How My Peirce Ancestors Became Mormons

This is a repost of an blog entry I posted in 2007 while we were on a four week vacation to the Eastern states.  The popular term Mormon refers to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"I found one!" Collin yelled at about 7 PM last night behind the the Concord Society of Friends Meeting house in Pennsylvania. "It's a Peirce!" I walked up to an old grave stone under an overgrown tree. It read "My Husband, Thomas J. Peirce, 7th 8th 1811, 12th 26th 1888"

After scraping away two inches of soil from adjacent grave stones, we identified several more Peirce family names: Thomas' wife Martha Ann; Caleb Peirce and his wife Mary May. These were the immediate kinfolk of my great great great grandfather Robert Peirce who moved west with the Mormons in 1847. Caleb and Thomas were Robert's younger brothers! (I verified the dates against a PAF file my Dad gave me) Did Robert also worship in this same building?!!

The Peirce story began over three hundred years ago when George and Ann Pearce immigrated to William Penn's new colony in the year 1684. George seems to have spelled his name all three ways (Pearce, Pierce, and Peirce). They settled about 50 miles west of Philadelphia in Thornbury Township. In fact, the township was named after Ann's hometown of Thornbury, England. George's seventh child, Caleb, is my ancestor. Caleb and his children would continue to live in Thornbury for at least 150 years.

Not all of the Peirce's stayed in Thornbury. In 1700 George (Caleb's father) purchased 402 acres of land in nearby East Marlborough Township for Caleb's older sister Betty and older brother Joshua. George eventually moved to Joshua's property and died there in 1733. This Marlborough property would eventually became the world renown Longwood Botanical Gardens.

Even though Caleb did not live at Longwood (a name given to it later by Pierre Dupont) I can still claim it as an ancestral home land through his father George! So we spent a whole day there taking in the beautiful gardens and water fountain shows. I could imagine George walking the fields before Longwood was built. I imagined Caleb and his descendants stopping over for tea at the Peirce-DuPont house which still stands today, well preserved by Longwood as an historical landmark.

Caleb and his descendants down to Robert Peirce continued to live in the Thornbury and Concord areas. So I drove the family all around these parts looking for cemeteries. We found zero Peirces in Thornbury. I found two behind a Quaker meeting house in East Marlborough Township. I found two at an Episcopal Church in Concord. Later I would find about ten Peirces in Unionville. But they all seemed to be cousins of my ancestors. No direct lines.

But when Collin found the graves of Robert's two brothers and their wives at the Concord Meetinghouse, my imagination went wild. Did Robert come to church at this very building? Indeed, the meeting house has been there since 1728...even the original George Peirce could have attended there! (P.S. a Longwood historian confirmed that George attended Concord Meeting, but it may have been prior to the construction of the building.) Did Robert's brothers Thomas J and Caleb listen to the Mormon Elders when they came to town? I wanted to experience the church that made Robert so ready to hear the Restored Gospel. After all, the Quakers seem to have paved the way for Mormonism in so many ways. Quakers believe in personal revelation and a lay ministry! In fact, wasn't Pennsylvania a kind of colonial version of Utah? (Quakers are to Pennsylvania as Mormons are to Utah.)

So I decided to attend a Quaker meeting. (As a side benefit, I could ask around about cemetery records!) This part of the story began this morning. I wanted Collin and Randy to learn about other religions to so I brought them along. First we went to the Marlborough Meeting for First Day School (the non-pagan term for Sunday School). We showed up at the advertised time of 10:00 AM. Nobody showed up. I was a little worried at seeing the dilapidated paint and weathered wood trim. A new wheelchair ramp and clean swept coffee room assured me that the meetinghouse was still in use. I suppose the congregation (or "meeting" as they say) wasn't large enough to provide a consistent First Day School.

Next we went to Concord Meeting. It was to begin at 11:15 AM. We arrived just in time. There was one car in the parking lot. I was relieved. At least there is somebody here! Besides, maybe they operate on Quaker Standard Time and more will show up. A nice man let us in, and sure enough a few more people came later. But I was told that the meeting has dwindled greatly in size. New families aren't joining and young families have moved out. I felt sorry for them. It is so hard to keep up an organization that is shrinking. I've done that in a Toastmasters Club. And who's going to keep up the graves of my Peirce relatives out back?!!

We sat in silence, for forty five minutes, pondering and listening to the Spirit. Nobody was prompted to speak this time. Then it was over. Fascinating. Afterward I took photos of the very pews that Robert Peirce may have nodded to sleep on!

But the best part was going to the Downingtown Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the afternoon. Here the congregation was younger, vibrant, and growing. Ironically, there too, we all sat in silence waiting for people to be inspired to get up and speak. But hardly a minute would pass before somebody got up. I got up. The Spirit did come to me and drove me out of my seat. Afterward, the Bishop said, "So you're a descendant of the Mormon Hollow Saints!" "I am?" I had never heard the story of Mormon Hollow!

Here is a link to the story of Edward Hunter and the Mormon Hollow Saints.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2004/07/edward-hunter-generous-pioneer-presiding-bishop?lang=eng

Robert Peirce would have known Edward Hunter. He may even have been at Hunter's Nantmeal Seminary when Joseph Smith taught there and organized the Brandywine Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

So we had to see Nantmeal too! After church we drove about 20 miles north of the Downingtown Ward building to see the Edward Hunter home which still stands today and is a private residence. The owner was outside and let me take a photo.

The photo at the top of this article shows the path to the Nantmeal Seminary where the first Mormon Elders taught, sending shock waves down through Peirce posterity.

Below is a picture of Collin and Randy at the Concord Meeting House where Robert Peirce likely attended before becoming a Mormon.
(This article was originally written 08/05/2007)

Biking the Mormon Trail Part II: Guernsey to Douglas

Laramie Peak looking south west from Ridge Road

Last week I was able to cycle another 100 miles of the Mormon Trail.  This trip was an exercise of faith.  It was my first solo trip and my first experience traveling gravel roads.  It was also a challenge in terms of distance and elevation gain.  I knew going into it, that finding a place to camp would be a problem if I didn't have the energy to complete 64 miles uphill the first day. However, it turned out great!

As already described in my earlier posts (here and  here) I am traveling the Mormon trail by bicycle.  This trip continued right where I left off at the end of the last trip.  My goal was to parallel the Mormon/Oregon/ California trail as closely as possible.  Some of my maps showed contradictory paths for the trail.  But, for the most part, I believe that my DeLorme Atlas proved to be accurate.  Many times when the map showed the trail crossing my path, I'd find a historical marker.  Sometimes I saw no markers.  This is the Google Map of the route.  For me, the route was 103 miles, for the pioneers whose path was less circuitous  it was about 65 miles.  My route covers about four days of worth of Norton Jacob's trail journal.

I stayed the night at a campground next to the Guernsey Oregon Trail Ruts historic site.  I packed my bike and got going a little after 9 AM.  This was the maiden voyage of my new bike! It is a 2009 Cannondale Touring 2.  It love it so far.
(For bike enthusiasts:  it has 35c wide tires, 36 spokes, STI shifters, wide range gearing for touring, long  46cm chainstays for panniers, light aluminum frame with a steel fork to cushion vibration)




For five miles, this road takes you right through the original Oregon Trail corridor.

Wendover Road

It says:
 "Oregon Trail Marked by the State of Wyoming 1913"

"The wild rose flourishes in great abundance...the principal herbs and plants of this elevated region are highly odoriferous, perfuming the atmosphere with their fragrance" -- Wilford Woodruff

On the night of Sunday June 6th, 1847, the vanguard company camped on the banks of "Bitter" Cottonwood Creek somewhere near the spot shown here.  Being late in the year, the creek is dry, but would have been flowing in June.

Cottonwood Creek Emigrant Campground

Two BNSF trains approach each other on separate tracks with a trail marker in the foreground.  The campground is behind the tracks.

Much like Chimney Rock, Laramie  Peak was another major landmark for the pioneers.

First Really good view of Laramie Peak

"Moved on 2 miles when we arrived at the summit of a ridge of the Black Hills & opposite Larimies' Peak crowned with his winter dress. We have been in the sight of it since a week ago last Saturday." --Norton Jacob, June 7th, 1847

Horseshoe Creek Area

From his camp on Horseshoe Creek, Norton wrote:
"We are now in the midst of the Black Hills & have here the best grass we have had on the whole rout.  Our Hunters Killed two Blacked Tailed Deer & an Antelope"  (June 7th, 1847)

Right here at Horseshoe Creek, the road was completely blocked by cows.  They had breached a fence and were loose on the road.  I saw the rancher mending a fence nearby.   I almost missed the historical markers due to the commotion.

Ridge Road Area

Sometime during the day of Tuesday June 8, 1847, the vanguard company would have been seen here on this grassy highland. I didn't find any trail markers, but  the map showed the Oregon Trail once crossed what is now Ridge Road where I stood to take this picture.

"Passed over a rough, rolling tract destitute of Timber"




This part of the trip was exhausting for me.  The hills were steep.  I had already ridden over 50 miles and had 14 to go to reach my predetermined campsite.  The elevation gain would end up being over 2,000 feet.  On Ridge Road I started looking for emergency camp sites.  I was having to walk my bike up hills due to fatigue and it began to grow dark.  On both sides of the road "No Trespassing" signs kept me going forward.  Even when I crossed into national forest land, the signs persisted.  Finally, after reaching the official wooden sign declaring "Medicine Bow National Forest", I jumped off my bike and made a camp just 50 yards from the road.  I still worried that I might be on a private parcel, so I hid my tent behind a wind break.

My tent near Esterbrook

The next morning the view was beautiful.  I should note that the Pioneers did not come up this far into the mountains.

This day my ride was mostly down hill and I made really good time.  A few more Oregon Trail crossings and I reached Douglas for a nice hot lunch.

Oregon Trail paved over by highway here
10 miles south of Douglas

127 year old caboose at a Douglass Museum

The jackalope myth was born in Douglas

And my last Oregon Trail crossing of the trip just a mile west of La Prele Creek :

The trail now grown over by farmland

I ended the trip at Ayres Natural Bridge.  This was one of Wyoming's first tourist attractions.   The bridge is not on the Oregon Trail, but even Norton Jacob seems to have taken the one mile off-trail excursion to see this natural wonder.  In his journal is this statement written on June 9th  "This  creek has cut its way through a high mountain & for ten rods there is a rock arch".  As this was the prearranged pick-up point, Robyn and my three youngest came to visit the bridge with me.  Then we headed home.

Ayres Natural Bridge in the background

We hiked to the top of the bridge

I loved the long peaceful stretches of road.  I passed dozens of ranches, quaint houses, and beautiful cabins.  The sounds of the land became audible to me.  Birds talking, grass waving, crickets singing...all was amplified by the removal of civilization.  Other changes were amplified.  Had I been in a car, I would not have noticed the 3 degree drop in temperature when the grassland suddenly gave way to dense forest.  The photos I took do not do justice to the panorama of nature.

This trip was the result of exercising faith.  I had never intended to do a solo.  I wanted to bring Collin, but the calendar just wasn't cooperating.  When I decided I should go alone, several fears surfaced.  There was every reason to just wait "for later".  One day while studying the Lectures on Faith, I was reminded that faith is a principle of action.  People of faith do things.  It is the assurance that accomplishing something will take you to a better place.  It isn't a guarantee of earthly success.  I might get hurt, I might even die.  But nothing happens if I just sit around.  Faith is linked to planning as well.  You plan, you tell people your plan, and you carry it out.  Everything is unknown until after the fact.  Faith gets you from the unknown to the known. Faith and prayer made this trip happen.