Benjamin Pearce [Pearce-8007], my gg-grandfather, is my brick wall for the week and in perpetuo, apparently. He was born in Tennessee around 1810 and died before October 1850, possibly in Benton County, Tennessee, but also possibly in Ouachita County, Arkansas. His father remains somewhat elusive, but I hope to untangle that at some point.
When I first began working on this side of the family, all I knew for certain was that he was a "Mr. Pearce", although some thoughtful individual in the Panola County Texas Genealogical Society had thought his name was "Benjamin".
Sometime before 16 July 1850, Talitha Herrin Pearce (b. ca. 1815, Tennessee) arrived in Panola County, Texas with six children in tow and settled beside her father and mother, Lemuel and Mary Herrin and near her brother, Gresham. Lemuel's will, dated 16 July 1850, stated, "I nominate and approve Gresham Herrin and William M. Herrin, my sons, executors to this my last will without giving security and to furnish Talitha Pearce a home of one hundred and fifty acres of land with a house as she is a widow and without a home furnished." And, in the 1850 census for Panola County, conducted on 7 October 1850, "Tabitha" is listed as a widow. Lemuel did not die in July 1850, but recovered from the serious illness that must have prompted him to make his will [He died 2 years later in 1852]. Talitha soon joined the church her father started, Macedonia Baptist. Talitha's name appeared in the Panola County Tax lists from 1856 until 1860; Benjamin's name never appears.
Because census records for Talitha and the children have been remarkably consistent in indicating Tennessee as their place of birth and the children's father's place of birth and because I knew where Talitha's family had been before arriving in Texas, I started my search for Benjamin (name ultimately confirmed by son Will Houston's death certificate) in Benton County, Tennessee.
Benjamin Pearce (age 30- under 40) is listed in the 1840 US Federal Census for Benton County, living near John Pearce (age 50- under 60) and L[orenzo] D[ow] Pearce (age 30- under 40). Among his household were 2 males under 5 (sons, John Lemuel, b. 1838 and Will Houston, b. 1839-40); 2 males 5- under 10 (son Lorenzo D., b. 1835, and an unknown son); 1 female aged 5-under 10 (Mary Ann, b. 1834); 1 female 20- under 30 (Talitha). He is listed in the Benton County Tax Rolls for 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1842, and 1844. [The 1844 tax records were heavily damaged, but a transcript was made of the parts that survived, and Benjamin miraculously appeared on the first page.]
And then Benjamin disappears – or does he? His brother, Lorenzo Dow appears in the 1850 US Census for Ouachita County Arkansas (date of census, 27 December 1850). Benjamin does not. But, a "Benjamin W. Pearce" – as I discovered just this week – bought several tracks of land in what would become Nevada County, Arkansas. On the 1 May 1845, Benjamin W. Pearce was living in Union County, AR when he bought 3 parcels of land; on 1 September 1846, now living in Washita [sic] County, AR, he bought 2 more parcels, including one with a "John H. Pearce." Then on the "thrice" day of April 1850, he bought one more parcel.
But, I am unable to confirm if this is [our] Benjamin, even though two of his brothers ended up in Ouachita County. All of the records for Ouachita County from its founding in 1842 from Union County to 1875 were destroyed in a fire. The brick wall re-emerges.
If any one has any thoughts on what to do or where to go next, I'd love to hear them.