WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PECORDS?

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MORE ON THE PECORDS “A story leading to the story”…………. 

”WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PECORDS? James P Naughton, Amazon, B&N ( The following article is not yet included in the book, nor is the Addendum place a little ways down) 

Damage from two back to back hurricanes was devastating to much of Connecticut during the summer of 1956. The last one, Hurricane Dianne, dumped an additional 20 inches of rain on Connecticut in a two day period. The Connecticut River at Hartford and East Hartford reached a water level of 30.6’, the third highest in recorded history. It was flooding everywhere. 

My mother Julia Naughton, knowing of my mischievous, 11 year old, adventurous nature, figured it was best that she bring me with her to witness the devastation, versus taking the chance that I might go on my own. ( Which I would have.) 

We left our house in the United Homes ex-military project (now home to Coca Cola) and walked south on Main street toward the famous jet engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney. The closest street to us that led to the Connecticut River was Colt Street directly across from the plant. 

Three quarters of the way down, Colt street became a dirt road extension through the beginning of the forest and ended as a primitive boat ramp into the Connecticut River. (Rt. 2 didn't exist yet.) As we approached I noticed a street to the left at the beginning of the extension with a sign “Riverside Drive”. A bunch of large oil trucks were backed up waiting their turn to begin their daily oil deliveries. We also could not help notice the myriad of large silver and white oil storage tanks as far as the eye could see. Many years later who could have envisioned a beautiful college campus and buildings with a tall steeple like structure where all that oil used to be. Goodwin College (now a university) seemed to spring up from nowhere and due to fate would help make my story famous. 

As we continued walking toward the river we could see the wooded swamps on both sides of the dirt extension filled with water. To the right and at the end of what looked like a small bank on the Connecticut River stood an old two story pale yellow house bordered by a strange reddish stone wall which went into the river. We immediately notice the flashing lights from both Fire Engine trucks and Police cars. Two Policemen were helping an older man and woman onto a boat. The woman was crying and it was obvious that she didn't want to leave her home. A crowd had gathered, probably causing some embarrassment for the old couple. Many of the onlookers were also crying and my mother started softly to cry as well. “What the heck is going on?”, I thought. At 11 you can only comprehend so much. I did know it was such a sad scene. 

The United Homes Project was coming to an end and rumors were that the property would soon be turned into a large shopping center. My parents were under pressure to find a place to live, possibly our first home. As fate (probably not fate, but “meant to be”) would have it, a home came on the market near the beginning of Colt Street. They made an offer which was accepted and in 1956 we moved into our first home. Within a month a Hartford Times paper route

became available in my new neighborhood. It was previously handled by an older popular kid, Duke Marino. Being a “worker bee” my whole life even as a young kid. I quickly said yes. 

I soon met my next door neighbor Doug Sweet and later Ricky Dickman and other kids. They all went to the nearby Willowbrook School while I was attending St Marys in the North End. They would become my cohorts as you will read in the mystery. Again who would have ever known what was to come? After my papers were delivered we played sandlot, tackle football almost every night in the fall. Summers we were fishing and exploring the woods and rivers. We had three, the big one of course, the Connecticut River, the Hockanum and the smaller Willowbrook. No one knew the forest like we did. And none of us had the slightest idea that we would soon be linked together for life by the mystery I have finally finished writing down.

This book is a TRUE mystery of a missing family, the Pecords, who vanished from their home on a Friday evening in early fall of 1959. It is not a CRIME STORY; it may turn out to be one, but not at this time. They were the last remote stop on the author’s paper route, located 50ft from the Connecticut River. Parts of the theme and the era have similarities that were evident in the movie STAND BY ME which was set a year later in 1960 based on the fiction novella, “The Body” by Stephen King.

Instead of calling the police, he called two buddies to conduct their own investigation and nearly got killed. The book is also a memoir in a sense that the author allows the reader to peer into the 50’s era in his hometown, by utilizing the nervous flashbacks he experienced and recorded afterward, during a run for his life. Because of a sworn oath between the author and his teenage friends, he was unable to tell his story till now.

As a coincidence, a relatively new college, Goodwin College, purchased the missing family’s home and invited the author to do a tour of it, one last time. They acknowledged that they had planned to tear it down in order to build a “cottage” for hosting off-campus meetings on the site. They shared with him how the street he grew up on got its name, Colt Street. (The missing family’s home was also the last house on the street.) The fact that the house was part of a ferry landing set up by Samuel Colt (Colt 45) was incredible. Mr. Colt also lived at the landing while a mansion was being built for him across the street also overlooking the Connecticut River. If you log into Goodwin.com, you can maneuver a telescope on the peak of the building to view the surrounding area…

Goodwin University's campus still overlooks this historic stretch of the Connecticut River in East Hartford.

Some readers have criticized that “The book was not a true crime story” and it is not, although it might be at some time in the future. Others said that, “We didn’t do enough investigation in regards to where the missing family might have gone”. Please keep in mind that we were all age 15 at the time, roughly the same age as the kids in the movie “Stand By Me”, which was set one year later in 1960. The town’s police department records were destroyed 10 years later, apparently standard procedure. Later on, when we requested help from the FBI, I doubt they took us seriously. It was obviously a different era.

In discussing the story with the editor of the town newspaper, The Gazette, Bill Doakes. He informed the author, that there were a number of unsolved missing persons in town since the mid 1900’s. I know it sounds implausible that these situations exist, but they do. Initially, and for a long time after the “incident”, the boys kept a low profile. They were young and just plain scared that they might be implicated in a crime, especially having found a hidden wall safe’s door swinging open and “empty” in the house. In fact, we agreed to never discuss it with anyone, unless all three were to agree.

Please note: The search for the Pecord’s is still going on primarily by the readers and classmates from East Hartford, Conn. Bits and pieces continue to flow in and will be published on the website of KeypublishingCompany.com near future. If you have something to add or questions to ask, please feel free to go to this website and press the “Contact Tab” and forward them.

From the Author

You might have also thought as I did that by now, someone, a relative or a close family friend would have come forward, considering all the publicity the story has received all over the state. We are still waiting.

Original Goodwin College invitation for the Whatever Happened To The Pecords? book signing

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Updates for my story “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PECORDS?”

1. We have learned that Emma Pecord the matriarch of the family actually died  February 1957 two years before that night I Sept 1959, when the house was suddenly abandoned with food on the table and pots on the stove.
2. I assumed she was still living in the house.  Keep in mind as their paperboy I visited the house six days per week. The house was on the edge of the Connecticut River. ( Kind of a spooky setting) In 1956 when I started the paper route, I had a very nice relationship with Emma and her husband Francis. They could be a little difficult especially when the fireman had to remove them on occasion from the house due to many floods.  The house was on the edge of the Connecticut River. They treated me like a son and were good tippers.
3. After her daughter, Elaine moved in, I saw very little of Emma.  I was told when I asked for her, that she need to stay in the house because “she wasn’t feeling well”.  No one ever told me that she died!   Why was that kept secret?
4. Elaine took over the payments to me when I collected on Fridays or Saturday mornings. My tips shrunk.  She smoked like a chimney.   Emma was friendly and warm, Elaine was different.
5. An obituary pertaining to Francis which is in the folder shows that he was alive till 1965, however it shows that he lived in Essex.  I do remember seeing and saying hello to Francis up until the house was abandoned, but not as frequently as in previous times.
6. The Real Estate Transfer Record” attached in the folder” shows that Francis was still the owner of the house, 4 months later January 1960.
7. Then the house transferred again.  This time to Elaine and George and strangely to an Edward Nenninger?   Who is he?
8. What happened to  Francis?  You will note that in his obituary it says he was living in Essex, Conn. When he passed.  Why was he not living in his house?

For me, these discoveries expand the mystery of the Friday “collection” night when considered in a context of my story. (Special thanks to classmate, Cynthia McNamar and Genealogical Researcher Crawford C. Westbrook  and other EHFD residents who submitted leads and other information).

I can’t believe that we still haven’t found what happened to Elaine and George Krawshuk and their two children (I think a boy and a girl, I just can't recall 100%).  I still remember finding the 2x3 homemade wall safe in the master bedroom empty?  What was in it.  Where is it?  What was buried by the ferry will out back of the house separating the forest from the property.

Why did the police stop me from going near the house a week after the family disappeared?

NOTE:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW SOME OF THE LATEST RESEARCH ON THE MISSING FAMILY (PECORD'S-MOST-RECENT-UPDATES-March-2019.zip)

Feel free to add to this info using the email address on the Contact Tab upper right corner of this site.

Also, notice my most recently published story - “HEAVEN SENT”