Joseph Leisure and Slavery

Check out How My Hopes Were Dashed to learn what I learned in Kentucky about Joseph Leisure.

"Betsy" Montgomery Leisure Protects Her Property

Check out My Genealogy Pondering to see a transcription of how Betsy Leisure protected the estate left to her by Joseph prior to her second marriage. She was a smart cookie!!

Learning As I Go

Things I recently learned and am working through: about Joseph Leisure/Leasure/Lasure

More About Rachel (Leisure) Pierce

In my previous post for a Surname Saturday , I raised some questions about Rachel (Leisure) Pierce. Since my journey to Garrard County, Kentucky, I've learned a bit more and am happy to share.

What I know about Rachel Leisure:

• Rachel Leasure married Alfred Pierce in Garrard County, Kentucky on 12 Feb 1824.[i]
• Rachel Pearce is named as daughter and heir in Joseph Lasure will written Oct 1835 and probated in July Court 1838.[ii]
• Rachael Pearce is found in the 1850 census in the 1^st division in Garrard County, Kentucky. She is listed as age 41 with $40 value of real estate. With her are most probably her children; Will H age 24, Almira J age 22, and Amanda G age 16. There is no indication of marital status but most likely Alfred died sometime after 1834 and before 1838.[iii]
• R. R. Pierce is found in the 1860 census in the Lancaster post office area, Garrard County, Kentucky. She is listed as age 50. She is living in the David Baker household. (“Mandy” aka Amanda Pearce married David Baker 21 Apr 1851 in Garrard County according to Family Search database Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979, Index; Indexing project MO1079-7; source film 183256; reference 1040 p55).[iv]
• Rachel R Pierce is found in the 1870 census in Lancaster District No. 3, Garrard County, Kentucky. She is listed as age 58 with $325 value of real estate. With her is the Benjamin Waldrige family. (Almira Jane Pearce married Benjamin Worlledge [sic] 15 Oct 1857 in Garrard County according to Family Search database Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979, Index; Indexing project M01079-9; source film 183256; reference V7 p259.).[v]
• Rachael Pearce is found in the 1880 census in Brandy Springs Precinct #1, Garrard County, Kentucky. She is listed as age 75, living alone.[vi]

Based on the ages listed in the census records Rachel was born between 1805 and 1812. Because of the age of her father and probable age of her mother, Rachel, I’m inclined to believe the earlier dates. But then again, Rachel is listed in all the census records as being born in Kentucky. If that is true, then the 1809-1812 dates are more likely as one of her brothers was married in Virginia in the 1804 which places the family still in Virginia at that time and the first records for Joseph in Garrard County is the 1810 census.

I haven’t found a death record for Rachel yet but at least I know she died after 1880.

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[i] Marriage License Register, Alfred Pierce and Rachel Leisure, Box 6, bond 1567; Bond and license issued 12 Feb 1824

[ii] Garrard County, KY Will book 1, #391. “Item, at the death of myself and wife [Elizabeth], I give and bequeath my land on which I now live to my daughter, Rachel Pearce, to her own proper use and behold forever.”

[iii] 1850 U.S. census, Garrard County, Kentucky, population schedule, 1^st District, page 252A, dwelling 755, family 796, Rachael Pearce household; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Nov 2012); from National Archives microfilm M432, roll 201.

[iv] 1860 U.S. census, Garrard County, Kentucky, population schedule, , page 44, dwelling 291, family 285, David Baker household; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Nov 2012); from National Archives microfilm M653, roll 368.

[v] 1870 U.S. census, Garrard County, Kentucky, population schedule, Lancaster District No. 3, page 419, dwelling 278, family 277, Rachel R Pierce household; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Nov 2012); from National Archives microfilm M593, roll 463.

[vi] 1880 U.S. census, Garrard County, Kentucky, population schedule, Brandy Springs Precinct #1, ED 45, stamped page 551, dwelling 1, family 1, Rachael Pearce household; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 Nov 2012); from National Archives microfilm T9, roll 415.

Garrard County Kentucky - 1st Install

Well, I’m back from our quick trip to Garrard County, Kentucky where our Leisure family spent many years. I gleaned some new and interesting information as well as confirming other data while searching the files and records found in the local library, the historical society, and the courthouse in Lancaster. There is too much to tell about in one post so as I organize and review everything, I try to pass along the most interesting (to me) and pertinent data to you in small bits.

We spent many hours in the land records. My goal was to find Joseph’s deeds and I think I did find his first purchase; at least it is the oldest deed recorded in Garrard County for him. Because the land in Kentucky was recorded by metes and bounds it’s a bit difficult (again for me) to determine exactly where things are located. To give you an idea, the land description as best I can decipher goes like this:

Garrard County Deed Book G, pages 124, 125
Tyrus Harris to Joseph Leasure for $225.00 – 46 ½ acres
Land Description:
…on the waters of Sugar Creek…bounded as follows {to wit}
Beginning at a white oak and dogwood on Adams line thence N 90 poles to a buckeye and Ironwood on a branch thence up the same with it meander N80 ^o East 16 poles, S60 ^o East 55 poles, South 50 ^o East 26 poles, South 87 ^o East 34 to two white walnuts at the mouth of a small branch thence up the same S17 ^o East 18 poles to a buckeye and white walnut on said branch thence division line made by T Harris and Mr. Adams, S62 ^o W36 poles to a hickory thence said line S70 ^o W47 poles to a buck thence W42 poles to the Beginning.

As far as I can tell that looks something like this:

Our Nathan also purchased land which I’ll share with you another time.

Another interesting find was the 2^nd marriage of Elizabeth Montgomery who was our Joseph’s second wife and how she protected her inheritance from her new husband. Joseph died in 1838 and his will was very specific; Elizabeth remarried in 1842 but not before she put all the land and personal property in trust!

More later, Becky