David Pierce was born 22 June
1773 in Middleborough, Mass. (Middleborough VR as David Peirce), the son of Jesse Pierce and Ruth Perkins. Pierce
is spelled in a variety of ways, including Peirce, Perse and Pearse.
On 8 October 1795 David married
Desire Nye in Wareham, Mass (Records of the First Church of Wareham). David and Desire were both of Wareham at the time
of their marriage intentions on 20 June 1795 (Wareham VR). Desire is sometimes spelled Desier, Deziah
and Desiah.
Desire Nye was born about 1771,
Wareham, Mass., the daughter of Jabez Nye and Mary/Molly Fuller. She was
baptized on 18 April 1773 at Wareham (Records of the First Church of Wareham).
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| Wareham Congregational Church built 1770, burned 1904 (source: Images of America Wareham) |
David and Desire had at least
six children:
Salome born about 1799, married
Hugh McManamon and Seth Snow, died after 1868
Ruth born 25 March 1800,
married Jonathan Bumpus, died Wareham 7 May 1879
Mary Ann, born 10 August 1802,
married David Harlow, died Wareham 25 May 1889
David, born about
1804
Lucy Nye, born Abt. October
1809, married Rowland Bumpus, Brownell Trip and Josiah Burnham, died Acushnet 29
June 1896
Otis, born about 1811, m.
Hannah Bumpus, died1868 in Wareham
I haven’t found anything
further on their son David. Perhaps he died young.
David died before 1810, when
Desier Pierce is listed as head of household in the census.
Desire married, second, John
Gibbs, son of John Gibbs and Deborah Doty, on 1 Oct 1820 at Wareham.
Desire died on 27 September
1858 at Wareham at age 87 years. Wareham Deaths 1856-93, page 4:
27 September 1858, Desiah Gibbs, born Wareham, d. and interred E.
Wareham, age 87, old age, daughter of Jabez Nye, informant Galen Humphrey.
Her death record would indicate Desire was buried at Agawam Cemetery, but if she had a stone it no longer exists.
As is the case with most of my
Wareham families, I’ve found conflicting information on this family, so please
consider this a work in progress!
Sources Not Listed Above:
Ebenezer W. Pierce, The
Peirce Family, NEHGR in Jan., April, July 1867 and October 1868
Paul Bumpus, Ruth Perkins,
daughter of Ignatious of Freetown MA...Mayflower Quarterly, Sept
2006
Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith, Records of the First Church of Wareham, MA, 1739-1891, 1974
"The Genealogy of the Nye Family" 1:123 has your Desire the daughter of David and Desire (Thacher) Nye who married 7 March 1771. Why do you think that she was the daughter of Jabez and if she was which wife? She is not my ancestor but David and Desire (Thacher) Nye are and I am just curious.
ReplyDeleteThat she is the daughter of Jabez comes from her death record and that her mother was Mary/Molly Fuller is from Paul Bumpus of the Mayflower in the article noted above. Chris
DeleteI too am a descendent of David and Desire, through their daughter Salome (nee Peirce) McMannamon, and very much appreciate the information on the land deeds, from you, Anonymous, and I very much appreciate this blog of yours, Chris!
DeleteThank you, both, very much.
I venture to point out that death registrations were not always accurate... especially regarding details of the parents of the deceased. Mostly because 'informants' provided such information and often the informant simply did not know all the details or was confused at the time.
A case in point... is the death certificate of Salome and Hugh's daughter, Mary Nye (nee McMannamon) Cahoon Russell. (She married twice.)
Salome's maiden name was Peirce... and her second marriage was to Seth Snow.
Salome's mother, Desire Nye, also was wed twice, her first being of course David Peirce and her second being John Gibbs.
Mary's daughter, Mary Janetta (nee Cahoon) Reynolds was the informant for Mary's death certificate.
And when it came to listing Mary's mother's maiden name, "Gibbs" was provided... rather than "Peirce"!!!!!
John Gibbs was not the father of Salome Peirce... he was a step-father... but... it is very likely that Mary had spoken of her maternal grandmother, as "Grandmother Gibbs"... since Desire had remarried in 1820 and Mary McMannamon was born in 1827... seven years after the fact.
It would have been the name she probably knew her by... and hence passed down that way, either directly or indirectly in reference.
I hope that was not confusing... heehee... but... it does prove the point that death certificates are only as 'true and complete' as is the knowledge of the informant and in the above case... an 'understandable error' was made...
The same could be true in "Jabez" being listed as father of Desire (nee Nye) Peirce Gibbs, particularly as the informant, who ever they were, did not include the name of her mother... which suggests they did not know it... and given the age of Desire at 87, chances are such an error could well have been made.
And another point to make is that the name Jabez... was not carried forward by Salome or any of her siblings, as far as I can tell.
Also in consideration is the fact that Salome's little sister, Lucy Nye Pierce, had a daughter named Mary Briggs Bumpus.
The surname of Briggs does appear in the David Nye ancestry... the maiden name of Desire Nye's paternal grandmother was Briggs.
If we are to believe the age of Desire (nee Nye) Peirce Gibbs at her time of death in 1858, as being 87, then she was born about 1771... the year David Nye and Desire Thacher married.
Desire had a sister named Abigail... likely named for their grandmother, Abigail Crocker who married Rev. Roland Thacher.
Essentially there is far more evidence to support Desire Nye being the daughter of David Nye and Desire Thacher than there is of her being the daughter of Jabez and an unnamed mother, premised solely on the registration of her death in 1858, listing him as father.
But of course... like all three of us... I am willing to update with a preponderance of evidence. ;)
I too personally believe that the "The Genealogy of the Nye Family" reference is correct.
One obvious clue to that affect being, that it was very common for not only men to have namesake sons, but for women to have namesake daughters, as well.
I believe that is the case for our Desire Nye... being named for her mother, Desire (nee Thacher) Nye.
I should be noted as Anonymous 2... as I am not "Anonymous" that provided the property references.
Thanks for sharing your well thought out points! Chris
DeleteYes, I just found her death record with Jabez as her father so both the Nye and Thacher genealogies are wrong. The heirs of David Pierce sold their 1/6th share of land previously owned by Jesse Pierce to William and Henry Finney. Plymouth Deeds 238:61. 3 March 1850 signed by Otis Pierce, Hugh Manamon, Solome Manamon, Jonathan Bumpus, Ruth Bumpus, David Harlow, Mary Harlow, Lucy Bumpus, Rowland Bumpus and Desire Gibbs, relinquishing her right of dower.
ReplyDeleteThe date for the deed 238:61 is 23 March 1850. The next deed is for 1/6 of the same property own by Benjamin N. Pierce and Mary L. his wife, Richard Pierce and Mary W. his wife Jabez N. Pierce and Mary G. his wife and Oliver Morse and Betsey Morse (Plymouth Deed 238:62. There is a third deed 238:70 and in this deed Ignatius Pierce and wife Betsey and Branch Pierce and wife Rebecca, Joshua Douglass and Polly Douglass wife of Joshua and Joseph Harris and Keziah Harris sell to William and Henry 2/3 of the property and all our right to it on the same day. So in three deeds dated 23 March 1850 the living heirs of Jesse sell land he bought by deed 134:202.
ReplyDeleteSo kind of you to send that deed information. I did not have it and very much appreciate it! Chris
DeleteDesire is listed as the daughter of Rowland Thacher in Abigail Crocker and as the wife of David Nye in Thacher-Thatcher Genealogy Part 1: Coat of Arms (1910) pgs. 196-197
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm more comfortable with the research published in the Mayflower Quarterly in 2006.
Delete