Peirce family genealogical chart
Creation: undatedAbstract
The Peirce family was a Quaker farming family and the original owners of the Longwood Gardens property in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Twins Samuel Peirce (1766-1838) and Joshua Peirce (1766-1851) began planting quality trees and shrubs on the property in the early 1800s. Pierre Samuel "P.S." du Pont (1870-1954) was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who purchased the site from the Peirce family in 1906 and established a foundation for an arboretum and botanical gardens called Longwood Gardens in 1954. This item is a genealogical chart of the Peirce family from its colonial ancestry to the grandchildren of Joshua Peirce.
Dates
- Creation: undated
Creator
- Peirce family (Family)
Extent
1 item(s)
Physical Description
1 genealogical chart ; 48.5 x 60 in.
Biographical Note
The Peirce family was a Quaker farming family and the original owners of the property that is now Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
George Peirce (1659-1734) emigrated from England to Pennsylvania with his wife, Ann Gainer (Gayner) (1663-1725), and three children, settling in Thornbury Township, Pennsylvania, where he acquired a patent for land in 1685. In 1700, George Peirce purchased an additional 400 acres that were divided between his son, Joshua Peirce (1684-1752), and daughter, Betty Peirce Caldwell (1681-1757), upon his death.
Joshua Peirce (1684-1752) built homes and raised two families on his portion of land. In 1730, with his second wife, Rachael Gilpin (1696-1776), Joshua built a home that still stands. It is located on the grounds of present-day Longwood Gardens. When Joshua Peirce died, his land and property were divided among his children, with Caleb Peirce (1727-1815) being given the home.
Caleb Peirce married Hannah Greaves (1732-1790) in May 1740 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They had many children, of whom were twins Samuel Peirce (1766-1838) and Joshua Peirce (1766-1851). The twins began planting quality trees and shrubs on the property in the early 1800s.
George Peirce (1814-1880) continued to operate the property as a working farm, adding recreational facilities and opening the area to the public. It was known as Peirce's Park.
Early in 1906, a nearby lumber mill intended to cut down several hundred acres of trees in Kennett Square. This prompted industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Pierre Samuel "P.S." du Pont (1870-1954) to purchase 200 acres of former farmland with the intention of saving the trees. The farm had belonged to five generations of the Peirce family before falling into disrepair and non-familial ownership. In 1914, du Pont completed the Peirce-du Pont house, or Longwood Mansion.
In 1954, du Pont established a foundation for an arboretum and botanical gardens. American botanist Russell J. Seibert (1914-2004) was the first director of Longwood Gardens and served from 1955 until 1979.
A full Peirce lineage can be found in the Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), Sunday, May 27, 1906.
Scope and Contents
This item is a genealogical chart of the Peirce family from its colonial ancestry to the grandchildren of Joshua Peirce.
The chart shows lines of descent from eligible members of the following: the Colonial Order of the Crown, the Colonial Dames, the Patriots, the Ladies of the Magna Charta, the Barons of Runnymede, the Wild Boar (made part of the Gilpin coat of arms), and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The chart is a series of concentric circles, with each line of descent beginning at the outermost ring; as the family line gets closer to the generation of the parents of the creators of the geneaology it nears the innermost ring.
The Colonial Order of the Crown line begins with Charlemagne (Charles I) through Edward III to the Vaughns, Bassetts, Lewiss, and Gilpins. Another line from the Colonial Order of the Crown traces ancestry through Alfred the Great, to Edward I, Princess Elizabeth, and then to the Bohans, Grashills, Griffiths, and Bennetts.
The Colonial Dames line begins with Rhodri Mahr (Roderick the Great), King of Wales, and traces the family lines to Griffiths, Vaughs, Wynnes, and Bennetts.
The Patriots line begins with King Alfred the Great and Emma de Gaunt, and the family line traces to the Tunstalls and Laytons.
The Ladies of the Magna Charta [sic] line begins with William Brewer and Fitz Hugh and traces to the Tunstalls.
The Barons of Runnymede line begins with Henry I, Emperor of Germany, and traces to William de Warren and William Marshall.
The Wild Boar line begins with Richard de Guylpyn and goes through to Rachel Gilpin, who marries Joshua Peirce.
The Daughters of the American Revolution line shows the Stebbins line of descent.
The inner ring of the chart shows how the Brintons, Gainers, Baileys, Greaves, Sellers, Stebbins, Bennetts, and Gilpins all interrelate with the Peirces.
At the bottom of the chart are facsimiles of the seal used on the deed from William Penn to George Peirce for land, including Peirce's Park, dated December 14, 1700, and the Seal of Pennsylvania and Penn coat of arms.
Helen M. Woodward (1884-1980) compiled the chart with information from her brother, George Peirce Stebbins (1850-1946). Woodward and Stebbins were the children of Sumner Stebbins (1809-1884) and Mary Ann Bennett Peirce Stebbins (1811-1897). Mary Ann Bennett Peirce Stebbins was the daughter of Joshua Peirce (1766-1851) and Susanna Bennett Peirce (1779-1851), making Woodward and Stebbins Joshua Peirce's great-grandchildren.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Additional Description
Separated Materials
P.S. du Pont papers (Accession LMSS-X), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
P.S. du Pont photographs (Longwood) (Accession 1969.002), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Peirce family genealogical chart
- Author:
- Laurie Sather and Marsha Mills
- Date:
- 2025
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
