William Frank Pace and Margaret Nichols GGG Grandparents through George Sheppard

William Frank Pace: Click here for Family Search
Birth:3 July 1806 Clarke, Georgia, United States
Baptism: 1842
Death: 30 October 1876 New Harmony, Washington, Utah, United States
Burial: Click here for Find a Grave

Margret Nichols: Click here for Family Search
Birth: 30 May 1808 Logan, Kentucky, United States
Baptism: 1842
Death: 21 September 1887 New Harmony, Washington, Utah Territory, United States
Burial: Click here for Find A Grave

Conversion:
William and his family were converted to the gospel in 1842 through the teaching of John D. Lee during his mission to Tennessee. William’s brother James and his family had moved to Shelby County, Illinois, in the early 1830’s. James heard of the Mormons from Elder Domincus Carter, apparently the same mis¬sion¬ary who would teach and baptize Conrad Kleinman five years later. James and his family joined the church in April 1839 in Illinois and were already living in Nauvoo when William and his family were baptized. John D. Lee later had a long relationship with both the James and William Pace families in Nauvoo, cross¬ing the plains and in the settlement of Southern Utah. John D. Lee is noted in Saints Find the Place, com¬piled by David R. Crockett, to have assisted the family of James Pace on several occa¬sions while James was gone with the Mormon Battalion, and in the notes to John D. Lee’s diaries, James is mentioned as hav¬ing become an adopted son to John D. Lee when that practice was common in the early church. William and his family desired to join the body of the Saints in the Nauvoo and accordingly sold their plantation, home and slaves. They brought some former slaves with them to Nauvoo and later to the West. The story is told that these former slaves begged to be allowed to come with the family they had served for many years, and they later remained in the Utah area and were buried near their former owners. William and Margaret bought land in the Nauvoo area and built a beautiful nine-room home. The family was apparently active in the affairs and events happening in Nauvoo at the time. William (as a 4th Corporal) and James Pace, along with John D. Lee and Isaac C. Haight, are listed as being called as special policemen in Nauvoo in December 1843 as recorded in History of the Church, 6:149-50. They were to guard the city and es¬pe¬cially Brother Joseph in that time of unrest. The guard was dismissed in the spring of 1844 as Joseph decided he could guard himself. In the meantime, another son was born to William and Margaret in 1844 in Lee County, Iowa.

John Doyle Lee GGG Grandpa through George Sheppard

John D Lee: Click here for Family Search link
Birth: 6 September 1812 Kaskaskia, Randolph, Illinois, United States
Baptism: June 17, 1838
Death: 23 March 1877 Mountain Meadow, Washington, Utah Territory, United States
Burial: Click here for Find a grave

Conversion:
John D. left at age 16 to make his own way. He had jobs riding the mail through a sparsely settled area, working on a river boat and working at a warehouse and store. When visiting the home of his older sister, he met Agatha Ann Woolsey. They were married on July 24, 1833, and settled nearby. It was here a few years later that he first heard the message of the Mormon elders and was not impressed. However, a neighbor Levi Stewart had brought him a copy of The Book of Mormon and told of meeting Joseph Smith, and John D. decided to read the book. He finished it on the night he stayed up with the body of his little daugh¬ter who had just died and received a confirmation of its truthfulness. The Lees traveled with the Stewarts to Far West where they settled in Ambrosia and were bap-tized on June 17, 1838. John D. was active in the defense of Far West and moved his family with the Saints to Illinois. In the next five years he spent about half his time on missions and the other half providing for his family. His first mission was to Tennessee with Levi Stewart. They split up, and we understand that one of the families that John D. converted was the William Franklin Pace family, another of my ancestors. John had a lot of success in his various missions.

He also baptized the Young family and eventually married Marry (Poly) Vance Young who is our GGG Grandmother.