4.
Richard PACE II
Following is abstracted from the Pace Society of America Bulletin:
Bulletin #5, September 1968: Richard Pace II
Richard Pace II, age 17 years old when his father died, inherited at least 1,300 acres. As his guardian, he chose William Baugh to manage his estate. A Charles City Court issued the following order on June 4, 1655:
"Whereas Richard Pace, the orphan and heire of George Pace, dec'd., hath at this Court made choice of Mr. William Baugh to be guardian of him and his estate during his minority, the court doth therefore hereby grant and confirm his said request, requiring the sd guardian to manage duly and justly all estate belonging to sd orphan, giving yearly account to the Court of the same and the Improvement, delivering the whole to the sd orphan at his full age."
During the time Richard II came into his inheritance, heavy duties were imposed by England on all tobacco shipped in a vessel bound for a foreign port. In 1660, England passed the dreaded Navigation Act, which required all tobacco be sent to England for sale, and that only English ships be used for the transport.
This of course devastated the colonists, by depressing the price of tobacco, by restricting the market, and by eliminating the ability of the colonists to use the cheaper faster Dutch ships.
Richard II sold much of his land and indications were that he suffered financially, as did many of the American colonists. Sales of the land are recorded. On Feb. 11, 1659/60 he sold 200 acres to William Wilkins, and on Feb. 28th he sold 300 acres to Thomas Madder. These two deeds were signed only by Richard, but on March 13, 1661/62, Richard sold, "with the consent of my wife Mary", an unspecified number of acres to Richard Taylor. Mary signed with an "X"; whereas Richard signed his name.
Richard, therefore, was married between Feb. 28, 1659/60 and March 13, 1661/62. There has been much speculation about the identity of Richard II's wife Mary. Boddie thought she might have been the daughter of a neighbor, Richard Baker. Others speculate that Mary was a daughter of William Baugh, Richard's guardian, but Baugh had no daughter Mary. Another guess is that Mary was a daughter of a John Knowles, since a great-grandson was named Knowles; however, there is no known confirmation of this.
For the land Richard II sold to Richard Taylor , he received 4300 pounds sterling, a considerable sum. Richard kept 600 acres, including Maycock's. The indentured servants brought over as headrights in 1650 and 1652 would have served their time, and substitute labor would have been required. Perhaps Richard II bought slaves, who were by this time replacing indentured workers. Presumably his family still lived on the Maycock plantation on the James River.
It was probably a busy place, as it was across from Westover plantation and church, and Court was held at Westover. A "foot-ferry" was instituted on April 20, 1663, and a "horse-ferry" was promised as soon as an adequate boat could be found.
Wolves became a problem to the owners of cattle in the area. The Court levied a tax on owners of horses to be used to pay bounty on wolves of 200 lbs tobacco for each wolf-head brought in. Richard Pace's name appears in these accounts to collect the bounty.
Tobacco prices continued to decline from over-production, but in 1667, a violet storm struck, described as having "surpassed anything of the kind since the first settlement". First there was "a tempest of hail, then 40 days of rain, then a hurrycaine". Massive flooding damaged buildings and destroyed two-thirds of the tobacco crop. The price of tobacco increased, but the planters suffered still. Then in 1672/73, 50,000 cattle perished, putting the colonists is further straits.
Richard evidently lost his hogs to some peril, as he was sued by a neighbor (June 3, 1673) for 302 lbs of pork and 336 lbs of tobacco.
Indians became a problem again and some of the border plantations were suffering. Governor Berkeley refused to provide protection against the Indians, as he did not want to jeopardize his own lucrative trade with the Indians, thus inciting Bacon's Rebellion. Richard Pace sided with the Governor and on Feb. 20, 1676, was awarded 2,000 lbs tobacco, as were several others, by a Grand Assembly of the House of Burgesses for expenses incurred by loyal persons in assisting Berkeley in the fighting.
Richard was still hunting wolves after the rebellion. In July 1677 he collected 200 lbs tobacco for one head. On July 6, he bought "an Indian woman called Ann, about 25 years old" from Thomas Busby.
Shortly thereafter, at about age 40, he died, leaving a widow with 8 young children between the ages of 1 year and 15 years.
Richard was the first of his family in America to fruitfully multiply. His children were: George, John, Thomas, James, Richard III, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Ann.
The widow Mary Pace married Nicholas Whitmore and may have had more children.