Joseph PEARCE/Jane FENNELL

[mchopper]

I am trying to find the parents or any family of Joseph Pearce.  He was born about 1805 in Southover, Sussex, England.  He married Jane Fennell on june 6 1826 in Melksham, Wiltshire, England.  Jane's parents were Charles Fennell and Rebecca Amor, but I haven't been able to locate Joseph's line.  I have located nine children for them all born in Bromham.  Their oldest, Mary, married William Leaper and they moved to Canada.  I am descended from them.  Thanks for any help you can give.

Lori

[trish1120]

Hi Lori,

There is a Roger Pearce age 80, shoemaker, born Wilts, living with them in 1871 Census. He may be worth following up. Possible brother/uncle?
RG10/1913/34/12

IGI has this christening, just posting for future reference;

Joseph PIERCE
21 February 1808, Newhaven, Sussex
Parents, Joseph THOMPSET and Mary PIERCE
I would say this one is illegitimate.

I will see what I can find.

Cheers,
Trish

[mchopper]

Hi, I didn't know about Roger Pearce but I think he is probably a brother of Joseph.  Joseph and Mary had a son that moved to Canada and I believe he was a shoemaker as well. 

I have never heard of Joseph Pierce, but I will look into that a bit.
Thanks for helping.

Lori

[trish1120]

Pearce/Pierce are often interchangable.

Trish

[mchopper]

I have done further looking and I doubt that he was born in Sussex.  I think it must have been wrong in the census.  I believe he was born in Wiltshire.

[trish1120]

Hi again,

I think we need to back up here a bit.

May I ask if you have Marys Marriage Cert?
Does it state her Father as Joseph?
And what is his ccupation?
What is Marys year of birth?
Do you know for sure she was born Bromham, Wilts?

The Joseph you have been following always on ALL Census 1851/1881, states his POB as Southover, Sussex. On 1841 not born in County.

It is not impossible he was born Sussex and other siblings elsewhere.

Cheers,
Trish

[trish1120]

I presume it is your Tree on An... and it appears you do not have 1841 census.

1841 census
Bromham, Wiltshire
HO107/1184/3/Bromham

Joseph PEARCE, 35, Cordwainer, No, not born in County
Jane, 35
Mary, 13
Joseph, 11
Elizabeth, 9
Emily, 7
Phoeby, 5
Luesa, 3
Henrietta, 2 mths
Al others born in County
( typed as transcribed)

NEXT DOOR;

Elizabeth PEARCE, 84?, Yes
Henrietta Pearce, 24, dressmaker, No
James Pearce, 25, cordwainer, Yes
Lucy Pearce, 25, Yes
Robert, 3, Yes
William, 9mths, Yes
David HAMBLEN, 55, Mason, Yes

Previous page;

Amy PEARCE, 40 and Family, occp housekeeper
Roger PEARCE, 50, Cordwainer and Family

It is likely they are all related, as Family groups often lived nearby to one another in those days.

Trish

[mchopper]

Hi Trish,  Wow, you've been busy.  The tree on ancestry isn't mine, but I have seen it.

I don 't have a marriage certificate or birth cert for either Joseph Pearce or Jane Fennell.  I was in contact with someone (a few years back) who had a copy of their daughters birth certificate which named them as her parents.  I got Joseph's birth place from the census record as Sussex, but I started to doubt it after looking through a tree at ancestry.

Joseph was a cordwainer and a shoemaker.  I have no idea what cordwainer is but I do know that he was a shoemaker.  It appears that alot of the Pearce family were shoemakers.  His son that came to Canada was also a shoemaker.  I think it is pretty safe to say that Roger was his brother and Elizabeth was his mother.  I am a bit stumped on who the other people living with Elizabeth are (in the 1841 census).  Since she is listed as being 84 she would be too old to be the mother of any of them.  She is mostly likely the grandmother of James and the younger ones are probably his children.  Who his parents are I have no idea.

I know that Joseph and Jane were married June 6 1826 in Melksham, Wiltshire.
Their daughter Mary  (born 1827 in Bromham) worked at home near Brighton where she met William Leaper whom she married and moved to New York and then Canada with.  Her birthdate might have been 1824 or 1827.  This information was taken from a family bible.  It also stated that Joseph Pearce and Jane Fennell had two children go to Canada (Mary and Joseph) and two go to australia and New Zealand.  William Leaper left the home he worked at and met Mary and worked at BUckingham Palace as a footman to a lady-in-waiting of Queen Victoria.

That is pretty much all that I know.

Lori

[mpmckean]

Hi Lori -

I typed in Roger Pearce, Bromham, Wiltshire a few weeks back and up came your message.  I am descended from Roger Pearce/Ann Hopkins, also from Bromham, Devizes (Wiltshire).  Your thoughts about Joseph and Roger being possible brothers has crossed my mind as well, but in my research I have discovered that William Pearce (wife Betty Atwood) is Rogers father and they did not have a Joseph:

Their children are as follows:  Robert b. 1793 and d. 1794, Mary b. 1793?, Betty b. 1794, Ann b. 1797

Roger Pearce is married to Ann Hopkins and they have 6 children, the first son being Thomas Pearce who came to  Canada and is my great-great grandfather, a cordwainer.  The Pearces were all shoemakers.   We were in Bromham this fall at St. Nicholas Parish where Roger Pearce is buried.  I  talked to Dennis Powney who looks after the geneology of the Parish and he explained that a cordwainer works with a special fine leather from Cordova, Spain and the shoemaker would have special orders from clients as well as looking after the needs of the local citizens.

In the 1850 census Thomas Pearce (m.Caroline Poole), he is 31 and she 26 along with their children Elizabeth 8 months, and Thomas 2, are living with Caroline Fennell, age 8 and listed as "cousin".  And this is where you and I have a connection!!!  This is the first I have heard that there were other Pearces in Canada before my Thomas arrived with his family.

I am curious about Trish using the term "next door" when writing about the 1841 census and Elizabeth Pearce, 84.  How can she be sure of that fact?
What a help Trish has been in sorting through all the information.

I would love to hear from you, perhaps we can learn more from each other, there are so many questions to ask!!!


Penny