"The famous old pear tree planted by [Thomas Prence] while a resident, and which was blown down in 1849 , stood but a few rods westward from the site of his house." - Josiah Paine, "Early Settlers of Eastham," Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy (1916) From Pratt's History, pp. 15-16 (1844): "There is a pear tree now, standing on the farm of Governor Prince, in this town, near the spot where his house stood, planted by himself, to which the following lines are addressed, by Mr. Heman Doane, a descendant of Deacon John Doane, one of his companions: Two hundred years have, on the wings of time, Passed, with their joys and woes, since thou, Old Tree! Put forth thy first leaves in this foreign clime, Transplanted from the soil beyond the sea, Whence did our pious Pilgrim Fathers come, To found an empire in this western land, Where they and theirs might find a peaceful home — A safe retreat from persecution's hand. That exiled hand long since have passed away, And still, Old Tree ! thou standest in the place Where Prince's hand did plant thee in his day— An undesigned memorial of his race And time— of those, our honored lathers, when They came from Plymouth o'er and settled here— Doane, Higgins, Snow, and other worthy men, Whose names their sons remember to revere. Full many a summer breeze and wintry blast Through those majestic boughs have waved and sighed, While centuries with their burdens by have passed, And generations have been born and died, And many a sister tree has had its birth, Performed its labors, and fulfilled its day ; And mighty kings and kingdoms of the earth Have lived and flourished, died and passed away. There didst thou stand in times of bloody strife, The youthful days of Boston's famous tree,— And when our patriot fathers sold their life To buy their country's glorious liberty! Old time has thinned thy boughs, Old Pilgrim Tree ! And bowed thee with the weight of many years, Yet, mid the frosts of age, thy bloom we see, And yearly still thy mellow fruit appears. Venerable emblem of our sires of yore ! Like them thou last performed life's labors well; And when, like them, thy days arc passed and o'er, These lines may help your lengthened stories tell. This celebrated pear tree, planted by Governor Prince, in this place, two centuries ago, and which still annually yields its delicious fruit, down to the seventh generation, is surely a fit emblem of that church which was planted by him on the same soil, and at the same time. If the rich harvests of this old tree are computed to the thousands of bushels, so from that church, we may believe, that thousands of golden sheaves have been gathered into the garner of God, as well as many of the native tribe of Indians, who lived here. 'It is especially gratifying to know, that from this church first sounded out the words of life and salvation to many natives, whose bodies now sleep in the sands of the Cape, but whose spirits have gone to God who gave them, to swell the number of the blood-washed throng.'"