I  5403398 (Group x_x_)

1.     Reuben PIERCE, b. cir 1768 in South Carolina, d. aft 1850. He married Lavicy. Reuben is first identified on the 1809 tax digest of Jackson County, GA. Hall County, GA was created from Jackson County in 1818 and Reuben is found on the 1820 census of Hall County, GA, but he probably had not moved.
On the 1830 and 1840 census, Reuben is living in Hall County, GA, but had moved to the northern part of the county. On the 1850 census, Reuben is living in Lumpkin County, GA. He and Vicy are also found in the Hightower Baptist Church Minutes in 1850. This is the last record found for him. He had four sons:

A.     Sampson PIERCE, b. 1804 in South Carolina, d. 18 Nov 1886 in (Hall) GA, buried  in Wahoo Church Cem., (Lumpkin) GA. He married Rachel BARNES, b. 1814 in North Carolina, d. 28 Sep 1886 in (Hall) GA, buried in Wahoo Church Cem., (Lumpkin) GA.

B.    Wilson PIERCE, b. 1811 in Georgia, d. aft 1892. He married 27 Oct 1835 in (Hall) GA, Nancy BARTON, b. cir 1816 in Georgia, (daughter of Henry BARTON and Mary (Polly) THOMASON) d. aft 1880, buried in Wahoo Church Cem., (Lumpkin) GA.

C.    Andrew Jackson PIERCE, b. 16 Jul 1815 in (Hall) Georgia, d. 20 May 1892 in (Johnson) TX. He married 2 Jul 1837 in (Lumpkin) GA, Nancy ABERCROMBIE, b. 28 Apr 1820 in Georgia (daughter of John Abercrombie and Fannie Cavender), d. 28 Apr 1878 in (Johnson) TX.

D.   George W. PIERCE, b. 1810-1820, d. after 1840. He married before 1840, Mary EVANS, b. 1810-1820, (daughter of Roberts EVANS and Mahala GRAINGER).

2.     Wilson PIERCE, b. 1811 in Georgia, d. aft 1892. He married 27 Oct 1835 in (Hall) GA, Nancy BARTON, b. cir 1816 in Georgia, (daughter of Henry BARTON and Mary (Polly) THOMASON) d. aft 1880, buried in Wahoo Church Cem., (Lumpkin) GA.

3.     James Henry PIERCE, b. 11 Apr 1847 in (Hall) GA, d. 3 Mar 1903 in Muskogee (Muskogee) OK, buried in Anderson Bottoms Cemetery, Ft. Gibson, OK. He married 27 Jul 1865 in Georgia, Hulda Louisa ROBERTS, b. 8 Dec 1846 in (Union) GA, (daughter of Miles M. ROBERTS and Sarah JONES) d. 28 Oct 1918 in Checotah (McIntosh) OK, buried in Anderson Bottoms Cemetery, Ft. Gibson, OK.

4.      Perry LeRoy (Roy) PIERCE, b. 29 Mar 1887 in Lincoln (Lincoln) KS, d. 1 Apr 1966 in Palmdale (Los Angeles) CA, buried in Woodlawn Cem., Santa Monica, CA. He married 5 Apr 1906 in Checotah, Indian Territory, Lannie Mae BLAIR, b. 19 May 1889 in Fayetteville (Washington) AR, (daughter of George W. BLAIR and Amanda J. COLLINS) d. 9 Dec 1960 in West Los Angeles (Los Angeles) CA, buried in Woodlawn Cem., Santa Monica, CA.

Regarding Reuben Pierce (b. 1768 SC), several researchers had ascribed him as being the progenitor of many of the Pierce�s in Hall County, GA (and surrounding counties) � including not only our Group KK, but also the group of siblings that we refer to as Dorman Thomas� line, represented by ID xxxxxx (Group x).

I made contact with LD on the internet back in 1998.  He put me in touch with Dorman Thomas who was researching the Pierces in Hall County, GA.  After extensive research and correspondence over the next year, Dorman and I came to the conclusion that there were are least two separate groups of Pierce siblings living in northwest Hall County Georgia during the same time period, and that this Reuben Pierce could be directly connected to only one of those groups of siblings.  We both agreed that he was most likely the ancestor of my line of Pierces (which turns out to be Group 00) and not Doman�s line (Group X).  We had supposed that there was probably some connection between them a couple generations back in South Carolina.  However, the DNA has proven that there is no connection, which validates our research that these were two separate groups of Pierce siblings.

Based on the 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850 census, we can only account for Reuben Pierce having 5 sons and 1 daughter.  The 1800 and 1810 census of Georgia does not exist � however, based on tax rolls we know that Reuben Pierce was in Georgia by 1809.  Reuben was old enough that he may have been married before and had other children, but we have no evidence of that.

I am confident of my lineage back to Wilson Pierce b. 1811 GA, and LD is confident of his lineage back to Andrew Jackson Pierce b. 1815 GA.  Although we do not have conclusive proof that Reuben is that father of Wilson and Andrew J. (he is actually old enough to be their grandfather), there is a wealth of circumstantial evidence that points to a very close relationship between them (as well as with Sampson Pierce b. 1804 SC), and really no contradictory evidence.  If he is not their father, he raised them.  It also seems likely that George Washington Pierce b. 1810-1820, and Wiley Pierce b. 1806 SC were the other two males in Reuben�s household.  We have one good candidate for the female child in Reuben�s household.

So our research indicated that LD and I were descended from a common ancestor.  However, we expected to be related to other Pierces who had lived in north Georgia in the early 1800s.  When I got my DNA results and did not match to anyone, this presented a problem � was I actually a Pierce by blood?  Matching to LD was important for me.  Now I know that we have a common Pierce ancestor who was born before 1800 (my ancestor Wilson was born 1811 and LD�s ancestor Andrew J. was born 1815).  So the DNA results show that both LD and I are Pierces by blood, and that our research is good so far.  If Reuben is not the father of Wilson and Andrew J., he is either their grandfather or uncle who raised them.  But at this point I think we have to assume he is their father.

We do have connections with descendants of the Sampson Pierce line and I hope to get someone to have their DNA tested.

Also, the George Washington Pierce line has been frustrating.  We know he was married with children in 1840, but he completely disappears after that.  However, there was a simple statement in a book of a related family that his family was in Arkansas in 1891 � although no reference to the source.  Recently I have done a lot a research trying to track him down, and I believe I have now found his wife and children in Arkansas.  I have recently been in touch with a male Pierce who I believe is a descendant of this George Washington Pierce.  Now that we have our DNA match, I am going to try to get him to participate.

Dan Pierce

Glendale, CA