MY PEARCE FAMILY
JOSHUA PEARCE
and
DEBORAH DOVE
Joshua PEARCE was living in Maryland during the Revolutionary War. He enlisted 3 Jan 1776 and served twelve months as private in Captain Samuel Smith's company, Colonel William Smallwood's Maryland Regiment. He served from sometime in May, 1777, as sergeant in Captain Roxburgh's and Jordan's companies, in Colonel Stone's First Maryland Regiment, and continued in the service until in 1783, according to his Pension Records.
Joshua was married to Deborah DOVE 15 Apr 1785 in Prince George County, Maryland.
Children of Joshua PEARCE and Deborah DOVE were:
- 1. Joshua PEARCE, died 20 Apr 1835, Adams Co, IL; married 14 Apr 1819, Sara GOLDEN, daughter of Peter GOLDEN and Elizabeth.
- 2. William PEARCE, born 1788, Maryland, married Elizabeth SMITH.
They moved to Tennessee in 1798 and Sullivan Co, TN in 1803. In the Pension Application Joshua states that his occupation was a joiner.
Deborah died in April 1820 and Joshua died 1823.
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Joshua PEARCE was living in Maryland during the Revolutionary War. He enlisted 3 Jan 1776 and served twelve months as private in Captain Samuel Smith's company, Colonel William Smallwood's Maryland Regiment. He served from sometime in May, 1777, as sergeant in Captain Roxburgh's and Jordan's companies, in Colonel Stone's First Maryland Regiment, and continued in the service until in 1783, according to his Pension Records. Joshua was married to Deborah DOVE 15 Apr 1785 in Prince George County, Maryland. Children of Joshua PEARCE and Deborah DOVE were:
They moved to Tennessee in 1798 and Sullivan Co, TN in 1803. In the Pension Application Joshua states that his occupation was a joiner. Deborah died in April 1820 and Joshua died 1823. |
JOSHUA PEARCE
and
SARAH GOLDEN
Joshua PEARCE was born about 1800 to Joshua PEARCE and Deborah DOVE. Sarah GOLDEN, daughter of Peter GOLDEN and Elizabeth, and Joshua were married married 14 Apr 1819 in Sullivan County, Tennessee Joshua owned 162 acres of land on Horse Creek in Sullivan County, TN. They lived in Tennessee until about 1832 when they moved to Adams County, Illinois.
Children of Joshua PEARCE and Sarah GOLDEN were as follows:
- 1. William PEARCE, born 23 Mar 1821; died 6 Jul 1847; buried Pearce Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL; married Mary Katherine DAVIS, 22 Aug 1844, Adams Co, IL
- 2. Peter PEARCE; born 5 Mar 1822; died 2 Oct 1844, Adams Co, IL; buried 3 Oct 1844, Pearce Homestead, Adams Co, IL. He never mararied.
- 3. Elizabeth PEARCE, born 16 Nov 1824, TN; died 6 Feb 1895, Adams Co, IL; buried Pleasant View Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL; married William BARNARD, 2 Nov 1845, Adams Co, IL - Home
- 4. George W PEARCE; born 12 Oct 1826, TN; died 14 Nov 1905, Adams Co, IL; buried Pearce Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL; married Sarah E. KNOWLES, 12 Dec 1872
- 5. Katherine PEARCE, born 5 Jan 1829, TN; died 7 Dec 1890; married John Quincy ADAMS, 14 Oct 1845, Adams Co, IL.
- 6. Susan PEARCE; born 28 Jul 1831, TN; died 19 Jul 1913, Adams Co, IL; buried Pleasant View Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL; married Francis M. Barnard, 23 Feb 1851, Adams Co, IL
- 7. Mary A PEARCE; born 7 May 1833, IL; married 1. Harrison SCOTT, 28 Jul 1851, Adams Co, IL, 2. Balsar DIEHL.
Joshua was hit with an iron shovel in the head and died eleven days later on 20 Apr 1835. John Craig was indicted for the murder and escaped from jail on the night of the 16th of Sep 1835. No records of the trial have been found but H. D. Pearce states in his memoirs that Craig was sentenced to 2 years in prison and died before the two years was up. Family tradition is that Joshua was buried in the Pearce Cemetery which is located on the Pearce Farm, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL. There is no marker for his grave.
Sarah married Ebeneezer HARKNESS 25 April 1837 in Adams Co, IL. Ebeneezer was born 2 February 1785 in Maine, and died 3 May 1863 in Adams County, IL. He is buried in the Payson Old Cemetery in Section III-A.
They had one child
- 1. Sarah Ellen HARKNESS; born 30 Mar 1838, IL; married William F. BACON. Letter to H. D. Pearce, 8 Jul 1904.
Sarah filed for divorce from Harkness but no document has been found that it was granted. The Biographical Sketch of Ebeneezer does not mention his marriage to Sarah but the biography on William Bacon does mention their marriage and the birth of Sarah Ellen. Sarah lived with her son George W. Pearce on the homeplace in Liberty Township until her death 16 Dec 1871. Although no marker has been found for her, it is believed that she is buried in the Pearce Cemetery.
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Joshua PEARCE was born about 1800 to Joshua PEARCE and Deborah DOVE. Sarah GOLDEN, daughter of Peter GOLDEN and Elizabeth, and Joshua were married married 14 Apr 1819 in Sullivan County, Tennessee Joshua owned 162 acres of land on Horse Creek in Sullivan County, TN. They lived in Tennessee until about 1832 when they moved to Adams County, Illinois. Children of Joshua PEARCE and Sarah GOLDEN were as follows:
Joshua was hit with an iron shovel in the head and died eleven days later on 20 Apr 1835. John Craig was indicted for the murder and escaped from jail on the night of the 16th of Sep 1835. No records of the trial have been found but H. D. Pearce states in his memoirs that Craig was sentenced to 2 years in prison and died before the two years was up. Family tradition is that Joshua was buried in the Pearce Cemetery which is located on the Pearce Farm, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL. There is no marker for his grave. Sarah married Ebeneezer HARKNESS 25 April 1837 in Adams Co, IL. Ebeneezer was born 2 February 1785 in Maine, and died 3 May 1863 in Adams County, IL. He is buried in the Payson Old Cemetery in Section III-A. They had one child
Sarah filed for divorce from Harkness but no document has been found that it was granted. The Biographical Sketch of Ebeneezer does not mention his marriage to Sarah but the biography on William Bacon does mention their marriage and the birth of Sarah Ellen. Sarah lived with her son George W. Pearce on the homeplace in Liberty Township until her death 16 Dec 1871. Although no marker has been found for her, it is believed that she is buried in the Pearce Cemetery. |
WILLIAM PEARCE
and
MARY KATHERINE DAVIS
WILLIAM PEARCE
and
MARY KATHERINE DAVIS
William PEARCE was born 23 Mar 1821, the son of Joshua PEARCE and Sarah GOLDEN. He attended school in Kentucky.
William was listed in the 1841 Adams Co, IL Tax List.
On 22 Aug 1844 he married Mary Katherine DAVIS, daughter of Henry DAVIS and Annie BUSCH. They lived on the Pearce homestead that he inherited from his father, improving and farming the land.
The two children of William PEARCE and Mary Katherine DAVIS were both born in Adams Co, IL on the Pearce homestead:
- 1. Henry Davis PEARCE, born 4 Jun 1845, Adams Co, IL; died 8 Dec 1911, Robert Lee, Coke Co, TX; married Sara Elizabeth PRIDE, 11 Oct 1868, Van Alstyne, Collin Co, TX.
- 2. Amanda Alvira PEARCE, born 18 Sep 1846; married John M BUCHANAN 1 Sep 1870, Grayson Co, TX
William died 6 Jul 1847, Adams Co, IL and was buried 7 Jul 1847 in the Pearce Cemetery, Liberty Township, Adams Co, IL.
About 1850 Mary Davis Pearce married Benjamin PERKINS. Benjamin built a log house in this wild frontier country which was still inhabited by Indians. In the spring of 1851 they moved back to Illinois to Hancock Co, 8 miles from Warsaw. Mary gave birth to a baby girl who died. After a lingering illness she died in 1851. It is not known where she is buried.
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William PEARCE was born 23 Mar 1821, the son of Joshua PEARCE and Sarah GOLDEN. He attended school in Kentucky. William was listed in the 1841 Adams Co, IL Tax List. On 22 Aug 1844 he married Mary Katherine DAVIS, daughter of Henry DAVIS and Annie BUSCH. They lived on the Pearce homestead that he inherited from his father, improving and farming the land. The two children of William PEARCE and Mary Katherine DAVIS were both born in Adams Co, IL on the Pearce homestead:
About 1850 Mary Davis Pearce married Benjamin PERKINS. Benjamin built a log house in this wild frontier country which was still inhabited by Indians. In the spring of 1851 they moved back to Illinois to Hancock Co, 8 miles from Warsaw. Mary gave birth to a baby girl who died. After a lingering illness she died in 1851. It is not known where she is buried. |
HENRY DAVIS PEARCE
and
SARAH ELIZABETH PRIDE
HENRY DAVIS PEARCE
and
SARAH ELIZABETH PRIDE
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Henry Davis Pearce was born 4 Jun 1845 in Adams Co, the son of William PEARCE and Mary Katherine DAVIS. His father died when he was two years old and his mother married Benjamin Perkins. The family moved to Iowa and Henry remembers that at age 5 he walked daily alone to a log schoolhouse a mile away. About 1851 the family moved about 8 miles from Warsaw, IL where his mother died. After that he and his sister Alvira went to live with their Davis grandparents who educated them well for the times. In May of 1856 H D with most of his Davis relatives moved to Grayson Co, TX, locating at Ferguson Post Office - later called Farmington. He and Alvira were baptized by their grandfather Henry Davis, who was a Baptist preacher, into the fellowship of the Farmington Baptist Church in the East Fork of the Trinity River, between Farmington and Weston. By 1860 H D was back in Illinois living with his Pearce grandmother, Sarah Harkness. In August of 1861 he joined the Sabine Rebels and in September mustered into the Confederate Army, becoming Co B, 17th LA Volunteer Infanatry. He was discharged 17 Dec 1862 because he was under age. He returned to Grayson Co, TX and enlisted again after his 18th birthday in Co D, 16th Texas Dismounted Calvary, and was sent to LA, where he participated in the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. He was captured, kept a prisoner 11 days, then exchanged. He remained in the service until the war ended, and was discharged 22 May 1864. In 1866 he returned to Illinois to visit with his Pearce relatives. Sarah Harkness related much of the information contained here to him at that time. On 11 Oct 1868 in Van Alstyne, Collin Co, TX, Henry Davis Pearce was married to Sarah Elizabeth PRIDE, daughter of John PRIDE and Ellen McDONALD. They lived between 1868 and 1874 at Howe, Grayson Co, TX. In 1877 they moved to Hill Co, TX and in 1879 to Paint Rock, Concho Co, TX. In 1880 they moved to Valley Creek, Runnels Co, TX, then to Runnels City, Runnels Co, TX in 1880. In 1888 the whole town of Runnels City was moved to Ballinger, Runnels Co, TX and the Pearces moved with the town. Children of Henry Davis PEARCE and Sarah Elizabeth PRIDE were as follows:
H D was a true Confederate Veteran. He was active in the Confederate Reunions and served as the Secretary Treasurer of the Colorado-Concho Confederate Reunion Association. For many years he interviewed Confederate Veterans and recorded their stories which contain their birthdate, where they enlisted and the battles they fought in. Some of these were recorded in 126 Biographical Sketches of Confederate Soldiers. Henry Davis Pearce died 8 Dec 1911 at Robert Lee, Coke Co, TX, and is buried at Robert Lee Cemetery, Robert Lee, Coke Co, TX. Sarah Elizabeth died 4 Jan 1939 of Influenza pneumonia at the home of her daughter Olive McFarland in Winters, TX. She is buried at Robert Lee next ot her husband. Look at pictures of this family. More can be read about this family in the Diary and Memoirs of H D Pearce and the writings of his daughter Ethel Annie Pearce Hayley. Zelma Hayley Strom also wrote a biography of them Pearce's Pioneering Days in Texas. MLB. |
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
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Special thanks to family for their research and documents that they have shared with me: Patricia G. Bresee, David Gates, Byrd Kirkpatrick, Betty Byrd Lewis, Betty Nowak, Hubert & Mary Strom, Zelma Hayley Strom, Jean White Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources, by Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, M.S., M.D., Volume 1, Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, MD, 1915, p 143. Nita Pearce - The Complete Mayflower Descendant, Vol. I-46 & Other Sources, 1600s-1800s - The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. XXVI. Provincetown, Mass. Vital Records, Pg. 125. MD Marriage Records. The Census of Adams County, Illinois for the Year of 1850 by Townships, Copied and Published by Thomas B. & Mildred C. Nelson, 2504 College Ave., Quincy, ILL. 62301, 1972-Rev. 1974 & 1977. 1860 Census, Adams County, Illinois, Volume II, Beverly, Burton, Concord, Liberty, McKee, & Richfield Townships, Compiled by Members of GRGS, Great River Genealogical Society, 1981. 1950 Adams Co IL Census Images - John Q Adams, William Barnard, Sarah Harkness Adams County, IL, 1841 Tax List, Compiled by Jean McCarl Kay, and Lillian Harris Frye, Great River Genealogical Society, 1984. Cemeteries of Adams County, Illinois, Volume II, Burton, Liberty, Columbus, Concord, McKee, Beverly, Townships, Great River Genealogical Society, c/o Quincy public Library, 526 Jersey, Quincy, Illinois 62301, February 1988. Deaths and Marriages from Early Quincy Papers, 1835-1850, Compiled by Linda Kaufmann Parrick, Lillian Harris Frye, Jeannie McCarl Kay, Great River Genealogical Society, 1979. Early Records Index, Adams County, Illinois, Volume III, Compiled by The Genealogical Society, c/o Quincy Public Library, 526 Jersey Street, Quincy, Illinois 62301. Marriages of Adams County, Illinois, 1825-1860, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Great River Genealogical Society. PAST AND PRESENT of the CITY OF QUINCY and ADAMS COUNTY ILLINOIS, Hon. William H. Collins and Mr. Cicero F. Perry, The S. J.CLARK Publishing Co, 1905, William F. Bacon, Page 1095 QUINCY and ADAMS COUNTY, History and Representative Men, Vol. II, David F. Wilcox, Supervising Editor Portrait and Biographical Record of Adams County, Illinois, containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Portraits of all the Presidents of the United States, Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892 - George W. Pearce, p 506 The Diary of Henry Davis Pearce Sarah E. Pearce Confederate Pension Application Coke County - Cemeteries, Epitaphs and Dates, compiled by Bonita Copeland and Wanda Smith, 1990, Third Edition Published by S & S Printing, P. O Box 385, 117 W Main, Bronte, TX 76933 Coke County Observer - obituaries, marriages and other information. Marriage Records - Coke Co, Collins Co, and Runnels Co,TX. Census Records of Runnels Co, TX - 1880 - 48/48, 1900 - 198/202 Census Records of Coke County, TX - 1910. |
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