these references are from the new england historical and genealogical register (NEHGR) Master tate's diary v. 74 p. 42 1/21/1771 edmund by danl pierce (birth) Master tate's diary v. 74, p. 129 "Sunday night Jan ye 20 1770 Elizabeth Roberts daughter of Mr. Love Roberts of Somersworth delivered of a son which she swore on Danl. Pierce son of Jno. Pierce of Berwick. Records of the South Church of Portsmouth, New Hampshire v. 81 p. 448 Ann Pierce daughter of Jonathan 10/2/1737 Ann daughter of Daniel 10/23/1743 Daniel received into full communion 1/3/1743 Elizabeth daughter of thomas 11/18/1739 v. 81 p. 449 Elizabeth daughter of thomas 6/14/1741 francis son of thomas 7/20/1746 george son of george 6/1/1740 hannah received into covenant 2/28/1741/42 jerusha wife of george received into full communion 3/2/1739/40 john, received into full communion 2/7/1741/2 john son of mr. daniel 8/29/1746 johnson son of thomas and mary 4/29/1733 lydia daughter of john 10/12/1735 thomas son of john 8/5/1744 ursula daughter of thomas 10/21/1744 (blank), child of thomas and mary 5/4/1735 (blank), daughter of thomas and mary 12/26/1742 (these look like confirmations) Record of deaths at plainfield connecticut v. 71, p. 143 4/212/1817 mr. daniel perce Vital records of saco and biddeford, maine, v. 71 p. 222 daniel peirce of kittery and olive jordan of biddeford intended marriage 10/1/1765 Records of South Church of Portsmouth, New Hampshire v. 82 p. 52 Pearce, Thomas, son of john 5/4/1777 Pearse, catherine daughter of samuel 10/23/1773 john son of john 6/17/1770 peirce, george son of daniel 6/6/1784 joseph son of daniel 9/20/1789 lydia daughter of john 1/30/1780 martha daughter of daniel 1/3/1779 (looks like confirmations) Records of the First Church of Berwick, Maine v. 82 p. 320 5/14/1751 private lecture danl son of jno pierce (probably baptized) Records of South Church of Portsmouth New Hampshire v. 82 p. 413 Peirce, joseph 12 years october (blank) 1786 uncertain (blank) child of Captain Nathaniel 1 week may (blank) 1784 fitts (blank) child of daniel 4 years october (blank) 1785 consumption (blank) child of daniel 2 years october (blank) 1785 consumption (blank) child of john 3 years december (blank) 1791 consumption (these look like deaths, format of line is first name, father's name, age, month and year, cause of death) Early Vital Records of Poland, Maine v. 88 p. 244 abigail c., daughter of daniel pierce and ruth, his wife was born 1/21/1820 Inscriptions at Poland Maine v. 89 p. 275 daniel pierce died 5/13/1862 aged 70 years 10 months ruth wife of daniel died 11/8/1857 aged 59 years 8 months Notes v. 111 pg 70 "the pierce family-identity of the john pierce who married elizabeth smith: - a john pierce or peirce married an elizabeth smith at watertown, mass., on november 5 1702 (watertown records). they had seven children, viz., john jonas, ezekiel, samuel, elizabeth, daniel, and jonathan (watertown town records, vol. 2; see also middlesex probate records, no. 17496). john pierce, the husband of elizabeth smith, made his will under date of november 29 1743, in which he provided for his wife and his six sons then living. under the will, his wife elizabeth was to have 'the solve improvement' of his real estate during her life. after her death the real estate was to be equally divided between his sons daniel and samuel, who were to pay the legacies to the other four children. the identity of john pierce, the husband of elizabeth smith, has been a source of disagreement. there were two john pierces in the fourth generation of the john pierce family of watertown. they were first cousins and great-great-grandsons of john pers or pierce, of watertown, the emigrant ancestor (see 'peirce genealogy', by frederick c. peirce, published in worcester in 1880). john pierce, the son of daniel (anthony, john) was born in groton, massachuesetts, august 18 1668 and was baptized in watertown january 16 1686-7. his father died testate in watertown on march 25 1723 and he served as executor under the will (see 'Pierce genealogy' (1880), p. 26)." pg. 71 same reference "john pierce, the son of joseph (anthony, john) was born in watertown may 27 1673. his father joseph died intestate in watertown november 25, 1713. the present writer has found no record in either watertown or waltham of the marriage, death or administration of the estate, of more than one john pierce during the period under consideration. according to bond, hudson, frederick c. peirce, and other genealogists, john perice, the husband of elizabeth smith was born on may 27 1673 the son of joseph. no authority however is cited for the bare assertions. a more recent commentator, edmund l. sanderson, of waltham, is of the opinion that the john perice who married elizabeth smith in 1702 was the john perice born in groton august 18 1668 son of daniel (anthony, john). (see sanderson's history of waltham (1936) pp. 119-121). for the reasons hereinafter indicated, it would appear that mr. sanderson is correct. I. one of the important factors (in determining the identity of the john pierce who married elizabeth smith) would seem to be the location and ownership of lot 10 in the third squadron of dividends of land made by the town of watertown. in his 'history of waltham', mr. sanderson says: 'john peirce, weaver, and his wife elizabeth, probably came to watertown about 1638, but their oldest son anthony was there as early as 1634. john's will probated in 1661 mentions by name only anthony of his several children. anthony and his father lived on the present belmont street very close to the waltham line (bond). in the inventory of john's estate amonth other lots was 24 acres of upland near west meadow and the same lot appears in anthony's inventory of 1678 (viz., 'twenty-five acres of upland called devident land'). this appears to have been the 10th lot in the third squadron of dividends granted as 25 acres to lawrence waters. anthony's land (acquired under his mother's will dated 'the 15th of the first month in the yeare 1666-7') was awarded to his sons daniel, joseph, and benjamin, and this lot came to daniel who also acquired the lot next west, no. 11, also of 25 acres and granted to emmanuel white. . . daniel peirce by his will of 1722 left his real estate to his son john but there is no descriptive inventory to help in locating his homestead . . . from the position of his name in the waltham tax list of 1738 (the year of separation from watertown and incorporation) john pierce (son of daniel) was living in trapelo road (in waltham) between joseph hastings and deacon william brown and this is the location of lots 10 and 11 above-mentioned.' at the middlesex registry of probate, they have a volume of miscellaneous records. on page 310 is the will of anthony which was not discovered until some time after administrators were appointed and so was never probated. it was signed september 8, 1671, and named anthony's wife as executrix. on december 18 1678, administration was granted to ann and sons john, daniel and benjamin. just before his death, anthony gave benjamin the house which had been his father's. by december 19, 1682, the son john had died, and his widow, ruth (bishop), petitioned the court, and richard way was recognized as her attorney. on april 9 1683, after the widow ann's death, the hears of anthony signed an agreement which gave (a) to the widow ruth (bishop) pierce the house formerly belonging to john and six acres of land, (b) to the two sisters the moveables, and (c) to the sons daniel, joseph, and benajmin the rest of anthony's land. (see middlesex county registry of deeds, vol. 8, p. 407.) from the divisional agreement recorded in the middlesex registry of deeds and the inventory of anthony's estate filed with the court, it would appear that the land divided between daniel, joseph, and benjamin included lot 10 (viz., 'twenty-five acres of upland called devident land'). no method of division was specified. as above-noted, mr. sanderson states in his history that lot 10 'came to daniel, who also acquired the lot next west, no. 11, also of 25 acres and (originally) granted to emmanuel white'. in a letter dated july 15 1956, addressed to the present writer, mr. sanderson says: 'our belief that daniel had lot 10 in the third squadron of dividends is apparently confirmed by two transfers in lot 9 in which the west bound is daniel peirce.' if mr. sanderson is right, the want of a descriptive inventory of the estates of daniel and his son john would seem unimportant. that john had obtained lots 10 and 11 would appear to be proved by the deed of january 20 1747, from his son daniel to his son's brother samuel of the half part of an undivided 50 acres bounded as follows: 'northerly with the squadron p. 72 line, westwardly with the land of deacon william brown, southwardly with the squadron line, eastwardly with the land of joseph hastings . ' (middlesex deeds, vol. 50 p. 30). this would appear to be the lots 10 and 11 above-mentioned. (see sanderson's 'history of waltham'.) II. attention is particularly called to the fact that john perice (the husband of elizabeth smith) did not name any of his six sons joseph. on the contrary, it should be stressed that this john pierce did name one of his children daniel. the naming of this child would appear to be 'no slight evidence of identity when we remember the tenacity of the old custom of perpetuating names'. (see THE REGISTER, vol. 5, p. 179; vol. 107 pp. 77-78, and vol. 86, p. 407, with reference to the names of children as evidence of the father's or mother's identity.) the present writer will be very thankful for the correction of any errors that may be noted. signed john b. pierce, dedham, mass." more on this later. suzanne shatto