Author's Note
"PETTY SHORE, Letters From James" was assembled in an attempt to give face and voice to a historically overlooked people and period in time.
Much has been written in the South about the Civil War from the viewpoint of the slave-owners and the slaves. Very little attention has been paid to another segment of the population ~ the Southern "poor whites," particularly those living at the front lines in the long, terrible war.
This work attempts to remedy some of that oversight.
"Farm Boys," "Prologue," "April 13 1864," "EPILOGUE," "After" and the remainder of the Appendix are a combination of text by James David Pearce (grandson of Isaac Pierce/Pearce) and information assembled by various relatives from county, state and national records. Special thanks are due to Frank Pearce, another grandson of Isaac, and Charlotte Askew Smith, a great-granddaughter of Isaac.
The "letters" from James were written by James David Pearce in January 2000, and no claim is made that they are literally factual.
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Farm Boys
1860 Census, Hertford County, N.C.
HOUSEHOLD 774:
Job Pierce, 27, male, son of Lucretia and Jesse Pierce (deceased), brother of Cincinnatus, Isaac, James and Abigail.
Priscilla Pierce, 18, female, wife of Job.
Isaac Pierce, 17, male, son of Lucretia and Jesse, brother of Cincinnatus, Job, James, Abigail.
S. C. Sanders, 13, female, relationship unknown.
J. C. Heastr (?), 7, male, relationship unknown.
HOUSEHOLD 679:
Elizabeth (unreadable), 45, female, (probably "Stallings" or "Stratton"), mother of Isaac Thomas Pierce.
Sarah Pierce, 27, female, relationship unknown.
Mary Pierce, 11, female, relationship unknown.
Isaac Thomas Pierce, 18, male, son of "E. Stallings" or "Stratton," nephew of Jesse
Martha Lowe, 17, female, relationship unknown.
HOUSEHOLD 507:
Cit Pierce, 29, male; (Cincinnatus), son of Lucretia Eure Pierce and Jesse Pierce (deceased).
Milly Pierce, 32, female, first wife of Cit.
Martha Pierce, 9, female, daughter of Cit and Milly.
Danny Pierce, 7, male (may be "Dausey"), son of Cit and Milly.
Adolphus Pierce, 5, male, son of Cit and Milly.
A. J. Pierce, 3; (Albert), son of Cit and Milly.
M. C. Pierce, 1, female, daughter of Cit and Milly.
HOUSEHOLD 890:
Adolphus Askew, 32, male, second husband of Lucretia Eure Pierce Askew.
L. Askew, 50, female (Lucretia, Creecy), mother of Cit, Job, Isaac, James, Abigail Pierce.
Abigail Pierce, 19, female, daughter of Lucretia and Jesse, sister of Cit, Job, Isaac, James.
James Pierce, 14, male, son of Lucretia and Jesse, brother of Cit, Job, Isaac, Abigail.
Margaret Powell, 13, female, relationship unknown.
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The name is spelled "Pierce" here for purposes of clarity. In the actual census listings, the spelling "Pearce" also is used, sometimes even within the same household.
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