Ida Adelia Pierce

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSWK-RJC : accessed 5 June 2016), Ralph B Prince in household of Charles M Pierce, Elgin Township Elgin city Ward 2, Kane, Illinois, United States; citing sheet 3A, family 45, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,311.

Birth: Apr 24 1858 - Burlington Township, Kane County, Illinois, USA Death: Apr 1 1932 - Chicago, Cook, Illinois Parents: *solomen S Wright, *caroline D Wright (born Pease) Siblings: George Solomon Wright, William D. Wright, *frank Baldwin Wright, Carrie Ella Wright Husband: Charles M Pierce Children: Roy Alvin Pierce, Charles Wesley Pierce, Fred Solomon Pierce

Member of the Ladies of the Maccabees: The Ladies of the Maccabees were the group's female auxiliary. The Ladies began as a local club, or "Hive" in Muskegon, Michigan, but made application to form a statewide auxiliary at the Great Camps 1886 convention. They were denied. They tried again at the 1887 convention and were turned down. In 1888, permission was given to create a "Great Hive" for the state. Laws were drawn up and officials elected and the Great Hive of Michigan was chartered in May 1890. Great Hives were founded in other states such as Ohio and New York, and a "Supreme Hive" was established on October 1, 1892. By December 1, 1896 there were Great Hives in half of the states in the Union as well as Canada and membership was up to 66,000, with 33,000 in Michigan alone. The Ladies of the Maccabees was the first fraternal benefit society operated exclusively by women.[16] In 1915 the Ladies had 179,719 members. The Ladies of the Maccebees merged into the Knights in 1926.[13] In 1892 there was a schism within the auxiliary and a new group was formed called the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees.[9] This group became the Women's Benefit Association in 1915 and the North American Benefit Association in 1966. On March 25, 1886, nine ladies met at the home of Adelphia Grace Ward[17] (aka Mother of the Order, Past Great Commander) to establish[18] the order of the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees[19] (L.O.T.M.M.). This was an insurance benefit society which grew to 80,000 members by 1913 and had paid out over $50 million in endowment benefits. She became known as "Mother Ward" throughout the length and breadth of Maccabeedom. The Modern Maccabees were later led by schoolteacher Bina M. West[20] who wanted to help build a fraternal insurance society for women, and she was quite successful. By the early twentieth century the group had 100,000 members and by the late 1920s over 250,000. It still had 80,000 members in 1994.[21]

Husband: CHARLES M. PIERCE, who is engaged in farming on section 27, Burlington township, was born in Sycamore township, De Kalb county, Illinois, April 30, 1861, and came with his parents in the fall of that year to the farm which he now occupies. His father, Daniel Wesley Pierce, was second in a family of six children. He was born in the village of Shavertown, Delaware county, New York, on the 20th of September, 1834, and came west by boat from Buffalo to Chicago with his parents when about the age of twelve. His father, Martin Pierce, a native of New York, settled three and a half miles north of Genoa, Illinois, dying in 1890 at the age of ninety-eight years, at the residence of his son William, near Genoa, De Kalb county, Illinois.

Daniel Pierce attended school in his native village until coming west, and for one year in Genoa township. When quite a young man he rented a farm in Sycamore township, De Kalb county, where he resided until his removal, in 1861, to Burlington township. Here he lived until 1885, when he rented his farm to our subject and moved back to the Sycamore township farm, where he lived retired until his death in 1887. He was united in marriage to Miss Delia Ann Dayton, October 8, 1857, who was born in De Kalb county, June 18, 1836, and the daughter of Alvin Dayton, a native of Vermont. Her father died on a farm three and a half miles east of Sycamore, Illinois, in August, 1887. He married Abagail Wyman, who resides on the old home place at the advanced age of eighty-five years. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, as were their parents.

Charles M. Pierce is the only son of his parents, and was only one year old when he moved with them from De Kalb county. He attended the district schools of his neighborhood until eighteen years of age. He then worked for his father until the age of twenty-one, when he rented his father's farm for one year. Mr. Pierce married the girl of his choice and removed to Elgin township, where he resided for one year. Returning, he rented his father's farm for the following five years, after which he again moved to Elgin, and for two years was engaged in the hay and grain business, and also in teaming. Having fallen heir to his father's farm in the spring of 1889, he rented it during his residence in Elgin, coming back in September, 1892, where he has since resided. The farm consists of one hundred and thirty acres of land, which is used principally as a dairy farm. Mr. Fierce keeps from fifteen to twenty-five head of cows, the product of which he sells to the creamery. He also raises stock for sale and large quantities of grain. It is a highly improved farm, most of which were made by his father in his lifetime. He has a large house and barn and good outbuildings on the place and everything is up to date, and shows the work of a practical, farmer.

'''Our subject was married to Miss Ida Wright, the eldest of four living children born to Solomon and Caroline (Pease) Wright, who are residing in Elgin. The three younger ones are George, Frank and William. They had one other child who died young. Solomon Wright was born in Putnam county, New York, March 10, 1836, and is the son of Baldwin and Elizabeth (Foster) Wright. Baldwin Wright is the son of Solomon Wright. Caroline Wright, the mother of Mrs. Pierce, was born in, the state of New York, in 1848, and is a daughter of James Pease, who married, Salome Cottrell.'''

To Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were born three children, Roy Alvin, Charles Wesley and Fred Solomon. He is a Republican in his political views, and has been a school director since 1896. Fraternally Mr. Pierce is a member of K. O. T. M., of Burlington, while his wife is an active member of the Ladies of the Maccabees of the same town.