Happy Ancestorversary to Daniel Pearce!

Family Search let me know this morning that it was the 230th Birthday for Daniel Pearce. 

Daniel was born in 1789 in the state of Maryland. He first married Elizabeth Johnson, with whom he had three children: John, William and Nancy. After Elizabeth's passing, he married Sarah Burgess and they proceeded to had two children. His 2nd wife passed away a few years later, and he remarried one last time to Sarah Titsworth. 

Sarah T. and Daniel proceeded to have nine children. 

Daniel and his family were the first permanent settlers of Oswego, Kendall County, Illinois. His 2nd house still stands at the Fox Bend Golf Course on his original property.

🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANIEL! 🎂

Pearce: All Signs Point to Oswego, Illinois

Lately, I have been working on my Pearce family line...and decided to take a trip home to delve a little deeper.

It is not my hometown, but it was for many, many years for the Pearce family. My 3x-great grandfather, Daniel Pearce, settled here with three of his siblings in 1833. They were the first permanent settlers in the area. 

I have heard rumors that a good portion of this large town is built on land that once belonged to Daniel, or his siblings (Rebecca Wilson, John & Walter Pearce).

But, I am not sure... 

I am not seeing any signs that this is true. LOL

What do you think?

This is a restaurant, along with a golf course,
that sits on Daniel Pearce's land. 

All joking aside, it was wonderful seeing all this Pearce history all around me. I met with my 1st cousins on the Pearce side while in the neighborhood, and I enjoyed telling them about what I had discovered. My seventeen-year-old cousin lives here and even learned a few things from me.

I made a point to stop in at both the Oswego and Yorkville public libraries to see what I could uncover. Let's just say, I spent a small fortune on copies! Lol

I have fallen down the rabbit hole!!

Next stop was to the Kendall County Courthouse, where I was able to retrieve my mother's birth certificate, my grandfather's birth certificate, and my great-grandfather's death certificate. 

If you have been reading my posts recently, you know that I have discovered a 3rd Pearce cousin on a FB group a fews years ago. Cousin Pearce has helped me tremendously, but we hadn't been able to meet up yet.

No photos to show, as I would like to protect her privacy. But we had a very enjoyable visit, comparing notes and just getting to know more about our our families.

As I am attempting to join the DAR eventually through Daniel's father (also a Daniel), Cousin Pearce has said that I can join through her. I would only have to prove to where our families converged, and then her application proved back to Revolutionary War veteran, Daniel Pearce.

I have my birth certificate, my mother's, and my grandfather's, all in my possession, but I still needed to prove my great-grandfather, Orson Seth Pearce, was the son of John Pearce.

Sometimes, you find help in unexpected places! I stopped in the Little White School Museum on their "Research in the Archives" day, hoping I might find a thing or two.

The Little White School Museum 

The staff there were wonderful! They were able to find 1842 and 1870 plat maps, obituaries, newspaper articles and so much more. Also, this museum had been a Methodist church first, before it was used as a schoolhouse. I discovered that it happened to be the church were Daniel, John and Orson Seth would have worshipped during their lifetime!

While they found so much for me, I was still on the trail of something that would prove Orson Seth Pearce was John Pearce's son. Bingo!!!  I discovered a will for Orson Seth's sister, which listed all the children (and a few grandchildren) of John Pearce.

So, with this piece of the puzzle, I can now prove that I am a descendent of the Daniel Pearce, a Revolutionary War veteran, and start my application process with the DAR.

What a wonderful vacation!  Over the course of a week, I was able to visit with 1st cousins, 2nd cousins, and a newly-found 3rd cousin! I visited the Pearce Cemetery, and paid my respects to my grandparents.

I found the missing puzzle piece for my DAR paperwork and got a tremendous amount of research done. I was able to walk on their land, and walk into the same church building that they had once walked, too.

What a remarkable week! How was yours?

Are They My Cousins Too, Or Just Yours?

Where do you go on vacation when you want to visit relatives, do some genealogy work and pay your respects to your ancestors?🤔🤔🤔

With these temperatures, I wish I could tell you Hawaii or Florida! 🌡⛄🌊   Lol

But, this coming week, I am heading up north to Kendall County, Illinois to do just that. 🚗🚗🚗

By now, you are asking what does this have to do with the title of  my blog post, right? Why in the world would I pick that title?  ❓❓❓

The title of this post actually comes from conversations I have had over the years from my relatives in Oswego and Yorkville in Kendall County, Illinois.

I have three different sides of my family tree all represented here in these towns where my mom grew up,...but my dad had never lived.

Let's climb aboard a time machine 🚀, and jump back to where these trees started growing in Kendall County.

First stop ~ My maternal grandfather, Gerald Pearce, was born in 

                     Oswego where his great-grandfather, Daniel Pearce, was

                     one of the first settlers. Gerald had been married with a 

                     daughter, and widowed, before meeting my 

                     grandmother. His one daughter had 12 children.

Gerald and Tillie Pearce

Second stop ~ My maternal grandmother, Mathilda Steffen, and her 

                     younger sister, Alice, moved from Iowa to Kendall 

                     County. Grandma "Tillie" married Grandpa Gerald and     
                     raised my mother and uncle in Yorkville. The 12       

                     children above (their half-neices/nephews), were     
                     approximately their age range and went to school with
                     them.

Third stop ~ My paternal grandmother, Ethel, was born and raised
                    southeastern Indiana along with her eight siblings. One
                    of her sisters, Clara, married and moved to Kendall
                    County. Clara and Tillie became good friends. When my
                    Grandma Ethel and family would visit, my mother got to
                    got to meet my father.

(L-R) Clara, Ethel Gladys and Loren Haessig

I truly hope that I haven't completely confused you yet! It was honestly has made for some interesting conversations with relatives over the years.

I am related to the Goins families in Kendall County, because my Great-aunt Clara moved from southeastern Indiana and raised her family there.

But the rest of my Illinois relatives are related to them in any way.

My Grandma Tillie Steffen married Grandpa Pearce, so I am related to all the Pearces in the area.

My Great-aunt, Alice, had moved from Iowa with big sister, Tillie. She stayed and raised a family in Kendall County, also. I am related to her children here. But, only my immediate family and closest Pearce cousins are related to them, also.

What makes all of this quite interesting is the fact that Yorkville and Oswego are small towns. They know each other as neighbors and classmates.

We, however, are in a unique position to call everyone: FAMILY!!! 

                     

Always Learning...Even in Surprising Ways!

I love learning anything I can regarding genealogy, family history, and history in general. There are many times that I can be seen leaving the library where I work with some genealogy books or a Family Tree magazine.

Here are my latest finds!

But, sometimes, the learning happens when you least expect it!

We had just recently gotten all four seasons of Finding Your Roots on DVD at my library, and my husband and I were watching a few episodes a night.

I don't know how many times I had to pause the DVD to right down a source I wanted to remember!

Also, I would be watching an episode, and realize the celebrity's ancestor would have something in common with my ancestors! For example, Bryant Gumbel's German ancestor had sailed to America from Hamburg on the Germania? So did my 2x- great grandfather, Henry (Henri, Heinrich) Haessig!

And, of course, the researcher in me has to always go and look up what I can on the Germania! Below, is a description I found on theshipslist.com that tells a little more about this passenger ship:  

"GERMANIA 1870 
Built in 1870 by Caird & Co, Greenock for the Hamburg America Line, the GERMANIA was a 2,876 gross ton ship, length 330ft x beam 39ft, straight stem, one funnel, two masts(rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a speed of 11 knots. There was accommodation for 150-1st, 70-2nd and 150-3rd class passengers. Launched on 24/12/1870, for the New Orleans service, but made her maiden voyage from Hamburg to New York on 4/5/1871. She commenced her fourth and last voyage on this service on 26/10/1872. She was chartered to the Hamburg South America Line in 1876 and was wrecked at Bahia, Brazil on 10/8/1876. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1,p.390]"

A week or so ago, I had started reading this book just because it had sounded like a good book I would enjoy. It is part house history and part family history. I was not wrong; it is a good book that I am enjoying immensely.

But, again, I am learning so much about German history, and more specifically, Berlin's history. It covers almost 100 years from World War II and the Berlin Wall through to the present.

DAR Patriot Index &
1820 Federal Census for Indiana

And last, but not least, a local library was discarding these two gems and I was able to snag them for myself. I did check my library's shelves first to make sure we owned them already!

I have only had a chance to glance through the DAR book to ensure my known Patriot (Daniel Pearce/Pierce) was in there. He was!

But, it was the 1820 Census book that had really caught my attention. Even though everyone but Adam is only represented by a a number in a column, it still told gave me another little piece of their story.

My 4x-great grandparents, Adam and Judith (Smith) Moore, had travelled from Maryland to southeastern Indiana in 1818.  The census was taken only two years later in 1820. The fact that they had 5 children 10 years old or younger means that they had to have travelled with at least three to all five of these young children, along with a few older children.

Traveling, across the Cumberland Road until they reached the Ohio River. And then, down the Ohio River to just past Cincinnati...with all these children, mostly 10 or under! 

Just Wow!! 

Also, there were a lot more Moores in Dearborn County in 1820 than I ever realized. ADAM was the one that started the little town of Moores Hill in Dearborn County. How many other family members had travelled with him?

Since I know nothing of his family in Maryland, this might help break down a brick wall or two?

All this learning that happened accidentally is in addition to my research into DNA. I have been tested by 23andme.com and have found cousins through GEDmatch.com, but still don't understand it all very well. 

So, this book is going to teach me all I need, right?

I have heard from several reliable sources that Blaine Bettinger is not only one of the most knowledgeable onmy the subject of DNA, but he makes it much easier to understand.

So, tell me, what are you learning these days, purposefully or accidentally?

Daniel Pearce and Family ~ Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Illinois

In my most recent post, I started sharing a little about my Pearce side of the family, and the part these pioneers played in settling the small town of Oswego, in Kendall County, Illinois.

I also introduced you to a newly-found 3rd cousin, who I referred to as Cousin Pearce.

When you've started writing a blog not to long after moving, cousins such as this can be a real lifesaver! I still have much of my genealogy paperwork packed away, and sometimes forget what I have accumulated so far.

After my last post (The Pearces and Warners of Kendall County), Cousin Pearce reminded me of information she had sent to me, and sent it to me once more. Thank you again!

It is from a book titled "A Partial List of the Descendants of  Daniel Pearce, born 1760" written by Charles Gilbert Pearce, assisted by Bernice Adell Pearce, in 1934.

Since there are very few copies and I cannot find a digital version on the internet, I am going to share some portions of it here to help fellow family historians, if I can.

In the last post, I claimed that the Pearce brothers travelled to, and staked a claim, in northern Illinois in 1832...and their father, Daniel, followed a little later.

My mistake lay in the fact that there are a Daniel, Sr. and a Daniel, Jr.; and that Daniel, Sr. never made it to Illinois.

Daniel Pearce, Jr., my 3x-great grandfather

As Daniel, Sr. is the father of many of the first settlers of Kendall County, I feel that it is right to start the story here. And, I also feel that it is quite fitting to do so in his descendant's words that I have transcribed here.

(A small note: I have highlighted my line in yellow. Also, I used bulleted/numbering systems, at times, for ease of reading. I am listing some basics on each of the children here from the book, and will continue following each of them in future posts.)

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel, Sr. - Born 1760. The early part of his life was spent in the vicinity of Elk Ridge Landing, Maryland. The "Landing" was located about 500 feet easterly from the bridge crossing the Patapsco River, at the place now called Elk Ridge, which is on the main highway between Washington and Baltimore about nine miles from the latter city. At this time (1934), the water is too low, and has been for many years but, in Colonial times the British ships came to this port with supplies for the colonists and returned to England loaded with tobacco. A sign board at the side of the highway reads as follows: -

“Elk Ridge Landing”

“An important colonial port for shipment of tobacco.

Here in 1765 Zachariah Hood, Maryland Stamp Act Agent,

was hanged in effigy.

LaFayette’s troops camped April 17-19, 1781 on the

way to engage Cornwallis of Virginia. George Washington

passed this way many times.”

               State Road Commission

Daniel enlisted in the American Revolutionary Army May 24, 1778. (See Archives of Maryland, Muster Rolls Volume I Pages 316-318). He enlisted for three years or duration of war.

• Muster Roll for July 1778 reads:- Daniel Pearce, Pvt. Capt. Lilburn Williams Company of 2nd Maryland Regiment of Foot, Commanded by Col. Thos. Price.

• Transferred to Capt. Davidson's Company Aug. 1, 1778.

• Roll dated Aug. 12, 1778 at White Plains:- Daniel Pearce, Fifer etc.

• Roll dated Oct. 5, 1778 at Fishkill:- Daniel Pierce, Drum and Fife, etc.

• Roll dated Jan. 21, 1779 at Middle Brook:- Daniel Pierce, Drum and fife.

• Remarks: - Hospital, Fishkill.

• Another Roll: - Discharged Nov. 1, 1780.

• Transferred.

Daniel married Ann “Nancy” Ankers on 5 Feb. 1782 (Pierce as recorded in List of marriages, Baltimore County). The Ankers family came from Ireland, and “Nancy” was in born 1763.

• Daniel is said to have been an overseer on the estate of William Patterson. The estate was located about one mile from the Village of Sykesville, about 25 westerly from Baltimore.

• Living in Maryland until 1797. Had 8 children here.

• Moved to Hampshire County, Virginia in 1797. Had 3 more children there.

• Moved to Champaign County, Ohio in 1808. Daniel, Sr. died here in 1830.

• Thereafter Nancy lived with her son John who moved to Kendall County, Illinois in 1832. She died in 1840, and was buried on his farm in the west side of Fox River in Oswego.

Daniel, Sr. and “Nancy” Pearce’s children ~

1. Ezekiel. Born 1783 in Maryland. Married Sally Provost. One daughter. Died in 1808 in Virginia.

2. Nancy. Born 1785 in Maryland. Married Mr. Sargent. Two daughters.

3. Elijah. Born 1787 in Maryland. Married Mary (Polly) Davis who was born 6 March 1793. Eight children.

4. Daniel. Born May 2, 1789 at Elk Ridge Landing,Maryland. Was a soldier in War of 1812. Married Elizabeth Johnson in 1814, and had three children. Elizabeth died (year ?), and he married Sarah Burgess about 1821. Two daughters were born to them, and she also died (year ?). In 1824 Daniel married Sarah Titsworth, and they had nine children. The last five of his children were born in Kendall County.

5. Elizabeth. Born 1791 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Married about 1821 in Champaign County, Ohio to James Titsworth. Six children born in Ohio.

6. Matilda. Born 1793 in Maryland. Died young.

7. Edward. Born 1794 in Maryland. Died young.

8. Israel. Born 1796 in Maryland. Died young.

9. Walter. Born Jan 10, 1798 in Hampshire County, Virginia. He had married first Jan. 1st, 1818, Perlina Davis, mother of seven of his children. She died in 1843, and Dec. 27, 1854 Walter married Josinah Kimball. Two children were born to them.

10. Rebecca. Born 1800 in Hampshire County, Virginia. Married about 1821 to William Smith Wilson.

11. John. Born 1802 in Hampshire County, Virginia. Married about 1824, Nancy Conroy.

** Stay tuned for mor information about the Pearce family!

Sources:


Pearce, Charles Gilbert; assisted by Bernice Adell Pearce. A Partial List of the Descendants of  Daniel Pearce, born 1760. Compiled 1934.

The Pearces and Warners of Kendall County, Illinois

This month, I discovered, marked the 200th anniversary of Illinois statehood. In recognition of this momentous occasion, I thought this might be a good time to introduce you to my mother’s side of the family, and therefore, my Illinois heritage.

My mom, Kathy, grew up in a small town in Kendall County, Illinois, called Yorkville. Although her mother, Mathilda Steffen, had grown up in Iowa; her father, Gerald Pearce, had lived in Kendall County his entire life. However, my mom knew almost nothing of his family history. He was in his late 50's when she was born, and had died when she was just 21 years old.

Gerald Pearce and Mathilda Steffen

She had always wanted to know more about the Pearce side of the family. And, before she passed away several years ago, I was able to give her the name of her grandparents, Orsen Seth Pearce and Frances Severance.

...And then I ran smack into a brick wall!

Whenever those brick walls get the best of me, my plan of attack is to always go back to what I know. So, I visited the one place where I knew I could find Pearce family.

I am fortunate in one way, that many are not. My Pearce side of the family actually has a Pearce Cemetery in Oswego, Kendall County. But, other than my grandparents and a small handful of other relatives, I had no idea who anyone else in the cemetery was. I had only been to this cemetery a few times in my lifetime.

On my next visit to see my cousins, I stopped at the Pearce Cemetery to pay my respects to my grandparents. I also took the time to study, and write down, many of the names on the gravestones. And, I took what I discovered to the internet.

I not only learned quite a bit on my own, but my research also led me to a FB group for Onondaga County, NY Genealogy. And, by asking a question on there, led me to a 3rd cousin back in Illinois I never knew! She has been researching our Pearce/Warner lines for a long time, and was a veritable gold mine of information! (To protect her privacy, I will refer to her as Cousin Pearce)

I have also discovered a book, History of Kendall County, Illinois, from the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time, written in 1877. Within its pages, I have found some of the county’s earliest settlers, such as John Pearce (Orson’s father), Walter Pearce and William Wilson. Walter was a brother to John, and William was his brother-in-law.

On pg. 98, I read,

“In August, 1832, John and Walter Pearce and William Wilson arrived with their families. They were from the Mad river country, Ohio, and started almost the moment they heard the [Blackhawk] war was over, with horse teams, driving their cattle and sheep before them. It was a tedious journey, and the prospect, when they reached the quaking swamps around Chicago, anything but inviting. But from that point they struck out for Fox River, and after a day’s travel in that direction were better pleased. They touched the river at Aurora, though there was not one solitary cabin then to mark the spot, and passed on down the south bank to the present site of Oswego. There Mr. Wilson drove his stake, while the Pearces crossed the river and made their claims on the other side. Oswego is therefore, by a few months, the oldest inhabited town in Kendall county…”

On pg. 104,  I also found a small entry regarding their father, Daniel Pearce, and his arrival in Oswego. My only regret when reading the following paragraph, is that the year of his arrival was not included.

“June 1st, Daniel Pearce and family arrived at Oswego, having come all the way with ox teams. They had a tedious journey, for the season was wet and the mud very deep. They often met droves of cattle knee deep in mud. Mr. Pearce at once took up his present farm - one hundred acres of prairie, surrounded with timber, on Waubonsie Creek.”

According to my newly-discovered cousin, Daniel’s house not only is still standing, but rests on the edge of a golf course! She said that all of the golf course had once been his property.

Daniel Pearce's House (Courtesy of Cousin Pearce)

John, and his wife, Marietta Marion Warner, had seven children. William Wallace, Alice A., Charles Wesley, Orson Seth, Julia, Carrie, and Mariette Marion (Ettie).

I have no photos of my great-grandfather, Orson Seth, but my newly -discovered cousin has a few of Orson's baby sister, Ettie.

The photos below are of Ettie and her family (she will later have one more son, Ralph),...

Clockwise: Marietta (Ettie) Pearce, Glenn Pearce Andrews, Frank Andrews, Burton Everett Andrews (Courtesy of Cousin Pearce)

...and of Ettie in her later years.

Ettie Pearce Andrews

Since these are the only photos I have from the Pearce line, I have merged the photos of Ettie, and her nephew, Gerald Pearce.  Without a photo of Orson's father, this is the closest that I can get to looking for a resemblance.

What do you think?

Ettie Pearce Andrews, and her nephew, Gerald Pearce

I have also started some research into John's wife line, too.  Maretta Marian Warner was born in Camillus, Onondaga County, NY to Joel Warner and Clarissa Foster. 

According to the Kendall County book, (p. 171) "Joel Warner settled one mile east of Oswego, and afterward removed to Newark."

According to census records, Marietta and seven of her siblings were born in New York, but the last three in Kendall County, Illinois. So, I knew that they had to have migrated somewhere between April 1833 and December 1835. I have heard rumors that the newly-built Erie Canal in NY ran fairly close to the property of Joel's parents, Seth Warner and Lois Squire. 

Besides looking closer into the Pearce and Warner families, I think that my next trail to follow would be how the Warners might have gotten to northern Illinois in the 1830's.

My guess would be the Erie Canal, and the Great Lakes. But, how would they do this in the early-1830's? 

Would anyone like to help me with this? Have any of you done much research into this route of migration?

Sources:

Hicks, E.W.  History of Kendall County, Illinois, from the Earliest Discoveries to the Present Time. Aurora, IL: Knickerbocker & Hodder, Steam Printers and Blank Book Makers, 1877.