Peirce Shoemaker

Quick Facts

Place of Birth:

Washington, DC

Date of Birth:

1816

Place of Death:

Washington, DC

Date of Death:

July 20, 1891

Place of Burial:

Washington, DC

Cemetery Name:

Rock Creek Cemetery

Peirce Shoemaker was the eldest son of David Shoemaker and Abigail Peirce Shoemaker. His father died when Peirce was around four years old. 

Isaac Peirce mentions Peirce Shoemaker in his will and bequeaths him $250. A decade later, Peirce is living with his uncle, Abner Peirce on the Peirce estate in the Rock Creek Valley. When Abner died in 1851, Peirce inherited the estate. 

He made improvements to the property by building a new family home and naming it Cloverdale. In 1855 he married Martha Carberry. The Carberry's were a well known and socially prominent family in Washington in the 19th century. Martha and Peirce had eight children (five boys, three girls) before she passed away in 1866.

Peirce filed for compensated emancipation in 1862. He listed the names of twenty people from four families on that document---Dover, Lyles, Simms and Foster. Of those twenty people, it's only been possible to trace George Dover and possibly Benjamin Lyles.

Peirce Shoemaker died on July 20, 1891. It is unclear if he is the Mr. Shoemaker who vehemently argued with the federal government about the prices they were willing to pay for the land they wanted to acquire to create Rock Creek Park or if it was his son, Louis P. Shoemaker.