Who's that family in the photo?

May 08, 2019

Who's that family in the photo?

Hi! As you frequent this blog, you might start wondering- who the heck are the people in that photo?

You know the one I'm talking about. It's the giant one right above this post.
That is a very dear picture to my heart- it is of the descendants of my greatest brick wall. My Pierce and Phillips lines. I'll put a little nod to the places I got the information in parenthesis after each factual statement. (BR- Bible Record), (C- census), (MR-marriage record). Any number before these little codes is to indicate I found this information in two sources! Here's the sitch.

This, my friends, is the ancestor who changed research from a duty to a passion for me. Her name is Susan J Phillips.

I have a family bible record outlining her life- but was only written well after her and her husbands death. Here's what I THINK I know.

Susan J Phillips was born 14th of February 1830 somewhere in Tennessee (BR).

Susan's father is probably Peter Phillips (2C).

Susan J Phillips married Solomon Smith on the 16 March 1848 (MR & BR)

To this union one son was born: Peter Smith, born 8 March 1849 (BR).

Susan, Solomon, and Peter all lived around St. Clair, Missouri as of 1850- next door to her father, Peter Phillips (C).

Between 1850 and 1858 Susan lost her husband Solomon and remarried on the 11th day of November 1858 to Abraham (Kinsey) Pierce (BR) (No MR to speak of).

Susan and her second husband Abraham Kinsey had 7 children together.

1. John W. Pierce born 10 October 1859

2. Purscilla Pierce born 18 June 1861

3. James Lavinard Pierce born 17 February 1862

4. George Washington Pierce born 14 February 1864

5. William Jasper Pierce born 8 December 1866

6. Moses H. Pierce born 11 July 1869

7. Tomas T. Pierce born 22 May 1871

( ALL INFO FROM BR)

Susan passed away the 17 Aug 1872. She was 42 years old. (BR)

Just about two years later, her husband Abraham (Kinsey) Pierce died 6 March 1874. He was 43. (BR)

The 7 children scattered. My gg grandfather Jasper ended up living with a family in Olathe, Kansas until he came back for a regular visit and met my gg grandmother Susie Hogan. (Family Lore)\

Jasper and Susie had 3 children, the last of which was my great grandmother. Susie died in childbirth.

When their mother died, two of the Pierce children went to live with an aunt, Ms. Purscilla!

Purscilla and her husband Irvine Tilley had no children of their own. Instead, they raised a nephew and a niece and loved them as any parent would. My great grandmother knew the Tilley's as mom and dad and also had a nice relationship with her father, Jasper.

All this to say, that family in the picture is my Pierce family- still strong after so much heartbreak.

After two generations lost parents far too young, after the entire family scattered, and after they went through the trials of life, there they all are. Together, holding each other up, being a family. Purscilla and Irvine, my grandmother Mabel, and all the cousins. I love this photo. I love this family. Their story inspires me and breaks my heart and has me craving a time machine... all at once.