 1713 - 1793 (80 years)
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| Name |
Benjamin Pierce |
| Born |
1713 |
Either Scituate or Attelboro, Massachusetts.  [2] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Church Admission |
Aft 30 Nov 1748 |
Second Congregational Church, Attelboro, Massachusetts [3] |
| Church Admission |
1 Sep 1751 |
First Church of Scituate, Massachusetts [4] |
| Removed |
Between 1760 and 1770 |
From Massachusetts to New Hampshire. |
| Church Affiliation |
16 Mar 1766 |
Admitted to church in Westmoreland from church in Attelboro, Massachusetts. [5] |
| Military Service |
He served as a civil servant during the Revolutionary War from the state of New Hampshire. [6] |
| Died |
23 Jul 1793 |
Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. [7] |
| Buried |
Canoe Meadow Cemetery, Westmoreland, New Hampshire. [8] |
| Person ID |
I838 |
Lange Pierce |
| Last Modified |
15 Jul 2021 |
| Family 1 |
Elizabeth Wilmarth Dryer, b. 31 Dec 1717, Rehoboth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts , d. 18 Apr 1772, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire (Age 54 years) |
| Married |
27 Dec 1743 |
Rehoboth, Massachusetts [9] |
| Notes |
- There is no source for a marriage date for this Benjamin Pierce and Elizabeth Darby (some researchers have claimed that Elizabeth Darby was the wife of this Benjamin Pierce), but there is, however,evidence of a marriage to Elizabeth Dryer. [DLL]
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| Children |
| | 1. Eunice Pierce, b. 30 Dec 1746, d. 1838 (Age 91 years) |
| | 2. Bettey Pierce, b. 13 Mar 1749, Attelboro, Massachusetts |
| | 3. Ezra Pierce, b. 1 Feb 1752, d. 16 Sep 1808, Westmoreland, Chesire County, New Hampshire (Age 56 years) |
| | 4. Lydia Pierce, b. 18 Dec 1753 |
| | 5. Lydia Pierce, b. 22 Aug 1756, Attleboro, Massachusetts , d. 12 Sep 1856, Westmoreland, New Hampshire (Age 100 years) [Birth] |
| + | 6. Nehemiah Pierce, b. 2 Dec 1759, Medford, Massachusetts , d. 24 Aug 1818, Windham, Windham County, Vermont (Age 58 years) |
| + | 7. Benjamin Pierce, b. 13 Feb 1761, Medford, Massachusetts, although one Pierce genealogy places his birth in Westmoreland, NH , d. 23 May 1847, Windham, Vermont (Age 86 years) |
|
| Last Modified |
27 Oct 2006 |
| Family ID |
F324 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 2 |
Rebeckah Blanding, b. 15 June 1718, Attelborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts (possibly) , d. 28 Jan 1784, Westmoreland, Chesire County, New Hampshire (Age 65 years) |
| Married |
26 Jan 1773 |
Attleboro, Massachusetts by Rev. Peter Thather. [10] |
| Marriage Intent |
15 May 1773 |
Attleborough, Massachusetts [11] |
| Family ID |
F361 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Headstones |
 | Pierce, Benjamin (1713-1793)
In Memory of
Mr. Benjamin Pierce
who died 23 July 1793
in the 80 year of his age
"Dear friends don't morn for me nor weep
I am not dead but here do sleep
And here I must and shall remain
Till Christ does raise me up again. |
 | Pierce, Benjamin (L), Rebeckah (M), Elizabeth (R)
A picture of the graves of Benjamin Pierce and his two wives: Rebeckah (1st wife), and Elizabeth Pierce (2nd wife) |
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| Notes |
- I am having great difficulty sorting out the wives of Benjamin Pierce with the name Elizabeth. It appears according to First Congregational Church Records in Atteboro that an Elizabeth Pierce, wife of Benjamin Pierce died or was buried 30 November 1743. [EBP 06.] There is also an Elizabeth who joined the First Church in Scituate with him in 1751. Finally, there is the Elizabeth Pierce that was born in 1717 and died in 1772 in Westmoreland, NH [E 03]. Question is, who are these individuals? Or has some mistake been made in recording the Elizabeths with Benjamin and Ebenezer Pierce either in Attleboro or in Scituate?
I have not yet found the actual birth date for this Benjamin Pierce. Neither the F.C. Pierce or the H.C. Pierce genealogies [BPeb 01 and 02] offer a birth date. F.C. Pierce indicates that either Scituate or Attleboro could be the birth place. Only the History of Westmoreland, NH [BPeb 03], suggests ca.1713, but no explanation is given for that date. I have searched the Vital Records for Scituate, Attleboro, Rehoboth, but have not found any corroboration for the 1713 birth date.
All three sources [BPeb 01, 02, 03] agree on the date of death although I have not been able to find an official record. In fact, the state of New Hampshire has returned an application for a death certificate with a certificate indicating that a record cannot be found. [BPeb 04.]
It is possible to conclude from the birth records of both Benjamin, Jr., the son of this Benjamin [BP 04], and Nehemiah, another son [NP 10], that Benjamin and Elizabeth Dryer, must have spent the time from 1759-1761 in or near Medford, MA, prior to removal to Westmoreland, VT because both Benjamin Jr. and Nehemiah were born in Medford, MA.
According to the History of Westmoreland, NH [BPeb 03, 518], Benjamin "seems to have been a person of some importance as [his] name occurs often in early records."
From the Introduction to the Carter and Shepard, (1924) Membership and Vital Records of the Second Congregational Church of Attleboro, Massachusetts, I take a couple of paragraphs:
"The town of Attleboro (originally called Attleborough) was organized in 1694 from the "North Purchase" of Rehoboth. In 1830, part of the town was annexed to Wrentham. In 1887, the town was divided and the northern part thereof was established as the town of North Attleborough. In 1914, Attleborough was incorporated as a city, at which time the name was changed to its present form, Attleboro. The town is in Bristol County."
"The Second Congregational Church was set off from the First Church on April 7, 1743, being called originally the East Parish or East Precinct of Attleborough. Rev. Peter Thacher preached there from August 20, 1743, but was not finally settled and ordained until November 30, 1748. He continued as pastor until October 26, 1784..."
The records of the Second Congregational Church in Attleboro [EBP 06] confirm, as stated in F.C. Pierce [EBP 04], that an Ebenezer Pierce was a member of this church. This membership was recorded as part of a group of "Members in full Communion." He is listed with "Benjamen Peirce, Ebenezer Peirce Jun, and Elizabeth Peirce, Deceased."
In 1751, Benjamin Pierce, and Benjamin's wife, Elizabeth, were admitted into the First Church of Scituate, Massachusetts, according to the Records of the First Church of Scituate, published in The Mayflower Descendant 11 (1909): 141. [EBP 07.]
I have not found the maiden surname of Benjamin's wife, Elizabeth. In the Ancestry.com lines, some indicate that Benjamin's wife is Elizabeth Darby. I hypothesize that Benjamin's brother, Ebenezer, is the husband of Elizabeth Darby. Yet, there are many suggestions on the Internet (Ancestry.com) that Elizabeth Dryer is also the wife of Benjamin. I wish to hypothesize that a marriage relationship between Benjamin Pierce of Rehoboth and Westmoreland, NH may not have existed. In the Vital Records of Rehoboth, p. 448, an intention of marriage is listed: "Dryer, Elizabeth of Rehoboth and Benjamin Peirce of Voluntown, CT., Nov. 19, 1743." Although I do not know that the Benjamin Pierce of this line did not live in Voluntown, CT, I am making the assumption for the moment that he did not. If such is the case, then Elizabeth Dryer is not the wife of this Benjamin Pierce. The maiden surname of his wife Elizabeth remains unknown.
The above notes have been superceded by what is found under Elizabeth Dryer whom I now believe is the first wife of this Benjamin Pierce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, I leave them here as part of the search process that I have gone through.
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| Sources |
- [S2702] H. C. Pierce, Seven Pierce Families, 153. [BPeb 01.] See F.C. Pierce, Pierce Genealogy No. 4, 51. [BPeb 02.] See also, History of Westmoreland (Great Meadow) New Hampshire, 1741-1970, and Genealogical Data, 1976. Westmoreland, NH: Westmoreland History Committee, 518. [BPeb 03.].
- [S2703] F.C. Pierce, Pierce Genealogy No. IV. [BPeb 02.].
- [S2708] "Records of the First Church of Scituate, Mass." The MayFlower Descendant 11 (1909): 141. [EBP 07.].
- [S2707] "Records of the First Church of Scituate, Mass." The MayFlower Descendant 11 (1909): 141. [EBP 07.].
- [S2706] History of Westmoreland, p. 518. [BPeb 03.] See also Benjamin Pierce, "Genealogy Question," e-mail message from (address unknown) to Dale L. Lange, 26 February 2004. [BPeb 06.].
- [S7703] National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. (1994). DAR Patriot Index. Centennial Administration. Volume III (P-Z). Washington, D.C.: The Society, p. 2309.
- [S2704] H. C. Pierce, Seven Pierce Families, 153. [BPeb 01.] See F.C. Pierce, Pierce Genealogy No. 4, 51. [BPeb 02.] See also History of Westmoreland 518. [BPeb 03.] See also Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Cemetery and Burial Records of the Past and Present in the town of Westmoreland, New Hampshire. Westmoreland, NH: The Westmoreland Historical Society, 1989. [BPeb 05.].
- [S2705] Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, 70. [BPeb 05.] See also Hatcher, Patricia L. (1988). Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3. (L-R). Dallas, TX: Pioneer Heritage Press, p. 172. [BPeb 10.].
- [S7392] There is no source for this date [originally stated in 2004 as before 1746] except that the first child, Eunice, was born in 1746. It is a logically arrived-at date. However, in 2005, see Elizabeth Dryer and Benjamin Pierce (1928). Vital Records of Taunton, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Volume II, Marriages. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society; p. 160 [ElD 08] and p. 372 [BPeb 12].
- [S7409] History of Westmoreland (Great Meadow) New Hampshire, 518. [RB 03.], states June 16 1773. Arnold, James N. (1897). Vital Record of Rehoboth, 1642-1896: Marriages, Intentions, Births, Deaths, with Supplement Containing the Record of 1896, Colonial Returns, Lists of the Early Settlers, Purchasers, Freemen, Inhabitants, the Soldiers Serving in Philip's War and the Revolution. Providence, RI: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company. [RB 04.] This second source, probably more accurate, states that the marriage took place on January 26, 1773.
- [S7410] Rebeckah Blanding, Vital Records of Attleborough, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1934, 332. [RB 06.].
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