Pierce, John, Dd

Pierce, John, D.D.

a noted American Congregational minister, was born at Dorchester, Mass., July 14, 1773. He was educated at Harvard University, class of 1793, and then became a tutor, in his alma mater. Descended of very humble parentage, he had made his way to college by his own exertions, and maintained his position by the force of his own industry feeling persuaded that his work was that of the Christian ministry, he took up the study of tleology, and March 15, 1797, was ordained over the First Congregational Church, Brookline, Massachusetts, of which he was sole pastor for half a century. He died in this place August 24, 1849, respected by all who knew him, and greatly mourned by the ecclesiastic body to which he belonged. Dr. Pierce was member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the Massachusetts Historical Society. For several years he was president of the Massachusetts Bible Society. In all matters appertaining to family and literary statistics he was a prodigy. He had 18 quarto volumes of 600 pages each, of his own MS., containing memoirs and memorabilia. He published Half-century Discourse at Brookline (March 1847): — Sketch of Brookline, in "Mass. Hist. Collections," 2d sermon volume 2: — Sernmon at Ordination of S. Clark (1817): — Dudleian Leet. (1821); also occasional Sermons, etc. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, 8:331; Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v. (J.H.W.)