Abraham Pierson statue Old Campus Yale University
Burial: Indian River Cemetery Clinton Middlesex County ConnecticutInscription: There lieth the boy of ye Revd Mr. Abrah. Pierson the first recor of ye Colledge in Conecticut who deceased March ye 5th 1706/7 aged 61 years
Abraham Pierson Inscription. Location: Clinton, Connecticut
Abraham Pierson Monument
Source: findagrave.com This monument has memorial engravings for several of the Abraham Piersons, who are not buried at Windsor.
Headstone Fairmont Cemetery
Marker Fairmont Cemetery
The base of Setters' Monument, Fairmount Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey
"Old First"
The Pierson Monument, in Fairmount Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey
Biography
Headstone Fairmont Cemetery
Marker Fairmont Cemetery
The base of Setters' Monument, Fairmount Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey
Inscription: "THE LANDING AT NEWARK, MAY 1666
"Old First"
25 October 2008, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
First Presbyterian Church organized in 1666, Abraham Pierson, minister. - Photograph by Bill Coughlin - http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=13009
The Pierson Monument, in Fairmount Cemetery, Newark, New JerseyBiography
BIOGRAPHY: Abraham Pierson was the first pastor of the settlements at Southampton, Long Island, Branford, Connecticut and Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1632. On 23 September 1632, he was ordained deacon at the Collegiate Church, Southwell, Nottingham, England. He was a strong Puritan, and left England for America. He was admitted a member of the church in Boston on 5 September 1640. In 1640, he was ordained as the minister in Lynn MA. He and other settlers left Lynn, Massachusetts and founded Southampton, Long Island in December 1640. He was strongly opposed to Southampton joining the Connecticut Colony in 1644 because Connecticut did not require Freeman to also be church members. In 1647, he moved to Branford, New Haven Colony, where he organized a church and served as minister for 20 years. He was prominent in the affairs of this colony. In 1667, he and most of his congregation went to New Jersey when New Haven was absorbed by Connecticut. There they founded Newark. It was to be the last Puritan theocracy in America, where the church laws were almost indistinguishable from the civil laws. Pierson remained the pastor there until his death. Pierson was a stern and strict Puritan who was held in high regard in both civil and clerical circles. Cotton Mather characterized him as a "godly, learned man" and "wherever he came he shone." When he died, his library included over 400 books (one of the largest collections in the colonies), which were left to his son, Abraham. Abraham married Abigail MITCHELL.
found on ancestry.com
Abraham's life
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail. The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
findagrave.com
found on ancestry.com
Rev. Abraham Pierson
Rev. Abraham Pierson
Abraham Pierson, son of Thomas Pierson, was born in 1611 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England and baptised 22 September 1611 in Guiseley, Yorkshire. He matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1629 as a full tuition paying student, graduated in 1632, and was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church, Southwell, Nottingham on 23 Sept 1632. He came to America in 1639 on the ship Mayflower along with his second cousin, Henry Peirson, arriving in Lynn, Massachusetts 10 May 1639. He was ordained in Boston as a Congregational minister. He married Abigail Mitchell, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Wood) Mitchell about 1640. She was born in South Ouram, Yorkshire, England on 26 April 1618.
They had the following children:
Abraham Pierson, Jr. was born about 1640/41 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. He was the first president of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, 1701-1707. New information indicates that he may have actually been born in 1646 in Southampton, New Haven Colony, Long Island (Suffolk County, New York).
Thomas Pierson was born about 1642 in Southampton.
John Pierson was born about 1643 in Southampton.
Abigail Pierson was born about 1644 in Southampton.
Grace Pierson was born 13 June1650 in Branford, New Haven Colony (Connecticut).
Susannah Pierson was born 1652 in Branford.
Rebecca Pierson was born 1654 in Branford.
Theophilus Pierson was born 15 May 1659 in Branford.
Isaac Pierson was born in 1661 in Branford.
Mary Pierson was born about 1663 in Branford.
Along with his second cousin, Henry Pierson, Abraham was among the primary leaders in the founding of the colony of Southampton, Long Island (New York) by about 40 families in 1640. They attempted to make a settlement on the west end of Long Island, but the Dutch had made sure of that end, so they repaired to the east end, and laid the foundations of Southampton. The first church of that town was started as a Congregational church, but it afterwards became Presbyterian (Howell's Hist. of Southampton 1st edition). He was most rigid in his desire to have the "civil as well as the ecclesiastical power all vested in the church, and to allow none but church members to act in the choice of officers of gov't, or to be eligible as such." This led to a division of the colony.
In 1647, Abraham Pierson with a small part of his congregation, attempted another settlement, across the sound, on the Connecticut shore, where they organized and formed the town of Branford. There, for 20 years, he "enjoyed the confidence and esteem not only of the ministers, but the more prominent civilians connected with the New Haven colony." He early interested himself in behalf of the Indians, made himself familiar with their language, and prepared a catechism for them, that they might know of God. In 1665, he united with John Davenport in opposing the union of the two colonies, Connecticut and New Haven, with great inflexibility. He was rigid to excess in church communion, and disapproved of the liberality of the clergy in the Connecticut colony. In this respect, he differed with them upon the ordinance of infant baptism, as no person in the New Haven colony could be made a freeman unless he was in full communion with the church. He fully agreed with Davenport and others in the colony, that no government than that of the church should be maintained in the colony.
In 1666, because of this belief, he with most of his congregation (including his nephew, Thomas Pierson, Sr.) left Branford, and repaired to New Jersey, on the Passaic River, where they purchased land of the Indians and laid the foundations of the now flourishing city of Newark. During 1666 and 1667 some sixty-five men came from Branford and two neighboring towns to Newark. Each man was entitled to a homestead lot of six acres. They brought their church organization with them from Branford, and became the First Church of Newark, which afterwards became a Presbyterian church. At Newark, for 12 years, Abraham led his flock of devoted followers. (Pierson Millennium) Read more about the founding and histories of Long Island, Southampton, Branford, and Essex.
Mr. Pierson made his will at Newark, 10 August 1671. It contains the following clause: "That my Wife shall have the Thirds of my Whole Estate to Whose Love and faithfulness I Comit the bring Up of my Children, and doe appoint her my sole Executrix, and giue her my Great bible and What other English book she pleaseth to Choose." The will was witnessed by Thomas Pierson, who swore to it in Court, 12 Mar. 1678 (1678/9). The widow Abigail accepted the trust, and gave bond as Executrix with Abraham Pierson (the son) as surety. The terms in which Mr. Pierson referred to his wife, and his appointment of her as sole Executrix would be unusual for that period if she were a second wife and not the mother of the children. Abraham died on 9 Aug 1678 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
people.musc.edu/~geesey/PiersonAbraham.html
found on ancestry.com
Bio
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail.The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
In 1666 he was the first Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. This was (and in 1997 still is) located on Broad St. in Newark, New Jersey. Also see note for Thomas. Notes about the KITCHELL family; As published in 'Whallon and Kitchell Families'; by Edward Payson Whallon, 1932 Samuel Kitchell, Robert Kitchell's son, married Grace Pierson, daughter of Rev. Abraham Pierson, pastor of the Guilford Church. Laxness of views spreading through the colony, Dr. Abraham Pierson was asked by the 'Fundamentalists,' as they classified themselves, to find a new home for them and their church. He first organized a church at Southampton, Long Island, and then, going to the territory now occupied by Newark, N.J., he secured this for his people and sent word to them to come down as a Colony and Church, Samuel Kitchell, his son-in-law, being with him there from the first, as one of the founders of Newark. The Guilford Church and people became re-established at Newark, and Dr. Abraham Pierson became the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark. Robert Kitchell became known as 'the benefactor of Newark.' Dr. Pierson's son, Dr. Abraham Pierson, was his assistant and successor as pastor, and became founder and first President of Yale College, his statue in bronze now standing on the campus. The daughter, Grace Pierson Kitchell, wife of Samuel, is the mother of all the American Kitchells.1632, Trinity College, Cambridge, England
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Notes
On 23 September 1632, he was ordained deacon at the Collegiate Church, Southwell, Nottingham, England. He was a strong Puritan, and left England for America.Congregational minister then moving to Lynn Massachusetts 1640. Abraham married Abigail MITCHELL in 1638.
He was admitted a member of the church in Boston on 5 September 1640.
In 1640, he was ordained as the minister in Lynn Massachusetts. He then moved to Southampton Long Island trying to make a settlement on the west end but the Dutch did not welcome them so retreated to east end of Long Island. Later, he was strongly opposed to Southampton joining the Connecticut Colony in 1644 because Connecticut did not require Freeman to also be church members.In 1647, he moved to Branford, New Haven Colony, where he organized a church and served as minister for 20 years. He was prominent in the affairs of this colony. While living in this town he befriended the Indians learning their language he prepared a catechism for them giving them the opportunity to know God. Abraham opposed the union of the two colonies of Connecticut and New Haven. He also disapproved of the clergy in the Connecticut colony concerning infant baptism. In that time period no one could be made freeman unless in full communion with the church. When New Haven was absorbed by Connecticut, he moved again in 1666, this time to New Jersey. There they founded Newark with most of his congregation purchassing land from the Indians and laying the foundation for this city. Some sixty five men had followed him to this new settlement. Included in the 66 men were the Kitchell's, Bruen's, Piersons, and Lawrences, all grandfathers to Kenton Bennett.The church organization he brought with him later became the Presbyterian Church. He lived among his church members for twelve years dying there 9 Aug 1678.The new settlement was to be the last Puritan theocracy in America, where the church laws were almost indistinguishable from the civil laws. Pierson was a stern and strict Puritan who was held in high regard in both civil and clerical circles. Cotton Mather characterized him as a "godly, learned man" and "wherever he came he shone." When he died, his library included over 400 books (one of the largest collections in the colonies), which were left to his son, Abraham. "Some helps for the Indians shewing them how to improve their natural reason To know the true God and the true Christian Religion. 1. By leading them to see the Divine Authority of the scriptures. 2. By the Scriptures the Divine Truths necessary to Eternall Salvation. by Abraham Pierson Pastor of the Church of Branford. Exaimined and approved by that Experienced Gentleman (in the Indian language) John Scot Cambridge: Printed for Samuel Green 1658." NOTE: on three different microfilms located at NYS Library Albany NY.
found on ancestry.com
Abraham Pierson (1613) comes to New England
Taken from Genealoical and Personal Memoirs relating tot he Families of the State of Massachusetts:
Abraham Pierson was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1613. He graduated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1632 and came to New England in 1639. He was an ordained minister of the Episcopal faith, and preached for a time in England. He was ordained as a Congressional minister at Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1640 was appointed pastor of the church at the new settlement of Southampton, Long Island. This settlement was the first town in New York settled by the English. In 1647 he came across the sound and with a part of his congregation founded the town of Branford, Connecticut, where he remained twenty years. He was to the Indians of Connecticut what Eliot was to the Indians of Massachusetts. He united with John Davenport in opposing the union of the Connecticu and New Haven colonies in 1665, and the differences which arose caused him, with a part of his people to remove to New Jersey and found the town of Newark. The church formed there became a Presbyterian church. For twelve years Mr Pierson served as minister, and there died August 9, 1678. He married Abigail Wheelwright, of Lincolnshire, England, later of New Hampshire.
found on ancestry.com
Will
"named his wife, dau Devenporte, daughter Mary (unmarried) and other daughters (names not specified), and sons Abraham, Thomas, Theophilus, and Isaac. Thomas Pierson[Sr.] witnessed.l The remainder of his estate was to go to his 3 sons and 4 daus (not named), but this omits Abigail (Davenport) and Abraham for whom special provision had been amde. Administration was granted to the wodow Abigail, who gave bond with [the son] Abraham Pierson, "Clericus"." )The Ancestry of Nathan Grier Parke.... p 81)
found on ancestry.com
Birth:
1609 Settle, England
Death: August 9, 1678 Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail. The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
Burial: Fairmount Cemetery Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA
Plot: Buried in the Old Newark Burying Ground -- remains (if any left) were re-interred in this cemetery in the early 1800's
Find A Grave Memorial# 32877388
found on ancestry.com
The Life of The Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.)
The Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.) was the pastor of the Puritan (Congregational) church in Southampton, Long Island. At that time, Southampton and much of eastern Long Island were administered as part of the Connecticut Colony.
Around 1647, Abraham Sr.'s family moved from Southampton to Branford in what is now Connecticut. At that time, Branford was affiliated with the (unchartered) New Haven Colony. The plans to move from Southampton to Branford began in 1644 when Southampton chose to become affiliated with Connecticut instead of New Haven. Abraham was the pastor of the Puritan (Congregational) church in Branford from around 1647 to around 1667. (Note 6.)
In 1667, Abraham Sr.'s family moved to New Jersey where he established the community of New Ark, present-day Newark, New Jersey. At that time, Abraham (Jr.) was a student at Harvard College (1664 to 1668).
After graduating from Harvard College in 1668, Abraham Jr. was ordained a minister and he joined his father in New Ark. After his father's death in 1678, Abraham Jr. succeeded his father as pastor of the First Congregational Church in Newark. Abraham Jr. also inherited a library of over 400 books from his father. (Note 7.)
Some of the Wikipedia Notes and Sources:The Rev. Abraham Pierson, Sr. was one of the most prominent figures in the New Haven Colony, and his activities are well-documented in many places, including the following.a. Winthrop's Journal 'The History of New England' 1630-1649, edited by James Savage, 1853.b. The Founding of Harvard College, Samuel Eliot Morison, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1935, pages 91 and 396.c. The History of Long Island, Peter Ross, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, New York, 1902.d. A History of the City of Newark, New Jersey, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, New York, 1913e. Pierson Millennium, by Richard E. Pierson and Jennifer Pierson, Heritage Books, October 1997. ISBN: 0788407422.6. Early Connecticut Marriages as found on Ancient CHURCH Records Prior to 1800, by Frederick W. BAILEY, New Haven, Vol 2, 1896. These records show that the Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.) continued to perform weddings in Branford long after he moved to Newark. See [[1]]7. This collection of books clearly pre-dates a comparable collection bequeathed to this school by Elihu Yale. Was this collection donated to the Collegiate School, thus forming the first component of the present-day Yale University Library?
found on ancestry.com
found on ancestry.com
Abraham's life
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail. The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
findagrave.com
found on ancestry.com
Rev. Abraham Pierson
Rev. Abraham Pierson
Abraham Pierson, son of Thomas Pierson, was born in 1611 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England and baptised 22 September 1611 in Guiseley, Yorkshire. He matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1629 as a full tuition paying student, graduated in 1632, and was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church, Southwell, Nottingham on 23 Sept 1632. He came to America in 1639 on the ship Mayflower along with his second cousin, Henry Peirson, arriving in Lynn, Massachusetts 10 May 1639. He was ordained in Boston as a Congregational minister. He married Abigail Mitchell, daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Wood) Mitchell about 1640. She was born in South Ouram, Yorkshire, England on 26 April 1618.
They had the following children:
Abraham Pierson, Jr. was born about 1640/41 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. He was the first president of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, 1701-1707. New information indicates that he may have actually been born in 1646 in Southampton, New Haven Colony, Long Island (Suffolk County, New York).
Thomas Pierson was born about 1642 in Southampton.
John Pierson was born about 1643 in Southampton.
Abigail Pierson was born about 1644 in Southampton.
Grace Pierson was born 13 June1650 in Branford, New Haven Colony (Connecticut).
Susannah Pierson was born 1652 in Branford.
Rebecca Pierson was born 1654 in Branford.
Theophilus Pierson was born 15 May 1659 in Branford.
Isaac Pierson was born in 1661 in Branford.
Mary Pierson was born about 1663 in Branford.
Along with his second cousin, Henry Pierson, Abraham was among the primary leaders in the founding of the colony of Southampton, Long Island (New York) by about 40 families in 1640. They attempted to make a settlement on the west end of Long Island, but the Dutch had made sure of that end, so they repaired to the east end, and laid the foundations of Southampton. The first church of that town was started as a Congregational church, but it afterwards became Presbyterian (Howell's Hist. of Southampton 1st edition). He was most rigid in his desire to have the "civil as well as the ecclesiastical power all vested in the church, and to allow none but church members to act in the choice of officers of gov't, or to be eligible as such." This led to a division of the colony.
In 1647, Abraham Pierson with a small part of his congregation, attempted another settlement, across the sound, on the Connecticut shore, where they organized and formed the town of Branford. There, for 20 years, he "enjoyed the confidence and esteem not only of the ministers, but the more prominent civilians connected with the New Haven colony." He early interested himself in behalf of the Indians, made himself familiar with their language, and prepared a catechism for them, that they might know of God. In 1665, he united with John Davenport in opposing the union of the two colonies, Connecticut and New Haven, with great inflexibility. He was rigid to excess in church communion, and disapproved of the liberality of the clergy in the Connecticut colony. In this respect, he differed with them upon the ordinance of infant baptism, as no person in the New Haven colony could be made a freeman unless he was in full communion with the church. He fully agreed with Davenport and others in the colony, that no government than that of the church should be maintained in the colony.
In 1666, because of this belief, he with most of his congregation (including his nephew, Thomas Pierson, Sr.) left Branford, and repaired to New Jersey, on the Passaic River, where they purchased land of the Indians and laid the foundations of the now flourishing city of Newark. During 1666 and 1667 some sixty-five men came from Branford and two neighboring towns to Newark. Each man was entitled to a homestead lot of six acres. They brought their church organization with them from Branford, and became the First Church of Newark, which afterwards became a Presbyterian church. At Newark, for 12 years, Abraham led his flock of devoted followers. (Pierson Millennium) Read more about the founding and histories of Long Island, Southampton, Branford, and Essex.
Mr. Pierson made his will at Newark, 10 August 1671. It contains the following clause: "That my Wife shall have the Thirds of my Whole Estate to Whose Love and faithfulness I Comit the bring Up of my Children, and doe appoint her my sole Executrix, and giue her my Great bible and What other English book she pleaseth to Choose." The will was witnessed by Thomas Pierson, who swore to it in Court, 12 Mar. 1678 (1678/9). The widow Abigail accepted the trust, and gave bond as Executrix with Abraham Pierson (the son) as surety. The terms in which Mr. Pierson referred to his wife, and his appointment of her as sole Executrix would be unusual for that period if she were a second wife and not the mother of the children. Abraham died on 9 Aug 1678 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
people.musc.edu/~geesey/PiersonAbraham.html
found on ancestry.com
Bio
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail.The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
In 1666 he was the first Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. This was (and in 1997 still is) located on Broad St. in Newark, New Jersey. Also see note for Thomas. Notes about the KITCHELL family; As published in 'Whallon and Kitchell Families'; by Edward Payson Whallon, 1932 Samuel Kitchell, Robert Kitchell's son, married Grace Pierson, daughter of Rev. Abraham Pierson, pastor of the Guilford Church. Laxness of views spreading through the colony, Dr. Abraham Pierson was asked by the 'Fundamentalists,' as they classified themselves, to find a new home for them and their church. He first organized a church at Southampton, Long Island, and then, going to the territory now occupied by Newark, N.J., he secured this for his people and sent word to them to come down as a Colony and Church, Samuel Kitchell, his son-in-law, being with him there from the first, as one of the founders of Newark. The Guilford Church and people became re-established at Newark, and Dr. Abraham Pierson became the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark. Robert Kitchell became known as 'the benefactor of Newark.' Dr. Pierson's son, Dr. Abraham Pierson, was his assistant and successor as pastor, and became founder and first President of Yale College, his statue in bronze now standing on the campus. The daughter, Grace Pierson Kitchell, wife of Samuel, is the mother of all the American Kitchells.1632, Trinity College, Cambridge, England
found on ancestry.com
Notes
On 23 September 1632, he was ordained deacon at the Collegiate Church, Southwell, Nottingham, England. He was a strong Puritan, and left England for America.Congregational minister then moving to Lynn Massachusetts 1640. Abraham married Abigail MITCHELL in 1638.
He was admitted a member of the church in Boston on 5 September 1640.
In 1640, he was ordained as the minister in Lynn Massachusetts. He then moved to Southampton Long Island trying to make a settlement on the west end but the Dutch did not welcome them so retreated to east end of Long Island. Later, he was strongly opposed to Southampton joining the Connecticut Colony in 1644 because Connecticut did not require Freeman to also be church members.In 1647, he moved to Branford, New Haven Colony, where he organized a church and served as minister for 20 years. He was prominent in the affairs of this colony. While living in this town he befriended the Indians learning their language he prepared a catechism for them giving them the opportunity to know God. Abraham opposed the union of the two colonies of Connecticut and New Haven. He also disapproved of the clergy in the Connecticut colony concerning infant baptism. In that time period no one could be made freeman unless in full communion with the church. When New Haven was absorbed by Connecticut, he moved again in 1666, this time to New Jersey. There they founded Newark with most of his congregation purchassing land from the Indians and laying the foundation for this city. Some sixty five men had followed him to this new settlement. Included in the 66 men were the Kitchell's, Bruen's, Piersons, and Lawrences, all grandfathers to Kenton Bennett.The church organization he brought with him later became the Presbyterian Church. He lived among his church members for twelve years dying there 9 Aug 1678.The new settlement was to be the last Puritan theocracy in America, where the church laws were almost indistinguishable from the civil laws. Pierson was a stern and strict Puritan who was held in high regard in both civil and clerical circles. Cotton Mather characterized him as a "godly, learned man" and "wherever he came he shone." When he died, his library included over 400 books (one of the largest collections in the colonies), which were left to his son, Abraham. "Some helps for the Indians shewing them how to improve their natural reason To know the true God and the true Christian Religion. 1. By leading them to see the Divine Authority of the scriptures. 2. By the Scriptures the Divine Truths necessary to Eternall Salvation. by Abraham Pierson Pastor of the Church of Branford. Exaimined and approved by that Experienced Gentleman (in the Indian language) John Scot Cambridge: Printed for Samuel Green 1658." NOTE: on three different microfilms located at NYS Library Albany NY.
found on ancestry.com
Abraham Pierson (1613) comes to New England
Taken from Genealoical and Personal Memoirs relating tot he Families of the State of Massachusetts:
Abraham Pierson was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1613. He graduated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1632 and came to New England in 1639. He was an ordained minister of the Episcopal faith, and preached for a time in England. He was ordained as a Congressional minister at Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1640 was appointed pastor of the church at the new settlement of Southampton, Long Island. This settlement was the first town in New York settled by the English. In 1647 he came across the sound and with a part of his congregation founded the town of Branford, Connecticut, where he remained twenty years. He was to the Indians of Connecticut what Eliot was to the Indians of Massachusetts. He united with John Davenport in opposing the union of the Connecticu and New Haven colonies in 1665, and the differences which arose caused him, with a part of his people to remove to New Jersey and found the town of Newark. The church formed there became a Presbyterian church. For twelve years Mr Pierson served as minister, and there died August 9, 1678. He married Abigail Wheelwright, of Lincolnshire, England, later of New Hampshire.
found on ancestry.com
Will
"named his wife, dau Devenporte, daughter Mary (unmarried) and other daughters (names not specified), and sons Abraham, Thomas, Theophilus, and Isaac. Thomas Pierson[Sr.] witnessed.l The remainder of his estate was to go to his 3 sons and 4 daus (not named), but this omits Abigail (Davenport) and Abraham for whom special provision had been amde. Administration was granted to the wodow Abigail, who gave bond with [the son] Abraham Pierson, "Clericus"." )The Ancestry of Nathan Grier Parke.... p 81)
found on ancestry.com
Birth:
1609 Settle, England
Death: August 9, 1678 Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA
Abraham Pierson graduated from Trinity College in Cambridge, England in 1632. He was ordained a deacon at the Collegiate Church in Nottingham in 1632. In 1639, he came to Boston from England with brothers, Henry and Thomas. His wife's name was Abigail. The family removed to Southampton, Long Island, New York and were there from 1640 to 1647, and next to Branford in New Haven Colony. Rev. Pierson was the first minister of Branford and remained there for 20 years. In 1665, he united with Rev. Davenport against the union of New Haven Colony with the Colony of Connecticut due to the laxness of the religious beliefs of the latter. His family left Branford in 1667 and removed to Newark, New Jersey where he died.
Burial: Fairmount Cemetery Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA
Plot: Buried in the Old Newark Burying Ground -- remains (if any left) were re-interred in this cemetery in the early 1800's
Find A Grave Memorial# 32877388
found on ancestry.com
The Life of The Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.)
The Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.) was the pastor of the Puritan (Congregational) church in Southampton, Long Island. At that time, Southampton and much of eastern Long Island were administered as part of the Connecticut Colony.
Around 1647, Abraham Sr.'s family moved from Southampton to Branford in what is now Connecticut. At that time, Branford was affiliated with the (unchartered) New Haven Colony. The plans to move from Southampton to Branford began in 1644 when Southampton chose to become affiliated with Connecticut instead of New Haven. Abraham was the pastor of the Puritan (Congregational) church in Branford from around 1647 to around 1667. (Note 6.)
In 1667, Abraham Sr.'s family moved to New Jersey where he established the community of New Ark, present-day Newark, New Jersey. At that time, Abraham (Jr.) was a student at Harvard College (1664 to 1668).
After graduating from Harvard College in 1668, Abraham Jr. was ordained a minister and he joined his father in New Ark. After his father's death in 1678, Abraham Jr. succeeded his father as pastor of the First Congregational Church in Newark. Abraham Jr. also inherited a library of over 400 books from his father. (Note 7.)
Some of the Wikipedia Notes and Sources:The Rev. Abraham Pierson, Sr. was one of the most prominent figures in the New Haven Colony, and his activities are well-documented in many places, including the following.a. Winthrop's Journal 'The History of New England' 1630-1649, edited by James Savage, 1853.b. The Founding of Harvard College, Samuel Eliot Morison, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1935, pages 91 and 396.c. The History of Long Island, Peter Ross, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, New York, 1902.d. A History of the City of Newark, New Jersey, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, New York, 1913e. Pierson Millennium, by Richard E. Pierson and Jennifer Pierson, Heritage Books, October 1997. ISBN: 0788407422.6. Early Connecticut Marriages as found on Ancient CHURCH Records Prior to 1800, by Frederick W. BAILEY, New Haven, Vol 2, 1896. These records show that the Rev. Abraham Pierson (Sr.) continued to perform weddings in Branford long after he moved to Newark. See [[1]]7. This collection of books clearly pre-dates a comparable collection bequeathed to this school by Elihu Yale. Was this collection donated to the Collegiate School, thus forming the first component of the present-day Yale University Library?
found on ancestry.com
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