Biographical Sketch of George PEIRCE (1881); Chester County, PA

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<clroth1229@earthlink.net>.

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From THE HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY, by Futhey and Cope (1881);

pg. 678

PEIRCE, George (or Pearce, as the name appears to have been written by him), of 
the parish of Winscom, in the county of Somerset (England), and Ann Gainer, of 
Thornbury, in the county of Gloucester, were married the 1st day of 12th month, 
commonly called February, 1679.  George, with his wife and three young children, 
emigrated from Bristol, the seaport nearest his residence, in 1684, and the same 
year had a tract of 490 acres of land surveyed to him in what is now Thornbury 
township.  Thornbury being the name of a district of country from which he 
obtained his wife, and a desire on his part to keep up the old associations most 
dear to him, probably suggested the name of the township.  He arrived at 
Philadelphia prior to 9th month 4, 1684, upon which day he presented two 
certificates to a meeting of Friends held "att the Governor's house."  One of 
these certificates from "the Monthly Meeting at ffrenshay, in the County of 
Gloucester."  The other was from "Thornbury Meeting."  He may have settled on 
his new purchase in 1685, but his name first appears as an active member of 
Chichester Friends' Meeting in 1686; shortly after which meetings were sometimes 
held at his house.  Besides being strict in his attention to his religious 
duties, he gave a share of his time to civil affairs, and of his means to the 
improvement of the country.  He represented Chester County in the Provincial 
Assemble in 1706, and was one of a company who erected "the Concord mill," the 
first mill erected in his neighborhood.  He died in East Marlborough about 1734, 
having removed to that township two years before.
  The children of George and Ann Pearce were Betty, b. 9,18, 1680, m. Vincent 
Caldwell; George, b. 2,23,1682; Joshua, b. 1,5,1684, d. 9,15,1752, Ann, b. 
3,8,1786, m. James Gibbons and William Pim; Margaret, b. 4,11,1689; Mary, b. 
10,25,1690, m. Joseph Brinton; Caleb, b. 12,21,1692, d. 1,22,1679 [this is what 
the book says, but obviously a typo], m. Mary Walter; Gainer, b. 2,1,1695, m. 
Sarah Walter; Hannah, b. 2,21,1696, m. Edward Brinton; John, b. 2,15,1704, d. 
before 1720.
  Joshua Perice married first, 8,28,1713, Ann Mercer, daughter of Thomas and 
Mary, of Westtown; second marriage 9,15,1722 to Rachel, daughter of Joseph and 
Hannah Gilpin, of Birmingham.  He settled in the eastern part of East 
Marlborough.  The children by the first wife were George, b. 5,5,1714, d. 
10,2,1775, m. Lydia Roberts; Mary, b. 3,3,1717, m. William Cloud; Ann, b. 
10,20,1718, m. Caleb Mendenhall and Adam Redd; by second wife, Joshua, b. 
1,22,1724, m. Ann Baily; Joseph, b. 10,16,1725, d. 3,9,1811, a physician; Caleb, 
b. 12,2,1727, d. 10,12,1815; Isaac, m. to Hannah Sellers. From these have 
descended hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens.  In some branches the 
name is written Pierce, and by others Peirce, which is thought to be the 
orthography of the early generations succeeding the immigrant.
  Moses Pierce, son of Caleb and Hannah Pierce, was born in Chester County, June 
18, 1782.  his mother was a sister of Dr. Moses Marshall, and a niece of 
Humphrey Marshall, the botanist.  he studied medicine with his brother-in-law, 
Dr. James Gibbons of West Chester, attended a course of lectures in the 
University of Pennsylvania, and without graduating commenced the practice of 
physic in West Chester as the successor of Dr. Gibbons, whose residence he 
purchased in March, 1805.
  Dr. Pierce was soon disabled from practice by pulmonary consumption.  He died 
June 18, 1808.  He was never married.  He was a man of great energy of character 
and the most stoical fortitude.  He contemplated his approaching dissolution 
with singular calmness, and in the spring of 1808 calculated the number of weeks 
which he thought he could live with surprising accuracy.