When Martha Pierce was born on 27 February 1812, in North Carolina, United States, her father, John Pierce, was 44 and her mother, Clarissa Johns, was 47. She married Zebedee Ray on 25 December 1832, in Shelby, Indiana, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 5 daughters. She died on 30 January 1896, in Shelby, Indiana, United States, at the age of 83, and was buried in Center Cemetery, Brandywine Township, Shelby, Indiana, United States.
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Indiana is the 19th state.
In the 1830's, President Jackson called for all the Native Americans to be forced off their own land. As the Cherokee were forced out of North Carolina many of them hid in the mountains of North Carolina.
The Massive Internal Improvements Act of 1836 loaned Indiana $10,000,000 to create infrastructure such as canals, railroads, and roads across the state. The act was signed by Whig Governor Noah Noble and passed by the Indiana General Assembly. However, the financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837 thwarted these plans as costs ballooned. Construction on the infrastructure was not completed and the state debt rapidly increased.
English, Welsh, and Irish: from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Piers, Peres, Peris, an Old French nominative of Pierre or Per, the French form of Peter . Pierce is especially frequent in northwestern Wales and Lancashire, while Pearce is the more common spelling in the rest of England. In Ireland Pierce and Pearse represent a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Piarais ‘son of Piaras’, a Gaelicized form of Piers.
Americanized form of some similar-sounding Jewish surname.
History: Franklin Pierce (1804–69), 14th president of the US, was born in Hillsborough, NH, on the New England frontier. His English ancestor Thomas Pierce emigrated to Charlestown, MA, in 1633/34.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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