Tuesday, January 27, 2009

This past week I've researched the genealogy behind several interesting items. 1) An 1866 letter involving the Pierce family, a very important name in Southport, Maine, history. 2) A Bible belonging to Enoch and Polly Ann Currier (Morrill) Collins of Amesbury, Massachusetts, with some birth dates. 3) Some old identified CDVs.

First, the letter: addressed to Mrs. Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Pierce) Jones in Southport, Maine, from one of her brothers, who signs the letter, I think, J. T. Pierce, staying or living in Portland, Maine, on Danforth Street. She had brothers named Jonathan, Jesse and Joseph, but I found a death date online for Joseph of 1864, and this letter was written in 1866. I believe the writer is Jesse, because he mentions "Sarah", and Jesse was married to Sarah Currier.

He relates that another of their brothers, Eben, is not well. The writer has a boat in Mystic being repaired, after which it will likely be used for the run between Norwich and New York, and "Pierce will probably go with me". I'm not sure who Pierce is - could be a nickname for one of the other brothers. It's not Miles or Eben, because they are specifically named, and Joseph is dead by then, if we are to believe the online source.

The writer regretfully doesn't dare make the trip to Southport to see "Lizzie" and her family and, especially, his "dear Mother" at this time because of Eben's serious condition. I noticed online that his mother died in 1870, so I hope he got a chance to see her before then.

The letter has some details about some land that he hopes to deed over to Lizzie in case anything happens to him or Sarah. Various other family members are named.

More later...

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