Saturday, July 30, 2011

Surname Saturday - PEIRCE (England > Massachusetts)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 261, who is Martha PEIRCE (1681-1759), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]

My ancestral line back through three generations of PEIRCE families is:

1. Randall J. Seaver

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)

16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)

32. Benjamin Seaver (1791-1825)
33. Abigail Gates (1797-1869)

64. Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816)
65. Martha Whitney (1764-1832)

130.  Samuel Whitney (1719-1782)
131.  Abigail Fletcher (1720-????)

260.  William Whitney, born 06 May 1683 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 24 June 1720 in Weston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 520. Nathaniel Whitney and 521. Sarah Hagar.  He married 17 May 1706 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
 261.  Martha Peirce, born 24 December 1681 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 15 September 1759 in Weston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  


Children of William Whitney and Martha Peirce are:William Whitney (1707-1789); Judith Whitney (1708-????); Amity Whitney (1712-1760); Martha Whitney (1716-1801); Samuel Whitney (1719-1782).


522.  Joseph Peirce, born about 1647 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died before 22 December 1713 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.   He married about 1667 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
 523.  Martha, born about 1647 in Massachusetts, United States; died before 15 June 1698 in probably Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of Joseph Peirce and Martha are:  Joseph Peirce (1669-1753); Francis Peirce (1671-1728); John Peirce (1673-1744); Mary Peirce (1674-????); Benjamin Peirce (1677-????); Jacob Peirce (1678-1740); Martha Peirce (1681-1759); Stephen Peirce (1683-????); Israel Peirce (1685-????); Elizabeth Peirce (1687-????).

1044.  Anthony Peirce, born before 28 April 1611 in Norwich, Norfolk, England; died 09 May 1678 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married  about 1633 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1045. Anne, born in England; died 20 January 1683 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of Anthony Peirce and Anne are:  Mary Peirce (1633-????); Mary Peirce (1636-1701); Jacob Peirce (1637-1688); Daniel Peirce (1640-1723); Martha Peirce (1641-????); Joseph Peirce (1647-1713); Benjamin Peirce (1649-????); Judith Peirce (1650-1723).

2088.  John Pers, born 1588 in Norwich, Norfolk, England; died 19 August 1661 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married before 1609 in England.
2089.  Elizabeth, born about 1588 in England; died 12 March 1667 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of John Pers and Elizabeth are:  Anthony Peirce (1611-1678); Esther Peirce (1613-1636); Mary Peirce (1614-1705); Elizabeth Peirce (1615-1665); John Peirce (1617-????); Barbre Peirce (1620-????); Judith Peirce (1623-1650).


These Peirce families (also spelled Pers, Pierce, etc.) are extensively covered in:

Frederick Clifton Peirce, Peirce Genealogy: being the record of the posterity of John Pers, an early inhabitant of Watertown, in New England, who came from Norwich, Norfolk County, England; with notes on the history of other families of Peirce, Pierce, Pearce, etc.  (Worcester, Mass.: Press of Chas. Hamilton,  1880)

The identity of John Pers, the immigrant ancestor, was defined by:

John B. Pierce, "The Identity of John Pers of Watertown." New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 111, Number 2 (April 1857), page 158.

The biographical sketch for John Pers and his family was included in:

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volume III, 1469-1472 (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).

3 comments:

Heather Wilkinson Rojo said...

This is the same Pierce family from which descended president Franklin Pierce, and Barbara Bush. Another cousin connection with me,too, Randy!

Kathryn Smith Lockhard said...

I am a decendant of the Pierce line that began with Abraham Pierce.

FierceDesire said...

Thanks for posting this! I'm a descendant of John and Elizabeth Pers' son Robert of Watertwon and then Woburn.