Recently my dear cousin died and left me a box of his genealogy materials that he collected about various branches of our family. I believe this information copied from "The History of Chester County, Pennsylvania with Genealogical And Biographical Sketches" by J. Smith Futhey and Gilbert Cope, published in 1881, would be of interest to this list. PEIRCE, George or Pearce as the name appears to have been written by him), of the parish of Winscom, in the county of Somerset(England), and Ann Gainer of Thornbury , in the county of Gloucester, were married the 1st day of 12th month, commonly called February, 1679. George, with his wife and three young children, emigrated from Bristol, the seaport nearest his residence, in 1684, and the same year had a tract of 490 acres of land surveyed to him in what is now Thornbury township. Thornbury being the name of a district of country from which he obtained his wife, and a desire on his part to keep up the old associations most dear to him, probably suggested the name of the township. He arrived at Philadelphia prior to 9th month 4, 1684, upon which day he presented two certificates to a meeting of Friends held "att the Governor's house." One of these certificates was from "the Monthly Meeting at ffrenshay, in the County of Gloucester." The other was from "Thornbury Meeting." He may have settled on his new purchase in 1865, but his name first appears as an active member of Chichester Friends' Meeting in 1686; shortly after which meetings were sometimes held at his house. Besides being strict in his religious duties he gave a share of his time to civil affairs, and of his means to the improvement of the country. He represented Chester County in the Provincial Assembly in 1706, and was one of a company who erected "the Concord mill," the first mill erected in his neighborhood. He died in East Marlborough about 1734, having removed to that township two years before. The children of George and Ann Pearce were Betty, b. 9, 18, 1680, m. Vincent Caldwell; George , b. 2,23,1682; Joshua, b. 1,5, 1684, d. 9, 15, 1752; Ann, b. 3,8, 1786 [must have transposed the 6 and 8],m. James Gibbons and William Pim; Margaret, b. 4,11, 1689; Mary, b. 10, 25, 1690, m. Joseph Brinton; Caleb, b. 12, 21, 1692,d. 1,22,1679, m. Mary Walter; Gainer, b. 2, 1, 1695, m. Sarah Walter; Hannah, b. 2,21, 1696, m. Edward Brinton; John, b. 2, 15, 1704, d. before 1720. Joshua Peirce married first, 8,28, 1713, Ann Mercer, daughter of Thomas and Mary, of Westtown; second marriage,9,15, 1722 to Rachel daughter of Joseph and Hannah Gilpin of Birmingham. He settled in the eastern part of East Marlborough. The children by the first wife were George, b. 5,5,1714, d. 10,2 1775, m. Lydia Roberts; Mary , b. 3,3 1717, m. William Cloud; Ann, b. 10, 20, 1718, m. Caleb Mendenhall and Adam Redd; by second wife, Joshua, b. 1,22, 1724, m. Ann Baily; Joseph b. 10, 16, 1725, d. 3,9, 1811, a physician; Caleb, b. 12,2, 1727, d. 10,12, 1815; Isaac, m. to Hannah Sellers. From these have descended hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens. In some branches the name is written Pierce, and by others Peirce, which is thought to be the orthography of the early generations succeeding the immigrant. Barb Scott