The family story is that Lydia would not marry John until he had built a "proper" house and until she was 21. So he started building a one-room log cabin from chestnut trees on the farm late in 1871, and by the time he and Lydia were married November 9, 1873, he had finished a second-story bedroom (and Lydia was 21); they continued to add to it as the family grew.
Today, the John Madison Pierce home on the South Fork of the New River is on the National Register of Historic Places. Recently renovated, the Pierce home features the beautiful chestnut logs that have remained exposed in several of the downstairs rooms. New owners in 2014 have exposed the chestnut beams in the bedroom on the second story where John and Lydia started their family. The home remained in the Pierce family until his youngest daughter, Lucy, who lived in the home for 78 years, sold the property.
While still in the family, the property included the original farmhouse, a springhouse used for fresh water and storing perishables, and a 2-story livestock barn with 1-foot square chestnut beams. The springhouse and livestock barn were torn down after the property was sold out of the family in the 1980's, but the home has been restored and is now called the "Lucy (Pierce) Bell" house.
John and Lydia had eight living children: Charlie, Mae, Virgil, Bob (Robert Gambill Pierce), Reg, Etta, John Cleve (Sr.) and Lucy. Two boys - James Rufus and Walter Edgar - died as young children (1886 and 1887) and are buried in the private family cemetary, with their parents and grandparents and several other family members.
A year or so before he died, John Madison Pierce married Fanny Brown, a young widow, but not much is known about her, as she moved away after his death.
The Pierce Family Cemetary is on a hilltop overlooking the New River that was once part of the John Madison Pierce and Rufus Kincannon Pierce farm lands; from it, you can see the rooftop of John Madison and Lydia Gambill Pierce's homeplace nestled in the crook of the hills.
The family story is that Lydia would not marry John until he had built a "proper" house and until she was 21. So he started building a one-room log cabin from chestnut trees on the farm late in 1871, and by the time he and Lydia were married November 9, 1873, he had finished a second-story bedroom (and Lydia was 21); they continued to add to it as the family grew.
Today, the John Madison Pierce home on the South Fork of the New River is on the National Register of Historic Places. Recently renovated, the Pierce home features the beautiful chestnut logs that have remained exposed in several of the downstairs rooms. New owners in 2014 have exposed the chestnut beams in the bedroom on the second story where John and Lydia started their family. The home remained in the Pierce family until his youngest daughter, Lucy, who lived in the home for 78 years, sold the property.
While still in the family, the property included the original farmhouse, a springhouse used for fresh water and storing perishables, and a 2-story livestock barn with 1-foot square chestnut beams. The springhouse and livestock barn were torn down after the property was sold out of the family in the 1980's, but the home has been restored and is now called the "Lucy (Pierce) Bell" house.
John and Lydia had eight living children: Charlie, Mae, Virgil, Bob (Robert Gambill Pierce), Reg, Etta, John Cleve (Sr.) and Lucy. Two boys - James Rufus and Walter Edgar - died as young children (1886 and 1887) and are buried in the private family cemetary, with their parents and grandparents and several other family members.
A year or so before he died, John Madison Pierce married Fanny Brown, a young widow, but not much is known about her, as she moved away after his death.
The Pierce Family Cemetary is on a hilltop overlooking the New River that was once part of the John Madison Pierce and Rufus Kincannon Pierce farm lands; from it, you can see the rooftop of John Madison and Lydia Gambill Pierce's homeplace nestled in the crook of the hills.
Family Members
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Charles W. Pierce
1875–1949
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Lela Mae Pierce Halsey
1877–1956
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James Rufus Pierce
1878–1886
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Edgar Virgil Pierce
1881–1957
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Robert Gambill Pierce
1883–1939
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Walter Eugene Pierce
1885–1887
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Reg F Pierce
1888–1964
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Ettie Ann "Etta" Pierce Hash
1890–1945
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John Cleve Pierce
1894–1980
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Lucy Virginia Pierce Bell
1896–1994
