Born in Wrentham, MA in 1805, Ira was an educator, entrepreneur and an extraordinary genealogist. His supportive parents operated a farm and lived to advanced age. He began his career in the summer of 1825 in the counting room of his cousin, Dexter Ballou, at Woonsocket, RI. He taught primarily English in several towns including the Academy Building in Attleboro. He studied cotton manufacture and in 1831 operated the mill of Lemuel May to "run by the yard." Over the years he operated several mills in the Woonsocket area. On June 9, 1834, he married Mary Blackington, from a prominent family in Bristol County, MA. After 1845, under a decree by the US Circuit Court, he was in charge of the apportionment of water from the Blackstone River to the mills. He performed this task for over 30 years. He took on many civic duties including administrating an estate, collector of internal revenue, a director of the Woonsocket National Bank, superintended the laying of water and gas lines and organized the purchase of the first fire engine pump for Woonsocket.
In 1846, he was drawn into the genealogy of his mother's line after finding a bundle of deeds, wills, letters, etc which hadn't been openned for many decades. He did his mother's genealogy back to France and England. He found more interest in the Peck genealogy so produced a book; "The Descendants of Joseph Peck Who Emigrated with his Family in 1638" published in 1868. This work of 442 pages and 11000 names was called a work of genius in 1870 by the Congregational Quarterly. Thousands of Peck descendants are now appreciative of this compilation. The book is an amazing reservoir of genealogy coming before computers and fast travel.
Ira Peck's marker transcription indicates his interest in the preservation of the historical Peck Cemetery. He left a fund for this purpose which has grown over the years.
(Condensed from the "Biographical Cyclopedia of Rhode Island - 1881." He also started the "Ballous In america" which had over 1100 pages when finished by Adin Ballou. Ira is on p.494 of that book.