The First Pearson

Pott Shrigley by Andy Edwards from PicturesofEngland.com

Of course he is not the first, but we have to start somewhere, so we will begin with Edward Peersonne (1575 - 1648) of Cheshire, England.

The  name Peersonne is variously spelled Pearson or Pierson. During World War I James Madison Pearson used the spelling Pierson on some documents while in France.The derivation of the name Pearson is likely son of Pierre. A common English adaptation would be Peterson.History buffs will remember that William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 and brought many French retainers with him. French is a large part of the current English vocabulary.

Thanks to Wally, I have logged into a family discussion list on the Pearsons. The question is can we link up what is known of our relatives with this Edward Peersonne? Here is a link to the page on this ancient Pearson. Here is the link to Wally's site that gets us to Lawrence Pierson (1607 - 1673). Wally says that our family line comes from Edward's grandson of the same name, who went to Bucks County, Pennsylvania.From Wally's other page:

...the descendants of Edward Peeresonne (c1575-1648) of Cheshire, England.
Some dispute Edwards' place in this lineage and that is also part of discussions here. Edward's son(?) Lawrence became a Quaker in the mid-1600s and sent two sons to America: Edward (Bucks Co., PA) and Thomas (Chester Co., PA). Many of their descendants followed the major Quaker migration routes into Virginia and the Carolinas and then went into Tennesee, Ohio, Indiana, and points west or stayed in the south in Georgia and Alabama.

There, seemingly, is the connection. The ancient Edward Peersonne had a son Lawrence who became a Quaker. This Lawrence had two sons Edward and Thomas. Lawrence died in 1673 and Edward departed for America in 1687 and settled in Bucks County. Thomas followed and settled in Chester County (Note the name Chester which ties into Chester, England).

There is a second source of information on the Pearsons. This comes from William H. Pearson. This site references a first generation for Edward Pierson.

Edward PEARSON was born in 1575 in Wimslow Parish ,Pownall Fee, Cheshire, England. He died on 25 Jul 1648 in Pownall Fee, Cheshire, England, buried Moberly Cem.. Edward Pearson was born @ 1590 at Pownel Fee in Cheshire Co., England. He was married to unknown @ 1600 in Cheshire and died 25 Jul 1648 buried at Mobberly cem.

This Edward had a son named Lawrence Pierson. Lawrence had sons including Edward and Thomas. Edward was born in 1648 in Wimslow Parish, Pownall Fee, Cheshire, England. He died on 3 Jun 1697 in Bucks Co., Pennsylvania. Edward and his family came to America on the ship Welcome in 1687. Thomas followed on the Endeavor.

Visit Wimslow Parish online. This site has several photographs. It also notes that the parish register commences in 1558. This is the same year that Elizabeth I ascended the throne. Another good website is the postcard collection of Maggie Blanck.


Now for a third source. This one is on Ancestry.com and is called rootsDigger. This site starts with Edward and continues with Lawrence, but it then diverges to another son. The site includes the will of Lawrence Pierson. I will copy this in the comments section, but you can go to it directly.

A looming question for me is Why? Why did our ancestors leave England for America? Was it religious freedom, political discontent, economic opportunity, or just the desire to see something new? Our own immediate family histories give many reasons for moving from state to state, the common reason today being economic, the hunt for a job and a livlihood. To answer the question for earlier Pearsons at this point in history is well nigh impossible. We have no letters from the ancestors explaining their actions. What we do have is a history of the times. So, from time to time I will give a little history to help in understand what drove the Pearsons to leave England.

Cheshire, England from which the Pearsons came in the 17th century was made up of rural parishes. The population of the city of Chester around 1700 was 7,817 which was more than twice the population of Manchester (3,690), and no other town in north England topped three thousand (Source The First Industrial Region).  In 1660 the restoration of the English monarchy occurred under Charles II. The bishops were restored to Parliament and there was a strict Anglican orthodoxy. As a reaction, Quakerism began in the north of England under the influence of James Fox. The Quakers stressed independent thought and personal interpretation of the Bible. There is a good discussion at exlibris on English Dissenters.

I will leave this post up for awhile. If it turns out to be a dead end, then it can be removed. For now, let's follow this trail and see where it leads.I will update it as I get new information.

I am posting this link to online search sites for later review. Valuable links should be entered on the blog page when verified.

The White Family

I am posting this query in full in case the original link should ever fail for any reason.

The link comes from ancestry.com and Celia Page.

This page connects both the White and Brown families on Benjamin Rush's paternal and maternal sides. The marriage of Celia Page and Henry White produced, among others, Jessie White, father of Mary White who married William Head Pearson. It also produced Lucy White who would marry James N. Brown. Their daughter Elizabeth marries James Madison Pearson, father to Benjamin Rush.

If  I am in error, I can remove the post.

Celia Page of Buckingham County, VA

Shawn Potter  (View posts)

Posted: 13 Oct 2001 9:18AM

Classification: Query

Surnames: Page

Can anyone identify the parents of Celia Page of Buckingham County, VA? Here is all I know about her and her family.


CELIA PAGE was born September 18, 1732 (or perhaps later?), and died March 31, 1799 in Buckingham County, VA. She married HENRY WHITE Abt. 1748 in Buckingham County, VA. He was born April 24, 1724 in Buckingham County, VA, and died June 17, 1802 in Bedford County, VA.

Notes for HENRY WHITE:
Will of Henry White, August 13, 1800} I, Henry White of the County of Bedford, make and constitute this to be my last will & testament in manner and form following,
My will & desire is first that all my lawful debts be paid after which I leave the money now arising from the sale of my land to all my sons to be equally divided among them, the money now arising now from the property already sold in Buckingham County on the first & second day of November 1799 also.
My money that I have lent out with my personal estate that I brought up from Buckingham, to wit, Abraham, Rachel & Maryann, to be equally divided between all my sons & daughters including my granddaughter, Judith David, equal with my own daughters, that is to say that she shall have an equal part with each of them. If Judith David departs this life before she become of age, then her part to be equally divided amongst the rest of my children.
Item. I also leave my household furniture that I brought up with me from Buckingham to Bedford & a horse, bridle, & saddle to my son, Jacob White.
I do hereby nominate & appoint my son, Jacob White, & my son, William White, my executors of this my last will & testament by me made this thirteenth day of August eighteen hundred.
Henry (his X mark) White
Signed, sealed & delivered in presence of Charles Gwatkin, Fell Sesueur, Julius Hatcher, Sr.
At a court held for Bedford County this 27th day of September 1802, This last will & testament of Henry White, deceased, was proved by the oath of Fell Sesueur & Julius Hatcher, witnesses thereto, and ordered to be recorded and on the motion of Jacob White, one of the executors named in said will who made oath thereto, certificate is granted him for obtaining probate thereof in the due form giving security, whereupon he, together with Thomas Sagwood his security, entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of six thousand dollars, conditioned for the said executors, due & faithful administration of said decedents estate & performance of his will, liberty being reserved William White, the other executor named in said will, to join in the probate thereof when he shall think fit.
Teste J. Steptoe, C. B. C.
[Bedford County, VA, Will Book 2, pp. 366-7]

Inventory of Estate of Henry White, deceased} Agreeable to an order of the worshipful court of Bedford County of September 1802, we the undersigned, being first sworn, have appraised the estate of Henry White, deceased, in the following manner, viz.
One negroe man named Abram £115.0.0
One negroe woman named Rachel £80.0.0
One small negroe girl named MaryAnn £20.0.0
One negroe child named Charity £15.0.0
Total £230.0.0
November 30, 1802
Charles Gwatkin
Thomas Hubbard
Julius Hatcher
At a court held for Bedford County the 27th day of December 1802, This inventory of the estate of Henry White, deceased, was returned to court & ordered to be recorded.
Teste J. Steptoe, C. B. C.
[Bedford County, VA, Will Book 2, pp. 394-5]

Jesse White, John White, & James Brown of Elbert County, GA, appoint Henry Page White of Franklin County, VA, or true and lawful attorney to receive & to receipt to Jacob White, exor. of Henry White, late of Bedford County, VA, deceased, all our distributive share or legacy which fell to us by the last will & testament of Henry White, deceased, 16 Nov. 1803.
Signed James Brown, John White, Jesse (x) White.
Test: Archelus Jarratt, J.P., Thomas B. Scott.
Registered 17 Nov. 1803.
[Elbert County, GA, Deed Book H, p. 172]

Children of CELIA PAGE and HENRY WHITE are:

i. JOHN WHITE, b. October 20, 1749, Buckingham County, VA; d. October 08, 1823, Bedford County, VA; m. JOANNA BRADLEY, Abt. 1773, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1753, Bedford County, VA.
ii. ELIZABETH WHITE, b. August 21, 1751, Buckingham County, VA; d. Abt. 1790, Bedford County, VA; m. PETER DAVID, Abt. 1770, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1745, Bedford County, VA.
iii. LUCY WHITE, b. September 30, 1753, Buckingham County, VA; d. Aft. September 23, 1815, Elbert County, GA; m. JAMES NEVILLE BROWN, Abt. 1773, Buckingham County, VA; b. Abt. 1752, St. Anne Parish, Albemarle County, VA; d. Bef. March 01, 1841, Elbert County, GA.

(... here is the will of James Brown)

iv. MILDRED WHITE, b. January 23, 1755, Buckingham County, VA; d. February 26, 1798, Elbert County, GA; m. ISAAC DAVID, Abt. 1775, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1750, Bedford County, VA.
v. HENRY PAGE WHITE, b. September 21, 1756, Buckingham County, VA; d. Aft. May 14, 1842, Elbert County, GA; m. MARTHA NEVILLE BROWN, Abt. 1777, St. Anne Parish, Albemarle County, VA; b. Abt. 1758, St. Anne Parish, Albemarle County, VA.

vi. JESSE WHITE, b. July 18, 1758, Buckingham County, VA; d. March 1839, Autauga County, AL; m. ELIZABETH BROWN, Abt. 1780, St. Anne Parish, Albemarle County, VA; b. Abt. 1760, St. Anne Parish, Albemarle County, VA.

vii. ARCHELAUS WHITE, b. May 29, 1760, Buckingham County, VA; d. Abt. 1784, Elbert County, GA.

...
viii. OBEDIAH WHITE, b. April 07, 1763, Buckingham County, VA; d. Abt. 1827, Bedford County, VA; m. RHODA ARTHUR, April 24, 1785, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1765, Bedford County, VA.

...

ix. JACOB WHITE, b. October 20, 1765, Buckingham County, VA; d. June 02, 1832, Bedford County, VA; m. HANNAH SPIRES, Abt. 1790, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1770, Bedford County, VA; d. Bef. December 10, 1816, Bedford County, VA.
x. WILLIAM WHITE, b. November 24, 1767, Buckingham County, VA; d. Abt. 1840, Bedford County, VA; m. MARY PRICE, Abt. 1799, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1779, Bedford County, VA.
xi. CELIA WHITE, b. January 20, 1772, Buckingham County, VA; d. Abt. 1802, Christian County, KY; m. ROBERT BLAKEY, March 29, 1792, Bedford County, VA; b. Abt. 1768, Bedford County, VA.
xii. ISAIAH WHITE, b. July 06, 1775, Buckingham County, VA....

William Head Pearson and Mary White Pearson

This post should be read along with George's post More on the White Family.

Previously, George gave us this image of Mary White Pearson (1780 - 1882). She married William Head Pearson (1780 - 1841) in 1807. William was born in Laurens county, South Carolina and died in Jasper County, Georgia.

They had their first child, William Washington Pearson in 1809 and went on to a total of 15 children. James Madison Pearson was born on October 17, 1817. George in his post mentions just three boys, so this needs to be cleared up.

Here is the information on them from the O'Farrell Family Tree.

William Head Pearson¹ (M)
b. 15 September 1780, d. 13 March 1841
Pop-up Pedigree

William Head Pearson was the son of Enoch Pearson and Diana Head.1 William Head Pearson was born on 15 September 1780 at Edgefield District, South Carolina.1 He married Mary White on 28 April 1807.1 William Head Pearson died on 13 March 1841 at Jasper County, Georgia, at age 60.1

     Children of William Head Pearson and Mary White:

Micajah White Pearson   b. About 1803 1826, d. About 1845 1909 William Washington Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1911 Jesse Marion Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1911 Mary Dianna Caroline Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1914 James Madison Pearson+   b. 17 Oct 1817, d. About 1867 1909

1. [S20] Unknown author, GEDCOM File C:\TMGW\FTDAUG__.TMG imported on 03/25/1997 at 22:02:45..

Mary White¹ (F)
b. 12 October 1790, d. 23 August 1883

Mary White was born on 12 October 1790.1 She married William Head Pearson, son of Enoch Pearson and Diana Head, on 28 April 1807.1 Mary White died on 23 August 1883 at Scott County, Mississippi, at age 92.1      Her married name was Pearson.1

     Children of Mary White and William Head Pearson:

Micajah White Pearson   b. About 1803 1826, d. About 1845 1909 William Washington Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1911 Jesse Marion Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1911 Mary Dianna Caroline Pearson   b. About 1803 1830, d. About 1810 1914 James Madison Pearson+   b. 17 Oct 1817, d. About 1867 1909

1. [S20] Unknown author, GEDCOM File C:\TMGW\FTDAUG__.TMG imported on 03/25/1997 at 22:02:45.. 

Another source of information on William Head Pearson comes from Rootsweb, the Pierson/Hanke Family Ties.



Ahnentafel, Generation No. 3

---

6.	Enoch PEARSON was born 18 APR 1757 in Bucks Co, PA, and died 2 JAN 1831 in Butts Co, GA. He was the son of 12. John PEARSON and 13. Living.

7.	Diana HEAD was born 1760 in Granville Co, NC, and died 16 SEP 1833 in Butts Co, GA. She was the daughter of 14. William HEAD and 15. Mary WILLIAM.
	Children of Diana HEAD and Enoch PEARSON are:   i. William Head PEARSON was born 14 SEP 1780 in Laurens Co, SC, and died 13 MAR 1841 in Jasper Co, GA. He married Living.   ii. Sarah PEARSON was born 26 OCT 1781 in Laurens Co, SC, and died in Tallapoosa Co, AL. She married Living.   iii. John PEARSON was born 19 OCT 1783 in Laurens Co, SC, and died 27 DEC 1785 in Laurens Co, SC.   iv. Mary A. PEARSON was born 9 DEC 1785 in Laurens Co, SC, and died 1849 in Tallapoosa Co, AL. She married Living.   v. Elizabeth PEARSON was born 11 DEC 1786 in Laurens Co, SC, and died FEB 1821 in Jasper Co, GA. She married James MCELROY AUG 1806 in GA. He was born 1774, and died SEP 1820 in Morgan Co, GA.   vi. James L. PEARSON was born 8 JUN 1789 in Laurens Co, SC, and died 13 JUL 1864 in Monroe Co, GA. He married Living, daughter of Living. He married Living. 3.   vii. Nancy PEARSON was born 1 JAN 1792 in GA, and died 29 SEP 1862 in Tallapoosa Co, AL. She married James ADAIR 27 JAN 1811. He was born 4 JUN 1786 in GA, and died 1859 in Tallapoosa Co, AL.   viii. John Marion PEARSON was born 3 MAR 1796 in GA, and died 9 JAN 1851 in Tallapoosa Co, AL. He married Living, daughter of Living.   ix. Daniel W. PEARSON was born 30 MAR 1798 in Elbert Co, GA, and died in Tallapoosa Co, AL. He married Living.   x. Harriet PEARSON was born 9 MAR 1800 in Elbert Co, GA, and died 1844 in GA. She married Living.

O'Farrell

This post is by way of Gregg Campbell.

The O'Fearghails were one of the four chief clans of the Conmacne.The O'Farrells (modern spelling) descend from the race of Conmac, son of legendary Fergus MacRoigh and Queen Maedhbh (Maeve). They were the princes of Annaly (roughly the Irish midlands); their chief seat of power was Longphort Ui' Fearghail (O'Farrell's fortress), present-day Longford.

Read a general history of Ireland and the story of Conmac.

The connection between the O'Farrells and James Madison Pearson is set forth on pages 21 and 23 of the O'Farrell Family History.

James Madison Pearson (M)
b. 17 October 1817, d. About 1867 1909


James Madison Pearson was the son of William Head Pearson and Mary White.
James Madison Pearson was born on 17 October 1817.
He married Elizabeth Ann Rose Brown on 29 November 1841.
James Madison Pearson married Sarah Catherine Reese on 28 July 1864.
James Madison Pearson died About 1867 1909.

Children of James Madison Pearson and Elizabeth Ann Rose Brown:
James Madison Pearson , Jr. b. 4 Sep 1843, d. About 1844 1933
Elizabeth Josephine Pearson b. 1 Dec 1845, d. About 1846 1939
William Fletcher Pearson b. 4 Oct 1847, d. About 1848 1937
Benjamin Rush Pearson b. 1 Aug 1849, d. About 1850 1939
Martha Caroline Pearson b. 7 Jul 1851, d. About 1852 1945
Charles Lafayette Pearson b. 10 Apr 1854, d. About 1855 1944
Albert Augustus Pearson+ b. 5 Feb 1857, d. Aug 1938
Henry Lucius Pearson b. 30 Oct 1858, d. About 1859 1948
Edward Pearson b. 1 Nov 1860, d. 31 Jul 1862

Children of James Madison Pearson and Sarah Catherine Reese:
Simeon Belle Pearson b. 14 Jun 1865, d. About 1866 1955
Lewis Walter Pearson b. 17 Nov 1866, d. Nov 1958 

The James Madison Pearson (1817- 1909) listed in the O'Farrell geneology is our great great grandfather. His son Benjamin Rush Pearson (1849 - 1939) was father of James Madison Pearson, our grandfather.And, there in the handwritten geneology of Benjamin Rush Pearson is a family connection to Sallie Coleman Farrell of Montgomery, Alabama.