[Chart and text from Nancy Underwood]
|
THE PIERREPONT FAMILY The Pierrepont family is of Norman origin, antedating the Conquest. The castle of Pierrepont-which derived its name in the time of Charlemagne from a stone bridge built nearby to take the place of a ferry-lay in the southerly portion of Picardy, diocese of Laon, about six miles from St. Sauveur, Normandy. The earliest lord of the castle of whom we have knowledge was Sir Hugh de Pierrepont, who flourished about 980 A.D. He was succeeded by his son Sir Godfrey de Pierrepont who left two sons,, Sir Godfrey and Sir Robert. The former was the father of Sir Ingolbrand de Pierrepont, lord of the castle in 1090 A.D., and ancestor of the French family. The latter, Sir Robert de Pierrepont, accompanied William the Conqueror to England, took part in the battle of Hastings 1066 A.D. and was the ancestor of the English branch.
|
|
|
||
HISTORY OF THE PIERPONT FAMILY IN AMERICA
This begins with WILLIAM PIERREPONT, younger son of SIR GEDRGE PIERREPONT [see chart above]. By his wife ELIZABETH, William had 5 children, one of whom was JAMES PIERREPONT.
JAMES PIERREPONT was owner of a large estate in Derbyshire, England, and carried on trade between England and Ireland; but during the commercial troubles that were incident to the time of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate, he fell into bankruptcy, and later came to America to visit his sons, Robert and JOHN, who had migrated and settled in Massachusetts. He died at Ipswich, Mass. at a date unknown. This much is established by the depositions of Sarah Pierpont (wife of Jonathan Edwards) taken in 1724 and 1725, and by a letter from James Pierrepont's great grandson, written on January 20, 1774 to Rev. Eleazor Wheelock, president of Dartmouth College. By his wife, Margaret, who died in London, a widow, in January 1664, James Pierrepont had five children:
JOHN PIERREPONT
Robert Pierrepont
Mary Pierrepont..said to have been born in Ireland.
Anne Pierrepont, b. in London
Martha Pierrepont, b. in London and m. Rev. William Eaton, vicar
of Bridport, County Dorset, England.
JOHN PIERPONT [as the family now began to spell its name], was born in London in 1617. He came to America and settled at Ipswich, Mass. in 1640. In 1656 he purchased 300 acres, where Roxbury and Dorchester are now situated. He died December 7, 1682 and his gravestone in the old burying ground at Eustis and Washington Streets, Roxbury, is even yet in a fairly good state of preservation. It is inscribed:
"Here lyethe intombed the body of JOHN PIERPONT, who expired ye 7th of December, Anno Dom. 1682, Aetatis suae 65"
His wife was THANKFUL STOW, daughter of John Stow of Kent, England and by her he had 8 children:
Thankful Pierpont, b. and d. 1649
John Pierpont, b. 28 October, 1652; d. 30 December, 1700 without issue.
Experience Pierpont, b. at Roxbury, 4 Feb. 1654.
JAMES PIERPONT - b. 4 January 1659
Ebenezer Pierpont
Thankful Pierpont, b. 1663
Joseph Pierpont, b. 8 August 1666, d. At Cambridge 1686, no issue
HISTORY OF THE PIERREPONT FAMILY IN AMERICA
Benjamin Pierpont, b. 26 July, 1668. Settled in the ministry at Charleston, South Carolina and died in 1690 without issue.
JAMES PIERPONT son of John Pierpont and Thankful Stow, was born at Roxbury, Mass. 4 January 1659 and graduated Harvard College in 1681. He settled in New Haven, Conn. as pastor of the First Congregational Church in July 1685 and remained its pastor for 30 years. He died November 22, 1714 and was buried under the Center Church on the Green in New Haven. He was one of the founders of Yale College, over which three of his descendants, the two Timothy Dwights and Theordore Dwight Woolsey have presided.
He was married three times...
First on Oct. 27, 1691 to Abigail Davenport who died within a very few months, on February 3, 1692, as a result of a cold she caught while following the prevailing custom of attending church in her wedding garments on the Sunday after her marriage.
Second on May 30, 1694 to Sarah Haynes who died October 27, 1696, leaving one child, Abigail.
Third on July 26, 1698 to MARY HOOKER daughter of SAMUEL HOOKER and
MARY WILLET (see Hooker papers). Mary Hooker was born at Farmington,
Conn. July 3, 1673 and d. New Haven, Conn. November 1, 1740.
James Pierpont and Mary Hooker had 8 children...
James Pierpont
Samuel Pierpont, b. 30 Dec. 1700. He was drowned 15 March 1722/23 while crossing the Connecticut River in a canoe with an Indian. His remains were found on Fisher's Island on April 28, 1723 and were buried there.
Mary Pierpont
Joseph Pierpont Also Abigail Pierpont & a child who died at birth
Benjamin Pierpont
SARAH PIERPONT who married JONATHAN EDWARDS (see Edwards papers)
Hezekiah Pierpont
Reference:
"Pierrepont Genealogies" 1913 pp 15-35, Palm Beach Genealogical Society,
Flagler Library, West Palm Beach, Florida
Nancy Underwood
1990
[from a recent letter from Nancy: "Speaking of Jonathan Edwards..have an interesting sidelight on one of the Pierponts. Sarah Pierpont Edwards had a brother James and he had a grandson Reverend John Edwards..a Unitarian minister, among other things. He was also an educator, businessman, lawyer, abolitionist, lecturer, reformer of military traditions, advocate of abolition of imprisonment for debt and a propagandist for phrenology and spiritualism. Quite a list. Anyway, in addition to all this he was a poet of sorts and he wrote the words and music to what we know as "Jingle Bells"! The original title was "Sleigh Bells" and not actually intended to be classified as a Christmas carol. Another interesting thing about him is that as a young man he was a tutor in the family of Colonel William Alston of South Carolina. The Colonel was the father of Joseph Alston who married Jonathan Edwards's great granddaughter Theodosia Burr..Aaron's daughter. Probably got the position because of his connection to the Edwards family."]