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Hello John,
I discovered your name and position as Correspondent for Bridge on the Kent-On-Line website.
My name is Alec Peirce (Alexander Charles Peirce).
l will be visiting your village for 2 days between April 13 and April 16 - about a month from now. l am very interested
in seeing Bridge because of my family history which l will relate below. l am writing in the hopes that someone will be
able to assist me in finding some of that history during my visit. lf you have a village historian or even someone who
has lived there for a very long time, l would appreciate it if you would contact them in advance of my visit.
My grandfather was Charles Henry Peirce. He was married to Rose Hannah Gosling. There is some confusion about
her maiden name. lt may have also been Pierce (note the spelling).
They lived at 10 Union Lane in Bridge, Kent. England.
Charles was a soldier and Hannah was a domestic servant. Charles was killed while serving in lndia.
My father was Henry Vifilliam Peirce. He was bom on May 16, 1908. His brother was John Albert Peirce who was
about 2 years younger.
My father's birth certificate shows the birthplace as 10 Union Lane, Bridge R.D..
The birth registrar was William H. Wass. The registration District was Bridge. The sub-district was Barham in the
counties of Canterbury & Kent.
The birth certificate shows the surname of the mother to be Rose Hannah Pierce (note the spelling).
My parents marriage certificate dated June 29, 1940 shows my grandfather's name as Charles Peirce and my
grandmothers name as Rose Hannah Gosling. My fathers birthplace is shown as Kent, England.
According to my own mother, when Charles Peirce my grandfather was killed, the boys were taken by the state and
placed in an institution to be trained in a skill and then sent to Canada. He was about 8 to 10 years old at the time so
it would be about 1918. My father never returned to England. He died in 1975.
My grandmother (Rose Hannah) remarried as Mrs. Goodfellow. She was last visited by a family member in London
in about 1962.
l have searched the War Deaths and find a Charles Peirce who died in 1915 and a Charles H. Peirce who died in
1916. There is no specific personal information that links these men directly to Bridge.
Whether or not I can find any evidence of my grandparents will not spoil my visit to Bridge. l intend to find 10 Union
Lane if it still exists. The map shows a Union Road. l'm hopeful that there are some church records or a library or
even the name Peirce in a cemetery. l may be so lucky as to find my grandfathers parents there.
Regardless l will enjoy my visit. The pictures of Bridge look lovely. We will stay ovemight if possible to enjoy the
area.
l hope to hear from you soon. We leave on Friday next (March 23) and will be rather incommunicado for about two
weeks.
Thanks for your time and consideration.
Alec Peirce
Please reply to BOTH alec@suba200.§om and _seahunte_r@,rrlyfastmail.com . I can access my fastmail account while
traveling.
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