Generation No. 1

1.  FREDERIC ADAM⁵ PIERCE  (ADDISON PARKS⁴, ADAM³, JOHN², THOMAS¹) was born July 15, 1878, and died October 03, 1964.  He married RUBY LEGO SANDERS April 20, 1910.  She was born November 26, 1890, and died December 22, 1972.

Notes for FREDERIC ADAM PIERCE:

First two children were still born.  Robert Ewing, born 1912 and Fred All en born 1913.

This note by Lois Pierce:  Fred, my Daddy and the best Dad and friend any body ever had.  He had the patience of Jobe.  Every night he would tell me a "tale" at bedtime.  Sometimes he'd try to made one up but I didn't like them.  I wanted you hear about when he was a boy growing up.  The saddest, I thought, was when their Pa died.  Not all of them went to his funeral.  So Mag and Ann walked, he, Uncle Baurd and Uncle Tony, around t he hilltop so then could watch the wagon, "cause us 5 didn't have proper clothes to wear:-not time yet to get shoes".  Another one was, "many, many times Ma would call us in to eat our meals which would be bread and water, molasses and butter.  The molasses she made from brown sugar-cheaper than white.  The butter she made with an old "dasher" churn.  He said she al ways made fresh bread, usually biscuit and/or cornbread and for their treat her pear or tomato preserves-more often the pear.  They lived in Great Grandpa Adam and Grandma Marish's place and he was to it they had a co w.  Milking all the time-a few goats and chickens, also a horse.  From t he sound of one of Grandpa's C. W. letters, I think they were farming t he land together.

Daddy spoke often of how good Aunt "Kitty" and Uncle Will May (Grandpa's sister), Aunt "Marg" and Uncle Jim Latty (Grandma's sister) they were to help them.  Also the Hills and Dougherty's.  Plus another good neighbor, M r. Ed Branch-the one whose encouragement was probably the most responsible for their getting the Coleman place.  He said, "had it not been f or Ed Branch I doubt we would have tackled it".  And Uncle "Baud" and Uncle Tony said the same.

They faithfully attended the Bethel Methodist until they moved over the hill to the Creek, then in time transferred to the Bedford Methodist.  But whenever Bethel had a Revival or anything special they went-horseback or buggy and Mom would play and sing.

When I was 10/11 years old, Daddy took me to the place where they were all born and raised atop Scott/Bedford Hill.  From there we went down across the bottom to where the old Bethel Church had stood, sat down on a log and as he pointed to a flattened area nearer the top of the creek bank and old road and he said, "Now right over there is where I met your mot her".  "She was playing for church, and I took her home".  "We married before very long after that".  We sat there, talked awhile-oh it was hot-then walked across a small dry creek and up the old "walking path"-Daddy par ting the under growth as we went-to the other cemetery.  That path was wider than a normal path to allow people to meet going both up and down without stepping out of the path and also big enough to carry a coffin up the re when necessary.  And from this vantage point, Daddy said they could see and they watched as they took Pa up the hill.  The old "hearse crossing" is still there and crossable is very sturdy and stable.  When we got up there, Daddy walked over top stone on west side of cemetery, laid h is hand over on it saying, "now here's where Grandpa is buried".  I thought he meant his Grandpa.  So for 60 years it bothered me that mine had such a small stone, that little bitty one with A. P. P on it, till the day Coleman Sibley and I-October 1999-found them again.  Campbell has put an iron fence around it.  According to my Baby Book, Daddy took me out with him to work in May of '30, 8 mos. old.  I spent as much time as I possibly could at his heels.  He always had times to listen and answer my many quest ions.

Children of FREDERIC PIERCE and RUBY SANDERS are:

                   i.       ROBERT EWING⁶ PIERCE, b. February 21, 1912; d. February 21, 1912.

                  ii.       FRED A. PIERCE, b. August 06, 1913, Trimble Co., Ky.

                 iii.       RUBY LOIS PIERCE, b. September 04, 1929, Jefferson Co., Ky; m. (1) ROBERT EUGENE SHEPHERD, July 23, 1946, Oldham Co., Ky; b. November 12, 1930, Trimble Co., Ky; d. March 05, 1960, Trimble Co., Ky; m. (2) HAROLD D. REED, December 31, 1968, Switzerland Co., Indiana; b. March 12, 1912, Jefferson Co., Indiana; d. April 04, 1983, Jefferson Co., Indiana.

Notes for RUBY LOIS PIERCE:

These notes by Ruby:  Company's Comin':  And believe me they did!  Staying from all day to two years.  Every 5th Sunday the three Bedford churches had united services on Sunday night but the three preaches and their families would come out for Sunday dinner,  it was understood.  The Pentecostal church chose not to take part in the united services but John (Chandler) their pastor-knew he was welcome and sometimes they came.  As a chi ld I thought it was great now I wonder how they did it.  I do know the women cooked all day everyday.  But managed to go to church two times every Sunday.  They believed "God's faithful go back to church on Sunday night ".  Relatives came from Greenwood and Indianapolis, Indiana, St. Johns, Michigan, Fort Worth, Texas and other places as well.  Many friends, relatives, neighbors came.  The Logan Boys esp. would come down.  It was a unique and extra good little valley in which I was fortunate and blessed to sp end my childhood.  When one family was in trouble, the whole valley w as in trouble and all pitched in to help.  There was one visitor that I esp. want to mention.  His name was Thomas Golden and Mr. William Lawson and Mary Coleman raised him.  He came twice a years - spring and fall - as long as he was able.  Being elderly at the time, he couldn't go out to the field to work, so he would take me by the hand and we'd walk around over the place.  He would tell me things that happened when he was growing up there.  And he called them Uncle Billy and Aunt Mary.  He was really proud of a cedar tree in the south yard which he called "my tree", "cause he (with Uncle Billy's help) had planted it there when not more than 5 years old.  He'd stand, look way up and say "now just look what a beauty she is".  He also told me about the little black baby falling into t he cistern out back and his Mammy jumping in to get him.  Held him in h er outstretched arms - in water to over her shoulders 'till somebody brought a ladder and got them out.  Them he said he would slip into the slave cabin in early afternoon and sprinkle ashes from the fireplace onto the mammy's lips while they were napping.  Knowing he would get put in the dungeon to stay while they were down in the cellar cooking supper.  He's the o ne who told us about the Union soldiers hanging Mr. William Lawson (Uncle Billy) from one of the banister posts, out in the front hall.  His wife, Jane was hid under a bed upstairs, got out and cut him down, saving h is life.  There was one of those posts - over half way up the stairs that could never be kept tight.   Last but not least, Mr. Tom told me he got there by clinching into Mr. W. L.'s buggy and hiding 'till they got nearly home.  At that time he was a very young little boy - He wanted to stay so they kept him.  Just this past late summer I asked his granddaughter - who verified this to be true and she said it happened here in Madison, Indiana.

More About ROBERT EUGENE SHEPHERD:

Burial: IOOF Cemetery, Trimble Co., Ky

More About HAROLD D. REED:

Burial: Grandview Memorial Gardens, Jefferson Co., Indiana