Children of Jarvis Peirce Sr. and Rhoda Darby

Maritta, or Myra, Peirce, b.1794   Jarvis and Rhoda's oldest child was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, 9 December 1794 and listed in the records there as Maritta. When the family moved to Vermont several years later, she was listed in the records there, along with some of her siblings, as Myra. Little is known about Myra and it is thought that she died young.

Eliza Peirce, 1798-1876   Eliza was born 8 October 1798 in Westminster, Massachusetts. Eliza married Israel Day Towle 20 April 1816 in Greenburgh, Westchester, New York. Where she met Israel and how they came to be married in New York, not far from Manhattan, is unknown. In 1833 Eliza, Israel and their eight children moved to Equality, Illinois, not far from where Eliza's parents and some of her brothers and sisters were living in Illinois. Two more children were born in Equality. Israel and Eliza both died in Harrisburg, not far from Equality, Israel in 1875 and Eliza in 1876.

Eliza Peirce and Israel Day Towle

Jarvis Pierce Jr., 1800-1880   Jarvis Pierce Jr., the oldest son, was born 28 September 1800 in Massachusetts. He would have been eighteen when his family moved to Illinois. In 1821 he married Sally Wilkerson in Jefferson County. It is thought she might be the daughter of Henry and Mary Wilkerson who, along with other Wilkersons, moved to Illinois from Tennessee. Jarvis and Sally had three children: Eliza, Permelia and James. Sally died sometime before 1845 when Jarvis married Elewisa A.R. Hubbard Gatewood. Elewisa was the widow of William Jefferson Gatewood, a lawyer and state legislator. Elewisa and William Jefferson had seven children, the youngest born about 1840, and Jarvis Peirce was appointed guardian of Elewisa's minor children. When Elewisa left him in the mid-1860s Jarvis filed for divorce. It is not known where she went or when she died. When the divorce was final, he promptly married Unity Dewall who had been a servant in the household since 1860. Unity had a daughter born in 1860, Madora, who was very likely Jarvis' daughter. She was listed in his will as one of his children. Jarvis died on July 4, 1880, in Harrisburg. It is not known where he was buried. Unity lived until 1886.

Jarvis Pierce Jr.'s biographical sketch

Elmira Peirce, b.1803   Elmira Peirce was born 18 December 1803 in Massachusetts. She moved with her family to Illinois where she met and married William Rearden on 25 June 1820. They had eight children before William died in 1846 in Grayville, White County.

Elmira Peirce and William Rearden
Gravestones of William Rearden
Record of marriage: Eliza Pierce and William Rearden, White County, Illinois, 1820

Merrick Porter Peirce, b.1805   Merrick Porter Peirce was born 27 January 1805. Nothing is known about him other than his birth.

Julia Ann Peirce, b.1807   Julia Ann Peirce was born 20 February 1807. She is said to have married Charles Mills and Thompson Boyd, but no marriage records or other information have turned up yet.

Joseph Crawford Peirce, b.1809   Joseph Crawford Peirce was born 4 April 1809, probably in Craftsbury, Vermont, as on both the 1850 and 1860 censuses his place of birth is Vermont. Joseph came with his family to Illinois. He married Martha Ann Moore, of Tennessee, and they had two children, Oliver and Cuma. Joseph bought several parcels of land in the far northeast corner of Gallatin County.

Lucy Towls Peirce, 1811-1880   Lucy Towls Peirce was born 10 June 1811 in Craftsbury, Vermont. She came with her family to Illinois. She first married David C. Hicks in 1827. After his death she married on 6 July 1837 she married John Storms, a Quaker from Pennsylvania who had moved to Carmi about 1825. John was the County Surveyor of White County for thirty years. John and Lucy had five children, Hail, Rosetta, North, Laura and Cuma. The family lived in Carmi, in White County. John died in 1858. Lucy outlived him many years. She died in 1880.

The home of North Storms, son of Lucy Towls Peirce, in Evansville, Indiana

Mary Clark Peirce, b.1813   Mary Clark Peirce was born 27 June 1813, probably in Craftsbury, Vermont. It is believed that she died young.

Henry Ranger Peirce, 1815-1862   Henry Ranger Pierce was born 9 August 1815 in New York. After coming with his family to Illinois, he married Martha Catterlin whose father was a merchant from Virginia. They had four children: Isabella, Harlan, Corrance and Harry. By 1849 they were living in Stark County, Illinois. Henry went out West to California for three years during the Gold Rush and was a success according to a history of Stark County. Since Henry was a merchant, it's not known whether he was a success as a merchant or as a gold miner. He died in 1862 in Toulon, Stark County. Martha ann died eight years later in 1874. They are buried in the Toulon Cemetery. Three of their four children never married. Corrance married, but only very late in life. None of them had any children. They were all buried in Toulon.

Celinda Peirce, 1818-1848   Celinda Peirce, the youngest child of Rhoda and Jarvis, was born 21 October 1818, possibly in Illinois since the family was said to have moved there that year. Celinda married Daniel Stewart in 1837 in Gallatin County and they had a son, Wakeman Stewart, before Daniel died in October, 1839. Martin D. Gillette, the son of the first doctor in Saline County, was appointed, along with Celinda, as the administrator of Daniel's estate. Two years later, in 1841, Martin married Celinda. Martin and Celinda had three daughters: Martha Eliza, Celinda Lura and Julia Ann. Shortly after Julia Ann's birth Celinda died. Martin remarried in 1850 to Jemima Bramlet. Celinda and Daniel's son, Wakeman, was living with his stepfather, Martin, in 1850. Wakeman married Martha Catherine Willis in 1859 and they had eight children before he died in 1875.

Daniel Stewart's bill for doctor's visits



Related Links:
The Peirce family of Massachusetts and Illinois
Jarvis Peirce Sr. and Rhoda Darby