52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 36:JOHN PIERCE OF HARVARD, MA.

I don't know much  yet about 6x great grandfather. Daniel Pierce/Peirce. He was born on May 23, 1716, in Woburn, Massachusetts. At some point he moved to Harvard, Ma.sometime before 1744 where he married Hannah Stone. Unfortunately she and their infant daughter died about a year later. In 1747 he married my 6x great grandmother Hannah Houghton and they had nine children together, all born in Harvard or nearby Bolton, Ma. He moved back to Woburn in his old age and died there in 1799.

    Meriah Pierce+ b. 19 Oct 1748, d. 12 Apr 1781
    Hannah Pierce b. 1750, d. 1750
    Hannah Pierce b. 25 Aug 1751
    John Pierce b. 15 Jul 1753
    Thomas Pierce b. 2 Oct 1754, d. 14 Jun 1757
    Sarah Pierce b. 9 May 1756
    John Pierce+ b. 22 May 1759, d. 1828
    Luther Pierce b. 16 Jun 1764, d. 1832
    Calvin Pierce+ b. 1 Mar 1766, d. 1832

I'm descended from Meriah Pierce who married her cousin Elisha Houghton.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 35: DANIEL PIERCE OF WOBURN, MA.

My 7x great grandfather Daniel Pierce was born in Woburn, Ma on 7 Oct 1676 He  married Dinah Holt in Andover, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1705. They had seven children together, all born in Woburn:

Abigail was born on May 18, 1706, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Thomas was born on October 30, 1707, in Woburn, Massachusetts.\
Sarah was born on May 30, 1709, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Joseph was born on May 5, 1711, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Daniel was born on June 23, 1714, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
John was born on May 23, 1716, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Dinah was born on November 2, 1719, in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Daniel died in Harvard, Ma.on  14 Mar 1754. I'm descended from his son John.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 34: JOHN PIERCE OF WOBURN, MA.

8x great grandfather John Pierce was a farmer and a leading citizen of Woburn, Ma. It's interesting to see how he and other of my ancestors were farmers in places that are now largely urban centers.

Here's  how Ellery Bickford described him:

(III) Ensign John Pierce, son of Thomas (2) Pierce, was born May 7, 1643. He was a yeoman and lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. His will was dated April 26, 1716, and lodged Friday, April 8, 1720; he mentioned his wife and children, and the children of his deceased daughter, Deborah Wilson, naming his son Josiah as executor. He married, July 5, 1663, Deborah Convers, born July 25, 1647. Children, born in Woburn: Deborah, October 30, 1666; John, January 26, 1671; Thomas, born December 23, 1673; James, August 6, 1674, died September 13, 1685; Daniel, October 7, 1676; James, October 8, 1686; Ebenezer, 1687; Joseph, August 24, 1688; Ruth, 1690; Josiah, mentioned below.-p1529

  Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County,   Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 3  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1914

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 33: THOMAS PIERCE JR. OF WOBURN, MA.

My 8x great grandfather Thomas Pierce Jr. came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a teenager with his parents. He became one of the first citizens of what is now  Woburn Massachysets and with his wife raised a large family.

Here's what Ellery Bickford Crane wrote about him:

(II) Thomas Pierce, Jr., son of Thomas Pierce (1), was born in England in 1608; married, May 6, 1635, Elizabeth Cole, who died March 5, 1688. He died November 6, 1683. They resided in Charlestown in the part now Woburn. He is called sergeant in the records, indicating military prominence. He was the progenitor of President Franklin Pierce, viz.: Franklin (VII), Benjamin (VI), Benjamin (V), Stephen (IV), Stephen (III), Thomas (II), Thomas (I). Sergeant Thomas Pierce was admitted to the Charlestown Church February 21, 1634. He was an inhabitant of Woburn as early as 1643. He was selectman in 1660, and served on the committee to divide the common lands. He was one of the "Right Proprietors" elected March 28, 1667, and also of the committee of the general court appointed 1668 to divide lands, etc. The children: Abigail, born August 17, 1639; John, March 7, 1643, married, July 5, 1663, Deborah Converse; Thomas, June 21, 1645, married, 1680, Rachel Bacon; Elizabeth, December 25, 1646, married, November 9, 1666, Thomas Whittemore, and died March 10, 1670; Joseph, September 22, 1646, died February 27, 1649; Stephen, July 16, 1651, married, November 18, 1676, Tabitha Parker; Samuel, February 20, 1654, died October 27. 1655; Samuel, April 7, 1656, see forward; William. March 20, 1658, married, April 8, 1690, Abigail Sommers, nee Warren; James, May 7, I659, married Elizabeth Kendall; Abigail, Novem20, 1660, married February 18, 1684, George Reed, Jr.; Benjamin, married Mary Reed.-p449

 Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County,   Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1907


So apparently I'm a distant cousin of President Franklin Pierce!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 32: THOMAS PIERCE SR. OF CHARLESTON AND WOBURN, MA.

Thomas Pierce/Peirce was my 9x great grandfather and another of my colonial immigrant ancestors. I've found his probate file at AmericanAncestors.org and while his will is  fairly easy to read, the inventory was written on both sides of another sheet of paper and the ink leaked through, so it's difficult to make out the items of his estate.

Ellery Bickford Crane wrote this brief biographical sketch about Thomas:


Thomas Pierce came from England in 1633 or 1634 with his wife Elizabeth and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His wife Elizabeth was admitted to the church January 10, 1634, and he was admitted February 21, 1634-35. He was admitted a freeman May 6, 1635. He was one of the twentyone commissioners appointed September 27, 1642, "to see that salt peter heaps were made by the farmers of the colony." He removed to Woburn and was a proprietor there in 1643 and was elected to town offices. His wife Elizabeth was born in England, 1595-96. She stated'her age as seventy-one 1n 1667. He died October 7, 1666. His will was dated November 7, 1665, aged about eighty-two years. He bequeathed to wIfe Elizabeth, grandchildren Mary Bridge and Elizabeth Jeffs now dwelling with him; to all grandchildren; to Harvard College. The widow deposed to the inventory March 22, 1666-67, aged seventy-one years. The children: John, mariner, admitted to church at Charlestown, 1652; Samuel,married Mary ;Thomas, Jr., see forward; Robert, married, February 18, 1657, Sarah Eyre;Mary, married Peter Jeffs and had Elizabeth; Elizabeth, married Randall and Nichols; Persis, married William Bridge and had child Mary; married (second) John Harrison; she was admitted to the church at Charlestown November 30, 1643; Abigail, born June 17, 1639.-p449

Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1907


The reference to a salt peter commission reflects the importance to the colonists of making their own gunpowder because of the conflicts with Indians and the French to the north,

THE PEIRCE/ PIERCE DESCENT

My 5x great Meriah (Peirce/Pierce) Houghton shared  Houghton, Prescott, and Sawyer ancestry with her husband Elisha Houghton. She was descended from immigrant ancestor Thomas Peirce, but she also had ancestors from some of my other family lines that I've touched on already: Ballard, Cole, Converse, Holt, Long, and Moore. Here's a relationship chart for Thomas and Meriah.

MY SNOWSHOE SOLDIER ANCESTORS PT4

This is the second part of Rev. Wilson Waters' partial list of the men who served as
"snowshoe soldiers" under the command of William Tyng. Again, the names of
those I am related to are highlighted in boldface italics and my comments in red
italics. I had originally intended to post this in two parts, but because of the length
of the list there will be a third: 


27. Peter Talbot [or Talbird], Chelmsford, was an emigrant from England. He lived several years in Dorchester, but at the time of his service in the snow-shoe company, under Capt. William Tyng, he was a resident of Chelmsford. At that time he must have been fully fifty years of age. His right in the township was given to his son, George Talbot, who lived several years in Stoughton.

28. Stephen Keyes, Chelmsford. There is no record of his birth and it has been thought that he probably was a son of Elias Keyes of Sudbury. He received land in Chelmsford in the right of Solomon Keyes, and it is possible he was a son of Solomon and Frances (Grant) Keyes. He was married March 7, 1706, by Jonathan Tyng, Esq., to Anna Robbins. He died in Chelmsford, February 6, 1714.

29. Benoni Perham, Chelmsford, lived in Chelmsford. He was living in 1722 and died a short time after that date [1723]. His son, Samuel, represented his interest in the grant of Tyngstown.

32. Josiah Richardson, Chelmsford, son of Capt. Josiah and Remembrance (Underwood) Richardson, was born in Chelmsford May 18,1665. He was a town clerk and selectman of Chelmsford, where he died October 17, 1711. His wife was a daughter of Deacon John Blanchard.

36. Henry Farwell, son of Henry Farwell of Chelmsford. Mass., was born about 1665. He was one of the early settlers of Dunstable. In the later years of Queen Anne's war his house was one of the seven garrisons in Dunstable. His son, Oliver was one of the victims of the Indian ambush at Naticook, September 5, 1724. His son, Josiah, was a lieutenant in Captain Lovewell's Company, and was killed by the Indians in the fight at Pigwacket, May 8, 1725.

38. John Richardson, Chelmsford, son of Capt. Josiah and Remembrance (Underwood) Richardson, was a brother of No. 32. Josiah Richardson was born in Chelmsford, February 14, 1669-70, where he died September 13, 1746.

40. Ephraim Hildreth, Chelmsford, removed from Chelmsford to Dracut in 1712, and there died September 26, 1740. He was town clerk of Dracut, a major of the militia, and an active man in town and business affairs. He was one of the proprietors of Concord and an influential factor among the proprietors of Tyngstown. At one time he was the owner of the saw-mill.
((My 8x great granduncle. His sister Elizabeth (Hildreth) Stevens is my  ancestor))

41. Samuel Chamberlain, Chelmsford, son of Thomas and Sarah (Proctor) Chamberlain, was born in Chelmsford, January 11, 1679. He was a prominent citizen and styled Capt. Samuel Chamberlain in Chelmsford records. He died April 12, 1767. There was a Samuel Chamberlain of about the same age, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Chamberlain, who was styled in Chelmsford records Lieut. Samuel Chamberlain. The Tyngstown proprietors' records call the grantee Capt. Samuel Chamberlain, which makes it reasonably certain that the Samuel first named was the soldier and grantee.
((My 7x great granduncle. His sister Elizabeth is my ancestor)) 


42. Stephen Pierce, Chelmsford, son of Stephen and Tabitha (Parker) Pierce and grandson of Thomas Pierce of Woburn, was born in Chelmsford in 1678. He lived in Chelmsford and was the owner of many acres of land. He died September 9, 1749This Stephen Pierce was the grandfather of Gov. Benjamin Pierce of Hillsborough, who was the father of President Franklin Pierce.
((A cousin))

43. Timothy Spalding, Chelmsford, son of John and Hanna (Hale) Spalding, was born about 1676. He lived in the part of Chelmsford now Westford, where he died April 14, 1763. He was a brother of No. 13.
((A cousin.His father is my 7x great granduncle))

44. Paul Fletcher, Chelmsford, was the son of Joshua. His father was twice married: First, in 1668, to Gussies Jewell; second, in 1682, to Sarah Willey. I cannot state which of the wives was the mother of Paul. The Fletcher genealogy states that Paul Fletcher was a snow-shoe man in 1724. The date is an error.