Pierce, Kate, 1846-1897.

Catherine (Kate) Pierce was born on August 8, 1846, in North Bloomfield, New York, the daughter of Reuben Pierce and Florilla Swetland. She had three siblings: Franklin (b. November 11, 1841); Flora (b. April 27, 1844); and Charles (b. May 17, 1849). Reuben Pierce died in 1857, after which point, Florilla supported the family as a tailor. Kate followed in her mother's footsteps and became a dressmaker; she never married, and died in 1923.

Franklin served with the 15th New York Engineers during the Civil War and spent a significant amount of time in the Union Hospital at City Point. His regiment was present at the battles of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. He married Sarah Peck in 1871, and worked as a carpenter and later as a miller, before his death in 1897.

From the guide to the Kate Pierce papers, Pierce, Kate papers, 1859-1873, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)