John Tappan Pierce

John Tappan Pierce was born on December 15, 1811, in Brookline, Massachusetts. His mother was a member of the Tappan family of antislavery fame, and John Pierce was a nephew of Arthur and LewisTappan. Pierce had a diverse academic career before he became a Lane rebel. He studied at Harvard and graduated in 1831. Afterwards he went to study at Princeton but decided to leave for Lane Theological Seminary eight months later. He left Lane in 1834 along with the other Lane rebels and went on to attend Oberlin, though it remains unclear whether he went to Oberlin immediately after departing Lane. In 1836, Pierce graduated from the Oberlin Theological Seminary. While studying at Oberlin, he met Martha Haskins of Middlesex, Vermont, who was also a student from 1833 to 1836. She decided to attend Oberlin so that she could prepare to missionary work. They married in in1837 and subsequently had two children: Mary E. Pierce (born June 23, 1845) and John F. Pierce (born July 30, 1849).
   
After graduating from Oberlin, John Tappan Pierce went on to preach and do missionary work. In 1837 he preached in Middlesex, Vermont, and in 1839 he taught in Jacksonville, Illinois. He later established an academy in Greggsville, Illinois. After this, he went to Missouri to teach and preach, but in 1850, he was expelled from the state because of his anti-slavery views. Eventually, John settled in Geneseo, Illinois, where he died on March 14, 1894.