Pierce Genealogy
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PIERCE GENEALOGY, BEING THE RECORD OF THE POSTERITY OF THOMAS PIERCE, AN EARLY INHABITANT OF CHARLESTOWN, A.ND AFTERWARDS CHARLESTOWN VILLAGE (WOBURN), IN NEW ENGLAND, WITH WILLS, INVENTORIES, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, ETC. BY FREDERIC BEECH PIERCE, OF BOSTON. ASSISTED AND EDITED BY FREDERICK CLIFTON PEIRCE, ESQ,, AUTHOR OF TE~ PEI:-CE G:;;:,fEALOCY, E:,1,T.:::RY i)F liRaFTON, HISTORY" 01!' BARRE, COMPILER OF THE GIBSON AND HARWOOD GENEALOGIES, R~JSIDENT MEMBER OF THE XJW; lJ;xGLHTI; IIIoTGRTC-G:.LNEALOGICAL SOCIETY, AND CORRES:'O~,:::>ING JlfE,1Gl:;J:R o:;_, '.':BE WISCONSIN AND KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES. WORCESTER: PRESS OF CHAS. HAMILTON, 311 MAIN STREET. 18 8 2. Copyright, 1882, By FREDERIC BEECH PIERCE, 47 BROAD STREET, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. J. S. WESBY & SoN, EDITION LIMITED. Binders. '•. ' ' '• ; ' i~ '~ "11 eyouzd &2/e~ dJ'iu/j; eyout:J 9Att(r ~c,le0ti:ICfd. Pili:0cc. k 2f7~ TO THIS WORK IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THEIR FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. CONCERNING THIS NEPULAR HISTORY, THEN ; IS IT A HUMAN INVENTION OR IS IT A DIVINE RECORD. ls IT "A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT SIGNIFYING NOTHING," OR IS IT A PLAN OF INFINITE IMAGINATION SIGNIFYING IMMORTALITY ! Prof. BENJ.AMIN PEIRCE, of Harvard University. AUTHOR'S PREFACE. Two years ago I obtained of Frederick C. Pierce, Esq., of Barre, Mass., all the papers which he had compiled in relation to the family of Thomas Pierce of Charlestown, who was admitted to the church there 21 (12) 1634-5, and who was probably born in England in 1596. He had collected a mass of matter to which has been added as much more, at great expense, time and trouble. In the task of compiling the new matter and properly arranging the whole for the printer, Mr. F. C. Pierce has ren dered valuable assistance. He has also corrected the proof sheets and attended to other minute details of the work, for which he ha y sincere thanks. I take this opportunity to tender my thanks and acknowledg ments to all those who have so kindly furnished me with information and statistics. My thanks are especially due to Miss Mary F. Pierce of Cambridge, aud John Ward Dean, the efficient and courteous librarian of the New England His toric-Genealogical Society. The matter of spelling the name of Pierce or Peirce, has been the subject of considerable writing and discussion, as will be seen in the article by Prof. James Mills Pierce below. It is entirely a matter of fancy or preference. There are in existence autographs of the original Thomas, as being spelled in three different ways Pierce, Peirce and Pieirce. By following down the autographs of the family, which the author at much pains and cost has col lected, it will be seen that different members of the same family have spelled it, and do spell it, in different ways. Some of the 3 descendants of Samuel3, Benjarnin , sons of Sergt. Thomas, of Woburn, one of the descendants of Benjamin, being the Miss Mary F. above alluded to, have always spelled it Peirce. The descend- vi. AUTHOR'S PREFACE. ants of Isaac, of Boston, who married Grace Tucker, have inva riably spelled it Peirce. The matter of not belonging to the same family on account of not spelling the name the same way, as has been brought forward by some of my correspondents, has no force whatever. The author has always spelled his name Pierce, and hoping that he has not given any great offence to the members of the family spelling it the other way, has decided to publish his work under the name-PIERCE. Very respectfully, FREDERIC B. PIERCE. 47 Broad Street, Boston. NOTE ON TUE SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION OF THE N Al\1E OI,' Prn:RCE, BY PHOF. JAj\H;S M. PEIRCE OJ;' HARVARD UNIVERSITY, TAKEN FRm1 THE Geneaiogical Register. The spelling of the name of Pierce is generally supposed to have no signifi cance in determining relationships. Certainly a great variety in this reg'lrd will be found in printed and written clocuments, from the settlement of New Englaml until now. But my ·observation leads me to believe that a high degree of uniformity exists in the spelling, as used by persons bearing the name, in any one family connection. Thus the clescenclants of Robert of Woburu, and I believe nearly the whole body of the descendants of John or 1Vatertown, from the beginning to the present clay, almost everywhere use the spelling Peirce; though John himself appears to sign his will Pers or Perss in an antiquated hand resembling German Schrift. The spelling Pearse in the will of his wife Elizabeth is not written by the testator, who signs only by rnark. On the other hand, the descendants of Samuel of Charlestown and of 8ergt. Thomas_ of Woburn most commonly employ the spelling Pierce, which is also, I think, that of the signature of the will of Thomas, senior, of Charlestown, which may, however, be Peirce or Peerce. In the old pronun ciation of the n: .~, according to the tradition prevalent in several branches of the family of John of Watertown, the vowel-sound was the same that we now hear in the words pear, heir and their; and this pronunciation is remem bereLl by living persons as having been sometimes used by old-fashioned peop.le. · This was probably quite independent of the spelling. The same sound was, according to A.. J. Ellis, used in the verb to pierce, in the 17th centnry, and by some in the 18th century. On the other hand, the verb may be occasionally heard with the pronunciation perce ( or piirse), which is now the prevalent pronunciation of all forms of the surname in the neighborhood of Boston. Let me add that the great number of families of this name among the early settlers of New England makes it exceedingly clifficult to trace the different lines. Savage is guilty of many omissions under this name, and has committed some decided mistakes. The perplexity in which iUl printed authorities leave the subject make the matter very difficult for the author. JAMES MILLS PEIRCE. Carnbriage, Mass. THE ENGLISH FAMILY. In the History of the "Peirce Family, of Watertown," written by my friend Mr. Frederick C. Peirce, of Barre, Mass., he alludes to John Pers, the ancestor of that branch in this country, as being "John Pers, of Norwich, Norfolk County, England, weaver." As yet the ancestry in England of the Peirce family has not been followed out in an authentic manner; but in the '' History of Norwich, Norfolk County, England," under the bead of St. Peter's Church, in that town, we find the following in relation to the family living there then:-" Sparks Chantry, in this church was granted, July 23rd, in the 4th of Edward VI., with all its lands and rents, &c., in ihe tenure of Robermore, to Nicholas le Strange. And in the 23rd of Elizabeth, Peter Perse, cousin and heir of Humphrey Cony, late of this town, held part of these lands, being son of Thomas Perse, son of Margaret Perse, sister of John Cony, father of Humphrey." It will be seen by this that there was a family by the name there at that time, and that also there was a Thomas in the family. It is reasonable to suppose therefore that our Thomas was of this family, and that he was brother of the John alluded to, and also of Robert, of Dorchester, as the same coat of arms is found in that family. IRISH BRANCH OF PIERCES. There was one branch of the Pierce family which went into Ireland from England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This branch went from Northumberland County, England. Several of the mem bers were soldiers with Oliver Cromwell, and went with him to Ireland in 1649, and settled at Glencanny on Hillywater, two miles from JOHN PIERCE OF LONDON. ix. Enniskillen, and the farm upon which they located is still in the pos session of the family-owned and occupied by vVilliam Pierce, Esq. Seven members of this family were in the battle of the Boyne, in l 690. Four or five were members of the celebrated· Ermiskillen Dragoons. In the old family bible at Enniskillen, translated by Beza and published by Barker, London, 1599, is the following record: " Sarah, b. Nov. 16, 1694; Elizabeth, b. April 22, 1698; Edward, b. July 23, l 701 ; Henry, b. April 9, 1704; John, b. Aug. 17, l 707; William, b. Nov. 14, 1709; Mary, b. May 14, 1712; Cromwell, b. -- 18, 1715; Peter, b. -- 16, 1718." The early family records and also the early parish records at Glencanny I am informed were' destroyed. The family were members of the Church of England. Edward, b. l 701, m. in Dublin, Frances Brassingtin, dau. of Marma duke. In 1737, with his wife and three children he sailed for America -two of the children died on the passage over-and he landed in Philadelphia. He purchased a farm in Delaware County, Pa., and finally settled in Paoli, Chester County, Pa., where he died. His descendants now reside in Pa. JOHN PIERCE OF LONDON. The first patent granted by the Council of Plymouth, of land in New England, was to John Pierce of London, and his associates, dated June 1, 1621. This was a roaming patent granting JOO acres for each settler already transplanted and such as should be transported; the land to be selected by them under certain restrictions. Pierce located at Broad Bay, and afterwards found one Brown at N.