Sunday, September 22, 2024

Land Patents, Family, Friends and Neighbors Prove Relationships, Part III

Life in Surry County Among Family

    In 1706, Richard Pace, Jr., was granted 640 acres in Chowan Co., NC, on the north side of Moratoke river, now Roanoke river, upon which he and his family never lived.(114) At that time, Richard and his family were living in the newly formed Prince George Co. on the south side of James river.(115) Not until 1718 in Surry Co. was there a record of Richard being granted any land other than the land in Chowan Co. His brother, John, was living in Surry Co. by 1703(116) and was granted two tracts of land, one of 640 acres along the Roanoke river below Occaneechee Neck and 300 acres above Occaneechee Neck in 1713 in North Carolina.(117) A 1775 map showed “Pace’s Mill" where John’s land was located.

    In August of 1711, Richard appeared in court in Surry Co. to prosecute a case against John   Edmunds,(118) one month before Rebecca Bartholomew gave her gift to her daughters.

    On July 18, 1716, at Southwark court in Surry Co., Richard Pace brought suit against Charles Kimball, an Indian trader, for 502 pounds of tobacco.(119) Kimball denied owing the debt and court was continued until the next court date for trial. On August 15, Kimball requested a further continuance at his own cost.(120) On September 19, neither party appeared indicating that a settlement had been reached.(121) On November 21, Richard received 300 pounds of tobacco for killing three wolves.(122) On June 18, 1718, a case between Richard Pace and John Scott was dismissed as neither party appeared.(123) John Scott was married to Bethia Boyce the daughter of Thomas Boyce and Emelia Craven. Bethia was first cousin of Rebecca Poythress. On January 18, 1718, Robert Rainwater was to be awarded 300 pounds of tobacco plus court costs against Richard unless he appeared to answer the charges.(124) In the springtime after a postponement, the judgement was set aside. On February 18, 1718, in a suit between Hugh Golitely against the estate of Thomas Watson, Richard, Thomas Avent, Richard Moore, and James Odyam were assigned to value the estate.(125) These cases show that Richard had established himself in Surry Co.

    George Pasmore (1651-1751) sold William Rainey 150 acres of land on September 15, 1717, on the south side of Blackwater swamp that was bounded by Indian traders, William Jones and Henry      Jones.(126) Henry Jones and wife, Katherine, of Surry Co., sold Peter Poythress, of Prince George Co., 250 acres(127) on the south side of Nottaway river bounded by Flatt swamp on February 15, 1725/6. The witnesses included Peter’s brother, William Poythress,(128) and neighbor William Freeman. Peter Poythress’ kin, Robert, John and Sloman Wynne, held land near Freeman’s road. Henry and William Jones, Sr. and Jr., held land immediately north of Peter Poythress’ land. The land that Pasmore sold Rainey was in the same area as the Jones’ families. Henry and Katherine Jones were probably relatives of Peter Poythress’ wife.

    The witnesses to George Pasmore’s deed to Rainey were Robert Wynne, first cousin of Rebecca Poythress; Burrell Green, husband of Rebecca Poythress’ half-sister, Anne; and, William Green, who appears to have been Burrell Green’s brother who lived near Robert Wynne and a tract of land belonging to his father, Lewis Green. Frances Pace, Richard and Rebecca Pace’s daughter, married a William Green,(129) about 1722. William Green’s brother, John, married, before 1725, Amy Pace, the sister of Frances Pace.

    George Pasmore is recorded as having lived to be 100 years old. By 1717, he was “of Surry Co.”(130) and held a tract of land adjacent to George Hamilton’s land and by June 18, 1718, adjacent to Richard Pace’s newly acquired 285 acre tract. Richard Pace’s land was on the north side of Three Creek and was adjacent to not only the land of George Pasmore but also George Hamilton and Captain John Gaddes. Pasmore held tracts adjacent to Richard Pace and John Roberts, and along Courthouse road among Robert Wynne and William Green.

    William Rainey, of Surry Co., lived on the south side of Three Creek bounded by land sold by James Washington to Nathaniel Harrison on June 14, 1725. John Roberts’ land separated William Rainey’s land from Richard Pace’s 1,220 acres. William Rainey also owned land near the present Greensville Co. area where John Duke, Henry Duke and John Taylor Duke settled for several decades. John Duke, son of Henry Duke and Elizabeth Taylor, married Lucy House, daughter of Thomas and Katherine House. Thomas House(131) was the father-in-law of Richard Pace’s daughter, Sarah.

    On July 12, 1718, Richard Pace, “of Surry Co.,” was granted 285 acres on the north side of Three Creek in Surry Co. on the creek side of Captain John Gaddes’ land, then along Gaddes’ line to George Hamilton’s line, along Hamilton’s line to George Pasmore’s lines and along Pasmore’s line to Three Creek.(132) On January 18, 1718, at Southwark court in Surry Co., Richard Pace petitioned the court to register his livestock mark, “a half moon, over and under in the right ear & a crop & a hole & an underheel in the left.”(133) He had moved his livestock to Surry Co. from Prince George Co. By 1718, three years after the peace treaty with the Tuscarora Indians, Richard and Rebecca were living in Surry Co. as were Burrell and Anne Green. Burrell appears to have been a younger, if not the youngest son of Lewis Green. As there is no record where he acquired land, he evidently lived on one of his father’s properties possibly near Robert Wynne, William Green, his brother, and land belonging to George Pasmore.

    On June 16, 1719, Chichester Sturdivant and Elizabeth, his wife, of Prince George Co., sold John Denton, of Surry Co., 230 acres on Three Creek. The witnesses were Edward Goodrich and Peter Simmons.(134) John Denton was one of the witnesses to Rebecca Bartholomew’s gifts to her daughters. Margaret Wynne Goodrich, wife of Edward, was Rebecca Poythress’ first cousin.

     In September of 1719, nephew Richard Pace, Thomas Kirkland and William Reese made an appraisement of the Estate of Phillip Jane, deceased. This was sworn before John Poythress. Elizabeth Jane was administratrix of her husband’s estate.(135)

    On February 25, 1719/20, after a year and a half of ownership, Richard Pace sold his 285 acres on Three Creek to John Bradford, the husband of Rebecca Pace, the daughter of Richard and Rebecca Pace. On February 19, 1722/3, after three years, John and Rebecca sold the 285 acre tract to Nicholas Hatch, of Prince George Co.(136)

    Thomas House was granted 120 acres on February 20, 1719/20, on the north side of Three Creek that adjoined George Hamilton on the south side of the creek.(137) The House family lived close to the Pace family in Surry Co. and later in NC. Richard Hay was granted 200 acres on May 25, 1734, on the north side of Three Creek on the west side of Odium’s branch in Surry Co. adjacent to a line tree of George Hamilton, of Prince George Co., and a line tree of Peter Poythress’ land.(138) Abraham Odium was a witness to Anne and Burrell Green’s sale of 200 acres on Easterly Run in 1721. Peter Poythress was an Indian trader and first cousin of Rebecca Poythress. Richard Pace’s brother, John Pace, was also an Indian trader. Peter Poythress, of Prince George Co., bought 92 acres on the north side of Three Creek in Surry Co. in February of 1720/1 from William Moore.

    On August 22, 1720, Richard Pace sold his 640 acres that he bought in 1706 in Chowan pct., in Albemarle Co. On March 1, 1720/1, Richard Pace and his son, Richard, received patents for land in Albemarle Co., near the Roanoke river and Yourah swamp. Richard and Rebecca Pace lived in Surry Co. at the time but Richard was buying land over the boundary line in North Carolina for his use and eventually for his sons’ use.(139) It was not unusual for landowners with several tracts to have a manor house built on separate properties and Richard appears to have done this.

    On October 11, 1721, James Vaughan sold Robert Wynne 50 acres on the south side of Three Creek being part of a patent for 250 acres granted James Vaughan in 1719. The witnesses were John Scott, Jr., and William Short, Jr.(140) This land was close to the Kimballs, Charles and William, and not far from the 285 acres Richard Pace sold John Bradford. This Robert Wynne (-1727) may have been Margaret’s brother, both being children of Joshua Wynne.(141) John Scott, Jr.,(142) was a cousin of Rebecca Poythress. William Short’s daughter, Mary, married Joshua Poythress.

    On January 15, 1723/4, in Surry Co., Thomas House, Sr., sold Isaac House 60 acres on the south side of the Nottaway river. The witnesses were James Washington, Lawrence House and John Bartholomew. John Bartholomew(143) was the son of Charles Bartholomew and half-brother of Anne Green and step-brother to Rebecca Poythress. Lawrence House was married, by 1732, to Sarah Pace. Charles Bartholomew, son of John and Elizabeth Bartholomew, married Tabitha House.(144) Isaac House was Thomas’ brother.

    On September 5, 1723, John Poythress, of Prince George Co., was granted 200 acres of new land in Isle of Wight Co., now Greensville Co., on the south side of the Meherrin river on the east side of the Cane branch. This was the same property repatented by his son, John Poythress, in 1737 and sold by his nephew, Thomas Poythress, to John Dawson in 1773.(145) John Poythress was Rebecca Poythress’ brother. This land was located south of Richard and Rebecca Pace’s 1,220 acres.

    John Poythress’ will was proved in Court on May 20, 1724,(146) in Prince George Co. He mentioned his neighbors, John Young, Dorrell Young and Thomas Lovesay. His neighbor, John Woodlief, “of the pasture,” and first cousin, Robert Poythress, were the executors of his will. Thomas Lovesay was the son of John Lovesay and the brother of William Lovesay who married Mary Woodlief, the sister of Sarah Woodlief Pace. John Poythress’ daughters, Rebecca and Anne, were named after his sisters. In 1718, John Roberts, “of Surry Co.” and Edward Winningham, of Prince George Co., sold John Woodlief “of the pasture,” land in Prince George Co. adjacent to Dorrell Young, John Young and John    Poythress.(147) The witnesses were Gilbert Hay and Henry Batte. Henry Batte was the brother-in-law of John Poythress, Sr., a first cousin of John and sister, Rebecca Poythress.(148)

    On November 5, 1724, Richard Pace, “of Surry Co.” was granted 1,220 acres in Surry Co.(148) between Three Creek and Otterdam swamp in the parish of Lawne’s creek, on the west side of Otterdam swamp, by the side of Ryar’s branch,(151) a corner of John Roberts’ land then by Roberts’ line, a corner of John Barlow’s land then by Barlow’s line. On the same day, Charles Stewart bought 530 acres on the east side of Otterdam swamp in Surry Co. Charles Stewart was married, by 1724, to Richard and Rebecca Pace’s daughter, Ann Pace, who was the first daughter named in Richard’s will. The area where Richard Pace’s 1,220 acres was located became Brunswick Co. in 1732 and is today in two counties, Greensville and Sussex counties. Richard sold this land in 1733 to two of his sons-in-law, John Bradford and William Johnson, and Hubert Farrell. William Johnson was married, by 1732, to Richard and Rebecca Pace’s daughter, Mary.

    On February 22, 1724/5, John Davis was granted 270 acres(151) on the east side of Three Creek that adjoined “a corner of his other land,” and “a lightwood post in a line of Thomas House’s land then by House’s line.” John Davis, the son of Christopher Davis, was the nephew of Elizabeth Davis and Philip Jane. John Davis, Jr.’s children, Lucy, Mathew, James and Johanna, were listed in the Albemarle Parish register in Surry Co., later Sussex Co., from 1730 to 1740.(152)

    Thomas House, Jr., sold 175 acres on the north side of Three Creek to William House in 1726.(153)  This land was part of a tract of 350 acres that was granted Thomas House on February 22, 1724, bounded by George Pasmore whose land adjoined Richard Pace’s land. The witnesses to this deed were the same witnesses to George Pasmore’s deed to William Rainey in 1717, nine years earlier. Robert Wynne and Burrell Green were family members of Rebecca Poythress and William Green appears to have been Burrell Green’s brother. On February 16, 1729, Lawrence House sold 70 acres to Charles Dickings(154) on the north side of Otterdam swamp adjoining William Melton(155) and the main swamp. Thomas House, Jr., William House and brother, Lawrence House (1686-1751), of Lawne’s creek parish, were sons of Thomas House, Sr. Lawrence was married to Sarah Pace.

    On October 16, 1728, the will of John Barlow was proved in Surry Co. Richard Pace, Richard Moore and Thomas Avent were the witnesses to Barlow’s will dated July 7, 1727.(156) John Barlow bequeathed to his son, William, the “plantation where I live including Land between the Otterdam Swamp and a small branch that runs into Ryar’s Branch, then down the branch to Richard Pace’s corner, to the Three Creek.” Richard Moore was a brother-in-law of Tabitha Pace, the daughter of Richard and Rebecca Pace.

    Records show that Richard and Rebecca Pace were residents in Surry Co. before January 18, 1718, and lived in the county until after November 5, 1724, the date when Richard was granted 1,220 acres in Surry Co.

    George Pasmore, who held land in the area of David Poythress, Lewis Green, John Roberts, William Jones, Sr., and Robert Wynne, also owned land around Three Creek adjacent to George Hamilton, Thomas House, John Davis and Richard Pace and in close proximity of Captain John Gaddes, These men owned several properties in different locations and were neighbors of one another.

Richard and Rebecca Pace Moved to North Carolina(157)

    Richard Pace appeared on a jury list in 1723 in Bertie Pct. He was still recorded as “of Surry Co.” in November of 1724. The dividing line between VA/NC was not determined by a survey until 1728 under William Byrd. In 1727, Richard Pace was appointed a Vestryman of the Northwest Parish of Bertie Pct., an area that later became Northampton Co., NC.(158) He and Rebecca had evidently begun the transition from Surry Co. to Northampton Co., but maintained property in both VA and NC.

    Col. Thomas Avent was granted 1,200 acres of land on Otterdam swamp adjoining Richard Pace, John Davis, Richard Moore and Charles Stewart in Surry Co. in March of 1729.(159) John Davis, of Surry Co., was Elizabeth and Philip Jane’s nephew and first cousin of Rebecca Poythress. Charles Stewart was married to Ann Pace.

    On May 13, 1729, John Green and Ralph Mason, an Indian trader, sold Richard Pace 290 acres in Bertie Pct. on the Roanoke river and Yaweuhoke swamp.(160) John Green married Amy Pace. His father, John Green, Sr.,(161) had bought land on Occoneechee Neck shortly after Henry Jones, Sr. Richard Pace left this land, in his will, to his son, Thomas Pace.(162)

    On November 1, 1730, Richard Pace, Jr., sold his father, Richard Pace, Sr., husband of Rebecca, 300 acres, less the 30 acres given to Cullen Pollock,(163) on the north side of Roanoke river, and on Urahaw swamp, part of a tract granted to Richard Pace, Jr., for 640 acres on March 1, 1719/20.(164) The witnesses were William Cain and Thomas Pace. Richard, Sr., bought another 40 acres from his son, Richard, on May 14, 1735.(165) Richard, Jr., married Elizabeth Cain.(166) The land that Richard bought from his son appears to be where he and Rebecca were living at their deaths. Richard gave his son, Thomas, the 320 acre Plantation where Richard and his “Dearly beloved wife,” Rebecca, lived, and reserved the property for her “sole use and benefit” during her lifetime.(167)

    By 1733, Richard was “of Bertie Precinct,” in NC. In June, 8½ years after Richard bought his 1,220 acres in Surry Co., he sold his son-in-law, William Johnson,(168) 300 acres and Hubert Farrell 240 acres of this land. He sold son-in-law, John Bradford, 680 acres, the balance of his 1,220 acres.(169) William Johnson was married to Mary Pace and John Bradford was married to Rebecca Pace.

    Anne and Burrell Green continued to live in Surry Co. where Burrell died intestate in 1733. Anne was appointed administratrix of his estate on September 19, 1733, with Henry Mitchell, John Weaver and Christopher Tatum appointed to appraise the estate. Burrell and Anne appear to have lived in what was later Sussex Co.(170)

    On March 7, 1734/5, in Bertie Co., Alexander Bane, of Edgecombe Pct., sold Richard Pace, Sr., of Bertie Pct., 190 acres that adjoined John Green’s line.(171) In Richard’s will of March 1736/7, he left the 190 acres to his son,(172) William, describing it as the plantation where William lived.

    On August 18, 1738, in Surry Co., in the estate sale for John Barlow, deceased,(173) Richard and Rebecca Pace and many of their children, relatives and friends were in attendance. Richard and Rebecca were there with Richard, Jr., and William Pace, their sons; William Acock, Charles Stewart, John Green, William Johnson and Lawrence House, their sons-in-law; Thomas and William House, their son-in-law’s brothers; and, William Johnson, Jr., possibly their grandson. Joseph Lane, husband of Patience McKinnie, parents of Jesse Lane, who married Winifred Aycock, was there. Winifred Aycock was the daughter of Rebecca Pace Bradford Aycock. John Bartholomew, Rebecca Poythress’ nephew, was there. John Denton, who witnessed Rebecca Poythress’ deed of gift from her mother, was there. Robert Hicks, the famous Indian trader of Fort Christanna, and his sons, Daniel, Robert, Jr., and George were there and his son, John, who married Rebecca Rives,(174) and her brother, William Rives was there. Other Indian traders in attendance included Robert Lang, Thomas Whitmell, George Smith, William Kimball and Arthur Kavenaugh. Epaphroditus Benton was there. He was mentioned by William Byrd as a famous woodsman. William Gower, a mixed blood Saponi Indian, and John Cumbo, a mulatto, were there. Previous neighbors of Richard’s were there: Thomas Jackson, who lived in the vicinity of Richard Pace’s 1,220 acres; James Vaughan, who sold land to Rebecca Poythress’ first cousin, Robert Wynne, on the south side of Three Creek; and, Thomas Avent, who with Richard witnessed John Barlow’s will, and Thomas’ sons, John and William were present. Other men who had married a woman named Rebecca were there: George Ezell, who married Rebecca Delk, and Francis Myrick who married Rebecca Middleton. Hubert Farrell, who bought some of Richard’s 1,220 acres was there. Francis and Edward Young,(175) members of the Young family who had lived adjacent to John, Francis and Thomas Poythress and Charles and Rebecca Bartholomew on Deep Bottom, were there.

    In Richard’s will, he named his wife, Rebecca, and his children, Richard, William, Thomas, Ann Stewart, Rebecca Bradford, Amy Green, Frances Green, Tabitha Moore, Mary Johnson and Sarah House.(176) Richard died between August 18, 1738, and February (~14), 1738/9. Rebecca died after March 13, 1736.

    In both the Poythress families and the Pace families, children were named after their relatives. Richard and Rebecca Pace named their children with traditional family names. They named their first son, Richard, after Richard’s father. They named their first daughter Ann and their second daughter Rebecca. Rebecca Poythress’ sister was named Anne and her mother was named Rebecca.

    114 (1) Chowan Co., NC, Deed Bk. C-1, p. 75, grant to Richard Pace, 22 Nov 1706. Chowan Co. became Bertie Pct. in 1722. (2) Morgan, Frances Cullom, “The Jones & Woodward connection & the road from Spann’s Mill to Luke White’s ferry in Chowan Co.,” 2018,  (https://freepages. rootsweb.com /~fcharper /genealog /JonesandWoodwards. html) “The Indian traders were always the first to acquire Indian land when it had been opened up for patents. Treaties with the Indians prevented patents beyond certain lines. The traders wanted to be as close to the Indian lands as possible and also as close to a navigable river as possible to ship their goods down the river. Once new land was available, land that was previously Indian territory, the traders were the first to obtain grants. However, they did NOT move their wives and children onto that land. It was far too dangerous. They left their families ‘at home’ where they would be safe and ‘commuted’ to work their new land. The early deeds of Chowan County and Bertie County, North Carolina, are full of power-of-attorney deeds by wives living in Surry County or Isle of Wight County, Virginia, or some other location, releasing their right to land their husbands were selling. Ex. Henry Jones, Sr., acquired his land in North Carolina in 1711/12 but didn’t move his family to their land until 1725.” Richard Pace, Jr., acquired land in North Carolina in 1706 and possibly worked with his brother, John Pace, the Indian trader, and other traders. Richard’s property was on the Roanoke river, a transportation medium for transporting themselves and their merchandise. Powers-of-attorney and deeds were especially important for men during this period as the Tuscarora Indians were a threat. 
    115 Chas. Cty. Co., Va., Ct. Orders, 15 Nov 1695. Richard Pace received a bounty of 200 lbs. of tobacco for killing a wolf in Chas. Cty. Co. This part of Chas. Cty. Co. became Pr. Geo. Co., Va., in 1703.
    116 Howard, Bruce, Colonial Ancestors 1609 to 1799, Specialty Publishing & Printing, Box 414, Quitman, MS, 1998, p. 112.
    117 (1) Chowan Pct., Albemarle Co., NC, Deeds. John Pace registered two tracts of land, 1 Apr 1713. (2) Morgan, Frances Cullom https :// freepages.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/genealogy/Jonesand Woodwardshtml, “The Jones & Woodward Connection & the Road that Ran from Spann’s Mill to Luke White’s Ferry in Chowan County,” 2018. Indian traders often worked together in groups. Henry Jones, Sr., and his nephews, Philip and William Jones, and neighbors, Matthew Sturdivant and John Hawthorne, of Surry Co., were all granted land around Occaneechee Neck on the same date in 1711/2. Henry did not move his family to the area until 1725.
   118 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk. 1691-1713, p. 374, Richard Pace vs. John Edmonds, 15 Aug 1711.
   119 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk, 1713-1718, p. 88, Richard Pace vs. Charles Kimball, 18 July 1716.
   120 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk, 1713-1718, pp. 89-90, Richard Pace vs. Charles Kimball, 15 Aug 1716.
   121 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk, 1713-1718, p. 91, Richard Pace vs. Charles Kimball, 19 Sept 1716.
   122 Surry Co., Va., to Richard Pace for killing three wolves, 21 Nov 1716.
   123 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk, 1713-1718, p. 145, Richard Pace vs. John Scott, 18 June 1718.
   124 Surry Co., Va., Court records, Vol. VII, 1712-1718, Weynette Parks Haun, Robert Rainwater vs. Richard Pace, 18 Jan 1718. (Virginia court records after this date were postponed.)
    125 Hopkins, William Lindsay, Surry County Virginia Deeds, 1684-1733, Iberian Publishing Co., 1991, p. 106, Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, etc., Bk 7, 1715-1730, p. 179, estate valuation of Thomas Watson, 18 Feb 1718.
   126 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, Bk 7, p. 76, George Pasmore to Wm. Rainey, 15 Sept 1711, 18 Sept 1711.
   127 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Deeds & Wills, Bk 7, p. 622, Henry & Katherine Jones to Peter Poythress, 15 Feb 1725/6.
   128 William Poythress was an Indian trader from a large family of Indian traders. His wife, Sarah Eppes, was the sister of Anne Eppes, the wife of Major William Kennon, https://nativeamerican
roots.wordpress.com/tag/robert-hicks/.
   129 Morgan, Frances Cullom, Executive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia, Vol. 3, 2018, p. 164. William, John and Robert Green were the sons of John Green, Sr. (-1727). Henry Jones, Sr., a neighbor of George Pasmore, was closely associated with all three of John Green, Sr.’s sons. John Green, Sr.’s daughter, Sarah, married John Bobbitt who was a witness to John Pace’s will, Bertie Pct., NC, dated 21 Mar 1726/7, probated Aug 1727. Bobbitt and Pace were neighbors on the bend in the Roanoke river called Occoneechee Neck. Both were Indian traders. Amy and Frances Pace Green were sisters-in-law of Sarah Green Bobbitt. James and Philip Jones, sons of Henry Jones, Sr., and Catherine Judkins, were married to Frances and Rebecca Bradford, daughters of Rebecca Pace Bradford Aycock.
   130 Surry Co., Va., Pat. Bk 10, p. 351, grant to George Pasmore (312 acres), 22 Jan 1717/8.
   131 Brunswick Co., Va., Will of Thomas House, Sr., 16 Feb 1734, 5 Dec 1734.
   132 Surry Co., Va., Pat. Bk, 10, p. 389, grant to Richard Pace, 12 July 1718. This land was later in Brunswick Co., Va.
   133 Surry Co., Va., Order Bk, 1713-1718, p. 145, Richard Pace registered his livestock mark, 18 Jan 1718.
   134 Surry Co., Va., Bk 7, 1715-1730, p. 193, Chichester & Elizabeth Sturdivant to John Denton, 16 June 1719.
   135 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Deeds Part 2, p. 351, appraisal of estate of Philip Jane, 8 Sept 1719.
   136 (1) Surry Co., Va., Bk 7, 1715-1730,p. 437, John Bradford to Nicholas Hatch, 19 Feb 1722, 20 Feb 1722. (2) Brunswick Co., Va., Pat. Bk 18, pp. 190-191, to Richard Cocke, 1 Feb 1738/9. Cocke registered 488 acres incl. 284 acres part of tract granted Richard Pace, 12 July 1718, adj. to John Duke, Hamilton, Tapley, Macklin, on both sides of Cattail branch on north side of Three Creek.
   137 Surry Co., Va., Pat. Bk 10, 1710-1719, p. 389, grant to Thomas House, 20 Feb 1719. 
   138 (1) Surry Co., Va., Pat. Bk 15, p. 223, grant to Richard Hay, 24 May 1734. Richard Hay, “of Surry Co.,” 200 acres on the north side of Three Creek, beginning at a maple on the west side of Odiums Branch, a line tree of Peter Poythress land thence by Poythress line W96p to a hickory then N50W 67p to a red oak a line tree of George Hamilton’s land then N30E 184p to a white oak then N70E 88p to a white oak sapling by the side of Odiums Branch aforesaid and down the various courses of the run of the said branch to the beginning. This was in the extreme southern part of Surry Co. almost on the Isle of Wight (later Southampton) county line. A 1747 patent to Richard Bland (renewed to David Mason in 1760) for 1,167 acres that bordered Richard Hay, William Solomon, Lewis Solomon as well as Odiums Branch, was partly in Sussex Co. and partly in Southampton Co. (2) Surry Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, 1715-1730, p. 302, William Moore to Peter Poythress, 14 Feb 1720, 15 Feb 1720.
   139 A joint commission surveyed the state boundary in 1728 due to a dispute over the line between Virginia and North Carolina. William Byrd was tasked with surveying the line for the Virginia colony.
   140 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Bk 7, p. 380, as abstracted in William Lindsay Hopkins, Surry C., Va., Deeds, 1684-1733. John Scott, Jr., was the son of John Scott and Bethia Boyce, the daughter of Thomas Boyce, half-brother of Rebecca Coggin.
   141 Robert Wynne’s first cousin, Robert Wynne (1688-1754), was the son of Thomas Wynne and was married to Martha Jefferson, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Mary Branch.
   142 (1) Weisiger, Benjamin E., III, “Prince George County, Virginia, Wills and Deeds, 1713-1728, Iberian Publishing Co., 1973, p. 71. Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, 1713-1728, part 3, p. 459, Thomas Goodwin to John Scott, Jr., 8 May 1721. (2) Weisiger, Benjamin E., III, “Prince George County, Virginia, Wills and Deeds, 1713-1728, Iberian Publishing Co., 1973, pp. 100-101. Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, 1713-1728, part 3, p. 700, Inventory of estate of John Scott, Jr., 12 May 1724. John Scott, Jr., son of John Scott and Bethia Boyce, married Amy Goodwin, daughter of Thomas Goodwin. At his death, John Ledbetter, Richard Carlile and Hugh Golightly inventoried his estate.
   143 (1) Brunswick Co., Va., Court Orders, 1732-1746, 7 Nov 1734, p. 72. “Richard Ledbetter is appointed Overseer of a bridle Way from Quarrel Swa(m)p at Henry Ledbetters old path to the old Westward ford on Maherrin River, & from thence the Straitest way into (Peter?) Tatum(‘)s Road and that all the Male Labouring Tyths between the great Creek & Matt Edwards he being included William Kymball Thomas Bailes Richard Bryan & John Bartholomew assist in Clearing the Same.” (2) Surry Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, Pt. Bk 12, pp. 179-180, 22 Feb 1724, grant to William Kymball adj. James Vaughan, 325 acres on the south side of Little Creek, of the Three Creek, beginning and by the side of the Little Creek, a corner of James Vaughans land, adj. to Charles Kymball of Surry Co. By 1723, John Bartholomew was living in the area of James Washington and Lawrence House and probably the Kymballs, William and Charles. (3) Brunswick Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, etc., Bk 1, pp. 234-235, inventory & appraisal, recorded 2 Oct 1735. William Duke’s second wife was Elizabeth Bartholomew, widow of John Bartholomew, who died in 1735. John Bartholomew had sons, John and Charles. The Bartholomews were from Pr. Geo. Co., Va., as listings for an earlier Charles Bartholomew, John’s father, shows. (4) 25 May 1734, William Vaughan, of Surry Co., Va., was granted 400 acres, in Surry Co., Va., on the south side of Nottaway river, and on the north side of Three Creek that adjoined land of Charles Kimball. (5) 7 Aug 1735. At the Brunswick Co. Ct., Elizabeth Bartholomew was granted administration of the estate of John Bartholomew, deceased. Charles Kimball and William Kimball were her securities. Joseph Kimball, Edward Tatum, Ralph Jackson, and Peter Tatum were appointed to appraise the estate, and the Administratrix was also ordered to return an Inventory to the next Court. (6) 2 Oct 1735, At the Brunswick Co. Ct., an inventory of the estate of John Bartholomew was returned by Elizabeth Bartholomew the Administratrix who made oath thereto which is ordered to be recorded. [An Isaac House married Mary Jane Mattox, daughter of William Mattox and Mary Pauline Baker about 1745 in Brunswick Co., Va.]
   144 The Duke Family South of the James River. https://genealogy.ztlcox.com./~ztlcox/duke/LynnTeague/Virginia/S%20James.htm.
   145 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Pat. Bk 11, p. 258, new land grant to John Poythress, 5 Sept 1723.
   146 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Deeds, 1713-1728, p. 706, Will of John Poythress, probated 20 May 1724.
   147 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Deeds, 1713-1728, John Roberts & Edward Winningham to John Woodlief, 8 Apr 1718.
   148 (1) Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Records, Orders, 1714-1720, p. 331, Will of Henry Batte (the father), 9 Aug 1720. (2) Pr. Geo. Co., Va., p. 1042. Will of Henry Batte (the son), 4 Oct 1727. Cert. of Probate for Will. (3) R. Bolling Batte papers, index cards at Library of Virginia, 1977.
   149 Virginia Land Office, Pat. 12, 1724-1726, p. 116, grant to Richard Pace, 25 Nov 1724.
   150 Ryar’s branch is presently called Uriah’s branch.
   151 Surry Co., Va., Land Office Pat. 12, 1724-1726, p. 165, grant to John Davis, 22 Feb 1724/5.
   152 Albemarle Psrish register of Surry Co., Va., 1717-1778, Christenings.
   153 Surry Co., Va., Pat. Bk 12, 1724-1726, pp. 115-116, Thomas House, Jr., to William House, 16 Jan 1726, 17 May 1727.
   154 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, Bk 7, p. 714, Lawrence House to Charles Dickings, 16 Feb 1729, 18 Feb 1729. 
   155 The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. XX, No. 2, May 1994. William Melton may have been related to Barnaby Melton who married Mary Pace, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Pace. John Pace was Richard Pace’s brother. On 1 Mar 1720, the Lords Proprietors of NC granted patents to Thomas Whitmell, William Green, John Cotton, John Gaddes, William Reeves, Barnaby Milton and Robert Lang on Plumbtree Island and on the south side of Plumbtree swamp abutting the island.
   156 Surry Co., Va., Bk 7, p. 864, Will of John Barlow, 7 July 1727, 16 Oct 1728.
   157 1664 - 1668 Albemarle Co.: 1668-1722 Chowan Co. 1722 - Bertie Pct. was formed from part of Chowan Pct. in 1729. Parts of Bertie Pct., Chowan Pct., Currituck Pct., and Pasquotank Pct. of Albemarle Co. were combined to form Tyrrell Pct. in 1739. Albemarle Co. was abolished and all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1741, Edgecombe was taken out of southwestern Bertie and Northampton was taken out of northwestern Bertie. In 1746, Granville Co. was formed from Edgecombe Co. and in 1764, Bute Co. was formed from the eastern part of Granville Co. In 1759, Hertford was taken from northern Bertie.
    158 The State Record of North Carolina, XXV, Goldsboro, NC, 1906, p. 265.
    159 Some Southern Colonial Families, Vol. 2, by David A. Avent, publ. by L’Avant Studios, Box 1711, Tallahassee, 1982, Chapter V: Pace Family of England, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia, p. 206.
    160 Bertie Pct., NC, Deed Bk C, pp. 122-123, John Green & Ralph Mason to Richard Pace, 11 Aug 1729.
    161 Morgan, Frances Cullom https :// freepages.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/genealogy/Jonesand Woodwardshtml, “The Jones & Woodward Connection & the Road that Ran from Spann’s Mill to Luke White’s Ferry in Chowan County,” 2018.
   162 Bertie Pct., NC, Will of Richard Pace, Bertie Pct., NC, 13 Mar 1736/7, Feb 1738. Also Pace Society of America website: http://web.archive.org/web/20081002000325/http://freepages. genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pace/richpacewill.htm.
    163 Cullen Pollock was the son of Thomas Pollock, acting governor of NC 1712-1714 and 1722.
    164 Bertie Co., NC, Deed Bk C, p. 318. Richard Pace, Jr., to Richard Pace, Sr., 1 Mar 1719/20.
    165 Bertie Co., NC, Deed Bk D, p. 205, Richard Pace, Jr. To Richard Pace, Sr., 14 May 1735.
    166 Letter of Barnabas Pace written 1844-1850, in Freda Reid Turner, History of the Pace Family from Manuscripts of Miss Annie Jones (1873-1951), Barnabas Pace (1789-), Maud McClure Kelly (1887-1973) (n. p., 1995) p. 163.
   167 (1) Bertie Pct., NC, Will of Richard Pace, Bertie Pct., NC, 13 Mar 1736/7, Feb 1738. Also Pace Society of America website: http://web.archive.org/web/20081002000325/http://freepages. genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ pace/richpacewill .htm.
    168 Brunswick Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, No. 1, p. 54, Richard Pace to William Johnson, 7 June 1733.
    169 Brunswick Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, No. 1, p. 56-57, Richard Pace to John Bradford, 7 June 1733.
    170 Surry Co., Va., Wills, Bk 8, p. 330, Anne Bartholomew was appointed administratrix, 19 Sept 1733.
    171 Bertie Co., NC, Deed Bk D, p. 203, Alexander Bane to Richard Pace, Sr., 7 Mar 1734.
    172 Bertie Pct., NC, Will of Richard Pace, Bertie Pct., NC, 13 Mar 1736/7, Feb 1738. Also Pace Society of America website: http://web.archive.org/web/20081002000325/http://freepages. genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pace/richpacewill.htm.
    173 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.
    174 George Rives leased land from Rebecca Bartholomew, land that she gave Rebecca Poythress in 1711. George Rives’niece, Rebecca, married John Hicks. John Hicks  and William Rives, Rebecca Rives’ brother, were both at the real estate sale of John Barlow with Richard Pace and his family. George Rives’ nephew of the same name married Frances Tatum, daughter of Christopher Tatum and Bridget Scott, daughter of John Scott and Bethia Boyce. John and Tabitha Pace Moore’s children were cousins of young George Rives and Rebecca Rives Hicks who were grandchildren of Richard Moore.
    175 Francis & Edward Young appear to have been descendants of Dorrill or John Young, neighbors of Charles & Rebecca Bartholomew and Captain John Poythress in 1718 in Pr. Geo. Co., Va.
   176 Bertie Pct., NC, Will of Richard Pace, Bertie Pct., NC, 13 Mar 1736/7, Feb 1738/9. Also Pace Society of America website: http://web.archive.org/web/20081002000325/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry. com/~pace/richpacewill.htm.


083123

Land Patents, Family, Friends and Neighbors Prove Relationships, Part IV

Life in North Carolina Among Family

    The relationships between Rebecca Poythress’ relatives and Richard Pace’s family continued into North Carolina long after Richard and Rebecca Pace. Christopher Jane was the son of Philip Jane and Elizabeth Davis and the grandson of John Jane and Elizabeth Tye. Christopher Jane had lived on the land that his grandfather, John, had owned in Prince George Co. The Janes had always lived adjacent to Richard Pace, Sr., and his family in Virginia as early as the mid to late 1660s. Christopher Jane moved to Surry Co., then Northampton Co., before the creation of Bute Co., NC.

    Rebecca Pace’s children, Tabitha Moore, Amy Green, Rebecca Aycock, William Pace, Thomas Pace and Richard Pace all lived close to one another in NC. Their lands in Northampton Co. were located between the NC and VA boundary and the Roanoke river and included Stony creek, Arthur creek and Peahill creek. Richard’s brother, John and his family, lived close to one another. John died in 1726.(177)

    In 1746, John Avent sold John Davis land on the north side of the Roanoke river in Northampton Co. that adjoined John Davis’ land.(178) The witnesses were William Aycock, Thomas Avent and John King. John Avent was Colonel Avent’s son.(179) John Davis was the son of Christopher Davis,(180) the brother of Elizabeth Davis who married Philip Jane.

    John Moore was a witness for Christopher Jane in 1749 and 1751.(181) Jane and Moore held adjacent properties. Part of the land that belonged to Captain Moore and Christopher Jane, that adjoined John Moore and Philip Jane, was sold in 1764.(182) John Moldesby and Joseph Scouls were neighbors of John Moore and Christopher Jane.(183) Christopher Jane and Philip Jane were cousins of Rebecca Poythress.

    Thomas House sold land, in 1759, to Philip Jane that was part of Richard Moore’s land.(184) William and Peter House were witnesses. Philip Jane and Peter House were witnesses to a deed of William House in 1759.(185) Thomas, William and Peter House were all relatives of Lawrence House, the husband of Sarah Pace. In 1758, William Duke, Sr., sold land on Sandy creek in Granville Co., NC, to Thomas House, Jr.(186) The land adjoined Duke’s step-son, Charles Bartholomew. Duke was married to widow, Elizabeth Bartholomew.

    Thomas Pace sold land to Christopher Jane in Granville Co.,(187) in 1760.(188) Nathaniel Pace was a witness. Christopher Jane and Charles Bartholomew were cousins and both lived in Granville Co. Charles Bartholomew appeared on Robert Harris’ tax list in 1753,(189) a tax list in 1755(190) and appeared on a regimental militia muster roll in 1754, all in Granville Co.(191) In 1774, Miles Rachel, the Godson of Christopher Jane, witnessed a deed from Thomas Clifton to John Huckaby, in Bute Co., land that Christopher Jane bought from Thomas Pace in 1762.(192) Thomas Pace (1710-1764), son of Richard and Rebecca Pace, had sons, Thomas (1734-1795) and Nathaniel (1743-1798).

    Charles Bartholomew lived in Granville Co. surrounded by the Green, Davis, Woodlief, House and Aycock families when his cousin, Christopher Jane, bought land from Thomas Pace in Granville Co. The Pace, Jane and Bartholomew families lived among each other and interacted on land deals for over twenty years after Richard and Rebecca Pace were deceased. These families lived in close proximity, the precincts and county lines changed continuously but the families remained together.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    It is easy to locate a marriage license or death certificate in the 21st century but Richard Pace and Rebecca Poythress lived in the late 17th and early 18th century. Any records of their marriage or their deaths disappeared long ago. All one has today are the remaining records and abstracts. As a result, this study has been organized to determine if there was a relationship between Richard and Rebecca Pace and Rebecca Poythress through their family relationships, property locations, ownership patterns, connections to the affairs of siblings, family migrations to Surry Co., and Bertie Pct., and the naming of issue. This study has been a broader examination than previous efforts in identifying Rebecca Poythress’ husband. It has thoroughly examined every scrap of evidence, both direct and circumstantial.

    Richard Pace, Jr., grew up in the same area where court justices Major Francis Poythress and John Drayton,(193) John Poythress’ step-father-in-law, lived. Richard Pace, Sr., appeared in front of the same men inside the Merchant’s Hope courtroom.

     No record has been located that would indicate Rebecca Poythress married any other man. An extensive search for women named Rebecca of the same age, has not yielded any other possibility. John Hicks married Rebecca Rives about 1712.(194) He was at the estate sale of John Barlow in Surry Co., with the Pace family on August 18, 1738.(195) John and Rebecca Hicks’ daughter, Rebecca, married Edward Tatum.(196) Edward’s brother, Christopher, married Bridget Scott, granddaughter of Thomas Boyce.(197) Rebecca Poythress’ niece, Rebecca Poythress, daughter of Rebecca’s brother, John, was much younger than she and was a minor in 1724.(198) Rebecca Birchett, daughter of William Birchett and Mary Wright, married William Lee in 1720.(199) A number of other women with the given name Rebecca, not mentioned in this study, were identified but were too young to be considered or were subsequently identified by their maiden names. No practical alternative husband has ever been suggested for Rebecca Poythress and no alternative maiden name has ever been presented as to the identity of the spouse of Richard Pace, Jr. No other family was located with a daughter, Rebecca, who married a Pace.

    It is ironic that Elizabeth Cocke, in her 1751 will,(200) mentioned her granddaughters, Rebecca, Ann and Tabitha, daughters of her son James Cocke. Rebecca Pace’s daughters, though older, included Rebecca, Ann and Tabitha. Elizabeth Cocke was the mother of Elizabeth who married Robert Poythress (1690-1747) a first cousin of Rebecca Poythress.(201)

    The major objection to the Pace-Poythress marriage were the 1711 gifts where Rebecca Bartholomew identified both daughters by their maiden names. Rebecca’s daughter, 32 year old Rebecca Poythress, was probably married at the time, with children, and had probably been living on the property for years. She was not mentally challenged. If she had been, she would not have received the 300 acres. She was not deceased or it would have been recorded in her sister’s 1721 sale of adjoining land. Records for the period 1711 to May 14, 1728, exist and there is no record of her death or the sale or disposal of her estate.(202) In Anne Bartholomew's deed, it stated, “enjoy to her, & their own proper use,” indicating that she was also married. If Avent and Howard had seen the original deed to Anne Bartholomew, not an abstract, they would have seen that Mrs. Anne Green was addressed as Anne Bartholomew, her maiden name.

    The use of a maiden name in a deed involving a married woman was not unknown in the 17th and 18th centuries. In Richard Pace, Sr.’s 1659 deed, his mother was referred to as Mrs. Sara Maycock and his father as George Pace. In William Bradford’s 1724/5 deed, his mother was referred to as Alice Smith and his father as Nathaniel Bradford. In Anne Green’s 1721 deed, her 42 year old sister was referred to as Rebecca Poythress.(203) In Judge Jeremiah Exum’s will of 1712, he did not identify three of his daughters, Mary Ann, Jane and Sarah, by their married names and did not mention their husbands. It is noteworthy that an associate Judge would know how to write a legal will.(204)

    Rebecca Bartholomew gave land to her daughters on September 10, 1711, perhaps as a result of the increasing expectation of Indian hostilities. On or about September 10, 1711, Tuscarora Indians captured John Lawson, Baron Christopher deGraffenreidt and two servants on the Neuse river in North Carolina. Lawson and one servant were subsequently put to death. Twelve days later, the massacre began. On September 13th, Charles and Rebecca Bartholomew appeared in open court and swore that the deed to Rebecca Poythress “and her heirs” was in fact their act and deed.

    At 51 years of age, Rebecca Bartholomew may have decided to ensure that her daughters had secure futures. Anne appears to have been a newlywed and her and Rebecca appear to have had no personal real estate. Rebecca’s deed to Rebecca Poythress and Anne were “in consideration of the natural love and affection” that she held for her daughters and “for & towards the bettering & advancing” of their “fortune(s) in the world.” Rebecca Bartholomew and her husband were deceased by 1721 and she may have been deceased by 1717 when Anne and possibly Rebecca moved to Surry Co.

    During this study, no evidence was found to disqualify a marriage between Rebecca Poythress and Richard Pace, Jr. Rebecca Poythress’ relatives permeated this study; her father, Major Francis Poythress; her step-brother, John Bartholomew; her half-sister and brother-in-law, Anne Bartholomew and Burrell Green; her aunt, Elizabeth Tye Jane Wicket; her nephews, John and Charles Bartholomew; her cousins, Philip Jane, Christopher Jane, Margaret Wynne Goodrich; Robert Wynne and Peter Poythress. Rebecca Poythress’ brother, Francis Poythress, and Richard Pace’s nephew, Richard Pace, were involved in several business transactions on November 11, 1718, and held adjoining properties one mile southwest of the old Pace homestead. Rebecca Poythress’ father, Major Francis Poythress, and Richard Pace’s step-father, Nicholas Whitmore, held land adjacent to Adam Tapley and William Harrison. Rebecca Poythress’ cousin, Margaret Wynne Goodrich’s husband, Edward Goodrich, was security for Richard Whitmore when Richard qualified as administrator of Nicholas Whitmore’s estate after Nicholas’ widow, Mary Pace Whitmore, relinquished her right to administer the estate.(205) And, John Denton, one of the witnesses to Rebecca Bartholomew’s 1711 gift to her daughters was present at the estate sale of John Barlow in Surry Co. with most of the Pace family in August of 1738.

    Rebecca Poythress’ family members interacted with the Pace family and resided in close proximity to Richard and Rebecca Pace in Charles City Co., later Prince George Co. By 1716 to 1718, Richard and Rebecca as well as Anne and Burrell Green were living in Surry Co., the area that became Sussex      Co.(206) John Scott and Bethia Boyce were in Surry Co. by 1718 and their son, John Scott, Jr., died there in 1724. Their daughter, Bridget, married Christopher Tatum.  From Surry Co., the associated families moved into North Carolina and were involved with each other as documented in the Bertie, Northampton and Granville records.

    Rebecca Poythress and Richard Pace were of the right ages to a marriage prospect. They had known each other for years. Rebecca’s mother, Rebecca Bartholomew, had known Richard Pace and his family for most of Richard Pace, Jr.’s life. There is nothing to preclude that a marriage occurred. Rebecca Poythress did not live in some distant county and it is not that the Poythress and Pace families had no shared interests or family ties. Rebecca was in the right place at the right time and with the right opportunities for association. Rebecca Poythress was, perhaps, one of the few suitable marriage prospects for Richard Pace.

    Utilizing careful analysis, deductive logic and a preponderance of the evidence, direct and circumstantial, it is highly probable that Rebecca Pace and Rebecca Poythress were one and the same woman, that she, Rebecca Poythress, married Richard Pace, Jr. There is no evidence to the contrary and the available evidence places Rebecca Poythress’ closest relatives within Rebecca Pace and her families’ sphere of neighbors. After Rebecca Pace’s death, Rebecca Poythress’ relatives continued to be involved with Rebecca Pace’s children and grandchildren.

Final Word on Extant Records

    The oldest book in the Pr. Geo. Co. courthouse contains the deeds, wills, inventories and miscellaneous instruments, from February 9, 1713/14 to May 14, 1728, with a few records back to 1711, in all, 1,116 pages of records. The second oldest book contains minutes of the county court from the March term 1737/8 to April, 1740, and a single court of Sessions and two or three courts of Oyer and Terminer by special writ to local justices. This book possesses 87 to 400 pages. The third book covers the clerkship of Theodorick Bland with contents similar to the oldest book covering the time frame from June 12, 1759, to June 10, 1760, composed of fragments of 75 to 196 pages. The fourth book contains instruments of earlier dates from February 13, 1787, to November 8, 1792. These are the only original volumes remaining for Pr. Geo. Co. prior to 1800. If Rebecca Poythress or her husband sold her 300 acres after May 14, 1728, there would be no record of it and there is possibly no record of her land transferring after her death. With no deeds, wills, inventories, court records and miscellaneous instruments existing for Pr. Geo. Co. after May 14, 1728, until the minutes of the county court, March term 1737/8, there would be no record of the sale of the easterly run property for that period of time. An in-depth search of land patents in the Library of Virginia has not produced a record of this land being granted or being referenced in patents to family, friends, neighbors, relatives or anyone else.

    Richard Pace died between August 18, 1738, and February (~14), 1738/9. Rebecca Pace died after March 13, 1736. Richard left a will but no other probate documents including an inventory of his estate or an estate sale have been located for him. No will has been located for Rebecca Pace and there is no record of her death. In Richard Pace’s will, he stated that “I give and bequeath unto my Son Thomas Pace & his heirs for ever the Plantation where I now live with three hundred twenty acres of land thereto belonging, reserving unto my Dearly beloved wife Rebecah Pace the sole use & benefit thereof during her natural life.” It is unknown when Thomas came into possession of the 320 acres after his mother’s death and it is not clear whether the 320 acres was bequeathed by Thomas’ 1764 will to one of his sons.

    177 Bertie Pct., NC, Wills, John Pace, 21 Mar 1726/7, Aug 1727. The witnesses incl. Abraham Burton, John Bobbitt and Francis Garnet. John’s children were John, William, George, Frances, Anne, Elizabeth and Mary Melton.
    178 Northampton Co., NC, Deed Bk 1, p. 266, John Avent to John Davis, Aug 1746.
    179 Sussex Co., Va., Will of Col. Thomas Avent, 21 Sept 1756, 18 Nov 1757.
    180 Pr. Geo. Co., va., Deeds, 1713-1728, p. 573, Will of Christopher Davis, 1722.
    181 Northampton Co., NC, Bk 1, pp. 405-406, John Modesby to Christopher Jane, 3 Nov 1749.
    182 Northampton Co., NC, Bk 1, pp. 505-506, Christopher Jane to Joseph Scouls, 8 Nov 1751.
    183 Northampton Co., NC, Deed #542, p. 329, Joseph Scouls to Henry Meacham, 23 Jan 1764.
    184 Northampton Co., NC, Deed Bk 3, 1759-1774, p. 5, Thomas House to Philip Jane, 26 Mar 1759.
    185 Northampton Co., NC, Deed #93, p. 58, William House to Henry Meacham, 3 Nov 1759.
    186 Morris, Jane, The Duke-Symes Family, pp. 174-175, Granville Co., NC, 1758.
    187 1741 - Edgecombe Co. was taken out of southwestern Bertie; 1746 - Granville Co. was formed from Edgecombe Co.: 1764 - Bute Co. was formed from the eastern part of Granville Co.
    188 Granville Co., NC, Deed Bk F, p. 179, Thomas Pace to Christopher Jane, 5 July 1760.
    189 Granville Co., NC, Tax Lists, CR044.701, State of North Carolina Library and Archives, Raleigh, NC.
    190 The North Carolina Journal, editor William Perry Johnson, 1755 Tax List Granville Co., NC.
    191 Muster Roll of the Regiment in Granville Co. under the Command of Col William Eaton as taken at a general Muster of the said Regiment, 8 Oct 1754.
    192 Bute Co., NC, Deed Bk 5, p. 192, Thomas Clifton to John Huckaby, 26 Nov 1774.
    193 Chas. Cty. Co., Va., pat. 5, p. 107, grant to John Drayton, 14 June 1665.
    194 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Will Bk, 1715-1730, p. 963, Will of John Hicks, 31 July 1738, 20 Aug 1739.
    195 Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.
    196 Dorman, John Frederick (1928-2021), 4th ed., Vol. 3, “Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5, 2005,” publ. By Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., in collaboration with the Order of First Families of Virginia, p. 272.
    197 Surry Co., Va., Court Orders, 7 Nov 1734, p. 72. “Richard Ledbetter is appointed Overseer of a bridle Way from Quarrel Swa(m)p at Henry Ledbetters old path to the old Westward ford on Maherrin River, & from thence the Straitest way into (Christopher) Tatum(‘)s Road and that all the Male Labouring Tyths between the great Creek & Matt Edwards he being included William Kymball Thomas Bailes Richard Bryan & John Bartholomew assist in Clearing the Same.” John Bartholomew lived in this area near William Kimball and Tatum’s road. (2) Weisiger, Benjamin E., III, “Prince George County, Virginia, Wills and Deeds, 1713-1728, Iberian Publishing Co., 1973, pp. 100-101. Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Wills & Deeds, 1713-1728, part 3, p. 700, Inventory of estate of John Scott, Jr., 12 May 1724. John Ledbetter assisted in the inventory of John Scott, Jr.’s estate. Christopher Tatum was married to Bridget Scott, the sister of John Scott, Jr. John Bartholomew was Rebecca Poythress’ step-brother and John Scott, Jr., and Bridget Scott Tatum were the children of her first cousin Bethia Boyce Scott.
    198 Smith, Jr., Claiborne T., “Poythress of Prince george County, Virginia,” Historical Southern Families, John Bennett Boddie, Vol. IV, 1968, pp. 31-32.
    199 Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43674700/rebecca-lee.
    200 Henrico Co., Va., records, Will Bk 1, Will of Elizabeth Cocke, 9 Aug 1751, 6 July 1752.
    201 R. Bolling Batte papers, Library of Va., Chart of Poythress Family in America, Section A of two sections, 1977.
     202 The oldest book in PG Co. Courthouse is the deeds, wills, inventories and misc. instruments, 9 Feb 1713/14 to 14 May 1728, with a few records back to 1711, 1,116 pages of records. The second oldest book contains minutes of county court Mar term 1737/8 to Apr 1740 and a single court of Sessions and two or three courts of Oyer and Terminer by special writ to local justices. 87 to 400 pages. The third book covers the clerkship of Theodorick Bland with contents similar to book 1, 12 June 1759 to 10 June 1760, fragments of 75 to 196 pages. The fourth book contains instruments of earlier dates 13 Feb 1787 to 8 Nov 1792. These are the only extant original volumes remaining for PG Co. prior to 1800.  If Rebecca sold her 300 acres after 14 May 1728, there would be no record of it. There is possibly no extant record of Rebecca Poythress’ land transferring after her death.
    203 Copying the wording on an original deed onto a new deed was a common practice in the clerk’s office. However, deeds usually noted that a neighbor was deceased.
    204 Boddie, John Bennett, Historical Southern Families, Vol. 1, pp. 182, 322-323, Will of Jeremiah Exum, 3 Sept 1712, 28 Mar 1720. Mary Exum, daughter of Judge Jeremiah Exum and Ann Lawrence, was the second wife of Barnaby McKinne and her third husband.
    205 Pr. Geo. Co., Va., Ct. Orders & Return of Executions, 1714-1720, June 1718.
    206 Burrell Green either lived near his brother, William, in the area of George Pasmore’s land about 18 miles north of Richard Pace’s 1,220 acres or in the area of lands belonging to George Pasmore, Thomas Poythress and his brothers, Peter Green and Lewis Green, Jr., about 4 miles north of Lawrence House and Sarah Pace.

083123

Who Did Richard & Rebecca Pace’s Children Marry?

     To identify the marriages of Richard Pace’s children, there is Richard Pace’s will wherein he named his and Rebecca’s children and gave his daughters' married names. Children in the early 18th century tended to marry neighbors and children of their parents’ associates. Richard and Rebecca and their families used their family members and very close friends to witness deeds, transfers, wills and other documents. They attended their families’, neighbors’ and friends’ estate sales. They lived in close proximity to or next door to their families including Rebecca Poythress’ relatives. They swapped or sold land to each other, some of which are mentioned below. Sons and sons-in-law provided the given names of their spouses in their wills. Richard provided land for each of his sons and his daughters through their husbands and he provided for his wife at his death. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that the daughters' husbands have been identified. The maiden names for Thomas and William Pace’s wives require further research.

    In his Will, dated 13 March 1736/7 and probated in February of 1738/9, Richard named all of his ten children and included the married names of his seven daughters: sons, Richard, William and Thomas; daughters, Ann Stewart, Rebecca Bradford, Amy Green, Frances Green, Tabitha Moore, Mary Johnson and Sarah House.(1)

    (1) Richard Pace (~1698-1775) married Elizabeth Cain (~1704-1744) about 1723. Their children were: Richard, James, Silas, Charles, Dredzil, Thomas, Noel, Drury, Barnabas, Darius and three daughters, possibly Sarah (“Sally”) who may have married Arthur Fort, possibly a Mrs. Cox and a Mrs. O’Daniel.(2) On March 1, 1720/1, Richard Pace and his son, Richard, received patents for land in Albemarle Co., near the Roanoke river and Yourah swamp. Richard was at the Barlow estate sale with his father and family in 1738 in Surry Co.(3) Richard, brother William, and John Green held property adjacent to one another in Bertie Co.

    (2) Ann Pace (~1699-1754) married Charles Stewart (~1690-1752) by 1720 and had children: William, Richard, James, John, Rebecca, Anne and Sarah. On November 5, 1724, Charles Stewart bought 530 acres on the east side of Otterdam swamp in Surry Co., VA, just north of Richard Pace who acquired 1,220 acres on the same date.(4) Charles witnessed Nicholas Brewer’s will in March of 1729 with Richard Pace and John Barlow’s will in September of 1729 with Richard Pace, both events in Surry Co. He and John Davis assessed the value of Isaac House’s land in 1731, in Surry Co. Isaac was Lawrence House’s brother. Charles was a witness with Lawrence House to a land transfer from Burrell Brown to John Taylor Duke in February of 1733 in Brunswick Co., VA. Charles Stewart was at the Barlow estate sale with Richard Pace and family in 1738 in Surry Co.(5) He also processioned his property boundaries with his neighbor Lawrence House in 1735, 1739 and 1743, in Brunswick Co., as per an Act of law. Charles Stewart left a will in Brunswick Co. naming his wife, Ann. From Stewart Clan Magazine: “This William was the son of Charles and Anne Pace Steward and the William who married Mary Shands.”(6) 

    (3) Rebecca Pace (~1701-~1762) married as her first husband, John Bradford (~1698-1735) about 1718, and as her second husband, William Aycock (~1705-1765) in 1737. Rebecca’s children were: Richard, John, Nathaniel, Frances, Rebecca and Sarah Bradford; and, James, Richard and Winnifred Aycock. On February 25, 1719/20, Richard Pace sold 285 acres on Three Creek in Surry Co. to John Bradford.(7) William Aycock was at the Barlow estate sale with Richard Pace and family in 1738 in Surry Co.(8) Rebecca Pace was identified as John Bradford’s widow in court records that also identified William Aycock as her second husband and mentioned brother, William Pace.(9) In 1741, in Bertie Co., William Aycock bought land from John and Richard Moore on the north side of Moratuck (Roanoke) river. The witnesses included Richard Pace, Jr. “Richard Pace's daughter, Rebecca Bradford, was the widow of John Bradford. She married again to William Aycock very shortly after her father wrote his will...In 1729, John Green sold to Richard Pace Jr (his brother-in-law) 440 acres at Wheeler's Mill Swamp from a patent dated March 1, 1719. This agrees perfectly with a grant to John Green...for land in the Oconeechee Neck at Wheeler's Mill Swamp.”(10)

    (4) Thomas Pace (~1703-1764) married Amy (~1710-aft. 1785) by 1733. Their children were Nathaniel, Thomas, Richard, Celia, Frances and Amy. It is interesting to note that they named daughters Celia and Amy after Thomas’ wife and William Pace’s wife.(11) Thomas and John Moore witnessed the will of William Shorter, December, 1752. Thomas and Richard Moore witnessed the will of John Moore September, 1753, in Northampton Co., NC. Thomas Pace and Tabitha Moore were executors of the will of John Moore. Thomas Pace left a will in Northampton Co. naming his wife, Amy.

    (5) Amy Pace (~1705-1738) married John Green (1700-) by 1725 as his first wife. He was the son of John, Sr., and brother of Robert and William.(12) On May 13, 1729, John Green sold Richard Pace 290 acres in Bertie Pct. on the Roanoke river and Yaweuhoke swamp. John Green and Richard Pace were neighbors in Bertie Co., NC. John Green sold land to Richard Pace, Jr., in Bertie Co. in 1728 and 1729. John Green was at the Barlow estate sale with Richard Pace and family in 1738 in Surry Co.(13) “John Green of the 1717 grant on Cabin Stick Swamp had died by 1727 when his son Robert Green was in possession of his land. Other sons were William Green and John Green...It's not known when John Green married his wife Amy Pace, but it was clearly before 1725...John Green's wife Amy was the daughter of Richard Pace Sr who wrote his will in 1736 in Bertie Co, probated 1738, naming wife Rebecah, sons William, Thomas, Richard, daughters Ann Steward, Rebecah Bradford, Amy Green, Francis Green, Tabitha Moore, Mary Johnson, and Sarah House.”

    (6) Frances Pace (~1707-) married William Green by 1725, the son of John, Sr., and brother of Robert and John, Jr.(14) William Green acquired land on Plumbtree Island in 1720 near Barnaby Melton whose wife, Mary, was a first cousin of Frances Pace. Mary was the niece of Richard Pace. William sold land in 1727 on the north side of the Morattuck (Roanoke) river in Bertie Co. that was witnessed by Barnaby Melton, Richard Moore and brother, Robert Green. John Pace, the Indian trader, and his son, John Pace, Jr., lived nearby. They were uncle and first cousin of Frances Pace Green.

    (7) Tabitha Pace (~1709-1753) married John Moore (1692-1753) by 1728. Their children were: Mark, John, Isham, William, Nathaniel, Richard and Sarah James. Richard Pace and John Moore’s brother, Richard, were witnesses to John Barlow’s will in 1727 and proved the will in court in 1728 in Surry Co. John Moore was a witness for Christopher Jane in 1749 and 1751 in Northampton Co. Christopher Jane was Rebecca Poythress’ cousin. Tabitha’s brother, Thomas Pace, was one of the executors of John Moore’s will in Northampton Co.(15) John Moore named his wife, Tabitha, in his will.

    (8) Mary Pace (~1711-1738) married William Johnson (~1702-~1753) by 1730. Richard Pace sold land in 1733 to John Bradford and William Johnson. William Johnson was at the Barlow estate sale in 1738 in Surry Co. as was William Johnson, Jr.(16)

    (9) Sarah Pace (~1713-aft. 1739) married Lawrence House (1702-1751) by 1732. He lived north of Richard Pace and Charles Stewart in Surry Co. Lawrence and John Bartholomew were witnesses in a deed in January 1723/4 for Lawrence’s father and brother in Surry Co. John Bartholomew was Rebecca Poythress’ step-brother. Lawrence House was at the Barlow estate sale with Richard Pace and family in 1738 in Surry Co.(17) Lawrence and Charles Stewart were witnesses to a deed to John Taylor Duke in 1733 in Brunswick Co. Lawrence also processioned his property boundaries with his neighbor Charles Stewart in 1735, 1739 and 1743, in Brunswick Co. as per an Act of law. In 1737, he and Charles Stewart were appointed to lay out a road along Three Creek bridge on Hick’s road to Sweed’s bridge in Brunswick Co. Thomas House sold land in 1759, adjacent to Richard Moore’s land, to Philip Jane in Northampton Co. Philip Jane was a witness with Peter House to a deed for William House in 1759 in Northampton. Philip Jane was Rebecca Poythress’ first cousin.

    (10) William Pace (~1714-1775) married Celia (-aft. 1775) by 1735. Celia was possibly the daughter of Francis and Millicent Boykin. Their children were: Winnifred Winborne, Solomon, William, Hardy, Stephen and Penelope.(18) William Pace was at the Barlow estate sale with his father in 1738 in Surry Co.(19) William sold Thomas Pace 340 acres on Urahaw swamp in 1738. Alexander Bane sold Richard Pace, Sr., of Bertie Pct., 190 acres that adjoined John Green’s line. Richard Pace established his son, William Pace, on this land and William inherited the land through his father’s will. William brought suit against William Aycock and sister, Rebecca Pace, who was executor of John Bradford’s estate, in Brunswick Co. in 1747.(20) Thomas Pace witnessed a bond for William in May, 1763, in Northampton Co. William Pace left a will in Northampton Co. naming wife, Celia. James and Ann Exum were witnesses to William’s will.

    Rebecca Pace’s children, Tabitha Moore, Amy Green, Frances Green, Rebecca Aycock, William Pace, Thomas Pace and Richard Pace all lived close to one another in NC. Their lands in Northampton Co. were located between the NC and VA boundary and the Roanoke river and included Stony creek, Arthur creek and Peahill creek. Richard’s brother, John and his family, Mary Barnaby and John, Jr., lived close to Richard and his family. John died in 1726. Ann Stewart and Sarah House appear to have remained on the north side of the Virginia and North Carolina border while many of Lawrence House’s family moved among the Pace family in NC. There was a Sheriff William Johnson in Bute Co. in 1765 who subsequently appeared to have been a recorder of deeds by 1771 in Bute Co. This William Johnson may have been the husband of Mary Pace or the son of William and Mary Johnson.

(1) Bertie Pct., NC, Will of Richard Pace, Bertie Pct., NC, 13 Mar 1736/7, Feb 1738/9. Also Pace Society of America website: http://web.archive.org/web/20081002000325/http://freepages. genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pace/richpacewill.htm.

(2) Letter of Barnabas Pace written 1844-1850, in Freda Reid Turner, History of the Pace Family from Manuscripts of Miss Annie Jones (1873-1951), Barnabas Pace (1789-), Maud McClure Kelly (1887-1973) (n. p., 1995) p. 163. 

(3) SurryCo., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(4) Will, Surry Co. DB6, p. 446, 1749-1753, Charles Stuart, 2 Dec 1752, 25 Sept 1753.

(5) Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738. 

(6) Stewart Clan Magazine, Tome E, Jan and Feb 1944, Vol. XXI: No. 8

(7) Wills & Deeds, Brunswick Co., VA., John Bradford, 3 Nov 1732, 6 Nov 1735. The Bobbitt Family in America, John W. Bobbitt, 1985. 

(8) Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(9) Rebecca Bradford having been summoned to render an account of her administration of the estate of John Bradford deced appeared and the Court being satisfied with her administration order’d that she be discharged from rendering an account thereof at present. Brunswick Co., Court Orders, 7 May 1741, p. 431. William Pace, plt., against William Acock and Rebecca his wife, Executor, &c, of John Bradford deced. and Adam Tapley and William Poole, defts., in Chancery. The deft. Poole put in a demurrer plea and answer to the plaintiff’s Bill which is set for hearing at the next Court and on the motion of the plaintiff an attachment is awarded him against the other defendants for want of appearance. Brunswick Co. Court Orders, p. 183, 5 May 1747.

(10) https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/genealogy/JonesandWoodwards.html, Frances Cullom Morgan 2018.

(11) Wills & Deeds, Will Bk 1, p. 115, Northampton Co., NC, Thomas Pace, 4 July 1764, Feb 1765.

(12) https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/genealogy/JonesandWoodwards.html, Frances Cullom Morgan 2018. 

(13) Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(14) https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fcharper/genealogy/JonesandWoodwards.html, Frances Cullom Morgan 2018.

(15) NC Wills & Court Records, Probate files, 1679-1775, Northampton Co., NC, John Moore, 1 Sept 1753, Nov 1753. 

(16) Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(17) SurryCo., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881, Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(18) Wills & Deeds, Northampton Co., NC, William Pace, 14 May 1772, Dec 1775. 

(19) Surry Co., Va., Deeds, Wills, 1730-1738, p. 881. Acct. of estate of John Barlow, 16 Aug 1738.

(20) William Pace, plt., against William Acock and Rebecca his wife, Executor, &c, of John Bradford deced. and Adam Tapley and William Poole, defts., in Chancery. The deft. Poole put in a demurrer plea and answer to the plaintiff’s Bill which is set for hearing at the next Court and on the motion of the plaintiff an attachment is awarded him against the other defendants for want of appearance. Brunswick Co. Court Orders, p. 183, 5 May 1747.


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