James Pierce was the husband of his wife Margaret and the children. His second born son, William Henry Harrison Pierce was born on March 3, 1841. James had to be part of the Republican party in Gettysburg. The nineth president of the United States was William Henry Harrison and was sworn in a day later on March 4th. A little history on the nineth president that still stands in the current year of 2026. William Henry Harrison was the first to die in office on April 4th, 1861, become and still is the shortest tenure of any American president at 31 days. He spoke in a cold rain on March 4th and shortly contracted pneumonia and died from it on April 4, 1841.
William Henry William Pierce entered Pennsylvania College (also known at Gettysburg College) in 1858 and attended for one year before leaving college in 1859. He joined the Gettysburg Blues Militia on April 22, 1861. He was part of Company E that eventually became Company K in the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division. He didn’t fight in the eastern theater, but more the western portions of the war. He was not at Gettysburg, but he did serve within the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He saw some battle action at Harper’s Ferry and Jonesboro, Georgia. He was honorably discharged in July 1865.
He moved back home to Gettysburg and became a butcher with his father. Two years later, on July 4th, 1867, he married Helen Grace Ziegler. They would have two children together, but only one lived passed childhood.
After looking more into the research for James Edward Pierce, things looked promising for descendants. Let’s look a little into his life. He married Minnie Kate Bennett (1875-1919) and they married in June 1898. They would have three children together.
Minnie would pass away in 1919 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery outside Washington, D.C. Their children Helen and Conrad would also be buried in the same family plot, but Conrad doesn’t have a monument marker. James Edward Pierce, Jr. would return to Gettysburg after the death of his wife. He would re-marry in June 1920 to Minnie Eliza Hanna. She would move to Gettysburg and live there for 14 years before she passed away due to an illness. Minnie Eliza Hanna is buried with her first husband in Glenwood Cemetery. James Edward Pierce is buried within Evergreen Cemetery.
Their son, pictured above, James Edward Pierce Jr., married in Gettysburg in 1945 to Mildred Etta Walter, who was originally from Chambersburg. They would have no children together, however, both of them are buried within Evergreen Cemetery.