PIERCE-EAMES
From the files of Stephen M. Lawson
Eames Ancestry in England
EAMES family details, with sources references, can be found in Ancestral
Lines, Third Edition, by Carl Boyer, 3rd (1998, Santa Clarita, CA),
pages 239-241, and the web site of Ralph
Dean Clark (2000).
Thomas and Millicent (Brewster) Eames
Thomas EAMES - b. about 1548; bur. Jun. 25, 1618, Fordington,
St. George, Dorset, England. Possibly the son of John and Joan
EAMES. Lived at Fordington from 1577 until his death. Married
about 1576.
Millicent BREWSTER - b. about 1552; bur. May 23, 1614,
Fordington, St. Geroge, Dorset, England. Her surname is not certain.
One source names her as the daughter of Thomas BLANCHARD.
See Notable Cousins for
line to: John Ernest STEINBECK, Jr.
- Alice - bap. 1577, Fordington, St. George, Dorset, England.
- John - bap. Jan. 12, 1586/7, Fordington, St. George, Dorset,
England.
- Anna - b. about 1587, Fordington, St. George, Dorset, England.
Married Jan. 14, 1618/9 Thomas ROSE.
- Richard - b. about 1590; d. 1634. Married on Jun. 5, 1615 to
Alice SPRAGUE, daughter of Edward and Christina SPRAGUE of Upway,
Dorset.
- Anthony - b. about 1592, Fordington, St.
George, Dorset, England; d. 1686, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA.
- Mark - b. about 1593, Fordington, St. George, Dorset prob.
Probably died young.
The Eames family in America
Refer to The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England
1634-1635, Volume II, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn
Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn (2001, Boston), pages 387-92, for
information concerning the immigrant family.
Capt. Anthony and Margery (Prisse) Eames

1627 as St. George Church Warden
Anthony EAMES - b. about 1592, Fordington St. George,
Dorset, England; d. June 1686, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA. Son of
Thomas EAMES and Millicent. On Apr. 12, 1632,
Anthony deposed in a tithe case that he was "of Fordington,
Dorset, yeoman, where he had lived from infancy, born there, aged
40 or thereabouts." Departed Weymouth, England aboard the
'Recovery of London' on March 31, 1633/4, Gabriel CORNISH, master.
Lived at Fordington, St. George to 1631; settled first at Charlestown
in 1634/5; freeman at Hingham, Mass. Bay Colony, Mar. 9, 1636/7;
and freeman at Marshfield, Plymouth Colony, Jun. 7, 1653. Church
warden at Fordington 1622, 1627 and 1631; deputy to General Court
1637, 1638, 1643 from Hingham, and 1653 through 1658, 1661 from
Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; Lt. of the Hingham train band about
1638; chosen Capt. of the train band 1644/5. Although Anthony
was chosen as Captain by the town of Hingham, an allowance was
not granted by the magistrates when the townsmen proposed another
choice. Anthony was granted land at Charlestown in 1634/5, and
was granted a number of parcels of land at Hingham between 1636
and 1647. In Dec. 1651, he and son Mark purchsed 100 acres at
Marshfield, settling there the following summer. Anthony acknowledged
a deed of land to his son Justus EAMES on Jun. 28, 1670, the latest
record found of him. Married about 1615.
Margery - b. about 1599, near Fordington, St. George,
Dorset, England. Surname varies in different secondary sources;
any comments are welcome. Admitted to church at Charlestown, MA
Sep. 13, 1635.
Children of Anthony and Margery Eames
See
Notable
Cousins
for line to: Lucille BALL, Luther BURBANK, John HANCOCK and George
PLIMPTON
- Millicent - bap. 1617, Fordington, St. George, Dorset, England;
d. Feb. 8, 1695/6, Hingham, now Plymouth Co., MA. Married on Sep. 2,
1635 at Charlestown, MA to William SPRAGUE (b. 1609, Upway, Dorset,
England; d. Oct. 26, 1675, Hingham, now Plymouth Co., MA), son of
Edward and Christiana SPRAGUE. William arrived at Salem, MA aboard the
'Abigail' in 1628, removing to Hingham in 1636. He was a selectman in
1645, and constable and collector of town rates in 1662. Children of
Millicent and William: Anthony married Elizabeth BARTLETT; John married
Elizabeth HOLBROOK; Samuel married Sarah CHILLINGWORTH; Jonathan died
in infancy; Persis married John DOGGETT; Joanna married Caleb CHURCH;
Jonathan married first Mehitable HOLBROOK, and second Hannah (HARRIS)
COOK; William married first Deborah LANE, and second Mary TOWER; Mary
married Thomas KING; and Hannah died young.
- John - bap. Jan. 24, 1618/9, Fordington, St. George, Dorset,
England; d. Nov. 3, 1641, Hingham, now Plymouth Co., MA.
- Mark - bap. May 1620, Fordington, St. George, Dorset, England; d.
Jul.-Oct. 1693, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA. His will was dated
Jul.12, 1693 and proved Oct. 19, 1693. Lt. Mark married Elizabeth
ANDREWS on May 26, 1648. Lived at Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA.
Children: Sarah; Elizabeth; Damaris married Kenelm WINSLOW; Mary; Ruth;
Jonathan married Hannah TROUANT; Anthony married Mercy SAWYER; and
David.
- Persis - bap. Oct. 28, 1621, Fordington,
St. George, Dorset, England; d. Dec. 31, 1662, Hingham, MA. Married Capt. Michael PIERCE.
- Anna/Hannah - b. about 1622, Fordington, St. George, Dorset,
England; d. Jun. 10, 1692, Lancaster, Worcester Co., MA. Her death is
also given as Sep. 1, 1684, Marshfield, Plymouth, MA. Possible
daughter. A source for the WILDER family identifies the wife of Thomas
WILDER as the daughter of Anthony EAMES and Margery PRISSE. Most
information for Anna/Hannah is from WILDER family data. Married Apr.
1640 at Charlestown, Suffolk Co., MA to Thomas WILDER (b. about 1618,
Shiplake, Oxfordshire, England; d. Oct. 23, 1667, Lancaster, Worcester
Co., MA), son of Thomas WILDERand Martha HIGGS. Children: Mary married
David ALLEN/ELLEN; Thomas married Mary WHEELER; John married Hannah
ATHERTON; Elizabeth; Nathaniel married Marie/Mary SAWYER; and Ebenezer.
- Elizabeth - bap. Jun. 13, 1624, Fordington, St. George, Dorset,
England; d. Jun. 9, 1692. Married about 1650 Edward WILDER (d. Oct. 28,
1690), son of Thomas WILDER and Martha KEENE. Edward came to New
England by 1638, settled at Hingham, and made freeman 1644. Children:
Isaac; Mehitabel married Joseph WARREN; Abia married William CLARK;
Abigail; Elizabeth married Israel FEARING; John married Rebecca
DOGGETT; Ephraim; Jabez married Mary FORD; Anna; Hannah; and Mary
married first Francis LeBARON, and second Return WAIT.
- Justus - b. 1626; bap. Apr. 29, 1627, Fordington, St. George,
Dorset, England; d. 1706, MA. Will dated Mar. 7, 1697, and estate
inventoried May 20, 1706 in now Plymouth Co., MA. Married May 2, 1661
in MA to Mehitabel CHILLINGSWORTH, daughter of Thomas CHILLINGSWORTH
(d. 1653, MA) and Joanne. Children: Anthony married Elizabeth TILDEN;
Millicent did not marry; Margery married Cornelius HOLBROOK (son of
William HOLBROOK and Elizabeth PITTS); John; Nathaniel; Joseph;
Ephraim; and Josiah.
- Margery - bap. Dec. 5, 1630, Fordington, St. George, Dorset,
England; d. Apr. 7, 1659, Hingham, now Plymouth Co., MA. Married Oct.
20, 1653 John JACOB (b. 1629, England; d. 1693, MA), son of Nicholas
and Mary (GILMAN) JACOB. John married second Mary RUSSELL, and they had
eleven children. Margery and John had four children, including: Mary
married first Samuel BACON, and second Elisha BISBEE; and Sarah married
James HAWKE (their granddaughter Mary HAWKE married Rev. John HANCOCK,
parents of John HANCOCK, signer of the Declaration of Independence).
The Pierce family in America
Capt. Michael and Persis (Eames) Pierce
Michael PIERCE - d. Mar. 26, 1676, Pawtucket, RI. No
evidence has been found to indicate that Michael PIERCE was related
to Ship Master William PIERCE or to John PIERCE of Dorchester
and Boston. Michael settled first at Hingham, MA, then moved to
Scituate, MA. Commissioned a captain by the Colony Court in 1669.
Ambushed and killed with company by Canonchet at Attleboro Gore
during King Philip's war. Will
dated Jan. 15, 1675, proved Jul. 22, 1676, names wife Anna, children
Benjamin, John, Ephraim, Abigail HOLBROOK, Mary HOLBROOK, Elizabeth,
Sarah, Annah, Abiah, Ruth and Persis, grandchildren Elizabeth
and Abigail HOLBROOK, and "my brother Mark JENNES [EAMES]".
Married second in 1663 Anna (_____) ALLEN.
Persis EAMES - bap. Oct. 28, 1621, Fordington, St. George,
Dorset, England; d. Dec. 31, 1662, Hingham, MA. Daughter of Capt. Anthony EAMES and Margery. The NEHGR of
Oct.
1902, page 409, provides the following:
In Mass. Bay Colony Records, Vol. IV., part 1, page 380, under
date of May 28, 1659, is an answer of the Court to the petition of
Anthony Eames, in which is named "his sonne in lawe Michaell Pearse."
It would seem that the first wife of Michael Pierce was a daughter of
Anthony Eames, of Hingham and Marshfield. Her death is recorded in the
Journal of Rev. Peter Hobart, "Dec. 31, 1662, Michaell Perces wife
dyed."
Children of Michael and Persis Pierce
- Persis - bap. Jan. 7, 1645/6, Scituate, MA; d. 1646.
- Benjamin
- b. 1646, Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA; d. May 3, 1730, Scituate,
Plymouth Co., MA. Executor of father's estate. Benjamin was married
first on Feb. 5, 1678 in Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA to Martha ADAMS (b.
about 1665; d. Dec. 29, 1717, Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA, daughter of
James ADAMS. Benjamin was married second on Jul. 23, 1718 in Scituate,
Plymouth Co., MA to Elizabeth (ADAMS) PERRY. Children of Benjamin
PIERCE: Martha; Jerusha; Benjamin married first Mary COWEN, and second
Elizabeth PERRY; Ebenezer; Persis; Caleb; Thomas; Adams; Jeremiah; and
Elisha.
- Ephraim - b. 1647, Scituate, MA; d. Sep. 29, 1719, Warwick, RI.
Lived at Weymouth, MA, and moved to Warwick, RI about 1673. Freeman of
Providence Plantation May 3, 1681. Married in 1670 Hannah HOLBROOK (d.
1719, Warwick, RI), daughter of Capt. John and Sarah HOLBROOK. The
following paragraph is contained in the will of Capt. John HOLBROOK,
Jul. 12, 1699, Weymouth, MA: "I give to my daughter, Hannah Pierce,
£50 in money, to be at her disposal as she shall see cause. Also,
I give unto my grandson, Azarikum Pierce, £15 in money. Also, I
give to Ephraim Pierce, jun., £15 in money. I give to my
granddaughter, Rachel Peck, £5 in money. All which legacies are
to be paid by my executors within one year after my decease, which
shall be in part payment of a bond under the hands and seals of Ephraim
Pierce and Azarikum Pierce, bearing date June 14, 1697." Children:
Azrikim married first Sarah HEYWOOD (or HOWARD), and second Elizabeth
ESTEN; Ephraim married Mary LOW; Michael; Rachel married Mr. PEET;
Hannah married William MARTIN; Experience married Samuel WHEATON; John
married Hannah MILES; Benjamin; and Mial married Judith (or Joanna).
- Elizabeth - b. about 1649, Scituate, MA. Married Mr. HOLBROOK.
- Deborah - b. about 1650, Scituate, MA.
- Sarah - b. about 1652, Scituate, MA.
- Mary - b. 1654, Scituate,
MA; d. Apr. 26, 1735. Married Samuel
HOLBROOK.
- Abigail
- b. about 1656; d. Sep. 29, 1723, Scituate, Plymouth Co., MA. Married
about 1670 John HOLBROOK, son of Capt. John and Sarah HOLBROOK. Capt.
John HOLBROOK mentions grandchildren John, Abigail and Elizabeth in his
will dated Jul. 12, 1699. Children of Abigail and John HOLBROOK:
Thomas; Abigail married Thomas PORTER; Elizabeth married James SMITH;
Experience; Hannah married Josiah TURNER; Sarah; Deborah married Joseph
BRIGGS; and John married Sarah CRITTENDON.
- Anna - b. about 1657, Scituate, MA.
- Abiah - b. about 1659, Scituate, MA. Married Andrew FORD.
- John
- b. about 1660, Scituate; d. Jun. 28, 1738. Married on Dec. 12, 1683
in Plymouth Co., MA, Patience DODSON, daughter of Anthony DODSON.
Children of John and Patience PIERCE: Mial married Mary WOOD; John
married Abigail VINTON; Jonathan; Ruth married Stephen CORNELL; Jael
married Hezekiah CHACE; David; Clothier married Hannah SHERMAN; Mary
married Mr. NORTON; and Samuel married Polly BARBER.
- Ruth - b. about 1661, Scituate, MA.
- Persis - b. about 1662, Scituate, MA. Date of death and date of
marriage both reported as Dec. 3, 1695 in different sources. Married
Richard GARRETT (b. 1659).