The Pierson & Field Family: Four Generations of Somerville History
Edition #14. The Field & Pierson Homestead
Having a public structure named in your honor is a monumental accomplishment. So, give an official head-nod to Mahala Field-Atchison (1904–1985) and her nephew Bernard “Bernie” Field (1935 -1994). In 1973, The Mahala Field Atchison Middle School in Tinton Falls, NJ was dedicated. The Bernie Field Parking Deck in Somerville, NJ was dedicated in 1995. These Somerville natives hailed from a family of “just good people’’. While the Field/Pierson family homestead at 60/62 Hamilton Street no longer stands, their five-generation deep Somerville story needs to be known.
The Pearson/Pierson Family
Both the maternal and paternal families of Ms. Field-Atchison and Bernard Field were NJ natives. In 1850, Jacob and Cammar Pierson, also spelled Pearson, resided in Bedminster, NJ. Their son, John H. Pearson (1841–1910) married wife Nancy Taylor (1842–1905) in 1860. John H. served in Co. K of 22nd Reg of US Colored Troops during the Civil War. A letter written on his behalf, advocated for his service-time pay to be forwarded to Nancy. The couple’s daughter, Annie Pierson (1876–1910) was Mahala Field-Atchison’s mother.
The Field Family
In1850, Mahala Field-Atchison’s grandmother, Mahalia Ann Schenck resided with her parents and siblings in Bedminster, NJ. The Lamington Church’s 1850, 1856, and 1860 roll of contributors included both Mahalia and her parents.
After Mahalia married John E. Field, the couple remained in Bedminister and welcomed daughters, Minna and Allace, and son Amos, Sr. In 1885, the family expanded to include Robert and Ida, and were living in the 60/62 Hamilton Street duplex along wth the Pierson family.
60/62 Hamilton Street Homestead
Annie Pierson and Amos Field, Sr. married in 1898. They first resided on Davenport Street and later on Hamilton Street. Amos, Sr. and Annie welcomed Mahala (Fields-Atchison) and her siblings John A., Nancy, Amos, Jr., Norton, and Jannetta. Brother, John A. and sister-in-law Elizabeth Staats Field, their daughters Mary Kay, Elizabeth, Lenora, Barbara Jane, Beatrice and Joan, and sons John Jr, Norton R., Amos, and Bernard (Bernie) occupied an upstairs unit. By 1900, widows great-grandmother Cammar Pierson and grandmother Mahalia Schenck Field made the Hamilton Street residence a five-generation homestead.
Mahala Field (Atchison) graduated from Somerville High School in 1923, Cheyney State Normal School, PA in 1925, and began her NJ career teaching grades 1–8 in a segregated one-room school. She married Reverend Wallace William Atchison in 1950. Field-Atchison later earned degrees from NYU, Rutgers, and Trenton State College. In 1973, Mahala Field-Atchison’s dedication and activism were recognized by the Tinton Fall’s community with the naming of The Mahala Field Atchison Middle School.
The Bernie Field Parking Deck on Main and Mechanic Streets in Somerville, NJ was dedicated in 1995. The renaming honored Field’s service as a Supervisor at the Somerset County Parking Deck. Mr. Field was a talented organist for St. Paul and St. Thomas AME Churches, both in Somerville and The First Baptist Church of Bound Brook. The Field & Pierson family history is a Somerville story connecting our past to the present.
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