.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Our Great Great Great Grandmother Isabella



From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello,
Tonight we meet our Great Great Great Grandmother Isabella Segrems Pierce. She was Grandma Violet's Great Grandmother on her father's side of the family. Information on the Pierce family is now available thanks to Angie's hard work and the new family contacts she's made. A special thank you tonight to a Pierce cousin Richard Carlton for the pictures and additonal information.

Let's begin with a relationship chart to help you understand where Isabella fits into our family line.

Relationship Chart


Andrew Jackson Pierce b. 1835 New York. Married Isabella Pierce b. 1842 New York
to
Edwin Sherman Pierce married Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler
to
Walter Edwin Pierce married Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce married Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella, Linda, John, Marvin
to
US

GGG Grandmother Isabella and daughter Jenny Pierce about 1872.
Jenny is between 1 and 2 years old.


Our GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens with daughters Jenny (11 years old) and Madge (Margaret. 14 years old). Taken in 1882.

Great Great Great Aunt Jennie Pierce Joslin in her later years. Jennie was the sister to our Great Great Grandfather Edwin Sherman Pierce

Andrew and Isabella were married in MARGARETVILLE, Delaware County, New York, on 21 Feb 1860.

The 1870 Census

Andrew and Isabella moved around a lot in the beginning of their marriage and settled in Hardin, Iowa about 1870, a few years before Jennie was born. Jennie was 5 years younger than Margaret. We assume Andrew and Isabella divorced after Jennie was born and before Isabella remarried. That would put their divorce between 1871 and 1880 in Hardin, Iowa. I'm thinking they waited until the boys were older, so more around 1878, which would make the boys around 16 and 14. Now we need to find out what happened to Andrew after about 1875.

GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens later in life.


GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens (seated left) with daughters and friend.
Richard Carlton wrote this about the picture above:
I'm guessing the photo is c. 1887 - 1890. The child looks to be about 2 yrs old. Dora & Edwin had children in 1885, '87, '89, '91, etc. Madge & John had children in 1888, '95, '08.

So I'm thinking that the child could be Walter Edwin Pierce b.1885, Ora Joslyn Pierce b.1887, Frances Herbert Pierce b.1889, or Lynn (male) Cowan - b. 1888.

The dress styles strike me as pre-1890.


According to this Census, Isabella remarried after the boys left home.

Our Great Great Grandfather Edwin Sherman Pierce must have lived in Hardin, Iowa for awhile, because that's where Eldora Fiddler lived and where they married in 1884. He was 22 and she was 25.

Great Great Great Grandfather Andrew Jackson Pierce died of a bad fall when Jenny was just three years old. He was buried in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Richard Carlton also add with the photographs:
As to Isabella, I found this morning that I do have a note from my mother relating that Isabella's father was a Richard Segrems (now there are about 13 or more different ways (homonyms) to spell that surname and at last attempt I hadn't found any at Genforum.com).

All I have on Richard is that he is thought to have been born in 1817 in England and that he had at least 2 male children before Isabella. I don't have a name for his wife, but only that she was born in Scotland.
This would make Isabelle's father (Richard Segrems) our 4th Great Grandfather and another connection to England and Scotland through his unknown wife.

Have a Great Week!

Simply,
Victor