William Peace (1773-1865), a prominent Raleigh merchant and one of the first Ruling Elders of the First Presbyterian Church, could of been but another successful citizen of Wake County who made good... But Peace was perhaps in a more unique position. He was dedicated to the betterment of his community and church and had the private means to carry out his beliefs. His donation of $10,000 and eight acres of land towards the establishment of a young ladies' Presby- -terian school earned for his a remembrence that has lasted until this day. In 1857, plans for erecting a female seminary in the capitol city of North Carolina were begun to "have for it's object the thorough education of young ladies, not only in substancial branches of knowledge, but also those which are elegant and ornamental...said school to be Presbyterian in it's influence and course of education." (From the original Charter, Peace Institute.) Because of William Peace's generous gift, the name Peace Institute, was selected for the school. Work was done in 1860, but due to the "War between the States", the school was not opened until 1872. During the war years, the Main building was first used as a Confederate Hospital and afterwards as the Freedman's Bureau.
        William Peace was the son of John and Margaret Peace of Granville Co., Nc., and though he died without issue, his brothers and sisters left descendants in several states. There is no accurate or complete listing of this kinship from published sources, however a North Carolina Supreme Court case adequately covers this ground by mentioning not only his sisters and brothers, but the names of their children and grandchildren, their residences, and whether they are living or dead at the time the case is being held.
        William was for more than forty years partner in trade with hs brother, Joseph Peace, in the city of Raleigh under the firm name "Joseph and William Peace". At Joseph's death in 1842, a suit was instigated to resolve William's rightful portion of Joseph's and to establish the heirs of Joseph and others. The case itself covers forty handwritten pages and mentions nearly thirty different surnames and five different states in which they live. Excerpts from this case which contain the most significant genealogical information are provided below.
        From the Bill of Complaint filed with the Court of Equity in Wake Co., NC, Aug. 11, 1843 (Vol. 129 page 436), ...further complaining your Orator William Peace shows that the said Joseph Peace departed this life about the 3rd. day of December last intestate, unmarried, and without issue leaving not only your Orator but also John M. Peace of Granville and Pleasant Peace of the same county surviving him which John and Pleasant as well as your Orator are his brothers of the whole blood. The said Joseph had also in his lifetime a half brother, James Barr, two half sisters, Elizabeth Barr and Nancy Barr, and two whole sisters, Mary and Lucy - all of these died many years before the said Joseph...James Barr removed to the western part of the United States, and at his death left a daughter, Nancy intermarried with with one Fuller, who with her husband is now residing in Shelby Co., TN. The said James also left a son, Thomas Barr, who died in the lifetime of said Joseph leaving two children who live in Alabama--of these one is a daughter of whose name your Orator is ignorant. The other is a son named John G. Barr. Elizabeth Barr intermarried first with one William Potter of Granville, of whom she had issue two children Robert and Margaret, of whom Margaret is known to have long since died without issue and Robert is believed to have also died without issue. After the death of her first husband, Elizabeth intermarried with one Dr. Miles King of Granville, who afterwards moved to New Bern and then to Pee Dee River in Richmond Co., and thence he removed, but whether out of the state or not your Orator is unable to learn. By Dr. King, she had issue.. John, Edmund, Alexander and William...of these sons, the three last named are believed to have died without issue. John died in the lifetime of the said Joseph Peace, leaving a son named Leonidas who now resides either in AL or TN. By Dr. King, she also had issue the following daughters, to wit, Julia who married one Piggues, now deceased, who is now residing a widow in Pontotoc, MS; Harriet now the wife of one Harmon and resides in Monroe Co., GA; Mary the wife of one Minton and resides in Marshall Co., MS; Elizabeth who married one Coke, now deceased, is now living a widow in Pickens Co., AL. Nancy Barr married Dudly Mask living in Richmond Co., and on Pee Dee River and by him she had issue: Pleasant M. Mask who now resides in Montgomery Co. Mary Peace married Isaac Kittrel of Granville Co., who moved to AL where they both died leaving one daughter Harriet, who survives the said Joseph and is living in AL. Mary had other daughters all of whom died in the lifetime of Joseph and some of them may have left issue. Lucy Peace married Lewis Lemay and left issue, John P. Lemay, now of DeSoto Co., MS; Thomas J. Lemay of Raleigh; Margaret, wife of one Strother; and Susannah wife on Nelson Phillips. The said Strother and Phillips both many years ago deserted their wives and left the country, and the Margaret and Susannah have each by proper legal procedings, taken by them perspectively in the proper court, separated from their husbands and had their acquisitions subsequent to such proceedings duly secured to their seperate use, and are now residing in the county of Granville and so your Orator shows that the heirs at law of the said Joseph are your Orator, the said John M. Peace and Pleasant Peace, his whole brothers - and the issue of his said half-brother and sisters, James Barr, Elizabeth Barr and Nancy Barr and the issue of his whole sisters, Mary Peace and Lucy Peace - the said living brothers and the issue respectively of the said deceased brother and sisters...being each entitled to one-eighth part of his real estate.
        Beginning on page 441, the above Bill of Complaint is amended to show other land owned by Joseph and mentions the names of other heirs who have come forward since the original Bill was filed. The amended Bill was presented in the Superior Court of Equity for Wake County on the first Monday after the fourth Monday of September 1844: "Your Orator further shows that Mary was the daughter of James Barr in the Bill mentioned is therein stated to be married to one Fuller whose christian name was at the filing of the said original Bill unknown to your Orator - but your Orator has now ascertained that the husband of the said Nancy is Ezekiel Fuller of Tennessee. That the children of James Barr in the Bill named are John G. Barr and Margaret Barr of Alabama, the name of the said Margaret being unknown to your Orator at the filing of the said Bill. That Robert Potter is not dead as your Orator supposed at the filing of his said original Bill, but is now living in Alabama bearing the name Robert D. Potter. That Alexander King did not die without issue as stated in the said Bill, but left a daughter now the wife of William P. Jennings of Anson County in this State...that Leonidas King who was named in the said Bill as living, your Orator has ascertained, since filing that Bill, survived the said Joseph and has since died beyond the limits of the state, and leaving issue whose names are to your Orator unknown and John King, the father of the said Leonidas left also sons, William of Alabama, Madison of Mississippi and a daughter, Elizabeth the wife of ____ Campbell of Alabama...that the husband of Harriet, daughter of the Intestate's sister Elizabeth is Zachariah Harman of Georgia - his christian name having been discovered by your Orator since the filing of his original Bill, that Pleasant Mask resides not in Montgomery County in this state, as by mistake alleged in the said Bill, but in the state of Tennessee and that the Intestate's sister Nancy left issue beside the said Pleasant a son, William Mask of Richmond County and a daughter Catherine, wife of Samuel Megginson of Alabama...that Mary the sister of the Intestate left besides the daughter named in the will, issue as follows: a daughter Juliet, wife of Thomas Moore of Mississippi.. Mary who intermarried with one Hall and died in the lifetime of the Intestate leaving issue - Son Christopher of Alabama and Lucy who inter-married with one Aga and died in the life of the Intestate, leaving issue William P. Aga of Alabama and Martha wife of one Dumas of Alabama. Further complaining your Orator shows that since the filing of the said original Bill, Juliet Piggues therein named has departed this life leaving issue as follows: Maria A., wife of Hardy A. Clements of Tuscaloosa, Alabama...Harriet R., wife of _______ Mississippi...Lucy D. wife of Wyatt C. Lyon of Pontotoc and Charles C. Peggues of Pontotoc".
        Beginning on page 448, an Answer to the Bill of Complaint is filed by William P. Jennings and Mary his wife, formerly Mary King. The Answer is dated 27 September 1843 and was sworn to and subscribed before William E. Troy, Clerk and Master of the Court of Equity, for the county of Anson, NC. "Your respondent Mary Jennings states that she is the daughter of the late Alexander King, who died in the year 1825 in Anson County and left her his only child and heir and that she is still a minor and has intermarried with one Dr. William P. Jennings in the year 1841 and is now residing in Wadesboro in Anson County and this she is ready to show unto your honor."
        On pages 450 and 451, an Answer to the Bill of Complaint is also filed by Zachariah Harman and his wife, Harriet. It is dated 11th December 1843 and was sworn to in the Superior Court of Flint District, Bibb County, Georgia: "These defendants further answering say that one of the defendants, Harriet J. Harman is the daughter of said Elizabeth Barr as stated in Complainant's Bill and that she intermarried with her co- defendant, Zachariah Harman in the year 1808 - that said Elizabeth Barr married one William Potter and had two children, Robert and Margaret, as stated in Complainant's Bill and that by her second husband, Dr. Miles King, the said Elizabeth and issue six sons: John, Edward, Henry, Alexander, Miles and William...all of whom have died without issue and before Intestate, except John who left several children, who are yet leaving or at least some of them and Alexander left a daughter and who is living as far as Defendants know and that said Elizabeth had four daughters: Juliet who married as stated in Complainant's Bill and who is dead leaving issue...Elizabeth who married John Coke, who is still living...Mary who married Joseph Minter and who is living as far as these defendants are advised...and this defendant Harriet J. Harman who intermarried as before stated. These defendants admit that complainant, John M. Peace and Pleasant Peace, with the issue of the said deceased brother and sisters of Intestate are heirs at Law of Intestate and that the marriages and issue and deaths are as stated in the Complainant's Bill. They further state that said Elizabeth, Mother of defendant Harriet J. died in the year 1824, leaving issue as stated before..."
        Starting on page 456, final settlement of the Estate is made at the June Term of the Supreme Court of North Carolina held on the second Monday in June 1847: "...one moiety of the purchase money produced by the sale of lands held jointly by the plaintiff William Peace and Joseph Peace deceased to the said William Peace...and the other moiety thereof with the purchase money produced by the sale of the lands, of which the said Joseph died sole seized be paid by the Clerk to the persons of him reported to be entitled thereunto as the heirs of the said Joseph deceased in the proportions to which he has reported them to be entitled, that is to say: to William Peace one-eighth part, to John M. Peace one-eighth part, to Pleasant Peace one-eighth part, to the issue of Mary Peace deceased one-eighth part as follows, to Juliet wife of Thomas J. Moore and to ChristopherC. Hall each one half of the said eighth, to the issue of Lucy Peace one-eighth part as follows, to John P. Lemay, Thomas J. Lemay, Margaret Strother and Susannah Phillips, each one-fourth of said eighth, to the issue of Elizabeth Barr one-eighth part to be distributed amongst them as follows, to Edward King, Henry King, Miles King, Harriet wife of Zachariah Harman, Mary wife of Joseph Minter and Elizabeth Coke, each one-tenth of the said eighth part, to William King, Madison King, Elizabeth wife of Archibald Campbell, Harriet wife of David W. Simms, Miles E. King and Sarah P. King each one-eighth of one- tenth of the said eighth part, to John McRae one-half of one-eighth of one-tenth of the said eighth part, to the children of Leonidas King one-half of one-eighth of one-tenth of said eighth part, to Louisa wife of Oliver H. Powe, Elizabeth wife of John Mills, and Emaline wife of Henry J. T. Morse each one-third of one-eighth of one-tenth of the said eighth part, to Mary wife of William P. Jennings one-tenth of the said eighth part and to Lucy D. Lyon, Charles Peggues and Elizabeth wife of James C. Boggs each one-third of one- tenth of the said eighth part, to the issue of Nancy Barr deceased one-eighth part as follows, to William Mask, Pleasant M. Mask and Katherine wife of Samuel Megginson each one-third of the said eighth part, and to the issue of James Barr deceased the remaining eighth part as follows, to William Barr one-half and to John S. Barr and Margaret M. Barr each one-fourth of the said eighth part.