Abraham Darley Pence, Sr.

The Pences of Georgia

Absolom Pence and his brother Abraham were the first white settlers in the Mountaintown district of Gilmer County, Georgia, apparently having gone to Georgia by 1822, for all of Absolom's children were said to be born in Georgia. Absolom, Abraham, John and their monthher, Elizabeth, were all in Habersham County, Georgia, in 1830. In 1840, all except John were in Gilmer County.

Note that Cherokee County was formed partly from Habersham County in 1831 and the next year Gilmer County was formed from Cherokee County, indicating these families may not have moved after 1830 - the county lines did.

Abraham Pence, the father of Absolom, Abraham and John, was apparently born in South Carolina, probably in Pendleton District where there was an Abraham Pence enumerated in the censuses of 1800 and 1810, and married and had several children there before moving to Buncombe County, North Carolina. Abraham Pence was issued a deed in Buncombe County in 1815. There also is supposedly a land record for the son Absolom, said to have been born in South Carolina, in Buncombe County. Abraham Pence (Sr.) died in Haywood County, North Carolina, late in 1827.

He seems to be the same person as the Abraham Pence, born between 1765 and 1784, who was in the Pendleton District of South Carolina in 1800 and 1810. There was also a John Pence in Pendleton District in 1800 and 1810. Other early Pences in South Carolina were Charles, who was in Lexington District in 1800 and 1820, and Philip (1790 and later), Isaac, Isreal and Jacob (all listed in 1800 for the first time).

There is speculation that Abraham may have been the son of Charles Pence, for on 25 Feb 1793 in Columbia County, Georgia, Abraham Pence was made the administrator of the estate of Charles Pence, with John Ray and Jesse Sample as sureties. There were also notices in the Charleston, South Carolina, newspaper naming Abraham as the administrator for the estate of Charles Pence.

In 1818 in Roane County, Tennessee, an Isaac Rice left a will in which he mentions Abraham Pence. The Rice and Pence families were neighbors in Pendleton District in South Carolina, give rise to the belief that Abraham Pence's first wife was Elizabeth Rice, the daughter of Moses Rice. Members of this Rice family were also in Habersham County along with the Pences. In Buncombe County, Abraham Pence deeded land to Elizaberth Rice. It appears this could be his first wife - using her maiden name - as the deed followed an apparent divorce so he could remarry to Frances Davis (see below).

This family was particularly hard hit as a result of the Civil War. Fourteen of the grandsons of Abraham (Sr.) fought in the Confederate Army and at least five of them were killed in action or died of disease (no record on one other).

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The Children of Abraham Pence Pendleton District, SC, and Haywood County, NC

I1 ABRAHAM PENCE was born about 1770 probably in South Carolina; died in 1827 in Haywood County, North Carolina. His will was dated 6 Oct 1827 and filed - Dec 1827. He married (1) Elizabeth [%E2%80%94?%E2%80%94], possibly Rice, about 1790. They were apparently divorced as he married (2) Frances (Frankey) Davis 21 Sep 1824 in Haywood County (she was born about 1804, the daughter of William Davis; she apparently remarried to Nicholas Robert Osborne). Abraham was apparently divorced from Elizabeth and she went with some of her children to Habersham County, Georgia. Abraham Pence's will lists his wife Frankey and these children:

I11 (MARY) ANNA PENCE was born about 1791; died 21 Dec 1862; married Henry Neese (Nice) 5 Jan 1812 in South Carolina (Neese family Bible).

I12 CASSAYNDER PENCE was born about 1793; married John (?) Patterson about 1814.

I13 ABSOLOM PENCE was born about 1797 in SC; died 16 Nov 1851 in GA; married Frances _____ about 1823 (she was age 55 in Gilmer Co GA in 1860, age 76 with daughter Lucinda in 1880).

I14 ABRAHAM (DARLY) PENCE was born in 1800 in SC; died before 1860; married Lydia Triplett in 1821, possibly in Burke Co NC; to GA in 1822.

I15 JOHN PENCE was born in 1802; married Belirah Tate possibly in Habersham Co GA, where he was in 1830 with 1 male 20-30, 1 female under five and 1 20-30; was in Cherokee Co GA, where he had land dealings in the 1850s; lived Dutton, DeKalb Co AL after Civil War.

I16 MALINDA PENCE was born about 1804 probably in North Carolina; married (1) Solomon Loudermilk - Jul 1831 in Clarksville, Habersham County, Georgia (he was born in 1788 in North Carolina), (2) Robert King in 1865; she and Solomon were in Gilmer County, Georgia, in 1860 (her age given as 42 and place of birth "not known").

I17 SUSANNAH ELVIRA PENCE was born 28 Nov 1815; married Stephen W. Smith 14 Aug 1831 in Habersham County, Georgia (he was born 1 Dec 1805 in Habersham County, died 3 Jul 1871 at Clifton, Cocke County, Tennessee [from Stephen Smith Bible]).

I18 (MATILDA) CAROLINE PENCE was born about 1825; died about 1865 in Loudon, Loudon County, Tennessee; married John J. Lane 27 May 1847 in Jefferson County, Tennessee; not of age when her father's will was written; child of the second marriage.

I19 CYNTHIA A. PENCE was born about 1827 in Haywood County, North Carolina; married Solomon A. White 7 Mar 1847 in Jefferson County, Tennessee; not of age when father's will was written; child of second marriage.

I19 CYNTHIA ADALINE PENCEwas born about 1827 in Haywood Co NC; married Solomon a. White 7 Mar 1847 in Jefferson Co TN (he died 25 Aug 1884 in Buchanan Co MO, son of Charles White and Cassandra Mills); she was not of age when her father's will written; child of second marriage.