In 1754 three sons were born to Charles and Sally (Weathers) Pierson in Culpeper County, Virginia. The boys were named, perhaps in order of birth, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego. Charles and Sally were the parents of at least one other child, Charles. My internet research indicates that Charles was a wealthy man at one point, but when his warehouses were raided by Revolutionary soldiers he was left penniless. You see, it is reported that Charles was a Loyalist, and while not finding anything but unsourced anecdotal information, it is clear that he left (probably fled) Virginia at some point, first to South Carolina and then to Wilkes County, Georgia where he lived until his death in 1799.
Three of his children, sons Shadrack, Meshack and Charles, apparently had a different viewpoint than their father’s – they joined the Revolutionaries (more about Abednego later).
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Love this one. Your 2nd Shadrach in less than a month! The Shadrach of December was the brother of my ggg grandmother Sallie David Boaz Williams . Sallie and brother Shadrach’s grandfather was Shadrach as well, and among his brothers were Meshach, Abednego and Daniel..family story is that all boys fought in the Revolution, but no papers have been found on Shadrach. They also settled in Ky (Western).
I love your posts, so full of history and genealogy tips…like the great reminder that some of the veterans are listed in the 1840 census!
Yes, I REALLY enjoyed writing this one (and the surname article on Pierson) — so much history for us all to be proud of! That’s fascinating that your family had so many biblical names. I’ve run across the names Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego more than once in my research, plus some other unusual names — last night on the bounty land grant rolls I found a “Paul Pimple” — what a name!
Thanks so much for reading the articles and so glad that they are informative and interesting. If you know anyone who wants to know their history but doesn’t have the time or is timid about the internet (or just needs some help searching), please pass along my web site and services to them http://www.historydepot.net.
These are my relatives.
Thanks for stopping by Gayle. I invite you to pick up a copy of the July 2018 issue of Digging History Magazine for an extended version of this article. You may purchase it at: https://digging-history.com/store/?model_number=july-2018.
This is my family lShadrach, Charles,Abindgo, Meshach my great grandfather was William Marcus Pierson in Sudan Kansas.
Greetings, Corrie. Thanks for your note just seen. I am descended from Shadrach Pierson, and saw this summer the church cemetery where Meshach is buried – no marker for him there. alan demos
Thank you for the wonderful insight into my past. Meshach is my 5th Great Grandfather (on my paternal Grandmother’s line). It’s very interesting to find little tidbits of information, as well as gratifying to learn of our forebears’ contributions to the founding of this great nation!
Shardrach was my husband’s great ×5 grandfather. His parents have passed away andwe have been trying to research the history.. If anyone who reads this is interested in exchanging notes and anything please email me at [email protected]. thank you so much for this article I wish i could see the rest of it!
Hi i am Josh Gilmore my mom maiden name was Nancy Pearson i am a living family member of Shadrack .. i grew up hearing this store told to me
Awesome! This was one of my very favorite articles and it’s been very popular since it was published. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing.
Hello! Thank you for writing this up. My 6th great grandfather was Meshack Pierson. His Daughter Elizabeth Pierson Rodgers is my 5th great grandmother. I found a photo of her and my mother resembles her greatly. I found it absolutely fascinating the story of these three brothers. I also cannot imagine having triplets back in those days!! My family went on to stay in Shelby, Kentucky till my mother was born in 1966. Its always nice finding out more about ones family history. Thank you again for posting!
Thank you for stopping by! This was one of my favorite stories to write and it has had many views since posting it. The article will probably be pulled, however, as I am converting Digging History to a monthly digital history magazine. Now that I think of it this might make a good “Epitaph” column (one of the magazine’s regular columns) for July when I will highlight the Revolutionary War and finding family heroes. Stop by the new site (www.digginghistorymag.com) — hopefully up and running by January 15.
Sharon – Fascinating article! Thanks so much for posting! Do you know if Shadrack, Meshah and Abednego Pierson had any familial connection to the Roszells of Orange Co., VA, then Bourbon Co., KY and later Decatur Co., IN? Or possibly the Holding or Wherrett families? A family story has come down from my great-grandmother Amanda Roszell McLain Bennett of Shelbyville, IN, that she or her father Nehemiah Stivers Roszell had three great-uncles who were triplets named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, last name unknown to me. I have tried for years to determine if it was the Pierson triplets, since geographically and on a time line it could work. Also, what are the odds there was another set of triplets so named in that area and time? Any information you or anyone else reading this has would be greatly appreciated!
Now that would be interesting to research! Bible names were very common in that day and I’ve seen several men named “Shadrach”
I would say it’s a real possibility for the family in Orange County to be connected since Culpeper County was formed out of Orange County. I suppose there could have been another set of triplets named that given the penchant for using Bible names — I mean what would be more convenient to pick a set of three names from the Bible!?!
Thanks so much for stopping by. If you enjoy stories like this you might want to give Digging History Magazine a try. Digging History is going digital soon and many of the articles will be taken down and later used in various issues of the magazine (plus lots of new stories!). I’m hoping for a January 15 launch. The new site (www.digginghistorymag.com) is still under construction. Sign up a follower and I’ll let you know when it’s ready.
I am a great great great great Granddaughter of Shadrach Pierson I just found all this out Amazing What DNA test can connect you to. My grandmother was Violet Pierson born August 17,1910 to William Marcus Pierson and Lerna Mae Harrison in Sudan Kansas area and Commerce city Oklahoma
That article was snipped from this site and was featured in the July 2018 issue of Digging History Magazine, if you’d care to purchase a copy here:
https://www.digginghistorymag.com/2018/07/01/july-2018/
Before taking the article off this site, it was among the most popular and the magazine article has been enhanced somewhat from the original article. Thanks for stopping by — hope you’ll give the magazine a try. We also offer subscriptions at varying rates to fit any budget: https://www.digginghistorymag.com/buy-a-subscription/
Amazing find thanks to Google! Shadrack Pierson is my 4th Grt. Grandather! I knew about Meshack, but only recently learned of the triplets, and Abednego, and only recent found the tombstone memorial information for the two brothers. This is a real find while I’m working on genealogy during the quarantine quietness !
Alan, glad you enjoyed the article, and thanks for stopping by! I don’t write these types of articles for the blog any longer. Rather, I publish a bi-monthly digital magazine. It’s available by individual issue or subscription (the best option). Each issue features unique pieces of history and seeks to link history and genealogy — know history, know (more about) your ancestors. Check out the magazine store (plus free samples): https://digging-history.com/digging-history-magazine/.
Sharon Hall, Publisher & Editor, Digging History Magazine