Learning from the past, living in the moment, and leaving footprints for the future. Stories of lov

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pierce Line


Arodi Peirce, 4th great grandfather

My grandmother was a Pierce, born in Middleboro, MA.  The family name has quite the military history.  Just about every cemetery in the area has a Pierce/Peirce gravestone in it.  The most surprising was the Pierce Cemetery, hidden in the middle of the woods.  Not many people know it is there.  I was in awe of it.  You have to walk through someone's back yard to find a small path that eventually led to a clearing with a iron fence encircling the graveyard.
 
There was always a mystery about my grandmother's birth, so the name Pierce always left me curious.  For the longest time I thought any other spelling of the name such as Peirce, the E before the I, or any other configuration was not in my family tree.  But soon discovered that was not the case at all.  I found stones of parents and their children spelled both ways. The spelling was interchangeable. 

Arodi's brother, Eliphalet Pierce
 There are many stories, the good the bad and the ugly, about the Pierce family.  They married into the families of Wilber, Hoar, Ryder, and Jones to name a few.  It was the wife of Captain Eli Pierce, Fidelia Ryder, that connects me to most, not all, ancestors who came over on the Mayflower.  It was their son, Thomas who produced a line of children and grandchildren who made history in  music, particularly the violin; concert singers and  actors.  Out of all the names on my family tree, the Pierce line has been the most fascinating to research and learn for there were surprises around every corner. I have found so many Pierce gravestones I lost count long ago.
Abraham Pierce (1600 - 1673) Arrived on the ship, Anne in 1623.

Abraham Pierce1600 - 1673








Sunday, November 18, 2012

My Mayflower Passenger Ancestors

How I descend from eleven proven ancestors.  I joined the Mayflower Society under Myles Standish.  It was the society who proved the lineage for me to the others. So nice to meet you cousins.  Have a very happy Thanksgiving.


(1)Captain Myles Standish (1584 - 1656) is my 10th great grandfather











 
 
(2)John Alden (1599 - 1687) is my 10th great grandfather










Daughter of Carl Zachariah


 
 
(3)George Soule (1590 - 1679) is my 10th great grandfather












 
 
(4)James Chilton (1563 - 1620) is my 10th great grandfather












 
 
(5)William Brewster (1566 - 1644) is my 10th great grandfather












 
 
(6)John Howland (1592 - 1672) is my 10th great grandfather












 
 
(7)Francis Cooke (1583 - 1663) is my 8th great grandfather










 
 
(8) Edward Doty (1598 - 1655) is my 8th great grandfather

Joseph Doty 1651- 1732
 









 
 
(9)Stephen Hopkins (1581 - 1644) is my 10th great grandfather

Daughter of Stephen












Resolved White 1615-1687

Samuel White Sr 1646-1722

Penelope White 1687-1738

Susannah Crapo 1707-1757

Chaumont DeMoranville 1764-1851

Mary DeMoranville 1796-1881

Joseph B Wilbur 1832-1895

Joseph P Wilber 1860-1886

Mary Catheren  Wilber 1881-1960

Mary Ann Pierce 1898-1982

Robert Franklin Smith 1923-2008

Kathryn Marie Smith 1944








Sunday, November 4, 2012

Silver Lining

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present”

Time doesn’t stand still; it is forever evolving, changing, whether we want it to or not.  At times it is hard to let go and accept the changes that will inevitably come but accept we must.  What choice do we have?  It is called life after all.

It is important to take advantage of the gifts that come our way, especially the simple things, like a girls' get-away weekend, a family outing, birthday party, wedding, vacation or any other numerous gatherings of celebration with kin and friends that might or might not come again. 

Sadly, those precious opportunities that we pass on will be lost forever by any number of means.  It could be something as simple as moving away, the birth of a child, or as emotional as a death.  Some gifts only present themselves once.  These are the things that memories are made of.  These are the remarkable and sometimes mundane stories we leave behind for our descendants.  It’s not just a matter of what you leave behind; it is more of appreciating the joys as we go through life.  Take the time, as that old proverb tells us, "Smell the roses along the way". This becomes the history of your life. 

The day will come when you will look back upon your life.  You will not measure it by accomplishments, financial or otherwise, but by the memories that you captured and the love that you have shared with others.

So don’t ignore those gifts you are given each day wrapped up with that invisible silver lining.  Recognize it when you see it and seize the opportunity to create the everlasting memory that you will treasure for a lifetime.  One that may never come your way again.

(Picture, road to Eau Gallie, Florida)
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