GEORGE MACE JR.
(1883-1939)
George Mace Jr.
Source: Photo courtesy of the Mace Family Reunion Booklet
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The Legacy Continues
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George Sr. would agree that Molly could raise their son with her husband James Doaks. Unlike George Sr.’s other children who never married, George Jr. would take after his grandmother, and his father, and have several children with his wife Queen Esther.
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George needed to find a way to get some land of his own. He got together with his stepfather James and a few other working men from Hinds County and they decided to try their hand at acquiring land through sharecropping. Esther’s brother Robert had ruined their family’s finances so she might have felt she didn’t have much to lose by going. George packed her up while she was possibly pregnant with their first-born Stanford and off they went to the Delta. About 90 miles north to Panther Burn.
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They stayed in Panther Burn for close to 10 years and may not have returned to Hinds County heroes, but they had tried, and they had survived, and they had something to show for it. Not only did they come back as a family, a much bigger one in fact—Esther gave birth to Stanford, Velma, Clara, Luevester, and Roscoe down in Panther Burn—but George learned that they had enough money to buy property right there in Hinds County.
They had to make their home fit for their ever-growing family. George and Esther got to building the biggest house they could imagine to hold all of their children. When it was done, they could all fit on the first floor and they stored their belongings up on the second. There was even a house on the property for George’s mother Molly. Queen Esther Jr, Virgil, Mynetta, Aileen, Ethel, Robert, and Huey were all born on the estate, giving them twelve children in all.
Tragedy would strike the family first with Virgil’s death at the young age of nine in 1931. Just a few years later, Esther was walking out to the back porch on her way to milk the cows. She had landed on that step thousands of times before but on that day in November she slipped, fell, and broke her hip. Esther died shortly after. It is unclear whether from complications from her accident or not. She was only 44 years old. She and George had worked hard to make something of their family, and they were still just getting started. He had taken on so much debt, so many of the children were still so young. George grieved for the next four years he lived without Esther. He leaned on his father, George Sr., more than anyone during that time. George Jr., joined his wife Esther again when he passed at age 56 in 1939. After participating in the most unnatural of ceremonies, the burial of one’s child, George Sr. and his other children embraced his orphaned grandchildren from afar along with members of Queen Esther’s family and other community members. George and Esther’s legacy would live on through them.
This 1900 Hinds County, Mississippi census record is the first official record of George Mace Jr. at age 15 and his family. On June 5, 1900, the census-taker recorded the Dolks household, headed by James. In the house were his wife Mollie and children, George Mace Jr. (stepson), Minnie, Alfred, Almira and Rufus.
This 1910 Sharkey County, Mississippi census record is the first official record of George Mace Jr. and his family. On July 8, 1910, the census-taker for the Sharkey County community recorded the Mace household, headed by George Mace. In the house were his wife Esther and child, Stanford. Mollie Dokes, the mother of George Jr, and his step-father James Dokes were listed on the same census record living in a separate household with their son, Rufus.
Biological Parents: George Mace Sr. (1862 - 1944) & Molly Dokes (1866 - 1936) (Stepfather: James Dokes)
Spouse: Queen Esther Lowe (1890 - 1935)
Born: 1883 in Edwards, Hinds County, Mississippi
Died: 1939 in Edwards, Hinds County, Mississippi
Children of George Mace Jr.:
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Anthony Lowe (1908 - unknown) *step-son of George Jr. little is known about him. He was raised by his grandparents
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Stanford "Bee" Mace (1909–1992)
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Velma Mace Burks (1911–1982)
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Clara Mace (1913–2002)
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Luevesther Mace Hayes (1916–1995)
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Roscoe Peter Mace Sr. (1918–2002)
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Queen Esther Mace (1921–2014)
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Virgil Mace (1922–1931)
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Allien Mace (1927–2017)
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Mynetta Alicia Mace (1928–2017)
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Ethelene Mace (1929–2020)
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Robert Earl Mace (1931–2014)
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Huey Prince Mace (1934–2019)
Queen Esther (Lowe) Mace
Esther Lowe
Source: Photo courtesy of the Mace Family Reunion Booklet
Queen Esther was one of Ralph and Mahalia’s five children. She grew up in the church, her grandfather would have insisted. When she spent time with her aunt and uncle she would attend their church down in Edwards. She probably got teased by her brothers and sisters when she and George locked eyes or lingered after the service. They came from different backgrounds, sure, but Esther would have been able to tell that George was a hardworking man and she must have trusted that he would take care of her.
This is the marriage certificate for George Mace and Queen Esther Lowe the certificate was applied for by J.W. Newman on Dec. 6, 1907
Biological Parents: Ralph Lowe (1862 - 1944) & Mahalia Styles (1866 - 1936)
Spouse: George Mace Jr. (1883 - 1939)
Born: c. 1845 in Utica, Hinds County, Mississippi
Died: 1944 in Edwards, Hinds County, Mississippi
Queen Esther’s parents were Ralph Lowe and Mahalia (Lowe)Styles. Her father, Ralph, was a mathematician & professor and her mother was a quilt maker. According to the 1900 census, Queen Esther (Lowe) Mace was 9 years old and could read. She lived with her mother & father (Mahalia and Ralph) and her siblings (Leonard, Mary Jane, Martha and Robert) in Hinds County, Mississippi. They also had a servant by the name of Abraham Anders.
According to family records and census data, Queen Esther’s first born child was Anthony “Coot” Lowe...little is known about his life or his father however he was raised by his grandparents, Ralph and Mahalia Lowe.
This 1910 Learned, Hinds County, Mississippi census record is the official record of Ralph and Mahalia Lowe family identifying Anthony as their grandson. On May 14, 1910, the census-taker for the Learned community recorded the Lowe household, headed by Ralph Lowe. In the house were his wife Mahalia and children, Sonny, Mary Jane, Mattie and Robert. It also lists grandson, Anthony Lowe. Queen Esther Lowe, the mother of Anthony Lowe, is found on another census record living in Panther Burn, Sharkey County, with her husband George Mace Jr. and son Stanford.
This 1920 Learned, Hinds County, Mississippi census record is the official record of Ralph and Mahalia Lowe family identifying Anthony again as their grandson (his name is recorded as Andie W. Lowe). On May 14, 1910, the census-taker for the Learned community recorded the Lowe household, headed by Ralph Lowe. In the house were his wife Mahalia and grandchildren, Andie W. Lowe (age 11) and Silvie A Hicks (age 1). Silvie (Sylvia Ann Hicks) was the daughter of Queen Esther’s sister, Mattie. Everyone in the household is listed as “mulatto” and Ralph is listed as “black”.
Peter Styles, Queen Esther's grandfather, was born in Virginia in 1841. He was captured and enslaved in Virgina then sold to the Roach family at Utica, MS. He was a veteran of the Civil War (Union Soldier). He married Anna (Andrews) Styles, whose family origin is lost. During the antebellum period, Peter Styles was one of the first black people to buy land in Mississippi (240 acres). With his father-in-law, Simon Andrews, and a few other members of the community, he founded the first baptist church for Black people in Mississippi, Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Utica, Mississippi. His picture still hangs in the church to this day.