Person:Michael Pierce (6)

Will of Michael Pierce of Scituate.

Dated January, 1675.

Scituate, in the government of New Plymouth, 1675, January the 15.

I, Michael Pierce of Scituate, in the government of New Plymouth in America, being now by the appointment of God going out to war, against the Indians, doe make this my last will and testament: First I do committ myself and wayes unto the Eternal God; nextly concerning that estate which God has blessed me with, I thus dispose. First I give unto my beloved wife Annah Pierce, during her life, the westward end of my now dwelling house, in Scituate aforesaid which I last built to dwell in, and the bed in it, with what apputenances to it, to use and dispose of to my children as she shall see cause. Also my will is that for my wifes yearly maintenance, that my son Benjamin Pierce shall pay unto her twelve pounds per year, one half in money and the other half in provisions, and also sufficient firewood for her use in the house during her life; And I give unto my son Benjamin aforesais my now dwelling house and barn in Scituate aforesaid, and all the land which I have in Scituate excepting that I bought of Benjamin Bates of Hingham, and that which I bought of William James of Scituate and excepting the abovesaid westerly end of my abovesaid house, during my wife's life as abovesaid, out of which abovesaid Estate in house and lands given to my son Benjamin, he shall pay unto my aforesaid wife for her maintenance twelve pounds a year, as abovesaid during her life, and sufficient firewood also as abovesaid. And I give unto my son, John Pierce all my lands in Hingham, in the Massachusetts, and my land in Scituate, which I bought of William James, of Scituate, paying out of it to my son Ephraim's two children, Eserikum Pierce and Ephraim Pierce, to each of them fifteen pounds at the age of twenty and one years; provided that neither my son Ephraim aforesaid, nor either of his after him, or any by or under him, shall go about to molest my said son John of or upon the attempt of the three or four acres of meadow land in hingham aforesaid which my father James [should be "my father Eames"^[2]] gave unto my said son Ephraim which is not yet so fully confirmed to me as by my son Ephraim's promise it should have been.

Also I give unto my aforesaid son Benjamin all my movable estate in cattle and boats, and household goods, and such like, excepting that which I have disposed of to my wife as abovesaid, out of which said moveable estate my sais son Benjamin shall pay these legacies which I give to my children as followeth:

First I give unto my son Ephraim Pierce, five pounds.

2. I give unto my daughter, Abigail Holbrook, five pounds.

3. I give unto my daughter, Elizabeth Pierce, thirty pounds.

4. I give unto my daughter, Sarah Pierce, thirty pounds.

5. I give unto my daughter Anna Pierce, fifty pounds.

6. I give unto my daughter Mary Holbrook, twenty pounds.

7. I give unto my daughter Abiah Pierce, thirty pounds.

8. I give unto my daughter Ruth Pierce, thirty pounds.

9. I give unto my daughter Persis Pierce, fifty pounds.

Also I give to my grandchild Elizabeth Holbrook five pounds to be paid her by my son Benjamin aforesaid at her day of marriage or 21 years old.

Also I give unto my grandchild Abigail Holbrook five pounds, to be paid her by my son John Pierce aforesaid at her day of marriage or 21 years old.

Also my will is, that if it should please God that my beloved wife aforesaid should be afflicted with lameness or sickness so that the abovesaid 12 [pounds] income be not sufficient to maintain her in comfortable manner, that then what shall be meet by my overseers to be added for her comfortable maintenance shall be equally payed her yearly by my son Benjamin Pierce and my son John of that estate which I have given them as aforesaid.

Also I make my wife abovesaid my executrix and my son Benjamin Pierce abovesaid my executor of my last will and testament, and also I the abovesaid Michael Pierce my truly and well beloved friends Cornett Robert Stetson and Isaac ___ and my brother Mark Jennes [should be "my brother Mark Eames"^[2]] and my brother Charles Stockbridge overseers or witnesses of this my abovesaid last will, and testament. In witness whereof I set my hand and seal this fifteenth of January 1675.

Michael Pierce

Witnesses: Benjamin Woodworth, Charles Stockbridge

By reason of the dangerousness of the times, there will be a court in July next, and the parties that delays may be prejudicial to the estate Benjamin Woodworth gave oath before me unto Michael Pierce signing, sealing and this was testified upon oath the fifth of Jul ___ [mutilated}

Plymouth Colony Record of Wills; Vol. 3, Part 2, page 8

Disputed Lineage

It appears that his English origin has not been discovered (as of a 2021 search of NEHGR and TAG articles online).

Frederick Clifton Pierce^[3][4][5] claimed that Captain Michael Pierce, Captain William Pierce of London (who died in 1641) and John Pierce of London (who obtained a patent for New England in 1620) were brothers. This seems unlikely, as William and John were about a generation older then Michael. It should be noted that Rebert Charles Anderson (author of Great Migration Begins) has a very low opinion of the genealogical conclusions of Frederick Clifton Pierce (see GMB:1477, GMB:1472).

A confused reading of 2 books by Frederick Clifton Pierce led another author^[6] (or possibly descendants of Michael Pierce, who fed the conclusion to the author) to conclude that Michael was the son of Richard and Martha Pierce (who might not have even existed). Pierce's book on Richard and Martha Pierce doesn't claim that.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Pierce, Frederick Clifton. Pierce genealogy. : being the record of the posterity of Capt. Michael, John and Capt. William Pierce, who came to this country from England. (Albany, N.Y.: Published for the author by J. Munsell's Sons,  Weed, Parsons & Co.), 1889)
   Pa 34, 35.

   See will transcript above.

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Notes and Queries: Pierce-Eames, in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   56(1902):409.

   'The will as recorded in Vol. III., part 2, page 8, of Plymouth Colony Wills, reads, "my father Eames" and "my brother Mark Eames." '

3. ↑ Pierce, Frederick Clifton. Pierce genealogy. : being the record of the posterity of Capt. Michael, John and Capt. William Pierce, who came to this country from England. (Albany, N.Y.: Published for the author by J. Munsell's Sons,  Weed, Parsons & Co.), 1889)
   p. 23.

   In a section regarding the news of the death of Captain Michael Pierce (which might be quoting Drake's Indian Chronicle - it is difficult to tell): 'Captain Pierse, brother of Captain Pierce, of London, ...'

   Frederick Clifton Pierce seems to assume that "Captain Pierce, of London" is the Captain William Pierce, mariner, who died in 1641. However, he died more than 30 years before Captain Michael Pierce, which makes a reference to him without mentioning his first name rather obscure.

4. ↑ Pierce, Frederick Clifton. Pierce genealogy. : being the record of the posterity of Capt. Michael, John and Capt. William Pierce, who came to this country from England. (Albany, N.Y.: Published for the author by J. Munsell's Sons,  Weed, Parsons & Co.), 1889)
   p. 11.

   'Captain William Pierce ... was first noticed in the early records of the colony in 1622, when he was master of the "Paragon," the owner of which ship was his brother John Pierce of London.'

5. ↑ Pierce, Frederick Clifton. Pierce genealogy. : being the record of the posterity of Capt. Michael, John and Capt. William Pierce, who came to this country from England. (Albany, N.Y.: Published for the author by J. Munsell's Sons,  Weed, Parsons & Co.), 1889)
   p. 8.

   'John Pierce [footnote: citizen and clothworker of London], born in England, brother of Captain Michael and Captain William, secured a patent for New England, February 12, 1620, ...'

6. ↑ Bicknell, Thomas Williams. The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. (New York: The American Historical Society, 1920)
   Biographical:552.

   In the entry for Hon. Edwin Chase Pierce, "a direct descendant in the seventh generation of Captain Michael Pierce, founder of this famous old Rhode Island family.":
   "Captain Michael Pierce was ... a brother of John Pierce, of London, ... and also of Captain William Pierce, ..."
   "Captain Michael Pierce, the immigrant, was born in England in 1615, the son of Richard and Martha Pierce, of Bristol, and of the twentieth generation direct descent from Galfred, who according to English genealogists is regarded as the progenitor."

   Caution: This book is muddled in its conclusion about Michael's ancestry, which appears to rely on information from two books by F. C. Pierce, one about Richard Pearce and one about Michael Pierce.
   
   The proof that Bicknell’s book copied from Pierce’s book about Micheal Pierce (unless they both copied from the same unknown source) is that it copied information about Capt. William Pierce almost verbatim from page 11 of Pierce’s book. Then it repeated Pierce’s erroneous claim that Capt. Michael Pierce was a brother of the Capt. William Pierce who died in 1641. Pierce made his error based on a 1676 letter about the death of Capt. [Michael] Pearse/Pierse, brother of Capt. Pierce of London (see page 23 of Pierce’s book). A man who died 35 years earlier is unlikely to have been described that way in a letter, so Michael’s brother must have been a different Capt. Pierce.
   
   Bicknell’s book then goes on to say that Captain Michael Pierce was born in England in 1615, the son of Richard and Martha Pierce of Bristol “and of the twentieth generation in direct descent from Galfred, who according to English genealogists is regarded as the progenitor.” This latter bit is obviously taken from Pierce’s book about Richard Pearce, where the twenty supposed generations are listed on page 36, but it ignores the fact that Pierce doesn’t list Michael as one of the children of Richard and Martha.

7. ↑ St. George is St. George Church in Fordington, Dorset, England where both Fords and Pierces are buried in the churchyard. No proof of Michael's birth or baptism there found as yet.