Pace, Milton A. - The general belief is that Mr. Pace was the first male to be born in Benton County. He was the son of Christopher and Nellie (Mauzey) Pace. The family emigrated to Arkansas in about 1830 and located east of Maysville near what is known now as Pace's schoolhouse. With the Pace family cames the Woods family who formed a settlement about three miles east of Bentonville. Later Mr. Pace and his family bought a tract of land near the Shade Home farm south of Bentonville . Again he moved to northeast of Bentonville and took up another quarter section of government. Mr. Pace would would tell tales of bear hunts along the White River. That deer and turkey were so plentiful it didn't take much of a marksman to kill them.
When the Civil War broke out he join the southern cause and served for four years. Milton served with volunteers and fought at the Battle of Pea Ridge. When the regiment were formed he joined the Arkansas 15th which went to the Battle of Vicksburg, July 4, 1864. Milton along with the whole regiment surrendered and the next day was paroled signing a statement, he would go home and not bear arms against the U. S. again, but joined another unit and finished out the war as he received a pension for his service to the end of the war.
In 1865 he married Mary Jane Maxwell, another well-known pioneer family that came here about 1836 from Tennessee and located near Morning Star schoolhouse. By this marriage they had five sons. Both the Pace's were member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
It was unusual to find in the same county a man 90 years of age who survived by one he went to school but such was the case in this instance. Mr. Pace in his younger days was a pupil of Uncle Wade Sikes of Rogers who is now 97 years of age and still able to be about and is frequently seen in Bentonville. He spend his later years living with his son in Mound, LA, and passed away on June 11, 1926. Mr. Pace was buried in the Odd Fellow part of the Bentonville cemetery along side his wife and parents.