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From: "Betty A. Pace" <>
Subject: [PACE-L] ReJOHN PACE - TORY - BATTLE OF SHALLOW FORD
Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 08:47:38 +0000


Dear Ann,

The John Pace family of 1780 Surry Co. NC was split in loyalty between
the Torys (led by Gideon Wright) and the Patriots. Some of the sons of
John Pace (probably Richmond and Thomas) fought with their father as
Torys and others became Patriots in neighboring NC counties (at least
Dempsey [killed in Rev.]and Burwell/Burrill Pace, and perhaps others
since they would have been required to serve in the NC militia).

No one that I know of has been able to absolutely prove that our John
Pace (Tory with Gideon Wright) died in or about the same time as the
Battle of Shallow Ford in Oct. 1780. However, that is widely believed by
Pace researchers. One piece of evidence is the petition of John's son
Burwell Pace to the NC court for the restoration of the confiscated land
of his father John Pace for John's wife Sarah (nee Burge). While the
petition was denied, it must have been granted (in part?) later because
by 1782 Sarah Pace (Pase) is on the tax list in Capt. Dyer's District (no
acres shown, but 1 horse, 8 cattle--total amt. £13--Burwell was living in
Capt. Martin's Dist.). By 1791, Sarah Pace is shown with 152 acres in
Capt. Burche's district of Surry Co., NC--this land may have been
restored to her around 1785.

Here is a citation from the petition of (Patriot) Burwell Pace (probably
in favor of his mother really).

"HC document - NC Assembly - 20th June 1781 NC
In the H Commons 20th June 1781
Mr. Speaker & Gentlemen:
We send for your perusal the petition of Burwell Pace which we propose
referring to a joint Com'ee & have on or part app'd M. Lewis, Phifer,
Alexander and J. Williams a Committee. Tho's Benbury J:C.
By Order J Hunt, CHC
**************
" To the honorable the General Assembly of the State of North
Carolina.

The Petition of Burwell Pace Humbly Showeth

that your petitioner from the Commencement of the
present war
has been uniformly a zealous espouser of the American cause and has on
all
occasions been active in counteracting its enemies, but unfortunately for
your
petitioner his father & brother (from each of whom he might have
inherited a
considerable fortune, had their minds not been perverted by contrary
principles,) were both killed in the act of rebelling against this
Country
whereby their possessions became forfeited and your petitioner prevented
from
inheriting that which he would have been otherwise entitled to; your
petitioners
father previous to his death entered a piece of land in one of the entry
offices
of this State in the name of his brother Richmond Pace which alone your
petitioner being much necessitated for the want of land from among other
things
humbly entreat that your honourable body would invest in him & his heirs
by an
Act thereof, as a reward & requital of that attachment and active
fidelity which
your petitioner has ever evidenced by the most errefragable proof that he
bears
to this Country and to which the respectable Subscribers hereof do bear
most
ample Testimony grant this most reasonable petition & your petitioner as
in duty
bound shall every pray &c. Burwell Pace
The Petition referred to being read, was rejected. Adjourned till
tomorrow morning 10 o'clock.
[General Assembly Senate Journal, Vol. 17, page 823, The State Records of
North Carolina.]"

I am hoping that some other member of Pace-L (to which I forwarded your
message) can send you scanned copies (as attachments) of the documents
and research cited in the book of Bruce Howard on the early Pace family
(Our Colonial Ancestors: 1619 to 1799, pub'd 1998). I don't have a
scanner myself.

Betty Pace



On Thu, 23 May 2002 22:37:54 -0700 Ann Brownlee <>
writes:
> Betty A. Pace wrote:
> >
> > By the way, my John PACE is believed by the Pace researchers to
> have died
> > at the Battle of Shallow Ford in 1780 but we can't find proof.
>
> Uh, oh! Does that mean he was a Tory? What fuels the belief?
> Where
> was he from? What is known about him about that time? Sometimes I
> can
> pick up on hints and clues that other people don't; I've been
> working on
> it so long. That's really my consuming passion, if you can't tell.
> If
> he was a Tory, they've been especially hard to find, and we'd
> really
> like to. We've had archaeologists out there several times looking
> for
> the grave(s), but so far haven't found it/them. I'd really like to
> get
> some kind of a marker. If he was a Whig, that'd be new news; I
> thought
> I had all the wounded and killed accounted for.
>
> I'd love to hear more.
>
> Ann
> ---
> [ This E-mail scanned for viruses by www.WebKorner.com ]
>
>

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