| Notes |
- Named after Peter Hoar.
Peter Hoar Pierce was raised by Peter and Mercy (Pierce) Hoar after his mother died.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120621/PUB04/206210419/-1/pub04
Open for Business Once Again: The Peirce Company
Store
Published June 21, 2012 - South Coast Today (Newspaper)
This Saturday, the Middleborough Historical Museum
reopens its iconic Peter H. Peirce Company exhibit, with an open house from 10
to 3, including a ribbon-cutting at 10 and tours at 11. The exhibit documents
the history of the Peirce Company store that occupied what is now the
Middleborough police station on North Main Street from the early 1800s through
1935. Closed for the past few years in order to permit repairs to the building
which houses it, as well as a re-cataloging and re-interpretation of the exhibit
artifacts, the Peter H. Peirce Company exhibit has long been a popular
attraction at the museum, and the public is invited to come celebrate its
re-opening.
The Peirce family, their store, and the fund which they
left behind, all hold an important place in Middleborough history. In 1934, a
year before the store officially closed, the Middleboro Gazette published an
overview of the store's history, which follows.
"Our feature this week relates the story of a store - the
P. H. Peirce Company - from whose extensive trade of years ago, a trust fund was
able to be established for the use of the Town of Middleboro, and which has been
of great value and assistance since its origination.
"The old firm name of P. H. Peirce and Company stood for
Peter Hoar Peirce and his sons. Job, Thomas and James were the sons interested
in the general store, which was however a department store as we speak of them
today.
"Peter Hoar Peirce, who was born March 25, 1788, and who
was named after Peter Hoar, with whom he lived after the death of his parents,
began as a storekeeper in the two story house now standing at the Upper Four
Corners, on the southeast corner of the intersection of "?A?E Main and Vaughan
streets in Lakeville.
"He had few advantages, but developed an unusual business
ability in his early youth, and by his energy and persistent endeavor, he became
the leading business man of the town. Forseeing business life at the Four
Corners, he moved from Lakeville into Middleboro and set up headquarters in the
store on North Main Street.
"The old store, which was started in 1808, satisfied the
needs of the townspeople and residents of the neighboring towns withi a radius
of twenty miles. They drove here to purchase the necessities of life.
"In the back room, there were bolts of cloth for dresses,
shirts and aprons and an assortment of ribbons, buttons, thread and all sewing
materials. This room also contained earthenware, farming implements and carpets,
wallpapers and oilcloth.
"In the cellar was a room set apart for the sale of 'West
Indies goods', which included rum, gin, brandy and all spirituous liquors.
"The order wagons were driven about town to solicit
orders and deliver goods. This type of store was conducted for about 75 years.
As other stores opened in the district the sale of merchandise other than
groceries was gradually dropped.
"'Mr. Thomas' and 'Mr. James' were the only surviving
Peirces at the time Elton L. Pratt came to work as clerk in the store. This was
in 1885, and Herbert A. Pratt started with the firm in 1893.
"Mr. James Peirce died in 1901, and his brother Thomas
also passed away that same year. 'Mr. Thomas' was the last of the Peirce
brothers and consequently inherited much of their wealth. At his death he gave
over a half a million dollars to the Town of Middleboro and a hundred thousand
to the Public Library.
"After his death, however, the business was purchased by
the Pratt brothers who conducted a grocery store until 1929, when Elton L. Pratt
bought out his brother's share.
"Mr. Pratt, who is the present owner, has seen many
changes take place both inside and out. Electricity has replaced the old
fashioned oil lamps which were used. The cash registers and adding machines and
modern forms of bookkeeping are a great improvement over the old money drawer
and ledgers so crudely kept. The end of the store used as sheds was remodeled
for storage purposes. As the horse and carriage was replaced by the automobile,
the sheds used by the customers, who drove into town, were no longer
necessary.
"On the second floor of the building was a hall large
enough to seat two hundred people. Years ago, town meetings and entertainments
were conducted there at at one time, the Catholic church services were held in
this hall.
"From all the facts at hand, it is interesting to learn
that such an establishment existed in those early days, and that there are very
few changes if any in the building, where the store of Peter Hoar Peirce was the
center of trade in this portion of the state."
The following year, in 1935, the Peter H. Peirce Company
store closed forever, concluding a history of over 125 years.
Article written shortly after his son Thomas' death:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E00E3DD143AE63AA15754C2A96F9C946097D6CF
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The H600 Project Genealogy DB
1788 - 1861 (72 years)