William Pace, Sr.

Fought in the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763)

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https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LZKL-6DR William was born and grew up in The Elk Marsh Plantation in Prince George County Virginia. As mentioned in the note's for his father George, William was not the eldest son, but was the one named in George Sr's will to receive his estate. His older brother George Jr. had apparently received his inheritance before his father died. When George Sr. died in 1742, William received the remainder of his lands. He married Mary (Evans) abt. 1744, and In 1746 his mother Obedience remarried and a land transfer to her was signed by both William Pace and his wife Mary. Later in 1746 they sold the remainder of the lands in Elk Marsh (almost 1000 acres) and moved to Granville County to reclaim some land his father had filed for, but not settled. They had to make the necessary improvements before they could claim it. When this was accomplished, they sold the land and moved on to Franklin County, where he obtained a grant for himself on the South side of Crooked Creek, near the Poplar Springs Church. Later his brother James, obtained a grant in this same area. The names of the Counties changed from year to year as more people settled in them, but William and his family remained in this area for the next 40 yrs. It is located about 25 miles northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina on a tributary of the Tar River. We have the names of their 3 sons, but they may also have had some daughters. We descend from their son William. The French and Indian War started in 1754. William was a corporal and James a private in the Company of Captain Edward Powers. We don't know how long they served. His wife Mary died in 1758 and he was remarried to Jemima Jones in Jan,1759. A son George was born to them in 1760, followed by 6 daughters. William continued farming. In 1767 his brother James moved to So. Carolina, and William acquired part of his land. In 1779 he acquired a grant of 140 acres, and his sons received grants to the adjacent parcels, all three of them bordering on the property owned by a Solomon Strickland. In 1786 he purchased an additional 300 acres on Cripple Creek, abutting the property of his mother Obedience and her husband Robert Cade. These land transactions show he remained in Franklin County for all these years. In 1779 he wrote a will and had it documented. He died in 1790. His oldest son James served as Executor. Neither James or William are mentioned in the will. They had both received an inheritance before their father remarried. This was reminiscent of what their grandfather George Pace did with his eldest son George. Their brother John was to inherit the Manor House and 300 acres after the death or remarriage of Jemima Jones,and another 65 acres went to their halfbrother George, and the rest was to be sold and divided equally. Jemima didn't remarry, and remained living on the property until her death in 1823. She eventually divided the Plantation and gave John 160 acres. It appears we inherited some hardier Genes from the Lowes and Worshams. William lived to be 72 years old and stayed active up to the end.

Compiled from family records and Pace Society of America Records "The Paces in North Carolina" by John G. Pace a GGGGGramdson on 16 Apr 2018