Joseph Rice ^118,119,120

  Research Notes:

He is listed in the 1830 census, Buncumbe Co., North Carolina, page 236, 9th name from the bottom: Listed are: 1-male (60-70, himself), and 1-female (60-70, his wife). On the same page is George Rice: 2-males (under 5), 1-male (20-30, himself), and 1-female (20-30, his wife). George is probably his son.

Possible grandparents of Joseph Atlas Rice.

I did some more research on Rices in general in North Carolina, where we know that Atlas was born. None of the following is for certain, but does require research. We know from the 1850 census in Newton Co., GA that Atlas Rice was 38; census data is mostly accurate, but typically if the age isn't correct then it will be from 1-2 years more than the census data, but never younger. Atlas was 38 in 1850, or maybe 39, and possibly 40, but not younger than 38. Thus, he was born between 1810 and 1812. It also clearly showed that he was born in North Carolina.

Staying with another possibility that Joseph Rice & Mary Prince Payne could be his parents. I had put that away at one time because of the James Rice in Gate Co., NC who was born in about 1821/22 because he was too young to be Joseph's son. I can't explain why I didn't note that Atlas was 38 in 1850, but it seems that I defaulted to Gates County as his source and simply overlooked it.

Now Joseph Rice appears in the 1850 census in Buncombe Co., NC, and that's the same place he lived since leaving Virginia. There is no other Joseph Rice, and the 1850 census clearly shows him born in Virginia. In 1850, he is 89, and is probably living the household of a widowed daughter. That doesn't tell us much except that he tracks back to the same Joseph Rice that married Mary Prince Payne in Henry Co., Virginia.

In the 1840 census, Joseph & Mary are still in Buncombe Co., and they are living alone. Also listed about them (clustered together) are Wm., and Ja. Rice. The J could be an L, but other Js and Ls on the same page confirm that it is Ja.; I don't like that it's a small "a" but that's another matter for the moment, but it could stand for James instead of J.A. as I suspect it may be. However, there is no James or J.A. Rice in Buncombe Co., NC in the 1850 census, so whoever it was has moved away from Buncombe. This Ja. Rice is listed as 20-29 years old, and living with him is a female, age 20-29, and presumably his wife, but no children.

In the 1850 census for Buncombe County, there are many more Rices there (presumably descendants of Joseph), but none who are even close to the right age group for the Ja. Rice of 1840. Thus, Ja. Rice as definitely move from Buncombe County. A search of all of NC for 1850 for J Rice + soundex didn't yield any one what might be Ja. Rice born about 1810-1812 (no one even close). People can be overlooked in a census, but barring that possibility, it appears that Ja. Rice has moved from NC before the 1850 census.

In the 1830 census for Buncombe County, Joseph & Mary are still there and living alone. There are three other Rice families in the county. George Rice is under 20, and appears to be married, with two small male children at home. However, he is listed on the same page as Joseph Rice, but 10 houses away. Joseph M. Rice is under 20, and also appears to be married with two small children (1 male & 1 female). William Rice age 30-39 with 4 males under 15 and 2 females under 10 and his wife. Obviously, none of these can be the Ja. Rice from 1840 because they have no children in 1840 unless per chance their children died prior to the 1840 census; and the names aren't close. Thus, either Ja. Rice just moved into Buncombe County between the 1830 & 1840 census, or he launched out on his own at the time of the 1830 census.

Tracking down Ja. Rice. Interestingly, James Rice is listed as HOH in the 1830 census, Newton Co., GA. This is the same county where Atlas Rice shows up in 1850. This James is married and has no children (this matches the same status from the 1840 census). Oddly, they had no children through the 1830 & 1840 census, and then none in 1850. This is very unusual, and since it's believed that Atlas married Adaline in 1849/1850 and they started having children (at least 9 by 1867), I highly suspect that Atlas was married previous to Adaline. Maybe they divorced because she couldn't have children, but that isn't likely because of the times, so I suspect that his first wife may have died. It fits that she wife may have gotten ill with some progressive illness and that would explain why he moved back to North Carolina because his first wife would have been born there. After she died, he then returned to Georgia where he met Adaline and finally began a family in Georgia before heading out to Alabama in about 1859.

Lastly, and the only part that doesn't mesh with the rest is Joseph Rice. He is listed in the 1820 census, again in Buncombe Co., NC. He has 2 males under 20, his wife, and an older woman (probably his or his wife's mother). The problem is that both males are about 5 years older than expected, even within the age brackets. Normally this would be a disqualified for me, but I have the 1830 census which gives conflicting ages with 1820, and the 1830 ages match the persons living around him. It's my opinion at this time, based on the above, that Joseph Rice & Mary Prince Payne are the parents of William Rice & Joseph Atlas Rice, and they had no other children.

Supplemental, but supporting information:

1. A Daniel Holcombe is living beside Joseph in the 1820 census. The Holcombes were known families that settled in/around the future generations settling in Alabama.

2. Joseph Rice's wife was Mary Prince Payne. As mentioned in an earlier note, the Prince surname is that of my wife's father. The Prince surname also migrated along this same VA/NC/GA/AL route.

3. In 1840 the Holcombe surname, and now the Sparks surname are on the same census page as James, and his youngest daughter married a Sparks. The Sparks family is living right next door to James in the 1840 census.

Joseph married Mary Prince Payne on Jul 6, 1790 in Henry Co., VA.¹¹⁸

  Marriage Notes:

They were married by the Rev. Clement Nance. ¹¹⁸