John Buce (abt. 1775 - bef. 1855)

Born about 1775 in Province of North Carolina

Descendants

Died before 10 Apr 1855 before about age 80 in Tallapoosa, Alabama, United States

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Biography

John Buce was born about 1775 in North Carolina. He married a woman named Rutha. ^[1]

The Buces likely lived in Clarke County, Georgia in 1815, when a "John Buse" first appears in Captain Funderburgh's District tax list. William "Poach" owned land and paid taxes in the district, and his son Sherrod married John's daughter, Celia, in 1816. ^[2] Captain Funderburgh's District was likely renamed to Captain Oliver's District, where John Buce paid taxes on 150 acres in 1816, but he was not listed in 1817. ^[3] Captain Conner led the district in 1818, and there was a John "Bruce" who paid taxes on 50 acres. ^[4] Clarke County's 1815 and 1818 tax rolls both contain an additional entry for "John Bruce," in Captain Boothe's and Captain Deane's Districts, respectively. ^{[5] [6]} It is common for individuals to be listed multiple times in these tax rolls, as each line refers to a parcel of land and associated property. "John Bruce" headed a Clarke County household in the 1820 Census that included an adult woman aged between 26 and 45 years, two girls between the age of 10 and 15, and five children under the age of ten (two boys and three girls). ^[7] It is possible that all of the aforementioned records pertain to a single man in Clarke County, and an examination of local deeds and court records from this era may shed further light.

By 1830 the Buces moved to Meriwether County, Georgia, where he purchased 150 acres from William Smith in 1834. ^{[8] [9]} John deeded this property back to William Smith on July 13th, 1837. On that same day, John purchased 152 and a half acres from William Smith (of DeKalb County, Georgia). ^[10] It is unclear if these two transactions represent different William Smiths, or if one (or both) of these men were John's son-in-law (husband of Frances Buce).

A few months earlier, the federal government started selling public lands in Tallapoosa County, and John was the first to purchase a parcel in Township 20 Range 22 Section 15. He purchased a quarter section at Township 20 Range 22 Section 15 for $1.25 per acre ^[11]

The Buces moved to their Tallapoosa land by 1840, but John maintained connections to in Meriwether as he administered the estate of Powell Ward into the new decade. ^{[12] [13]}

In 1847 John purchased an adjacent parcel in Tallapoosa County from William Smith (almost certainly his son-in-law). ^{[1] [14]}

Research Notes

• Lineage - Despite the prevalence of Ambrose Bruce listed as John's father on Ancestry.com trees, no evidence has surfaced to support this theory.

• Birthdate - Both the 1830 and 1840 Census list John as being between 50 and 60 years old in the 1830 Census, indicating a birth range of 1769 and 1790. The 1850 Census provides his specific age as 75 years old, suggesting a year of birth between 1774 and 1775.^[1]

• Marriage - John and Ruth (Smith) Buce's oldest known child was Celia, who was born around 1799 in Georgia. No marriage record has been located. A third great grandson of John and Ruth claimed that they were married in 1792.^[15]

• Tallapoosa County - A 1982 newspaper article mentions that John Buce came to Tallapoosa County from Meriweather County, Georgia on 19 November 1836 with rights to 160 acres south of Dadeville but north of Union Community.^[15]

• Speaks of a Thomas, Elizabeth and John Buce in the COURT CASE OF JOHN EATON AGAINST ELIZABETH BURT Extract from York County Virginia Deeds, Orders Wills, etc # 9, Part 2 (1691-1694) compiled by: John Frederick Dorman 1977 Beginning on page 4 thereof: 26 September 1692 http://linda_walker999.tripod.com/aqwn24.htm Possible relatives of John Buce of 1780?

• Death - John formalized his last will and testament on February 12th, 1853, in which he named Ruth his sole executrix, and the document was probated on April 9th, 1855, providing roughly a 26-month window for when his death occured.^[16]

Slaves

• Curry - Sold to Robert Patillo in 1856 during the liquidation of the Buce estate.
• Matilda "Tildy" - Sold to Celia (Buce) Porch in 1856 during the liquidation of the Buce estate.

Land Records

• Federal Land Grant in Tallapoosa County, AL - The NE 1/4 of Section 15 in Township 20 of Range 22 in the district of lands subject to sale at Montgomery, Alabama, containing 160.125 acres.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch Household of John Burr, Alabama > Tallapoosa > Tallapoosa county > image 106 of 278; citing NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900", database, FamilySearch John Buse, Captain Funderburk's District, Clarke County, Georgia, 1815.
3. ↑ "Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900", database, FamilySearch John Buce, Captain Oliver's District, Clarke County, Georgia, 1816.
4. ↑ "Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900", database, FamilySearch John Bruce, Captain Conner's District, Clarke County, Georgia, 1818.
5. ↑ "Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900", database, FamilySearch John Bruce, Captain Boothe's District, Clarke County, Georgia, 1815.
6. ↑ "Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900", database, FamilySearch John Bruce, Captain Deane's District, Clarke County, Georgia, 1818.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch Household of John Bruce, Georgia > Clarke > Salem > image 7 of 15; citing NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch Household f John Buce, Georgia > Meriwether > Not Stated > image 30 of 44; citing NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
9. ↑ Meriwether County, Georgia Deeds and Mortgages, Book C, 1833-1835, page 186, William Smith deed to John Buce, filed on 31 March 1834, accessed online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRB-137H-8?i=116&cat=234242 on 07 February 2023.
10. ↑ Meriwether County, Georgia Deeds and Mortgages, Book E, 1836-1837, pages 326-328, William Smith and John Buce Deeds, filed on 20 July 1837, accessed online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRB-197M-D?i=183&cat=234242 on 07 February 2023.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} US. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, John Buce Land Patent, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Document No. 5575, issued on 05 August 1837, accessed online at https://glorecords.blm.gov/ on 07 February 2023. John Buce Land Entry File ordered from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, digital copy in the possession of Wesley Miller (2023).
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch Household of John Buce Sr., Alabama > Tallapoosa > Not Stated > image 14 of 63; citing NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
13. ↑ Meriwether County, Georgia, Court of Ordinary, Inventories - Appraisements - Returns - Sales Book A, John Buce's return of Powell Ward's estate, 10 September 1840, accessed online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93T-87WX?i=260&cc=1999178&cat=270952 on 07 February 2023.
14. ↑ Tallapoosa County, Alabama Deed Record E, pages 328-329, William Smith deed to John Buce Senior, filed on 01 December 1847, accessed online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSB4-Y9BF-G?i=179&cat=78210 on 07 February 2023.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} The John Buce Family Homesteaded Here in 1836, Alexander City Outlook, Alexander City, Alabama, 07 January 1982, page 4, accessed online at https://www.newspapers.com/image/1017764461/ on 15 December 2023.
16. ↑ John Buce Will, Tallapoosa County, Alabama Will Book 1, p. 103, accessed online at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9V2-SWSY?i=114&cat=78207 on 16 November 2020, transcription available at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Transcribed_Will_of_John_Buce.

• WikiTree profile Buce-2 created through the import of 10_s family tree.ged on Jun 23, 2011 by Tenielle Hoefener. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Tenielle and others.

• Ancestry.com "1790 United States Federal Census" [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1790; Census Place: Anson, North Carolina; Series: M637; Roll: 7; Page: 199; Image: 455; Family History Library Film: 0568147 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5058/images/4440913_00455?pId=168377

• Ancestry.com. U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Township Plats of Selected States; Series #: T1234; Roll: 1 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2179/images/30656_100072-00125?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=137070

• Ancestry.com. Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Tallapoosa County, Alabama Estate Records; Author: Tallapoosa County (Alabama). Judge of Probate; Probate Place: Tallapoosa, Alabama https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8799/images/007652125_00591?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=3473508