James Pace

Notes:

When he was young, James probably lived with his mother and stepfather, or with his eldest brother Richard at the plantation. He left home by about 1687, and moved some 21 miles west of Pace's Paines, where he came in contact with the Lowe family of Bristol Parish. He married Elizabeth Lowe, daughter of Mr. William Lowe. The young family lived in Charles City County, north of the James River, and returned to live south of the river in 1712 when they returned to Prince George County. In 1715, James purchased 100 acres in Westopher Parish, Prince George County, from William Epes, which had formerly belonged to Caesar Walpool.

In the northern part of Brunswik was the parish of St. Andrews. Int he vestry book of the parish is a record of a James Pace who served the parish as sexton from October 6, 1732 until October 11, 1735. He was paid for his services in tobacco, the usual form of payment from a church. The parish sexton was the caretaker of the church building and the cemetery, and also charged with the duty of recording all deaths in the parish. This was an occupation usually endowed upon an older man. He was, at this time, about 68 years of age. As before this is the one and only time he is mentioned in the records of the county. Howard does not believe it improbable that James died possessed of no valuable property, such as land or slaves but only household items and any tools of his trade. This would mean there would not be an necessity to make a will, or to administer an estate. Any items still possessed at the time of his death would have been absorbed into the family without going through the legal process. This is why nothing has ever been found concerning him after the year 1735.

James and Elizabeth had four sons that are known, Richard, George, James and Solomon. They may have had daughters also, but nothing has been discovered concerning them, and may never be.

SOURCE: OUR COLONIAL ANCESTORS 1619 to 1799 by Bruce Howard

DNA results (Source: http://pacesociety.org/DNA/results.htm)

These are the results from descendants who believe themselves direct descendants of Richard Pace II of Virginia, through his son James

393-390-10-391-385a-385b-426-388-439-389i-392-389ii

13 25 15 11 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 29

458-4591-459b-455-454-447-437-448-449-464a-464b-464c-464d

16 9 10 11 11 24 15 19 29 15 17 17 17

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Lowe. Elizabeth was born after 1666; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. George Pace was born after 1684; and died.
2. James Pace was born after 1686; and died.
3. Solomon Pace was born after 1688; and died.
4. Richard Pace was born about 1690; and died.

Notes:

At a Court Held at Westover, Charls. Citty County, June 4, 1655, Page 2.

Whereas Rich'd Pace the orphan and Heire of Geo. Pace dec'ed hat at this Co'rt made choice of and humbly Desired Confirm'con of mr. William Baugh to be Guardian of him and his estate dureing his minority. The Co'rt doth therefore hereby grant and confirme his said request requireing the sd Guardian to mannage duly and justly all estate belonging to the sd orphan giving yearly acco't to the Co'rt of the same and the improvement delivering the whole to the sd orphane at his full age.

This document was reproduced in Bruce Howard's COLONIAL ANCESTORS.

Howard goes on the describe the hard economic times they were living in. Richard and Mary left Charles City County and moved to Southwarke Parish where he owned and operated a road tavern, called in Virginia an "Ordinary" for the accomadation of travelers. He moved later to York County, where he probably worked as a carpenter, and then back to the area of James Town. He died sometime prior to February, 1678, before having made a will and leaving some substantial debts unpaid. Mary filed a petition to administer the estate, which she was granted.

The list of the children of Richard and Mary is from a letter written in 1791 by Mrs. Winnifred Acock Lane of Georgia, about her Pace ancestors.

Richard married Mary Baker about 1660. Mary was born about 1640 in Virginia; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Richard's wife has sometimes been listed as Mary Knowles. This was "based on the very weak premise that nearly a hundred years later, a descendant named one of their children Knowles Pace, which was also spelled Noel Pace in other records."

However, Bruce Howard says that Richard's wife was Mary Baker, based on the following deed of gift:

Page 530 Att a Court held att Westov'r 3 Feb 1664/5. Deed of gift dated 21 Jany 1664/5. Richard Baker gives to Richard Pace a parcel of land "lying on the other side of the bottome on the West side of the aforesd Bakers plantacon conteyning one hundred and forty acres in bredth from the aforesd bottome and so holding the same bredth Downe to the great Swamp beginning upon the line of the aforesd Bakers at the head of the aforesd bottome..."

Richard x Baker

Wit: Wm Harris, Patrick Jackson, Caesar Walpole Recorded 7 Febr 1664/5

It is the author's contention that Richard Pace married Mary Baker, the daughter of Richard Baker. The plantation he inherited from his parents was too large for them to manage and a small part of it had been worked for several years. But Richard Pace did not want to, or could not afford to, hire sufficient people to work the place, and Richard Baker gave them 140 acre tract as a dowry for his daughter, with the understanding that his wife, Ann Baker, be allowed to remain at the homeplace for the rest of her life.

After her husbands death, Mary remarried, first to William Briscoe. William was sued several times over debts left by Richard Pace, and this apparently upset him mightly. He and Mary seperated. After his death, Mary Baker Pace Briscoe married a third and final time to a widower by the name of Nicholas Whittmore.

Notes:

In Howard's COLONIAL ANCESTORS, he notes that "On the 1st day of September in the year 1628, almost two years after the remarriage of his mother, a Royal Patent was issued in the name of George Pace. There is no doubt about it, this young man was only in his 19th year of age at the time this patent was issued and under English Common Law as the oldest son of his father he was entitled to all of the landed estate but no all of the personal estate. He was only entitled to an equal share in the personal estate with any siblings and his mother, if she survived the husband, was entitled to a one third share. " The author assumes that George was an only child, drawn from the fact that the early records do not disclose a single clue which would lead us to believe there were any other children; it cannot be proven or disproven.

Contrary to many Pace researcher's in the past, Mr. Howard does not believe that George married Sarah Maycock, nor did he "come into" his lands in Charles City County by marriage or any other means except outright purchase. Mr. Howard points out the Sarah Maycock was only 11 at the age of her supposed marriage, and would have been only 13 at the time of birth of Richard Pace, George's son. Additionally, there is no record of Sarah Maycock ever living on the southern side of the River, near Pace's Paines. Mr Howard believes that Sara Snowe is a more likely prospect. He believes Sarah Snowe was under the guardianship of William Perry (Pace's stepfather) and was probably brought to Chapman Plantation at some point.

The primary document that has led many researchers to believe that George's wife was Sarah Maycock was one dated April 25, 1659, when George's oldest son, Richard, confirms a sale of land to Thomas Drewe. Richard stated that "I Ric'd Pace Sonne and heire apparent of mr. George Pace of the Com: of Charles Citty att Mount March in Virginia, and sonn and heire as the first issue of my mother Mrs. Sarah Macocke wife unto my aforesd father (being both dec'd) do hereby by these presents...confirme and allow of the sale of eight or nine hundred acres of land... sold by my dec'd father mr. George pace unto mr. Thomas Drewe." Mr. Howard points out the Richard is telling us that... his mother has a second issue of children, he being of the first issue. He doesn't say the first issue of his father, because his father died before his mother. In the same breathe he says "Mrs. Sarah Macocke." He does not say "my mother known before marriage as Sarah Maycock" or "my mother formerly Sara Maycock daughter of Samuel...."

George married Sarah ???. Sarah was born about 1610; died before 1655 in Charles City County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In his book, OUR COLONIAL ANCESTORS 1619 TO 1799, Bruce Howard writes that although the exact time that Richard and Isabell came to Jamestown is not recorded, he believes they came in April 1619 with Sir George Yeardly, with around 2000 other settlers. Both Richard and Isabell had purchased shares in the Virginia Company. Richard chose land on high ground above the river on the opposite side from the settlement. This was known as "Tappahama over against James's Cittie" at the time, and later was known as the Surry side. He called his plantation "Pace's Paines." An historical marker near his plantation shows that Richard Pace was immortalized when "on the night before the Indian Massacre of March 22, 1622 an Indian, Chanco, revealed the plot to Pace, who reached Jamestown in time to save the settlers in that vicinity." In a letter George Sands, a witness to these events, wrote to Captain John Smith, he said that "the slaughter (would) had been universal, if God had not put it into the heart of an Indian, who lying in the house of one Pace, was urged by another Indian his brother that lay with him the night before to kill Pace....telling him also how the next day the execution should be finished...(he) reveales it to Pace, that used him as his sonne; and thuse them that escaped was saved by this converted infidell. And though three hundred fortie seven were slaine, yet thousands of ours were by the means of this alone thus preserved...Pace upon this, securing his house, before day rowed to James Towne, and told the Governor of it......"

Months after the great Indian Massacre Pace drew up a petition which reads as follows: "The humble petition of Richard pace humbly showeth, whereas ye petitioner hath enjoyed a plantation of the other side of the water and hath bestowed great cost and charges upon it, building there and cleering of ground, but at length was enforced to leave ye same by ye savage cruelty of ye Indians, yett now purposing, by God's assistance, to fortifie and strengthen ye place with a good company of able men, he doth desire to inhabit there again and by yr leave freely to enjoy his plantation promising to doe all such things as by yr worships' directions he shall either put over or in whatever ye shall please to command him. In tender consideration whereof may it please yr worships to grant him his request and hee shall be bound to pray for yr health and happiness in this worlde and in the worlde to come." This petition was granted in January 1623.

Howard cites Hotten's book THE ORIGINAL LISTS OF PERSONS OF QUALITY as stating that by 1626, Richard was shown as having "planted" 200 acres. Howard also noted that Isabella's second husband, William Perry "was appointed commander at the Plantation of Pace's Paines and Smith's Mount ...his commisssion as commander was renewed by court order on the 7th of March, 1628 and continued from year to year for some time....(Howard believes that) When Richard was alive he was in command of a certain district, or militia beat so to speak, after the Indian raid of 1622. After his death William Perry was made commander of the same district, and the muster ground was at Pace's Paines.

Mr. Howard's outstanding book was published in 1998 in Quitman, Miss by Specialty Publishing and Printing, Box 414.

Richard married Isabella Smyth on 5 Oct 1608 in St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, England. Isabella was born about 1589 in England, United Kingdom; died after 1637 in Charles City County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Howard, In COLONIAL ANCESTORS points out that Isabella was a shareholder of the Virginia Company in her own right, citing the following land patent "Izabella Perry, wife of William Perry, Gent., 200 acres within the corporation of James City, 20 September 1628, at the South side of the plantation called Pace's Paines granted to herself and her late husband Richard Pace, dec'd, 5 December 1620....East to land granted to her son George Pace...for her own personal adventure being an Ancient planter & the other 100 acres as the devident of Francis Chapman...."

Howard also noted that "in the early part of 1629, in England a suite in Chancery was filed concerning the estate of a man named John Riley, a merchant, of London. In order to get to the bottom of the facts in the case, which had been filed in the High Court of the Admiralty in London, the Court issued a subpoena to Mrs. Isabella Perry to appear before the Court and testify to her knowledge in the matter "Isabell, wife of William Perry, merchant of Virginia, aged 40...(testified as follows)...Last Christmas John Riley of London, merchant, lodged in her husband's house in Virginia and often said he was a partner in trade with William Crowther and Charles Whichcote of London, merchants...When he was in his last sickness, Rily arranged for her husband to mark tobaccos to be sent to John Holland and Rily's mother....." Whether her husband accompanied her to London is a matter of speculation, but I will bet he did, and was taking care of business while she was attending court business. It is possible that their children, George Pace and Henry Perry, also made this voyage there and back, but I doubt it (due to the costs involved)."

Although some Pace researcher's think Isabella married third George Menefie, Howard refutes this theory. He believed that Isabella resided in Charles City County, Virginia, where she had moved to with William Perry in 1633, until her death.