My great-great-great-grandfather Thomas J. Pierce was born in Kentucky about 1828, left KY in the mid 1850s and died in Barry County, Missouri, 1888. His son James M. Pierce was two years old in 1850. Death certificate shows maiden name of Thomas J. Pierce's wife was JONES. Without traveling from Texas to Kentucky (I have to know which county first) I've gathered all the information I can find on one Thomas J. Pierce of Clinton County, Kentucky, who had a son James age 2 in 1850. He began paying taxes in 1846 and disappeared in 1856. I believe his wife Martha died. If this is my T. J. Pierce, he remarried in 1859 in Barry County, Missouri, and had four more children by second wife Louisa Lee. The Clinton County, KY, PIERCE family I'm trying to connect with included one Francis Pierce born about 1760 (where?) and possible sons Ambrose Pierce, Lewis Pierce, Francis Pierce Jr., Isaac Pierce, James Pierce--as well as three daughters. He lived in Cumberland County. It's my understanding that Clinton County was carved from Cumberland? These Pierces owned land on Smith's Creek and Spring Creek. In 1810 Cumberland County (Clinton was later carved out of it): Francis Pierce is shown with: Two males under 10 Two males ten to sixteen One male under twenty-six One male over 45 Two females under 10 One female ten to sixteen One female over 45 Francis Pierce had five sons and three daughters. In 1810 there are no other Pierce families around him because all his children were still at home. His neighbors on either side were William Cowan and George Swope. Possibly either of the surnames could be his wife's name? Now in 1820: Francis Pierce is shown with: One male under ten One male ten to sixteen One male eighteen to twenty-six One male over forty-five One female ten to sixteen One female twenty-six to forty-five I'm estimating that Francis Pierce is age sixty here. Notice he now has only three sons at home. Possibly two have married and moved out--or maybe died. His next-door-neighbor now is Isaac Pierce age eighteen to twenty-six with a young wife and one child under ten. Could this be one of those sons who no longer lives in Francis Pierce's household? The neighbor on the other side is George Swope. Now we skip ten years to 1830: Francis Pierce (probably now age 70): One male twenty to thirty One male sixty to seventy One female fifty to sixty On one side of Francis is: Ambrose Pierce One male five to ten One male twenty to thirty One female under five Two females twenty to thirty (One of Ambrose Pierce's daughters married Ballinger Wright.) On the other side of Francis is: William Pierce One male under five (Could be Thomas J. Pierce?) One male twenty to thirty Two females under five One female twenty to thirty Two households away from Ambrose Pierce is George Swope. TAX LIST Clinton County, KY: 1838 Francis Pierce, Lewis Pierce, William Pierce, Ambrose Pierce Now Lewis Pierce, another son, is old enough to have his own household. I don't know what happened to Isaac, but so far that gives us four sons: Lewis, Ambrose, William, Isaac. TAX LIST 1846 This is eight years later. We still have Francis, Lewis, Ambrose and William Pierce but now add Jefferson Pierce. 1850 Census Jefferson Pierce is shown age 22 with wife Martha (Jones?) age 18 and son James age 2. According to this record, Jefferson Pierce would have been two years old in 1830. Mere speculation, but William Pierce above had a son under age five that year. 1847 Francis Pierce, Francis Pierce (Jr.?), Lewis Pierce, James Pierce, Ambrose Pierce, Jefferson Pierce, William Pierce. Now there is a second Francis Pierce, either a son or grandson. And a James Pierce. Anybody's guess who he is! Here is son Lewis Pierce in 1850: Clinton County, KY, 1850: Lewis Pierce age 42, wife Rachel 36. Children: Elizabeth 14, David 12, Rebecca 9, Francis 7, Susan M. 6, Ann E. 5, Martha J. 4. Also living in household is Francis Pierce age 90. (This would make Francis Pierce born 1760. Lewis would be one of his two sons under age five in 1810.) Seven years later: TAX LIST 1854 Ambrose Pierce, Francis M. Pierce, Lewis Pierce, T. J. Pierce. One interesting thing...although this was a tax list, each individual was asked how many children who live in your home are between the ages of 6 and 18. For the first time Thomas Jefferson Pierce lists one--that would be son James Pierce born 1848 and age 2 on 1850 census. Notice that Jefferson Pierce is now referred to as "T. J." Also, the family is multiplying--notice the grandson Francis M. Pierce. And then: 1855 Thomas J. Pierce by now owned 70 acres on Smith's Creek valued at $400, one horse or mule worth $50, five cattle and twelve hogs. 1856 Thomas J. Pearce now owned 73 acres on Smith's Creek, plus his lifestock including hogs, whose number had now increased to 22. I feel very strongly that T. J. was related to Francis, Ambrose, etc., because their land was also on Smith's Creek and some on Spring Creek. After 1856, there were no more tax entries for Jefferson Pierce in Clinton County, KY--under any of the various versions of his name. My T. J. Pierce was in Barry County, Missouri, by 1859 and in Bourbon County, Kansas, by the 1860 census. He is then found, remarried to Louisa Lee , back in Barry County by the 1870 census. Living with him are his son James M. Pierce and his wife Catherine and their one-year-old daughter Alice (my great-grandma). Researchers say that Francis Pierce's son Lewis Pierce and wife Rachel disappeared on the 1870 census and then returned by 1880; they are buried in Clinton County, KY. There was a Lewis Pierce in Izard County, AR, 1870, but I haven't checked him out yet. It is curious that our James M. Pierce decided to move his young family to AR (Izard and Independence counties) in 1876. I wonder if he may have followed his great-uncle Lewis Pierce there. I still haven't been able to name Francis Pierce's fifth son. Perhaps it was Francis Jr.? who suddenly shows up in 1847. Neighbors that tend to be fairly near Francis Pierce on every census are: SWOPE (George), COWAN, William HUFF, Lewis DUVALL family. Lewis Duvall comes from a South Carolina family. I believe records show that my Jefferson Pierce's father was born in Kentucky and his mother born in South Carolina. My Thomas J. Pierce 1828-1888 KY>MO had the following children, first four with Unknown JONES and second set with Louisa LEE: James M. Pierce Eliza J. Pierce Malinda C. Pierce Rachel J. Pierce John A. Pierce Tranquilla Catherine Pierce Mary Frances Pierce Louisa M. Pierce First four born in Kentucky. John A. born Arkansas. Remainder born Missouri. Gene Johnson