PHOTO: John James Pearl and his children, William Andrew Pearl, Charles Austin Pearl & Edmund Benedict Pearl. Daughter, Dora, is standing. Framed photo is Sarah Elizabeth (Maris), John's deceased wife. John, born in 1836, was the son of Lawrence Pearl, born in 1792, believed to be the grandson of Robert Pearle.

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Robert Pearle, born in Calvert County, Maryland c 1685, was the "son of a negroe slave" and probably her white master. In the Eighteenth Century, Robert, formerly known as "Mulatto Robin," became one of the wealthiest planters in Maryland during the colonial era.

Researchers of the family of Robert Pearle are indebted to Dr. Mary Clement Jeske, who became interested in Robert Pearle's life. She wrote an article, "From Slave to Slave Owner: The Life of Robert Pearle of Maryland," published by the Maryland Historical Society in Maryland Historical Magazine, Spring 2008. Her meticulous research and excellent writing tell the story of his family, but she also provides the invaluable historical context, including the important issue of the evolution of slavery.

Dr. Jeske, as well as descendants of Lawrence Pearl, believes that Lawrence was a grandson of Robert Pearle. We are hoping to find out which of Robert's sons Lawrence descended from.

We descendants of Lawrence are indebted to Marlene Bransom of Pittsburgh for her extensive research of the African-Americans in Western Pennsylvania. Her work, which includes Greene County, revealed that Lawrence Pearl is listed as "Free-Colored" in the 1820 & 1830 Greene County, Pennsylvania census records. Marlene's research was the impetus for our search for his roots and led us to Robert Pearle. Like Dr. Jeske, Marlene presents the records in an historical context that sheds light on race and the intermingling of the white and black families in Western Pennsylvania.