Suggested edit: PIERCE, JONATHAN EDWARDS
Jonathan Edwards Pierce was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, December 6th, 1839. He was named by his admiring parents in honor of the great New Englander, Jonathan Edwards. He was educated in the schools of his native town and came to Texas in 1860 and first obtained employment as a farm hand in Matagorda County at the magnificent sum of $240 a year. Reared by careful parents, he had early acquired frugal habits and saved money, even from his small wages. He invested his earnings in Texas lad and held it when men were trading vast acres of it for cats and dogs. As land is really the foundation of all substantial wealth, he early realized this important fact and accumulated broad acres as rapidly as his finances would allow him to do so.
With his brother, A. H. Pierce, known among old-time Texans as "Shanghai" Pierce. Mr. Pierce went into the cattle business on an extensive scale. For a long time the Pierce brothers were known as among the greatest cattle men of their day, and continued to be so until the death of A. H. Peirce some years ago. When the Brownsville Railroad was built it passed through Colonel Pierce's land for a long distance and the town of Blessing was built on a selected part of it. This place was founded and built through the advice and efforts of Mr. Pierce himself, and it has grown into a considerable town. All of the land in and adjacent to Blessing formerly belonged to the Colonel, who takes pardonable pride in his connection with it.
Mr. Pierce is in robust health and enjoys life in dignified and seemly manner. He still has extensive land and other interests at Blessing and in other Texas counties, and is a man of extensive and diversified interests. He is highly regarded by friends and acquaintances generally, not only in Houston but in many other communities in the United States.
Although importuned many times by friends to allow his name to be brought forward for some important political office, the Colonel has invariably turned a deaf ear to them. He is satisfied to keep out in the even tenor of his way, doing good when the occasion arises, but always doing it in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Of such men as Colonel Pierce is composed the bulwark of Texas' strength. (Source: The Book of Texas, A Newspaper Reference Work, published by the Austin Statesman (1914)
Brother of Abel Head "Shanghai" and a cattleman in his own right. After seeing what happened to his brother and the town of Pierce, he was so glad to see the railroad come that he wanted to name the town "Thank God" but the name was rejected by the Post Office and they settled on Blessing (Matagorda County), Texas. There is an old hotel there that he built when he began to sell off the land/ranch. It was built in 1908 and is much the way it was when built and ran then.
Jonathan Edwards Pierce was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, December 6th, 1839. He was named by his admiring parents in honor of the great New Englander, Jonathan Edwards. He was educated in the schools of his native town and came to Texas in 1860 and first obtained employment as a farm hand in Matagorda County at the magnificent sum of $240 a year. Reared by careful parents, he had early acquired frugal habits and saved money, even from his small wages. He invested his earnings in Texas lad and held it when men were trading vast acres of it for cats and dogs. As land is really the foundation of all substantial wealth, he early realized this important fact and accumulated broad acres as rapidly as his finances would allow him to do so.
With his brother, A. H. Pierce, known among old-time Texans as "Shanghai" Pierce. Mr. Pierce went into the cattle business on an extensive scale. For a long time the Pierce brothers were known as among the greatest cattle men of their day, and continued to be so until the death of A. H. Peirce some years ago. When the Brownsville Railroad was built it passed through Colonel Pierce's land for a long distance and the town of Blessing was built on a selected part of it. This place was founded and built through the advice and efforts of Mr. Pierce himself, and it has grown into a considerable town. All of the land in and adjacent to Blessing formerly belonged to the Colonel, who takes pardonable pride in his connection with it.
Mr. Pierce is in robust health and enjoys life in dignified and seemly manner. He still has extensive land and other interests at Blessing and in other Texas counties, and is a man of extensive and diversified interests. He is highly regarded by friends and acquaintances generally, not only in Houston but in many other communities in the United States.
Although importuned many times by friends to allow his name to be brought forward for some important political office, the Colonel has invariably turned a deaf ear to them. He is satisfied to keep out in the even tenor of his way, doing good when the occasion arises, but always doing it in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Of such men as Colonel Pierce is composed the bulwark of Texas' strength. (Source: The Book of Texas, A Newspaper Reference Work, published by the Austin Statesman (1914)
Brother of Abel Head "Shanghai" and a cattleman in his own right. After seeing what happened to his brother and the town of Pierce, he was so glad to see the railroad come that he wanted to name the town "Thank God" but the name was rejected by the Post Office and they settled on Blessing (Matagorda County), Texas. There is an old hotel there that he built when he began to sell off the land/ranch. It was built in 1908 and is much the way it was when built and ran then.
Suggested edit: PIERCE, JONATHAN EDWARDS
Jonathan Edwards Pierce was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, December 6th, 1839. He was named by his admiring parents in honor of the great New Englander, Jonathan Edwards. He was educated in the schools of his native town and came to Texas in 1860 and first obtained employment as a farm hand in Matagorda County at the magnificent sum of $240 a year. Reared by careful parents, he had early acquired frugal habits and saved money, even from his small wages. He invested his earnings in Texas lad and held it when men were trading vast acres of it for cats and dogs. As land is really the foundation of all substantial wealth, he early realized this important fact and accumulated broad acres as rapidly as his finances would allow him to do so.
With his brother, A. H. Pierce, known among old-time Texans as "Shanghai" Pierce. Mr. Pierce went into the cattle business on an extensive scale. For a long time the Pierce brothers were known as among the greatest cattle men of their day, and continued to be so until the death of A. H. Peirce some years ago. When the Brownsville Railroad was built it passed through Colonel Pierce's land for a long distance and the town of Blessing was built on a selected part of it. This place was founded and built through the advice and efforts of Mr. Pierce himself, and it has grown into a considerable town. All of the land in and adjacent to Blessing formerly belonged to the Colonel, who takes pardonable pride in his connection with it.
Mr. Pierce is in robust health and enjoys life in dignified and seemly manner. He still has extensive land and other interests at Blessing and in other Texas counties, and is a man of extensive and diversified interests. He is highly regarded by friends and acquaintances generally, not only in Houston but in many other communities in the United States.
Although importuned many times by friends to allow his name to be brought forward for some important political office, the Colonel has invariably turned a deaf ear to them. He is satisfied to keep out in the even tenor of his way, doing good when the occasion arises, but always doing it in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Of such men as Colonel Pierce is composed the bulwark of Texas' strength. (Source: The Book of Texas, A Newspaper Reference Work, published by the Austin Statesman (1914)
Brother of Abel Head "Shanghai" and a cattleman in his own right. After seeing what happened to his brother and the town of Pierce, he was so glad to see the railroad come that he wanted to name the town "Thank God" but the name was rejected by the Post Office and they settled on Blessing (Matagorda County), Texas. There is an old hotel there that he built when he began to sell off the land/ranch. It was built in 1908 and is much the way it was when built and ran then.
Jonathan Edwards Pierce was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, December 6th, 1839. He was named by his admiring parents in honor of the great New Englander, Jonathan Edwards. He was educated in the schools of his native town and came to Texas in 1860 and first obtained employment as a farm hand in Matagorda County at the magnificent sum of $240 a year. Reared by careful parents, he had early acquired frugal habits and saved money, even from his small wages. He invested his earnings in Texas lad and held it when men were trading vast acres of it for cats and dogs. As land is really the foundation of all substantial wealth, he early realized this important fact and accumulated broad acres as rapidly as his finances would allow him to do so.
With his brother, A. H. Pierce, known among old-time Texans as "Shanghai" Pierce. Mr. Pierce went into the cattle business on an extensive scale. For a long time the Pierce brothers were known as among the greatest cattle men of their day, and continued to be so until the death of A. H. Peirce some years ago. When the Brownsville Railroad was built it passed through Colonel Pierce's land for a long distance and the town of Blessing was built on a selected part of it. This place was founded and built through the advice and efforts of Mr. Pierce himself, and it has grown into a considerable town. All of the land in and adjacent to Blessing formerly belonged to the Colonel, who takes pardonable pride in his connection with it.
Mr. Pierce is in robust health and enjoys life in dignified and seemly manner. He still has extensive land and other interests at Blessing and in other Texas counties, and is a man of extensive and diversified interests. He is highly regarded by friends and acquaintances generally, not only in Houston but in many other communities in the United States.
Although importuned many times by friends to allow his name to be brought forward for some important political office, the Colonel has invariably turned a deaf ear to them. He is satisfied to keep out in the even tenor of his way, doing good when the occasion arises, but always doing it in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Of such men as Colonel Pierce is composed the bulwark of Texas' strength. (Source: The Book of Texas, A Newspaper Reference Work, published by the Austin Statesman (1914)
Brother of Abel Head "Shanghai" and a cattleman in his own right. After seeing what happened to his brother and the town of Pierce, he was so glad to see the railroad come that he wanted to name the town "Thank God" but the name was rejected by the Post Office and they settled on Blessing (Matagorda County), Texas. There is an old hotel there that he built when he began to sell off the land/ranch. It was built in 1908 and is much the way it was when built and ran then.
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