Rachel Pierce, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Pierce of Greenville, New Castle, Delaware, was born on Thursday, February 17, 1752 and christened on Thursday, March 30, 1752 at Old Swedes (later Holy Trinity) Church in Wilmington. Rachel was one of four children; she had a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Ann and Sarah. The Pierces were ardent patriots of the Revolutionary War. It is said that her father was a soldier in the Continental Army much sought after by the British. While on furlough at his home, he managed to escape a British contingent of soldiers by leaping out of a window, running into a nearby cornfield, and hiding himself until the contingent passed out of town. On Tuesday, December 14, 1773, Rachel, described by Broom's biographer as "an estimable woman", married Jacob Broom at the same church in which she was christened. The Reverend Lawrence Gerelius, a friend of the groom, performed the ceremony. Broom was the son of a blacksmith, who later became a prosperous farmer. Broom himself became in turn a farmer, surveyor, and businessman. It was his prominence in the thriving Wilmington business community that thrust him into politics. He was a strong patriot, but the influence of his Quaker friends and relatives kept him from fighting in the Revolutionary War. Broom provided his family with a wealthy home, the Nicholas Way mansion at Third and Shipley Streets in Wilmington. Rachel bore eleven children, eight of whom survived childhood, all christened in the Old Swedes Church. The Broom's oldest son, James Madison, graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) in 1794 and was a member of the Delaware congress for one term (1805-1807); his son, Jacob Pierce Broom (1808-1864), was the candidate of the National American Party for the presidency of the United States in 1852. The Brooms' younger son Jacob Pierce established himself in Philadelphia. Their six surviving daughters, Ann, Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah, Lavinia, and Esther Willis, all married and left descendants. After serving at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Jacob Broom returned to Delaware and local politics, becoming Wilmington's first postmaster in 1790. He also built a substantial house in 1795 near his cotton mill where he lived with his family until 1802 when his mill burned down. He then sold the property to E. I. DuPont, founder of a gunpowder factory, in whose family it still remains. After Jacob Broom's death in 1810, it took six years to settle his estate. His wife received their home in Wilmington, stables, gardens, and furniture, including many sterling silver pieces. Broom left an extensive estate, including money, bonds, shipping interests, stocks, animals, and conveyances, all of which was divided among his children and grandchildren. Rachel died on Monday, June 16, 1823 in Philadelphia and was buried in Christ Church Cemetery.