This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Pierce, Rucker Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/xUB.2ACE/1751.2174.2194.1 Message Board Post: This last information cannot be. Francis Pierce of Wilkes Co. ended up in Cumberland Co., where he left a detailed description of his life in his application for a Rev. War Pension. He states he was born in Aug 1760, whereas James Pierce is not nearly old enough to have fathered him. His son (or daughter) Francis is not the same as the Rev. War veteran. Furthermore, the date of James Pierce's will, often given as 1778, is erroneous. His will was probated in 1818 (Brad Pierce looked at the original), so James is not in the same generation as Elizabeth Rucker. The actual husband of Elizabeth Rucker is William Pierce, and they are the most probably the parents of James Pierce. That William Pierce married Eliz Rucker is shown by his close proximity to her when they were of marrying age (he appears in many deeds with Ruckers, apparently living adjacent to them), and also that when died in 1760, his estate was administered by Thomas Rucker, the brother of Elizabeth. An estate is usually administered by kin. For Francis' actual father, a 1783 deed in Orange Co. shows Isaac Pierce and wife Ann giving 100 acres to Francis Pierce in "consideration of their natural love" - that pretty much indicates that he is their son. But finally, a 1791 deed in Orange Co., VA has Francis Pierce and wife Elizabeth of Wilkes Co., NC giving land in Orange Co., VA "whereon Ann Pierce my said mother now lives" to Mary Pierce (Francis' sister). The William Pierce/Elizabeth Rucker line (my line) has some peculiar dna that is quite different than many other Pierces (such as all the New England ones, ones in NC and TN and even the ones in Isle of Wight Co., VA), so it may be easy to show that the the Francis Pierce/Isaac Pierce line is related, possibly one generation up from the William line. There is an Abraham/Ambrose Pierce in Orange Co. as early as 1735 who was a miller for the father-in-law of William Pierce's son (also named William), but how he is related to William Pierce is unknown at present. If a male descendent of Francis wants to step forward and donate cheek cells, see Brad Pierce's Southern Pierce DNA site.