Our Pierce Family: Massachusetts Bay to the Pacific Coast

 

This is a remarkable New England lineage that tracks nearly 350 years of American expansion—starting with Puritan settlement in 1630s Massachusetts, through colonial Connecticut and Rhode Island, into the post-Civil War Great Plains, and reaching the Pacific Northwest.

Key Genealogical Discoveries & Historical Notes

1. The Puritan Founders in Massachusetts (Gens 1–2)

• Thomas Pierce (1583–1666): Arrived in New England around 1633–1634 during the Great Migration. He was admitted as a freeman of Charlestown, Massachusetts, in May 1635 and became a major landholder with over 90 acres across Charlestown and Woburn. Notably, his 1665 will included a bequest of 20 shillings to Harvard College, making him one of the institution's earliest private donors.
• Sergeant Thomas Pierce II (1617–1683): Served as a Selectman of Woburn and held the rank of Sergeant in the local trainband (militia). His father-in-law, Rice (Ryse) Cole, was one of the original founders of the church in Charlestown in 1632.

2. The Connecticut & Rhode Island Branches (Gens 3–8)

• Col. Timothy Pierce (1673–1748): A towering figure in Eastern Connecticut history. He was among the earliest proprietors of Plainfield, CT. Over his life, he served as Colonel of the 11th Connecticut Regiment, Judge of the Probate Court, Judge of the County Court of Common Pleas, and represented Plainfield in the Connecticut General Assembly for nearly a decade.
• Jedediah Pierce (1740–1826): Born in Connecticut, Jedediah joined the post-Revolutionary migration up the Connecticut River valley into Vermont, settling in Royalton, Windsor County, where he lived for over three decades until his death at age 86.
• The Rhode Island "Pearce/Pierce" Spelling Variant: Generations 7 and 8 settled in Foster, Providence County, Rhode Island. In Rhode Island civil and church records, the surname frequently alternated between Pierce, Pearce, and Pirce. They married into long-standing Rhode Island families, including the Mattesons, Cases, and Braymans.

3. Military Service & Western Expansion (Gens 9–12)

• James L. Pierce (1823–c. 1847): Died young around age 24 during the era of the Mexican-American War, with family records indicating he passed away at sea.
• Marcus Morton Pierce (1842–1882): Named after Marcus Morton (the 18th Governor of Massachusetts). He served as a Union soldier during the Civil War. After the war, he joined the westward land rush, moving his family from Pennsylvania to homestead in Valley County, Nebraska.
• Lillian Amanda Pierce & Franklin Jackson Bailey (Gens 11–12): Lillian married David Jackson Bailey (son of a Union veteran). Their son Franklin Jackson Bailey homesteaded in Montana before moving to California, bridging the pioneer era into the mid-20th century.

Lineage at a Glance

Gen	Individual	Life Dates	Primary Residence	Key Historic Note
1	Thomas Pierce	1583–1666	Charlestown, MA	Immigrant ancestor (c. 1633); Harvard donor
2	Sgt. Thomas Pierce II	1617–1683	Woburn, MA	Selectman & Militia Sergeant
3	Thomas Peirce III	1645–1717	Woburn, MA / CT	Early settler in New Haven Co., CT
4	Col. Timothy Pierce	1673–1748	Plainfield, CT	Colonel 11th CT Regt., Probate Judge
5	Nathaniel M. Pierce	1701–1775	Pomfret, CT	Windham County landholder
6	Jedediah Pierce	1740–1826	Royalton, VT	Migrated to Vermont land boom
7	William Pearce (Pierce)	1770–1841	Foster, RI	Established Rhode Island branch
8	William Pearce (Pierce)	1794–1875	Foster, RI	Married into Matteson & Austin lines
9	James L. Pierce	1823–c. 1847	Foster, RI	Lost at sea during Mexican-American War era
10	Marcus Morton Pierce	1842–1882	Woonsocket, RI / Nebraska	Union Army Veteran & Nebraska pioneer
11	Lillian Amanda Pierce	1867–1957	Nebraska / Washington	Westward migration to Pacific Northwest
12	Franklin Jackson Bailey	1886–1968	Nebraska / Montana / CA	Montana homesteader

Family Narrative: From Massachusetts Bay to the Pacific Coast

Chapter I: The Puritan Foothold (1630s–1700s)

The story begins in the spring of 1633, when Thomas Pierce and his wife Elizabeth left Norfolk, England, aboard a Puritans' ship bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Settling in Charlestown, Thomas established himself as a prominent land proprietor and citizen. His son, Sergeant Thomas Pierce II, helped build the town of Woburn, defending the community during the turbulent early Indian conflicts as an officer in the local trainband.

By the third generation, Thomas Peirce III looked beyond Massachusetts. As the colonies expanded southward into Indian-ceded lands, his son Timothy Pierce became one of the key figures in settling Plainfield, Connecticut.

Chapter II: Judges, Militiamen & Rhode Island Farmers (1700s–1840s)

In Eastern Connecticut, Col. Timothy Pierce rose to immense civic stature. As commander of the 11th Connecticut Regiment and a presiding judge in Windham County, Timothy represented the pinnacle of colonial leadership. His grandson, Jedediah Pierce, carried the family spirit into the revolutionary era—eventually moving north into the rugged hills of Royalton, Vermont.

Simultaneously, Jedediah’s son William Pearce established roots in Foster, Rhode Island. For two generations, the family farmed along the Rhode Island-Connecticut border, intermarrying with pioneer families like the Cases, Mattesons, and Braymans.

Chapter III: War, Tragedy & The Great Plains (1840s–1880s)

Tragedy struck the line in the late 1840s when James L. Pierce died young at sea during the Mexican-American War, leaving his young widow Elvira and small children in Rhode Island.

His son, Marcus Morton Pierce, answered the call to arms during the Civil War, enlisting in the Union forces. Following the war, Marcus joined the Homestead movement. Driven by the promise of free prairie land, he moved his family out to the Nebraska frontier, settling in Valley County.

Chapter IV: Crossing the Continent (1880s–1960s)

Marcus’s daughter, Lillian Amanda Pierce, grew up on the Nebraska prairie, marrying a young cowboy David Jackson Bailey (himself the son of a Union Civil War veteran).

Their son, Franklin Jackson Bailey, continued the frontier tradition by filing a homestead claim in Montana, before farming in Idaho and eventually moving his family to Los Angeles, California. In twelve generations, our Pierce line traveled from the shores of Charlestown Harbor across the Great Plains to the Pacific.

Thank you Gemini AI for your wisdom and research assistance. -- Drifting Cowboy