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Version 1

... as published in PACE: ONE OF AMERICA'S EARLIEST FAMILIES compiled by Noble Hamilton Pace, St., Columbus, Mississippi, 1962.

[Note by Bruce Howard]: The transcriber was Mrs. R. E. Bell of Atlanta, who sent the copy to Maude McClure Kelley, probably around 1959 or 60 who then sent copy to Mr. Noble Pace, founder of the Pace Society. The following wording is missing from this version at (*), which everyone agrees was in the original: "She was the oldest girl, and her sister Mary was next." Apparently Mr. Pace overlooked this by mistake when typing this into his book. Mrs. Bell used this letter in connection with her application for membership in the Daughters of Founders and Patriots, based in the line of Richard Pace of Pace's Paines, through Richard Pace who died in 1738 in Bertie County, North Carolina.

[Beginning here, from Noble Pace's book]

COPY

To Whom it May Concern: I [Mrs. Bell] certify that the data given below is a verbatim copy of part of a letter family record which Mrs. Loula Kendall Rogers possessed in her lifetime. I copied the entire record and the little Bible records from the original which had been in our family for years. This record was dim and so torn the last time I saw it that I doubt if it is legible now. I do not know to which of her children Mrs. Rogers left the original. I do know that my copy is correct. I have photostats of the land grant to Richard Pace in 1706.

LINEAGE OF THE HOUSE OF WYNNEFORD AYCOCK AND HER HUSBAND JESSE LANE, ALL OF VIRGINIA, WRITTEN BY HERSELF

[Extract from Paragraph Six]

"My mother's maiden name was Rebecca Pace. She was born in the colony of Virginia. She was married to a Mr. William Bradford when she went to N. Car. After her father's death she married my father. I was born in _________. My grandfather Pace came to North Carolina in 1704. My grandfather was named Richard too. He lived in Virginia. Grandfather Pace had four brothers and three sisters, and all of them married and every one named one of the boys Richard because it was a family name.

Grandfather Pace spelled his name PASE some time and he died before I was born but my mother came to Chowan in Albemarle North Carolina and she told me they lived on a river near a creek in Virginia that was next to my grandmother's house. My mother was born in a county in Virginia that is where five counties meet. * Mother knew three of grandfather's brothers, Uncle Thomas, John, and George, but she never knew Uncle James, as he moved away. She said her three aunts had been to North Carolina and visited them. Aunt Elizabeth lived in the old home place but Aunt Ann and Sarah moved to North Carolina. Grandfather was Richard Pace, Jr. I married in Johnston County and came to Georgia with a colony of North Carolinians in 1784. My mother died before I came here. She had two Bradford children, John and Tabitha."

[Further comment by Mrs. Bell] The sketch from which this extract is taken was written in 1791, by Mrs. Winifred Lane for her daughter, who afterwards gave it to her sister, Winnfred. Mrs. James P. Rogers, my great grandmother and Mrs. Loula Kendall Rogers' Grandmother.

Further comment by Bruce Howard:

I knew Mr. Pace before his death and corresponded with him quite often in the '60s, I don't think he had a malicious nor contriving bone in his body. He was always very honest and straight forward and did not ever try to cover anything up. so I am satisfied he left that one sentence out purely by mistake.

You will obviously note the difference in the three letters. I believe this one to be the original and correct copy for the following reason: Notice where it says "I was born in"and then a blank space where nothing was written. At the time Winnefred Lane wrote this history of her family she was an old lady, all of her people were either dead or far removed from her, and it was rather common for a child not to know where they were born unless they thought to ask a parent at some point in their early life.

The real point is that she really did not know. We know that she was either born in Brunswick Co., VA, if the family had not moved at the time of her birth, or possibly in Bertie Precinct of Albemarle County, NC. Notice that she mentions her mother coming "to Chowan in Albemarle North Carolina and she told me..." which tells me that at some point Winnefred was living in that county when grown and her mother came to her house. It is not until the period around 1755 that she first shows up in Johnston Co., NC, where she married to Jesse Lane, if the date of their marriage is correct. The claim is made that she was born in 1741, which means she was at the tender age of 14 when she married, which I find a little hard to believe, but can't dispute it. It is a little confusing but the point is that she was near grown, if not grown, by the time she and her family came to Johnston County to live, and Wake County and Raleigh did not exist at that period.

Version 2:

[Comment by Bruce Howard]: Next is the version found in Pace Society Bulletin #6, December, 1968 issue. Mrs. Mehrkens [Pace Bulletin editor] copied the version published by Mr. Noble Pace, but as you can see, left some of it out, which was not unusual for her.

[From Pace Bulletin]:

The letter written in 1791 by Lynneford (Winnefred) Aycock, daughter of Rebecca Pace and granddaughter of Richard Pace III, is a valuable document, and its sixth paragraph is therefore quoted in full:

"My mother's name was Rebecca Pace. She was born in the colony of Virginia. She was married to a Mr. William Bradford when she went to North Carolina. After her father's death she married my father. I was born in _______. My grandfather Pace came to North Carolina in 1704. My grandfather was named Richard too. He lived in Virginia.

Grandfather Pace had four brothers and three sisters, and all of them married and every one named one of the boys Richard because it was a family name. Grandfather Pace spelled his name Pase some time and he died before I was born, but my mother came to Chowan in Albemarle, North Carolina, and she told me they lived on a river near a creek in Virginia that was next to my grandmother's house. My mother was born in a county in Virginia that is where five counties meet. She said she was the oldest girl and her sister Mary was next.

Mother knew three of Grandfather's brothers, Uncle Thomas, John and George, but she never knew Uncle James as he moved away. She had two Bradford children, John and Tabitha."

Of course, this is a memoir, and although sincerely written, it is - like all memoirs - inaccurate in some respects. It was written almost 100 years after soma of the events mentioned, and ;most of its information was second-hand, at that. Its accuracy was a bit dimmed by the passage of time. In the light of some more contemporary records our acceptance of certain statements as true must be modified.

For instance, Rebecca's first husband was John Bradford, not William. It was John to whom Richard Pace III deeded land, as he had other sons-in-law. And John Bradford's will gives his wife as Rebecca.

Other discrepancies will be considered later.

Version 3:

[Bruce Howard's comments]: This third version was published in 1966, in Southside Virginia Families, Voilume II, by Boddie. He received his information from Mrs. Barton Lane of San Antonio, Texas, who apparently decided to almost rewrite the letter to suit herself. Notice that among the many differences she added the wording "I was born within ten miles of Raleigh." For some unexplained reason a number of people have just accepted this added line as though it were true and was part of the original. She also changed the name of the first husband from William to John Bradford. We know from records of Brunswick Co., VA, that his name was John, but Winnefred did not know that when she wrote the letter history of her family and once again her mother was not around to ask about certain things, and Mrs. Barton Lane just decided to add in and change whatever she felt like changing, deviating from the original.

No one should try to make changes in or to an original document and in effect destroy the originality of the document. It furthermore will destroy your credibility. Corrections should be made as a side note to the original document, and there is no doubt Winnefred Aycock Lane made the mistake of misnaming her mother's first husband.

From SOUTHSIDE VIRGINIA FAMILIES Vol. II, John B. Boddie, 1966

Mrs Barton Lane of 1118 West Magnolia Street, San Antonio, Texas, kindly forwarded the following quotation from a letter written by Winifred Aycock:

"My mother's name was Rebecca Pace. She was born in the Colony of Virginia. She was married to John Bradford when she came to North Carolina after her husband died; she was married to my father, William Aycock.

"I was born within ten miles of Raleigh. I had two brothers, James and Richard Aycock.

"My grandfather came to North Carolina in the year 1784. Grandfather Pace's father was named Richard Pace. He lived in Virginia. Great grandfather Pace had four brothers and three sisters and all of them married and every one of them had a son named Richard because that is a family name. He spelled his name Pase sometimes. I know my mother came to Chowan in Albemarle County, North Carolina, and ;she told me that they lived on a river near a creek in Virginia that was next to her grandmother's house.

"My mother was born in a county in Virginia where five counties meet. She was the oldest girl, and her sister Mary was next. Mother knew of (great) grandfather's brothers—Uncle Thomas, John, and George , but never knew of Uncle James; he moved away. She said her Aunts had been to North Carolina and visited them. Elizabeth lived in the old home place, but Aunts Ami and Sarah moved to South Carolina. My grandfather was Richard Pace, Jr. I married and moved in Johnson County, North Carolina in 1784. My mother died before, ---here."

[Note: The above is typed from Boddie verbatim, and if parts seem strange, as for example the ending "before, --here." , it is exactly as printed in Boddie. -Roy Johnson]

[Boddie continues with the following:]

Jesse Lane with his father-in-law William Aycock and his relatives the Popes and Bradfords, moved to Wilkes County, Ga., about 1784. In 1788 he lived on Long Creek, three miles below Lexington on a large plantation which was afterwards bought by Col. Hardin. This was on the Oconee River below Athens. When Jesse came there the Indians and Tories were still troublesome. Winifred, his wife, only lived ten years after they arrived. Winifred Lane, her daughter, was only fourteen when her Mother died.

Winifred Aycock Lane was born April 11, 1741 and died Dec. 16, 1774, from pneumonia contracted when she was driven from her home by the Indians. She is buried in the "Old Cemetery" at Athens, Clark County, Ga. Her parents belonged to the Church of England of which she was also a member until converted to Methodism by the Reverends Humphries and Major.

[There is more on these two preachers and a revival they held at Jesse's home.]

Closing comments by Bruce Howard

[Picking up from his earlier comments on Mrs. Bradford and Winifred's mistake about her mother's first husband] The rest of [Winifred's] history is correct, except for one bit of romanticism. Her statement as to where her mother was born in Virginia "that is where five counties meet." There was never any such configuration of counties in Southside Virginia at any time, and that is particularly true of Charles City/Prince George County.

The statements concerning her grandfather's brothers was proven to be accurate as also the statement that her grandfather came to North Carolina in 1704. Personally, I find no fault with her letter except the matters I have pointed out. I do, however, have a problem with her date of birth, but I will leave that for someone else to straighten out if there is any interest in checking into it.