 23 when married, about 1909-10. Bertram was an Electrical Engineer, and not a veteran. This census recorded whether the family owned a radio, and every family in this neighborhood had one. There were many immigrants from Europe, especially Germany.

By 1952 Bertram had moved to Los Angeles, CA, and it looks like he had remarried, to Ariel M. He probably divorced Sarah between 1942 and 1952.

Robert Bertram PERO (1915 - 1968)

Edith Lucille PERO (1919 - 2000)

Edith, daughter of Bertram and Sarah, was born 6 Jan 1919 in Schenectady, NY, and died 5 Feb 2000 in Chatham, NC, age 81. She married in 1942, NJ to Aubrey Raymond CRAVET, born 4 Mar 1916 in Manhattan, New York, NY, and died 13 Feb 1995 in Sanford, Lee, NC, age 78. Their gravestones in Lee Memory Gardens, Sanford, Lee County, NC bear these dates.

Edith and Aubrey had at least 2 daughters: Arlene "of Boone" and Patti "of Sanford".

1 Edith Lucille PERO b: 06 Jan 1919 in Schenectady, NY, d: 05 Feb 2000 in Chatham, NC
+ Aubrey Raymond CRAVET b: 04 Mar 1916 in Manhattan, New York, NY, m: 1942 in NJ, d: 13 Feb 1995 in Sanford, Lee, NC
......2 Arlene CRAVET b: 17 Jul 1945, d: 25 Jun 2019 in Boone, Watauga, NC
...... + Leroy "Lee" BURGESS still living 25 Jun 2019
.........3 John BURGESS
............4 Leanna BURGESS
............4 Kaylee BURGESS
............4 Hayden BURGESS
.........3 Nicole Lea BURGESS
......2 Patti CRAVET still living 25 Jun 2019
...... + Doug COVERT

Edith was married about 1942, so maybe the article below refers to another.

The PERO Extended Family

Peter PERO was born in Canada, between 1800 and 1810. He married Ann SIMONSON, born about 1802 in NY. They lived in Castleton and Northfield, which were 2 of the 4 townships making up Richmond County (Staten Island), NY. They had at least 5 sons, of whom I have found 4: Peter Jr (1828), David A (1832), Walter Betts (1835), and George Washington (1838), all born in Richmond County, probably in Castleton.

Evidence for the claims in the preceding paragraph will be given, in more-or-less chronological order, below.

1840 US Census

The 1840 US Census has 2 heads-of-household named Peter PERO/PARO in NYC, both in the 30-39 age group. I will keep track of both, since they are probably related. As always, comments in brackets are my guesses, not part of the census.

The family of 7 in Castleton is a good match for our PERO family. Peter was a farmer, with a wife and 5 sons.

Also on the same page, in Castleton, was a large household with 92 men, mostly over 50, and 7 women, all but 1 under 30. This was the Sailors' Snug Harbor, a retirement home for sailors, founded in 1833. The area now has several features of architectural and historic interest.

The PERO household of 4 in Manhattan is in Ward 11, now known as East Village and Alphabet City. The eldest must be Peter, 30-39, and the other 3 are 20-29. This doesn't look like a nuclear family. The household had no farmers, but 1 person employed in manufacture and trade.

1850 US Census

The 1850 US Census for Northfield, Richmond, NY has David PERO (18) was one of 7 boys, Cabinet Makers, age 14 to 18, in the household of John Wilds, a Cabinet Maker. So David was an apprentice.

There was a young couple, Peter and Mary PARO, in Ausable (Au Sable), Clinton County, NY in 1850. That is near Lake Champlain, in upstate NY, about 250 miles north of Manhattan, and 100 miles south of Montreal. Peter was 22, born in NY, which matches other data for Peter Jr. However, Mary was 19, born in Canada, not a match for Mary E. KING, who was Peter's wife.

1855 NY State Census

In Northfield, Richmond (Staten Island), NY, David PERO (23) and Mary (22) both born in Richmond County, lived in Northfield 23 and 22 years. David was a Cabinet Maker and landowner. Lived in a house owned by Richard WHITE, a Cooper, with the WHITE and FIMONSON (SIMONSON?) families. This indicates that the PERO family had been in Northfield since 1832 or earlier, although it seems that they were in Castleton in 1840.

I think they were in the Port Richmond/West New Brighton area, near the border between Castleton and Northfield townships.

1860 US Census

The Township of Castleton occupies 172 pages in the census, with 40 names per page except the last page, so it included about 6,850 individuals. There were 4 families of interest here.

Walter PERO appears with his wife, Eliza (KELLY) PERO, and their son, John. They are listed consecutively with Eliza's parents, William and Margaret KELLY, so they lived together or nearby. The proximity in the census verifies between the PERO and KELLY families.

Peter PERO appears with his wife, Mary, who doesn't seem to correspond to Mary from the 1850 Census (above), who was born about 1831 in Canada. If it's the same Peter PERO, maybe he married two Marys? Anyway, Walter's brother and father-in-law are both Silk Printers. I think this refers to Silkscreen Printing.

Henry PERO might have been another son of Peter and Ann, except that he was born in Hesse. That probably refers to the German state of Hesse, which contains Frankfurt. So Henry may not be related to our PEROs. He was a laborer and lived on a farm owned by Elizabeth SWIFT, a widow with 8 children, from 12 to 24. I didn't list them because I don't think they're related.

Civil War

Peter Pero Jr fought in the Civil War. He served in Company A, 82nd NY Infantry, and Company E, 59th NY Infantry. When he applied for his pension, on 28 Aug 1883 in NY, he was an invalid, and his wife's name was Mary E. PERO, matching the 1860 Census. His widow applied for his pension on 14 Feb 1895 in NJ.

Peter PERO Jr enlisted at age 32, as a Fourth Corporal, but was later reduced to the rank of Private. He was captured twice, and was paroled or escaped both times, returning to the Army.

He was taken prisoner in Jul or Aug 1862. On 10 Apr 1863 he was absent and called a deserter from Parole Camp in Annapolis. That probably means that he was captured, and allowed to live in a camp guarded by Union troops, on the promise that he would not again take up arms against the Confederacy. Many soldiers escaped the Parole Camp, and some went back to the Army. They had to wrestle with the dishonor of violating their oath, versus abandoning their missions. So Peter was not a "deserter" from the Army, but from the camp, and from any oath to not rejoin the war effort that he might have taken.

Peter "returned from desertion" on 1 Apr 1863, rejoined the 82nd, and was captured again on 2 Jul 1863 in the Battle of Gettysburg. He spent more than a year in prison at Gettysburg, but when paroled or escaped, he returned to the Army and joined the 59th NY Infantry.

Walter and David PERO match up well with the draft record, below. Peter PERO also matches up well, although he was already in the Army in Jun 1863. Maybe a person could be in the draft if they already enlisted?

Henry and Nicholas belong to the PERO family from Germany, which doesn't seem relater to Walter, although they lived in Castleton.

1865 NY State Census

After the Civil War, Ann PERO had joined her sons Walter, David, Peter and George in Castleton. The census was taken in Jun 1865, the month after the Civil War ended.

Walter PERO and his wife Eliza had 2 sons in 1865. They shared a dwelling with Eliza's mother, Margaret KELLY, and family. Walter was the owner of the property, a frame house valued at $3,000. Margaret was the mother of 5 children, and still married. Where was her husband, William KELLY? Sarah WHITE was Eliza's sister. She was a widow, and mother of 4 children, only 1 of whom was present. Robert KELLY, Eliza's brother, was still in the Army.

David PERO and his wife Mary had 3 children in 1865. David owned the frame house, valued at $2,000. His widowed mother, Ann PERO, was living with them. She was 60, thus born about 1805, although other records indicate she was born closer to 1802. It is interesting that Ann, and several of her children, were born in Richmond County, according to this.

George PERO had a wife and infant daughter. He was an Engineer, and owner of his frame house, valued at $2,000. He was listed consecutively with his brother David and mother Ann, further establishing their family relationship. Ann PERO was a widow, and mother of 5 children, probably the 5 in the 1840 US Census. Whatever happened to Peter PERO Sr after 1840, he had died by 1865.

Peter PERO, the eldest of the 4 brothers, was with his wife Mary, born about 1836, consistent with the 1860 Census. They had no children, Their family included Joseph and James TOMPSON, and they shared a dwelling with another couple, James and Charity TOMPSON. By the family grouping, it looks like James and Charity were probably the parents of Mary, and Joseph and James were her brothers. Both Peter PERO and Joseph TOMPSON were Carpenters, formerly in the Army. James TOMPSON Jr was 22, with no occupation, and had not been in the Army like his brother, so he may have been disabled. James TOMPSON Sr was a Ship Carpenter. The frame house that all 6 lived in was valued at only $500. and none present were owners, so perhaps they rented. At any rate, Peter, the ex-soldier, was the poorest of the brothers, and the only one without children.

1870 US Census

Ann PERO and 3 of her sons are listed consecutively in Castleton. George is missing. Walter's mother-in-law, Margaret KELLY, is still there.

Sources

[AABC] Report and Register of the Associate Alumnae of Barnard College 1910-1915

[BLR] Bell Laboratories Record

[BSTJ] Bell System Technical Journal 1922-1957 archives

[PEP] Prisoner Exchange and Parole by Roger Pickenpaugh

Updated 6 Oct 2021 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.