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-Nova Scotia Paces

This page deals with the line of Paces who were loyalists during the Revolutionary War and were forced to leave in 1783-84, first to St. Augustine, Florida, thence to Nova Scotia. Don Pace of Nova Scotia has researched this branch of the Pace family extensively.  He has offered to monitor this page and help with advice as needed.

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Subj: ELIZABETH PACE; DARIUS PACE Date: 96-03-12 18:36:40 EST

E-mail: MaisieAnn@aol.com (Mayann A. Ross) To: PaceNetwrk

I am interested in finding out more information about a DARIUS PACE, Loyalist, who sailed from St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1783, to Halifax, and then to Rawdon. He was listed in Nova Scotia Historical Review, 1988, in "Origins of the Rawdon Loyalist Settlement" by Carole Troxler. I want to know about his family origins in the U.S. South before he sailed to Halifax, if there is any such information. Also would like to know if he had a family in Nova Scotia after settlement. Respond to MaisieAnn@aol.com or by mail to Mayann A. Ross, 7733 Salem Drive, Hudson, OH 44236.

Do you have any information on ELIZABETH PACE, born circa 1835 in Nova Scotia, died 1870 in NS, married JOHN GEORGE lESLIE in 1854, possible daughter of a Willis Pace? E-mail MaisieAnn@aol.com

NOTE: Mayann made contact with Don and actuallay went to Nova Scotia. She found her Elizabeth Pace. Fantastic! This is how the Pace Network is supposed to work. Here is her note:

Date: 96-09-09 22:37:40 EDT

Roy: I just got back from a trip to Nova Scotia where I met a Pace family in Milford, had dinner with them, and got a copy of his book on Paces in NS. This is Donald J. Pace, who has corresponded with Bruce over James and Darius. I found my Elizabeth Pace at last...a death record that put her in a family I felt was correct. She was b. 1832, died 1870, parents Willis and Ann Pace. Appraently she was a descendant of Thomas Pace, who was a son of James Pace that left Georgia after Rev. War and headed for NS but died in Fl before reaching there. His family went, though. And if I have it correct in my mind, James was a son of Richard IV. I haven't unpacked my book yet, so am doing this from memory. Thanks for all of your help.

The following discussion between Bruce Howard and Don Pace is in regard to Mayann's query.  It contains some fascinating questions and information on this branch of the Pace family.

To: Mayann A. Ross - MaisieAnn@aol.com

From: Bruce A. Howard

The ancestor you are searching for, Darius Pace of Nova Scotia, was one of several children of James Pace and his wife, the former Aurelia Dupree. Darius and his father were loyalist, Tories, in old Georgia during the Revolutionary War. The property of the father was confiscated at the close of the war. The entire family, except one son, a cripple from birth, left Georgia aided by the British Army and went to St. Augustine, East Florida (then under British control). James took sick on board the ship from Augusta to St. Augustine and died at the latter place in early 1784. The widow and the children were transported to Nova Scotia. James Pace was the oldest son of Richard Pace and his wife, Elizabeth Cain, formerly of Northampton County, North Carolina. Richard and his large family of sons and daughters came to the Savannah River from NC during the early 1750's, and lived partly in South Carolina and partly in Georgia.

This family has been written about more than any Pace Family that I know of. Richard's grandson, Barnabus, in 1844, wrote a history of the family as he knew it, and that is available through the Pace Society. Your best ally on this family, if you have not already contacted him, is Mr. Eldon R. Pace, Box 286, Shubenacadie, N.S., Canada. BON 2HO. Eldon has been researching this family for some years now and has gathered a great deal ofinformation on them. I know enough about the early history of the family to be of help, but he knows more about the family after they arrived in Nova Scotia and can give you rather complete details concerning Darius Pace and his family, and possibly the other children of James and Aurelia Pace. I had to dig deep into my correspondence files to find his last letter and get his address, which was in 1991. I have not heard from him in several years and thought it was because he was busy searching the family. I discovered that I was at fault for the loss of communication. I never answered his last letter. I had gathered some information for him on the family but never sent it. That happens to me sometimes when I get over loaded. Contact him and if there are some things that don't add up, or you have questions, I will try to help by giving you clues and sources of information that I am aware of.

Bruce A. Howard

New information and a different point of view:

Subj: Darius Pace Family Date: 96-07-30 08:32:16 EDT

Email: pacecat@home.com

I am a Pace family genealogist who has been doing research on Nova Scotia Paces for past 14 years..I am a direct descendent of Darius Pace, and have written a book containing research which I am sure would be of interest and assistance and would clear up misconceptions concerning Darius (he was not the son but rather the brother of James). Please establish contact so we can exchange information. My EMail address is: donpace@fox.nstn.ca

Regards, Don Pace Milford, Nova Scotia

Bruce Howard to Don Pace: A few questions:

How has it been established that Darius Pace and James Pace were brothers? In the history of the Richard and Elizabeth Pace family written by Rev. Barnabus Pace in 1844, he accounted for each of his uncles, most of whom he knew personally, and those that he did not he learned about from his father, Drury Pace, and other family members. Darius Pace was not mentioned by him as an uncle, but he knew that James Pace was his uncle. In the paragraph concerning his uncle James he writes: James, his eldest son, married a French lady and raised a numerous family, especially sons, that were all grown when the revolutionary war commenced, when they all took up arms against their country, three of them bearing a commission in the British army. When peace was made, their property was all confiscated, and the old man and his boys were all compelled to leave the country, and we were never able to hear anything from the family until the year 1828. Your uncle Richard was at Augusta and saw a grandson of James Pace's, who told him that the family, on leaving the United States, went to Halifax, where they then resided, what of them were alive, many of the old ones being long since dead... He then goes on to write about his uncles and his father, namely, Silas, Charles, Dredzil, Thomas, Drury and Barnabus. He accounts for seven sons of Richard and Elizabeth Pace. I would think it very strange indeed if Darius was a son of Richard and Elizabeth and Barnabus would have no knowledge of him whatsoever. I, myself, am not the final authority on this family but am laying this before you for you to consider carefully.

Regards, Bruce-

Date: 96-08-02 08:54:28 EDT    From: pacecat@home.com  (Donald Pace)

Roy- Thank you for forwarding Bruces' response to my statement that James Sr and Darius were brothers. Please do not feel that I will be offended by someone who strives to set out the "truth", as I can be quite aggressive in this manner as well. During my early years researching my family I ran into a lot of speculation - including the James/ Darius matter. I "welcome" challenges to my work because if I'm in error, I'm the type who wants to correct that error! (My hurt feelings aside). Please forward this response to Bruce.

In July 1784, Darius Pace, my g,g,g,g,grandfather arrived in Nova Scotia along with his wife Dorothy Raines, James' wife, Aurelia Dupree and her sons, Willis, Drury and Thomas. All came from St. Augustine Florida where they had resided from 15th of July 1783 to 25th of March 1784. James had fled to Florida following the fighting (An order for his arrest was in effect (See "Proceedings of the Georgia Council of Safety"p.34 - meeting date Friday, January 12th, 1776)), I suspect, to join Darius who had established himself

(Quote from 1783 Spanish Census of Florida--"DARIO PACE: Native of Georgia, he avails, by writing, of Spanish protection to retire, he has a wife and two sons (or children) his occupation farmer, he inhabits the South bank of the St, John's River". James died in Florida and his considerable property in Georgia was confiscated. His son Willis attempted reimbursement for this property from the British Crown, and to this end produced an itemized claim on 22 November 1783; appearing before John Mills J.P. in St. Augustine. In Willis' deposition he states: "is the eldest son and one of the Heirs of the said James Pace, deceased". It is signed by Willis Pace.

Support for this claim is in the form of a deposition signed by John Fox, John Thomas and William Johnson. The claim was rejected because the family was late in filing, and after arrival in Nova Scotia, Aurelia had the case reopened. To make her case for the late filing, Darius added his deposition to those already mentioned. In this deposition it is stated: "... this deponent further saith that his deceased BROTHER (bold capitals - mine) James Pace (as beforesaid of whom he claims) ..." This claim was sworn before the Commissioners of American Claims at Halifax 13th January 1786, and is signed by Darius Pace. Note that by this date, Willis had died. This morning I dug out my copy of the original document on file PANS (AO13/26/338-342) because with old handwriting it is easy to misread, but there is no doubt..the word is "brother" not father. The fact that Barnabus does not mention Darius has always been a concern to me as well and perhaps we could pursue this matter further if you do not consider the above "sloppy research".

Kindest regards in an effort to find the truth,

Don Pace Milford Nova Scotia

To: Don Pace

From: Bruce Howard

Don, I would not consider anything you have done to this point as sloppy research. The fact is, from what I have seen of your work you have done an excellent job. However, I still have a bit of a problem with Darius Pace being the brother of James Pace, which I will attempt to explain as we go along. First, I would like to pass along a tid bit of something I learned and give a history lesson at the same time.

As you pointed out there was an arrest order issued against James Pace and other loyalists in Georgia on January 12, 1776. On January 26th he was in fact arrested and carried to Savannah under guard of two detachments of militia, "marched under command from the District of Great Ogeechee in St. Matthews Parish to Savannah." The expences of his arrest and confinement were charged against him and the other loyalist arrested at the same time. This gave the authorities, by law, the right to seize his personal property for the benefit of the Georgia troops to defray all expences. You have seen this same order but I believe you may have misinterpreted it.

At this period Georgia was still in control of the Patriot forces, but matters were soon to change. In November 1778, Sir Henry Clinton detached a strong force of his army under command of Lt. Colonel Campbell and a squadron of ships to invest Savannah, which they did. The Whig forces were under command of General Robert Howe with about nine hundred Patriots, regular army and militia. They were out manned and out gunned. Savannah was taken. Whether James and the other prisoners were liberated or whether they were moved to another location prior to the British forces arriving at Savannah I do not know. I have found nothing in the records which gives me the answer. I suspect, however, that he and any others were not allowed to run at large.

After this the theater of the war shifted to the South and continued here from 1779 until 1782 when General Washington surrounded Lord Cornwallis at little York. All active hostilities stopped at this time. The British Armies had been confined to three principle areas New York, Charleston, and Savannah. If James Pace had managed to escape or was possibly liberated, I believe he was pretty much confined to the limits of Savannah until the final peace was signed in Paris in September 1783. The reason being that all of that country above Savannah was in control of the American Armies and there is no way that he would have been allowed to run at liberty, except in Savannah.

I am satisfied, and I am sure you are too, that all of his property, real and personal, by 1782, had been taken. He and his family had nothing left to go home to and apparently he and his family had been so odious to the people of Georgia that they may have feared for their lives and fled to St. Augustine when the British Army evacuated Savannah, which is where the army went after leaving American Territory. I am convinced of certain factors, 1. that James was not serving in the regular army or with a group of Tories. He was too old to be serving in the field as a soldier. 2. He had a plantation, a wife and a cripple son at home, a tavern as well as other responsibilities that could have prevented him from serving as a soldier. 3. I believe he was aiding and abetting the Loyalists, and probably passing military information to the British from his tavern until he was arrested.

Now, here are the things that bother me about Darius. (1) I think you pointed out that his name was pronounced De Riess. Is that not a French pronunciation? If it is, why would Richard and Elizabeth, who are as English as the London Bridge, give one of their son's a French name. Yet, James married a lady of French ancestry. (2) Willis Pace, son of James, initiated the claim against the British Government for his father's property in 1783. Shortly after he arrived in Halifax in 1784, he died, as you pointed out. Then the mother takes up the claim sometime in 1785 or early 1786 while in Nova Scotia. In support of her claim Darius Pace gives a deposition in which, you state, it is stated "...this deponent further saith that his deceased brother James Pace (as beforesaid of whom he claims)..." does not make any sense to me for the following reasons, (a) what interest would Darius have in the claim of Mrs. Pace, or the estate of James Pace. (b) Why would Darius be called upon to give a deposition when Mrs. Pace had two surviving sons, either of whom could have testified to the facts. (c) the wording "as beforesaid of whom he claims"..., who is he? what claims? Is Darius claiming a part of the money in the claim on James Pace's estate?

Is it possible that a mistake was made in the document and instead of father they wrote brother? Willis is the one who initiated the claim in 1783, not James, and he died soon after arriving in Halifax before he could go to England to prosecute the claim further. Again the wording "as beforesaid of whom he claims" does not make sense if Darius is the brother of James. It only makes sense if he is a son who has an interest in the claim.

As to the Rev. Barnabus Pace not recognizing Darius as an uncle, it bothers me too. In fact it raises a big red flag in my face. If I am wrong, so be it. But, think about it.

Best regards, Bruce

Date: 96-08-04 10:24:22 EDT From: pacecat@home.com (Donald Pace)

To Bruce from Don Pace re Darius/James Thank you for your prompt and informative reply to the information I sent regarding Darius and James. Let me address the concerns you outlined. The name Darius has always been pronounced Dar----I----Us [Webmaster: another way to phoneticize this is "Dar-EYE-us"-the encyclopedia puts the accent on the second syllable.] in my family, and I am descended from four of them. Run the words together to get Darius. The name Darius first appears as a Persian name (Ancient King of Persia) and an old aunt of mine who is a bit of a Bible thumper has pointed out to me from the King James Bible that the family pronunciation is the correct one, not Dare- E--us, as it usually is pronounced. [Webmaster:  those who use this pronunciation usually accent the first syllable: DARE-ee-us] Whether or not this name is considered to be French is something I cannot comment on (I simply don't know). The question as to why Darius would take an active interest in the Pace claim becomes clear when the entire deposition is read. Sorry, I only gave the part where he swore to being James' brother. The claim was late being filed and Aurelia attempted to re-instate the claim and show she had reasons for the lateness. Thus Darius' involvement.

Let me quote further: ...and this Deponent further saith that his deceased brother James Pace (as beforesaid of whom he claims) had his account made out in November 1783 and his intention at that time was, as he informed this deponent, to have carried the same to England in person, but he was prevented by sickness, and not having any person whom he could trust, he did not think it proper to send it to England. Signed..Darius Pace.

Thus Darius' involvement was not for personal gain, but to aid his sister-in-law in her case. The claim by-the-way was still denied. There was considerable difference in the ages of Darius and James..James was the eldest son, and, I suspect, Darius the youngest. He was probably about the same age as Willis (James' eldest son). As to the involvement of the other children in the claim, Drury was only 14 yrs old, and, I believe Thomas was even younger (This I cannot swear to- and I still have it under investigation) when they came to NS. The age of Drury I have confirmed from land claims and Marriage banns which gave his age. Could the clerk have made a mistake and written brother instead of father? Of course, this is possible, but in the absence of any other "proof" other than a "feeling", I prefer to go with the documented evidence.

It is interesting to note that Drury's daughter, Mehetable b.1800, married Darius' son, George b(1795), an extremely close relationship, if Darius would have been Drury's brother. My study (documented) of the Pace family begins with James and Darius and I have the advantage of having seen documents that other Pace researchers have probably not seen, or indeed, would have been interested in looking at. As a point of interest my linage is: Darius I, Darius II, Darius III, James, Charles and Darius IV. (And through Darius' connection to James (son or brother), back to Richard I of Jamestown. I look forward to any further comments you may have in this matter. You have restored my enthusiasm in finding out about my ancestors.

Kindest Regards, Don Pace

Comment from Webmaster: I enjoy linguistics--was a Hungarian linguist with the Army Security Agency in 1957-59; speak German and a little French also. I did some checking on the name Darius. The correct pronunciation is "Dar-EYE-us", as Don has said, with the accent on the second syllable. Three kings named Darius ruled Persia; Darius III losing his kingdom to Alexander the Great. Darius is almost certainly a Latinization of the Persian name; the -ius at the end tips it off, just as the Chinese Kung Fu Tse was latinized to Confucius. Bruce's theory of French pronunciation is not too likely, as "De Riess" would not be a first name, and Riess is German, not French, although some French in the border area had German or mixed last names.

Another message from Don Pace, 9-16-96:

Roy: Before departing the Pace network (briefly, I hope), I would like to have the following passed on to Bruce Howard. I am afraid my "feet glued to the floor" attitude may have driven him off the case, and I don't want this to happen. Finding the truth is the most important thing to me. His stand has forced me to rethink this issue and revive old theories. However, I keep falling back to the same conclusion based on the "written" evidence. His comments to date have added greatly to my knowledge of the time, and I'm sure he has lots of facts tucked away that can continue to add to this senerio. If he would care to comment, it would be appreciated.

Darius and James Issue Who is Darius Pace?

This issue has bothered me ever since I began documenting the history of my family. He first appears in St. Augustine, Florida in 1782. It has always been assumed he was there from Georgia because of the Revolutionary war, but this has never been confirmed. It is documented that he was joined by James Pace's family, and that the two families eventually made their way to Nova Scotia. Was he a brother or a son of James, son of Richard IV.

Circumstantial evidence supports the latter. If he was James' brother, he was most certainly a much younger brother. This being the case why was he unknown (or at least not mentioned) by Barnabus in his letter about the family? Who were James' sons? I have documentation to support only Willis, the eldest, Drury and Thomas (the youngest). I have read of a Samuel, a cripple who stayed in America, A James Jr., who supposedly died about the same time as his father, as reported upon in Georgia newspapers, and from a source in the USA who provided me with the material on Richard I to James linage, a Philip - a total of 7 sons. However there were apparently more, as 5 sons lost their lives in the war. (Philip, James Jr., Willis, ?, ?)

Who made the claim? On file at the Nova Scotia Public Archives in Halifax is a document claiming compensation for James Pace's property that was confiscated following the revolution. It consists of a valuation of the estate (an itemized list of the articles and their value); a signed statement by Willis attesting that the property was his fathers, was not disposed of by his father, was taken by the Rebels, and that he is the eldest son and heir. ( It could appear that this is the ORIGINAL claim. It was dated 1783.); a signed statement by Messrs Thomas, Fox and Johnson swearing that the claimed value of the property was fair; and finally a signed statement by Darius in 1786, claiming for his deceased "brother James".

It does however state that his "deceased brother James Pace had his account made out in Nov 1783." It was clearly WILLIS who made the claim in Nov 1783. By the time Darius made the claim, Willis was also deceased, having died shortly after lodging the original claim. Darius, If he were Willis' brother, and clearly older than Drury and Thomas would now be the Heir. What is Aurelia's role? Why would Willis make the original claim when Aurelia (James' widow) was alive and obviously the legal heir? Why would this role pass to Darius when Aurelia was still alive? Was there a will? All the above supports Darius being the SON of James. Now for documentation... The aforementioned claim clearly states BROTHER of James. I have had others check the handwriting. No doubt about the wording!

Now for some further documentation from "land claims - PANS)

"Pace, Arelia, 1787. Her husband and sons took an active part in the late war in favour of the British Government in con. of which they were exposed to hardships and finally the husband and 5 sons lost their lives and a property to the amount of (lbs)1,600 sterling. Being prevented by sickness and distress from delivering her claim within time limited by the act of parliament for the purpose is likely to be deprived of the benefits of compensation as she was denied a hearing by the commissioners at Halifax. Came to the province in 1785 with 3 sons and 3 Negroes. The eldest of her sons being then very ill (has since died) ........ Drury Pace, her son 16, also requests a grant at Rawdon."

"Darius Pace, 1818, Petitioner emigrated to this province in 1783 as a Loyalist from Georgia..."

Now to add a bit of circumstantial evidence to the above. The sons of James (Drury and Thomas) have the name Aurelia reoccurring in subsequent female issues, and Willis, Drury and Thomas in male issue.. It (Aurelia) never appears in the Darius line, although Darius and his descendants are generous with "Richard and James" and never used Drury, Willis or Thomas as names in immediate issue.

Also an extract from "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution" by George Palmer (Meckler Publications - 1984) page 664. Pace, Darius, James and Willis of Georgia. "James Pace was a tavern keeper who owned 900 acres divided into two tracts. At the peace he was living in Florida with his brother Darius and his son Willis......". (Author's source unknown). These are the "documented" reasons for my reluctant conclusion that Darius and James are BROTHERS.

-Subj: CHARLES S. PACE Date: 96-09-08 20:09:02 EDT

From: jimp2@juno.com (Jim E Pace)

I am new at checking family tree. Seeking information on my grandfather CHARLES S. PACE . He was said to have been born in Nova Scotia in 1879. He settled in Rhode Island, and died in 1936. Married MARY I. KELLY and had two sons, ROBERT and WILLIAM F. PACE (my father) and a daughter, BERTHA I. PACE. James E. Pace

James E. Pace 37 Sheryl Circle Warwick, R.I. 02818 Ph# 401-885-1607

Note from Webmaster: I suggested that Jim Email Don Pace, in Nova Scotia, who has an extensive genealogy of Nova Scotia Paces. Results in 24 hours! Don Pace had all of the info on Jim's ancestors, plus a lot of anecdotal history and some amusing incidents. After an email exchange to get further information, Don Pace sent the following to Jim:

Jim: Your last Email has "confirmed" that we have located your ancestors. Here is some of the information I have on file.

Your g.grandfather was ROBERT THOMAS PACE (1847-?) He married Sarah Fraser 6 Jan 1874 and together they parented 11 children; Anne (stillborn); Anne (died shortly after birth); Joseph Franklyn (1874-?); Eva Nora (1876-?); Bessie (1887-?); James Herbert (1888-?); John Robert (1889-1964); Hesse Welsford Dawson (1893-1951); Mary and Sarah (dates unknown); and, of course, your grandfather, Charles Stanley. The males went on to father at least 17 children (Some I have met personally), so you have lots of "cousins" who still exist in Nova Scotia.

ROBERT was a policeman in the city of Halifax, and had a nickname "Tool-Box Bobbie". He earned this nickname from his habit of locking persons he arrested in tool boxes that were built on Halifax streets to house equipment for trolley maintenance. At the end of his shift, Robert would collect these persons from their "temporary" jail and march them to the Station-House. A picture of Robert (and his fellow policemen) exists at the Halifax Police Station.

Your gggrandfather was EBENEZER PACE (1809-1885). He was a shoemaker and lived at Haggets (now Hacketts) Cove. He was a Methodist, and a driving force behind the construction of the William Black Memorial Church in Glen Margaret. He is reputed to have had a fine singing voice, and led the choir at that church. Married Elizabeth Isenor, and is buried in the Glen Margaret Cemetery. They had 8 children: William T. (1834-1908); Elizabeth (1836-?); Mary Jane (1840-?); Robert Thomas (1847-?); Eliza Ann (1848-?); Elijah (1851-?); Matilda (1853-?) And Henrietta (1854-1916).

Your ggggrandfather was THOMAS PACE. Thomas came to Nova Scotia with his mother and two brothers from Florida in 1784. He married Mary Smith on 27 Jan 1803 at St. Pauls Church, Halifax. He had 5 children: William (1804-?); Mary Ann (1807-?); Ebenezer (1809-1885); James (1812-?) And Thomas (1814-?).

Thomas was the son of JAMES PACE and Aurelia Dupree who were forced out of Georgia following the Revolutionary War. "Tons" of information exists about this family which I will be glad to share with you if you are interested.

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