Joseph White Pierce, 1805-1888

• Born:  5 June 1805 in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut
• Died:  2 April 1888 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
• Parents:  John Pierce and Abigail Stow
• Spouse:  Amanda Mary Heath (md. 16 December 1828 in Broome County, New York)
• Children:  Elizabeth Pierce, Edwin Pierce, Mary Adeline Pierce, Catherine Amanda Pierce, Joseph Henry Pierce, Roxey or Roxie Abigail Pierce, George Pierce, Isaac Riley Pierce, Adelia Delilah Pierce, Lucy Jane Pierce, Julia Ann Menetta Pierce

Joseph White Pierce

(author unknown)

Born June 5 1805, Middletown, Middlesex Connecticut, USA.

Father: John Pierce. Mother; Abigail Stow.

Married: Amanda Mary Heath, December 16, 1828 in Windsor, Broome County New York.  He was 23 years old.

The lived at Janesseo, Broome County, New York where two children were born.   Elizabeth, January 1829.  She died that same year.  Edwin was born November 27, 1830 and died, August 28, 1832 at 21 months.

Joseph and his wife, Amanda joined the Church [of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] in New York, only a short distance from the birth place of Mormonism.   In April 1830 Joseph Smith made his first visit to Colesville, Broome County New York where several public meetings were held.   Later other visits were made.  No doubt, this is where they heard the Gospel from the lips of the prophet and joined the church sometime between then and 1832.

They followed the Church to Kirtland, Ohio in 1832, where he helped build the Kirtland Temple.

Mary Adeline, who married William Ballard, born 22 November 1833 at Niagara, New York.   Catherine Amanda, born 18 February 1836, died 1 March 1837, at  13 months of age, Kirtland, Ohio.  

They lived in Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri.   Their fifth child, Joseph Henry was born here on 17 January 1838 and died 18 of February one month later.  Four of their first five children died before reaching the age of two.

January 29, 1839 in Far West, Missouri, Joseph White Pierce subscribed his name, along with many others, to pledge their available property to be disposed of by a committee, for the purpose of assisting the worthy poor and destitute to remove from the state in compliance with the order expelling them from the state of Missouri. (History of the Church Volume III pages 250 to 254.)

In Nauvoo, they lived in the same house as Hyrum Smith and knew and associated with the prophet Joseph Smith.  Amanda Mary Heath Pierce stated that, the death of the prophet gave her a very deep grief.

While in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, there were three children born.  Roxey Abigail, May 24, 1840.  She married John McRae, a brother to my grandmother, Mary Jane McRae.  George, born October 17, 1842 died November 11, 1842 at less than a month. Isaac Riley was born July 13, 1844, about two weeks after the prophet Joseph Smith was killed in Carthage Jail.  He was my grandfather.

They crossed the Mississippi on the ice as they were driven from Nauvoo.

Adelia Delialah, their ninth child was born January 13, 1847, somewhere in Iowa.   She married Al Workman.  She later married William Edger French and they moved to Canada and have a large posterity in that area.  Lucy Jane, their tenth child, was born March 22, 1850 at Silver Creek, Iowa.  She died February 18, 1851. She was only ten months old. 

Note: silver creek township is located on the south boundary of Pottawattamie County, about midway between the east and west boundary. This may have been the place of birth.  

Julia Ann Menetta, their 11th child was born at Kanesville, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, August 3, 1852.  She married John Morgan Hughes.

The name of Kanesville was later changed to Council Bluffs.  They spent several years in this area, mostly at Kanesville.  Joseph White Pierce and his family followed the Church on all of its moves westward.  They were driven from five different homes.

They crossed the plains in 1853. 

They settled in Salt Lake City, at 5th South and 9th East.  (922 E. 500 S.)  They owned about 2 1/2 acres. They hauled timber and wood from the canyons and farmed and cleared land.  They homesteaded a ranch at the foot of Little Mountain, on the old Emigrant Trail in Emigration Canyon.  They also raised stock and farmed in the summer and spent winters in Salt Lake City.

Joseph White Pierce died April 2, 1888 at Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 82.

Deseret News, 1888-04-04, p. 16.

Gravestone in Salt Lake City Cemetery

http://www.piercesweb.com/individuals/josephw-pierce/index.html

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Timeline:

1805 June 5

Born in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut to John Pierce and Abigail Stow [1]

1828 December 16

Age 23

Marries Amanda Mary Heath in Broome County, New York

1829 January

Age 23

Birth of daughter Elizabeth in Janesseo, Broome, New York.  She dies later that same year.

1830 November 27

Age 25

Birth of son Edwin in Janesseo, Broome, New York.  He dies less than two years later on 28 August 1832.

1832 November 21

Age 27

Birth of daughter Mary Adeline in Kirtland, Lake, Ohio [2]

1836 February 18

Age 30

Birth of daughter Catherine Amanda in Kirtland, Lake, Ohio.  She dies just over a year later on 1 March 1837.

1838 January 17

Age 32

Birth of son Joseph Henry in Far West, Caldwell, Missouri  He only lives one month and one day, dying on 18 February 1838.

1840 May 24

Age 34

Birth of daughter Roxey or Roxie Abigail in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois [3]

1842 October 17

Age 37

Birth of son George in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.  He doesn’t live a month, dying 11 November 1842.

1844 July 13

Age 39

Birth of son Isaac Riley in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois [4]

1847 January 13

Age 41

Birth of daughter Adelia Delilah in Bentonsport, Van Buren, Iowa

1850 April 22

Age 44

Birth of daughter Lucy Jane in Silver Creek, Greene, Iowa.  She dies less than a year old on 18 February 1851.

1852 August 3

Age 47

Birth of daughter Julia Ann Menetta in Kanesville, Pottawattamie, Iowa

1853 June 8 to September 9-17

Age 48

Crosses the plains to Utah in the Daniel A. Miller/John W. Cooley Company.  Traveling with wife Amanda Mary, daughter Roxey Abigail (age 13), son Isaac Riley (age 9), daughter Adelia Delilah (age 7), and daughter Julia Ann Menetta (age 2).  They settle in the Salt Lake City Tenth Ward. [5, 6] 

1870 August 20

Age 65

Living in Salt Lake City 10th Ward, Utah, with wife Amanda and daughter Julia (age 18).  Working as a farmer.  His property is worth $1,000. [7]

1880 June 4

Age 74

Living in Salt Lake City 10th Ward, Utah, with wife Amanda.  Working as a farmer. [8]

1882 May 3

Age 76

Death of daughter Roxey or Roxie Abigail in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah [9]

1888 April 2

Age 82

Dies in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah [10]

[1]  "Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F85Q-HJ2 : accessed 12 Feb 2014), Joseph W. Pierce, 1805.

[2]  "BillionGraves Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/27MG-J3J : accessed 12 Feb 2014), Mary A. Ballard, 24 May 1913.

[3]  "Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F85N-XX3 : accessed 12 Feb 2014), Roxie Abigail Mc Rae, May 1840.

[4]  Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City] vol. 2, p. 358.

[5]  "Daniel A. Miller/John W. Cooley Company." Pioneer Overland Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.  http://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/companyDetail?lang=eng&companyId=205 (Viewed online 12 February 2014).

[6]  Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City] vol. 2, p. 358.

[7]  “United States Census, 1870,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MNCY-Q99 : accessed 28 Feb 2013), Joseph Pierce, Utah, United States; citing p. 10, family 78, NARA microfilm publication M593, FHL microfilm 553110.

[8]  “United States Census, 1880,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MNSV-YWY : accessed 28 Feb 2013), Jos. W. Pierce, 1880.

[9]  "Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F85N-XX3 : accessed 12 Feb 2014), Roxie Abigail Mc Rae, May 1840.

[10]  "Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F85Q-HJ2 : accessed 12 Feb 2014), Joseph W. Pierce, 1805.