Thomas Pierce (abt. 1583 - 1666)

Born about 1583 in England

Descendants

Died 7 Oct 1666 at about age 83 in Charlestown, Middlesex, Colony of Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Joe Cochoit [send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Bob Pierce [send private message], and Kevin Jones [send private message]

Thomas Pierce migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 264) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

This person is a 6th generation ancestor of President Franklin Pierce 14th US President ^[1]

Biography

Spelled Pierce by Anderson

See Disputed Parents section below

Thomas was born about 1582/3, to go by the statement in his will that he was 82.^[2] (NOTE: No source for location, or parentage.)

He married Elizabeth Carew in 1606. (NOTE: no source for wife's maiden name.)

Immigration

1633/34, Charlestown, Mass. Declared a citizen in May 1635.(NOTE: no source for this.)

Death

He died 7 Oct 1666 in Charlestown, MIddlesex, Massachusetts.^[3]

Probate

"I, Thomas Pierce of Charlestown, aged about 82 years," begins the will of Thomas Pierce dated 7 Nov 1665 written at Cambridge. An inventory valued at 413 pounds 5s was taken Oct 23 1666 and filed 22 Mar 1666/7. Thomas made bequests: 20s to Harvard College; #10 each to grandchildren Mary Bridge and Elizabeth Jeffs, who lived with him; the remainder he gives to his wife, Elizabeth, named executrix, to do as she needs and to help children during her lifetime and to make a will. At her deceases the residue to supply each grandchild 10 groates apiece and the rest to be equally divided among his children. He named overseers, his son John one of them.^[2]

Children^[2]

John, b. 1610, England.

Robert, b. 1614, England

Thomas, b. c. 1615, England, m. Elizabeth Cole^[4]

Samuel, b. 1617, England

Elizabeth, b. 1618, England

Persis, b.c. 1625, England, m. Wm. Bridges^[5]

Mary, b. 1627, England

Abigail, b. 1639, Charlestown, Mass.^[6]

Research Notes

Not the father of Daniel Pierce: He is not shown as the father of PGM Daniel Pierce Sr. (1611-1677).

Disputed Parentage

This immigrant and his descendants are the subject of the 2nd of the 4 Pierce Genealogy books. Note that the Percy nonsense began in the 3rd book. There seems to be no reason to suspect the first two books of any worse than the usual handwaving.

The 1st book deals with John Pers of Watertown, plausibly identified with a known weaver of that name, of Norwich, England, who obtained permission to emigrate to Boston in 1637. Nothing is claimed about his parentage or ancestry, beyond the observation that the surname derives from the given name Piers.

The 2nd book (with Frederic Beech Pierce as lead author, though Frederick Clifton Pierce is heavily involved) sets this context and then claims "it is reasonable to suppose" that Thomas Pierce of Charlestown was a brother of the said John (throwing in Robert Pierce of Dorchester as a third brother). But there seems to be nothing to make this reasonable.

The book mentions a record from 23rd year of Elizabeth (1580-81) of this Norwich family. It cites "History of Norwich, Norfolk, England" which was not found and is instead: An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Freebridge (concluded). North Greenhow. Happing. Holt. Launditch by Francis Blomefield (W. Miller, 1808)^[7]

The author further claims "it is reasonable to suppose" that the 3 supposed brothers were "of this family", though no attempt was made to say how they might connect.

Note the Thomas Perse named in this record is not claimed to be the immigrant himself (being evidently dead by 1581). But the internet has concocted a garbled version in which a Margaret Cony with made-up dates is made to be the immigrant's mother. (Actually it's not even certain that Margaret was a Cony, since she could be John's maternal half-sister.)

Alleged parents Richard Pierce and Margaret Coney were removed

Note this Thomas Pierce, of Charlestown, is sometimes confused with a later Thomas Pierce, of Woburn.

Profile Needs

Image was taken from a geni site. no indication that it belongs to this family. The geni site data was copied from the Hist. of Maine Vol. 4 above (says NH but actually is Maine), no references.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Franklin Pierce," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franklin_Pierce&oldid=910419701 (accessed August 15, 2019).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Frederick Beech Pierce (Pierce Genealogy), Worcester, Mass. (1882), pp. 17-21. NOTE: This source may be fraudulent.
3. ↑ Name Thomas Peirse
   Event Type Death
   Event Date 07 Oct 1666
   Event Place Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
   Gender Male
   Citing this Record "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH2W-MZS : 6 November 2017), Thomas Peirse, 07 Oct 1666; citing Death, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 740,995.
   (Image https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97M-59JL-8?i=165&cc=2061550)
4. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III (1995), p. 429 (Rice Cole); digital image by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
5. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III (1995), page 231 (William Bridges); digital image by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
6. ↑ Name Abigail Peirce
   Gender Female
   Christening Date 17 Apr 1639
   Christening Place CHARLESTOWN, SUFFOLK, MASSACHUSETTS
   Father's Name Thomas Peirce
   Mother's Name Elizabeth
   Citing this Record "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCPK-SZL : 10 February 2018), Thomas Peirce in entry for Abigail Peirce, ; citing , ; FHL microfilm 0837130 IT 2.
7. ↑ [https://books.google.com/books?id=hDEYAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184 pp 184, 185

See also:

• Savage, James: Genealogical Dictionary, Vol. 3 (K-R) (1861), p. 431.
• Ancestors of Thomas Pierce @ Pierces.org, archived on the Wayback Machine. (The first part of this is transcribed from Pierce Genealogy II and the rest is internet postings recycling the same unsourced internet swampage.)
• Stearns, Ezra S. Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire (Lewis Publishing Company, 1908) Vol. 2, Page 558 NOTE: This is not a source. The reference is actually to Vol. 4, page 1932-3, and is without sources/references. Is a general discussion of unproven items.
• Memoir of Benjamin Pierce, Late Governor of New Hampshire, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., 1853) Vol. 7, Page 9-10 NOTE: This source has no sources, and appears to conflate Thomas with other Pierces.