The Pearce family can prove elusive as you must be creative in how you search records: Pearce, Peirce, Peirse, Pierce, Pierse, Pears, Parse, just to name a few. Then throw in the given name "Lazarus" which seems like it would be exclusive, but you find many Lazarus Pearces alive at the same time in the same locality....

1. Captain Edmund Pearce, (16?? - 1710)

The link between Captain Edmund and the next Edmund is not proven by documentation at this time, but by locality alone. More work needs to be done to make this link a positive or negative certainty.

In 1700 Edmund witnessed the will of James Polluck in Chowan Precinct, NC. Edmund married to Sarah BLOUNT, daughter of Thomas BLOUNT who wrote his will in SEP 1701 and named a daughter Sarah Pearce.

Edmund had several deeds relating to land lots in Bath Town from 1702 to 1708. Edmund died before 6 NOV 1710 when Sarah, relict of Edmund, deceased is mentioned in a deed.

The probable child of Edmund and Sarah Pearce was:

1. Edmund Pearce - see the next section.

2. Edmund Lazarus Pearce, (~169? - 1768)

Most researchers call this man Edmund Lazarus Pearce, but I have only seen his name in records as Edmund Pearce. I have no idea where the middle name came from, but have used it here for clarity.

The first record of Edmund Pearce is the 1719 Beaufort County, NC deed where he sold 120 acres of land to Thomas Tyson. The land adjoined George HILL.

Edmund Pearce married Rachel, perhaps the daughter of George HILL. George had been Edmund's neighbor and names his daughter Rachel in his 1722 will. The marriage would have happened after this date. Also, Edmund Pearce had many dealings with the sons of George Hill, so perhaps they were his brothers-in-law.

Edmund wrote his will on 7 MAR 1758 in Beaufort County. Some people report that Edmund Pearce died in DEC 1761. The will of Edmund Pearce began probate in SEP 1768.

The children of Lazarus and Rachel Pearce were:

1. Edmund Pearce, (RevWar) - bc. 1720 Beaufort County, NC d. 1787. He was father of Benjamin Franklin Pearce.
2. Lazarus Pearce - see the next section.
3. Sarah Pearce - bc. 1724 m. Jacob JOHNSON (b. 1719 d. 1804/06), and had nine children: Frederick, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary May, Ann, Hannah, Winnifred, Jacob Jr., and a daughter.
4. Joshua Pearce - b. before 1732, does not appear to have married and had children.
5. Thomas Pearce - b. before 1735, m. Elizabeth and was parent of Bazzel, Winnifred, Thomas Jr., Lavinia, Rachel, and Jemima. He died after 10 MAY 1777.
6. Rachel Pearce - b. before 1737 d. before 13 JUN 1765 in Beaufort County, NC.
7. Mary Pearce - m. Mr. WORSLEY before 1 MAR 1758.
8. Benjamin Pearce - b. before 1737, m. Mary RUSSELL. They were parents of 7 children: Courtny, Sucky, Barbara, Edmond, Hollin, and Catherine. Benjamin died about 1784.
9. Hezekiah Pearce - b. before 1737, he may have married Becky. Hezekiah was father of: Olive, Rachael, Polly Ann, and John.
10. Joseph Pearce - b. before 1737, it is not known if he married and had children.

3. Lazarus Pearce, (???? - before 1789)

Lazarus Pearce first appears in records listed as holding adjoining land in a 20 MAR 1744/45 deed in Craven County, NC.

Lazarus Pearce married to Ann, surname unknown.

On 11 APR 1760 Lazarus Pearce wrote his will. His estate papers were not settled until 27 AUG 1789, with no real indication of when between the two dates that he died.

The children of Lazarus and Ann Pearce were:

1. John Pearce - d. before 27 AUG 1789 in Craven County, NC. Though it is not known who John married, he was father to one son, Lazarus.
2. James Pearce - married Amie NORTON, he died MAR 1793 in Craven County, NC. Their only child was Ann Pearce.
3. Edmund Pearce - see the next section.
4. Ephraim Pearce - m. 1 JUL 1788 to Susanna WILLIS, he died before 2 JUL 1791 in Craven County, NC. They were parents of Mary and Ephraim.
5. Mary Pearce - m. Francis WILLIS, she died after SEP 1805. It is not known if they had children.
6. Elizabeth Pearce - m. 31 MAY 1785 to William SURLES, she died after SEP 1805. It is not known if they had children.
7. Sarah Pearce - m. 28 JUL 1792 to John HARRIS, she died before SEP 1805. The estate papers of Sarah Pearce Harris are invaluable in researching this family. Sarah died without children of her own. She named as her next of kin her siblings: John, James, Edmund, and Ephraim Pearce, Mary WILLIS, and Elizabeth SEARLS. She also named the heirs of her deceased siblings: Lazarus, son of John dec'd; Anne daughter of James dec'd; Anne STILLY, Rebecca HILL, Elizabeth GATLIN, Lazarus, James, John, and Jacob children of Edmund dec'd.

4. Edmund Pearce, (???? - before 1789)

There are many land record for Edmund Pearce during the lifetime of this man. One must sort through the records to determine, if possible, which belong to this man, and which to his uncle Edmund. I know that he was married to Mary, surname unknown.

I have not found a will for Edmund Pearce, but his estate went to probate on 9 JUN 1789 in Craven County, NC.

The children of Edmund and Mary Pearce were:

1. Jacob Pearce - b. 1760-1770 in NC, married to Sarah and had at least 3 children: Elizabeth, Elias, and Wiley. Jacob and his family moved to Georgia where he died before 4 NOV 1835.
2. Elizabeth "Betsey" Pearce - b. before 1769 in NC, m. 17 FEB 1784 to James Gilbert GATLIN and had at last three children: Ann Elizabeth, Sidney, and Mary Ernel. Betsey Gatlin died before 4 NOV 1835.
3. Rebecca Pearce - b. before 1772, m. 28 NOV 1793 to Francis HILL, she lived until at least 1835.
4. John Pearce - bc. 1774-1776 in NC, it is not known who he married. John was the father of Jacob Winton Pearce. John lived in Greene County, GA by 1797, and in Twiggs County, GA by 1826. He died before 4 NOV 1835 in Houston County, GA. On that date, the remaining brothers and sister of John, Lazarus Pearce, James Pearce, and Rebecca Hill relinquished their rights to land in favor of Jacob Winton Pearce, son of the late John Pearce.
5. Lazarus Pearce - see the next section.
6. James Pearce - bc. 1774-1784 in NC. He may have been the father of Theophilus Pearce. James moved to Twiggs County, GA by 1826 and died sometime after 1835.
7. Anne Pearce - b. before 1784, m. Mr. STILLY before 1805 and died before 4 NOV 1835.

5. Lazarus Pearce, (c 1774 - before 1837)

Lazarus Pearce was born between 1774 and 1780. He served in the Greene County, GA militia sometime before 1815, and sold land in Greene County, GA to Benjamin Pearce in 1798. I am not certain exactly when Lazarus Pearce left NC for GA.

On 4 FEB 1803 Lazarus Pearce married Mary SMITH in Greene County, GA. I cannot find parents for her.

Lazarus Pearce bought and sold land fairly frequently in Greene County from 1798 until 1817, then he begins appearing in Twiggs County records. Unfortunately, Twiggs County, GA has almost no early records left, the courthouse having been decimated by fire on more than one occasion.

Sometime between 1818 and 1827 Lazarus Pearce married to Margaret HOWELL, the daughter of Hezekiah HOWELL and Rachel PARKER.

Lazarus Pearce died sometime between 4 AUG 1836 and 6 JUN 1837. On that latter date Edmond Pearce and Margaret Pearce applied for Letters of Administration on the estate of Lazarus Pearce. This means that he died without a will.

On 4 FEB 1839, James HOWELL, son-in-law to Lazarus Pearce, was appointed as guardian of the three youngest children of Lazarus Pearce. These boys were both brothers-in-law and nephews of James HOWELL because he was brother to their mother Margaret, and husband to their half-sister Elizabeth.

Following the death of her husband, Margaret Howell Pearce married to Thomas DOZIER. He had helped her administrate her late husband's estate. She died sometime before 30 OCT 1849 in Twiggs County, GA.

The children of Lazarus Pearce and Mary Smith were:

1. Edmund Pearce - bc 1800, m. Amanda F. BELCHER and had 3 children: Robert Newton Pearce, a son, and a daughter. Edmund Pearce died near Benton, Yazoo County, MS.
2. Elizabeth Pearce - see the next section.
3. Daughter Pearce - b. 1815-1820
4. Daughter Pearce - b. 1815-1820

The children of Lazarus Pearce and Margaret Howell were:

1. Lovick A. Pearce - bc 1827, d. before 1870 Macon County, GA. He married Susan C.
2. Reddick Pearce - bc. 1829
3. John Luther Pearce - bc 1836.

6. Elizabeth Pearce, (1810-1878)

Elizabeth Pearce was born 10 OCT 1810 in Greene County, GA. On 14 JAN 1830 she married James Howell in Twiggs County. Soon afterwards, they moved to Sumter County, GA and raised their family there.