1. JAMES1 PEARCE was born in of Cohansey, New Jersey, and died December 07, 1694 in Salem, New Jersey1.
Notes for JAMES PEARCE:
Will of Richard Peers (Dated December 18, 1659)
Richard Peers (Island of the Barbados, Esq.)
To my:
Son: John, All plantation (Lebanas or Penderee) 600 acres bought of Walter Pye called Liner's Ockell in Herefordshire, England
Dau: Mary, marr. Nicholas Boatte (Land of England) Land in England.
Son: Edward, (All Plantation in Barbados) 300 acres.
Dau: Elizabeth, (Money) To be Pd. By Brother-in law Capt. James Hawleys.
Dau: Susan Jones, 30 acres where she now lives and servants.
Will Prvd, May 14, 1662 by Son John Peers.
Will of John Pierce (Peers) Survey Esq. (dated March 16, 1688) Strettum Co.
Wife: Hester Peers, died September 15, 1678.
All my estate in the B'does and elsewhere beyond the seas to my friends Col.Richard Guy, Richard Howell Esq. And Richard Barrow of Cover and Gardens,Gent. (meaning Gentlemen).
(Note from Pat: This is the line that caught my attention. "Land beyond the seas". Having known that Col. Richard Guy was a prominent early surveyor here in the colonies I knew "Land beyond The seas" had to be the land here in America that was not yet officially named.)
Son: John 100 Pounds (Money) a yr.
Son: Thomas 100 Pounds a yr.
Dau: Mary 100 Pounds a yr.
Daus: Elizabeth, Frances, and Anne by my 2nd. Wife; 60 Pounds (money) a yr. Till age 14, then 100 Pounds a yr.
To be educated by friend Elizabeth Hill (Eliz. Hill) 40 pounds a yr.
Mistress: Dorothy Spendlove and her son John, her Dau. Anne, 100 pounds a yr.
My Natural Child Frances, 25 pounds a yr. Plus 40 pounds for apprenticeship.
Mistress: Elizabeth Ashcroft and her sons; John, Richard and Edward and her 2 Daus. Susan and Elizabeth, 25 pounds a yr.
Susan Mingo: A Black and her 3 children; Judith, Richard and Hester, 10 Pounds a yr.
Katheen Campnell: Last wifes Servant; (Hester?) 20 Pounds a yr.
Mistress: Anne Broughurst, 25 pounds a yr.
3 daughters by 2nd. Wife, Elizabeth, Frances, and Anne all plates and Jewels that were their Mothers also.
Son: Richard: Coach and 4 Horses , over plus to him and his male heirs, They to be Ex'ors.(Executors)
20 pounds for my funeral. Lease of house in Stretham, rent to be paid to the estate.
On July 1689 Comm. To Robert Chaplain, Guardian of Richard, Mary, John, and Thomas Peers minors, (Has son Richard died?)
They are renouncing Ex'ors (Executors) as of July 24, 1695.
Renouncing to: Mary Peers dau. She now being 21 yrs. Of age.
Nov. 27, 1705 Comm. To Richard the son, Mary the dau. Now deceased.
April 27, 1713: Comm. To Hannah Peers the widow and relict of Richard the son.
Other Pierce New Jersey Facts:
James Pierce and William Waithman bought 500 acres in 1676 on the Cohansey from John Fenwick (in England) and William Worth. James Pierce also bought another 500 acres by himself and on August 23, 1681 he accepted assignment of property from William Shattock.
September 15, 1684: "James Peirce of Chohanzik, W.J., to Marke Reeve, for one half of 500 acres, granted to Wm. Shattock of Shrewsberry, E.J., by John Fenwick, of which said Shattock sold one half to Wm. Waithman and the other to grantor." Patents and Deeds and Other Early Records of New Jersey 1664-1703.
September 20, 1688 William Worth sold to James Pierce of Shrewsbury, NJ on the Cohansey, (Blacksmith) 250 Acres on Shrewsbury Neck between Shattocks' Plantation and "Wee-hat-quack" Creek.
September 22, 1693 Samuel Hedge of Salem, N.J. sold to James Pierce of 'Cesaria' River alis (Cohansey) 50 ares on the river between the grantee (S.H.) and Thomas Smith.
Children of James Pierce:
Richard, Hannah, James, and Mary.
John Pierce: Cloth merchant in London- Helped Pilgrims get a charter to come to the New World. Charged by Gov. of Plymouth Bay
Company of having too much control and power. John sold his right to Colony and withdrew.
(John never reached America).
Andrew: A Ship builder.
William: A Sea Captain.
From Calendar of NJ Wills: Page 356
Name: James Pearce
Date: 07 Dec 1694
Location: Chohansey
Blacksmith; will of. Children--Richard, Hannah, James, Mary. Real and personal estate. Executors--Joseph Eastland and Restore Lippingcoate. Witnesses--Samuel Hunter and Roger Rydewood. Recorded January 7, 1695.
1694 Dec. 13. Inventory of the personal estate, £70.7; made by Sam'l Hunter and Wm. Remmington. Salem Wills, A, p. 137
William Pierce: (Brother of John) Sea-Captain brought many colonists to the New World. (Plymouth Bay). On November 22, 1630 he came to the relief of sick colonists. This was the First 'Thanksgiving'. For a while, Capt. William Pierce lived in Jamestown, VA before relocating elsewhere. He is listed in their census of June 23, 1624 as having over 30 servants. He also authored "Pierces' Almanak" in 1639, the first printed book in the Colonies and brought cotton, and sweet potatoes to the colonists from the West Indies. Capt. William Pierce died in 1641on a voyage to the Bahamas. At the time of his death, he was living in Boston, Mass.
William Pierce's son, Edward, was a minister at the Anglican church of St Margaret, Westminster, England and was ejected from the church in 1660.
Another Pierce, James Pierce, came over to the New World in 1677 or 1678 and was a Quaker associated with William Penn. James' land that he bought with William Worth was on the road leading from Salem to the Morris River on the east side of the Cohansey, across from Greenwich. James married Rachael Gibbons in 1707 (Feb.1) and died in 1749. He also sold land to Joseph Eastland on November 18, 1708 and quit claimed land to his Sister Hannah on May 17, 1712 deed book MM.37 pg. 60 in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
James Pierce's son, Richard, went to Gloucester Co. from Salem Co. with a John Walling. A family named 'Walling' bought land from James Pierce. In Cushing and Sheppard's History of the Counties of Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland, in 1694, James Pierce is listed as a first settler of Greenwich, but it states this family did not remain in this area. (Note: Greenwich was then a part of Salem Co.)
Richard Pierce, James Pierce's son was nicknamed 'Dicky' never went to school and taught himself to read and write.
Another Pierce associated with the area in colonial times was John Pierce who bought land on the Delaware side of Cape-May, NJ called "Pierces' Point", but later sold that land and went back to Mommouth or Burlington Co. East Jersey.
More About JAMES PEARCE:
Occupation: 1694, Blacksmith2
Children of JAMES PEARCE are:
