São João Bautista was attacked by two English ships, the
Treasurer and
White Lion. They were sailing with letters of marque, which provided official sanction from foreign governments to prey on Spanish and Portuguese ships, stealing valuable cargo. When it arrived in Vera Cruz, the
São João Bautista carried only 147 slaves, having lost 203 along the way. Many of these people likely died from disease; others may have taken their own lives or been killed in the English ships’ attack. The remainder between forty-five and fifty enslaved Africans had been stolen by the
Treasurer and
White Lion. The two ships promptly sailed for Virginia, with the
Peirce was born in England, perhaps about 1580, but little else is known of his early years. He is often confused with a William Pierce, also from England, who settled with the Pilgrims at Plymouth in what later became Massachusetts. Both had wives named Joane. The surname Peirce was spelled with dozens of variations, including Pierce, Pearse, Perse, Perce, and Peerce.
On June 2, 1609, Peirce, his wife, Joane, and their young daughter, also Joane, left England for the struggling colony in Virginia, part of a fleet that included nine ships and 600 passengers. Aboard the Blessing, Joane Peirce and her daughter arrived safely in Virginia sometime late in August. William Peirce, however, traveled on the flagship Sea Venture, which encountered a hurricane at sea and washed ashore in Bermuda. After spending the winter on the islands building two new ships, Peirce and the others sailed to Jamestown the next spring. There, they found only about sixty survivors of the Starving Time, includin