Richard PACE

1583 - 1627  (44 years)

• Name	Richard PACE  [1]
  Birth	1583	Wapping Wall, Middlesex, England
  Gender	Male
  _UID	EC5025F7F066429DAD1C495783ECCE538610
  Death	1 Sep 1627	Jamestown Area, VA.
  Notes	8L59-TK Among the most notable figures in this family tree, Pace became famous for rowing across the James River to warn Jamestown settlers of an impending Indian attack. From Wikipedia: Richard Pace was an early settler and Ancient Planter of Colonial Jamestown, Virginia. No known record exists documenting when Richard Pace and his wife Isabella first arrived at Jamestown, nor on what vessel they arrived, but land patent records suggest that Richard and Isabella Pace had arrived at Jamestown prior to 1616. Richard Pace played a key role in warning the Jamestown colony of an impending Powahatan raid on the colony. Nothing whatsoever is currently known about the ancestry of Richard Pace, other than that he was of English descent, although some researchers have sought some indirect connection between him and the Tudor-era diplomat Richard Pace who served in the court of King Henry VIII. Thus far, no such connection has been found. The only record found in England thus far possibly indicating Richard's origins is a marriage record found in the St. Dunstan's Parish Marriage Registry, which contains a record which states "Richard Pace of Wapping Wall Carpenter and Isabell Smyth of the same marryed the 5th day October 1608."[1] As yet, there is no evidence confirming that this Richard Pace and Isabell Smyth are in fact the same people as the Jamestown colonists, but with no contradictory evidence at hand, this is generally assumed to be the case. [edit] Pace's Paines In 1618, the Virginia Company of London issued instructions to the newly installed colonial governor, Sir George Yeardley, regarding the distribution of land patents to the colonists. These instructions, found in a letter dated November 18, 1618, came to be known as the "Great Charter of the Virginia Colony" and established a headright system whereby "Ancient Planters," those colonists who settled in Virginia prior to the end of the administration of governor Sir Thomas Dale in 1616, would each be rewarded for their "personal adventure" by the granting of 100 acres of property, with the option of being rewarded additional acreage for funding the importation of other colonists.[2] For Ancient Planters who had paid their own passage to Virginia, the initial 100-acre grant was to be exempt from quitrent; for Ancient Planters who had been brought at the expense of the London Company, an annual quitrent of one shilling per 50 acres was to be charged. This headright system remained in effect until 1624, when the Virginia Company was liquidated and Virginia became a Royal Colony under direct control of the Crown. Among the land patent records established by this system, we find two records[3] indicating that both Richard Pace and his wife fell into this category of "Ancient Planters", thus establishing that they arrived at Jamestown prior to 1616. The first record is a patent filed by Richard and Isabella's son, George Pace, in 1628, as a renewal of his late father's 1620 patent: Historical marker in Surry County, Virginia near the location of the Pace's Paines plantation. " GEORGE PACE, son and heir to Richard Pace (as his first dividend), 400 acres in the Corporation of James City, on the south side of the river at the plantation called Pace's Paines, and formerly granted to his deceased father, Richard Pace, December 5th, 1620; adjoining on the west the lands of his mother, Isabella Perry, and on the east the lands of Francis Chapman, now in the possession of Wm. Perry, gent., his father-in-law; and bounded on the north by the main river. Granted by Francis West, September 1st, 1628. " The patent record shows that of these 400 acres, 100 were due "for the personal adventure of Richard Pace", and the other 300 for the importation of six persons -- each of these being worth a headright of 50 acres. The second record is Isabella's patent of 200 acres of adjoining land: 100 acres "for her own personal adventure", and 100 acres originally granted to Francis Chapman (another "Ancient Planter") and apparently acquired by Isabella through purchase: " ISABELLA PERRY, wife of William Perry, gent., (as her first divident),200 acres in the Corporation of James City on the south side of the main river, formerly granted to her and late husband Richard Pace, deceased, December 5, 1620. Said land adjoined westerly that of John Burrowes, now in the tenure of John Smith, and thence extending east to the land granted George Pace, "bearing date with these presents" - 100 acres due for her own personal adventure as an ancient planter, and the other 100 as the dividend of Francis Chapman (granted him December 5, 1620), and by him made over to Richard Richards and Richard Dolphenby, and by them granted unto said Isabella Perry, at a court at James City, January 20, 1621. Granted by Francis West, September 20, 1628. " Quitrent of one shilling per 50 acres is specified in both patents, showing that Richard and Isabella Pace did not pay their own passage but were brought at the London Company's expense. The Pace land patents were for property on the south side of the James River, in what is now Surry County, at a place which came to be called "Pace's Paines." From early Jamestown muster rolls[4], it is known that Pace's Paines was home to several families, including that of William Perry, whom Isabella married after Richard Pace's death. By 1626, Richard Pace is listed as having 200 acres under cultivation[5]. In recent years, archeological excavations have been carried out at the location of the Pace's Paines plantation in an effort to learn more about early colonial life.[6][7] A state historical marker near the location recounts some of the history of Pace's Paines.[8] Warning Jamestown According to two contemporaneous accounts of the 1621/22 Powahatan attack on Jamestown, a Powahatan youth living in the household of Richard Pace had been instructed to kill Pace and his family in conjunction with a planned attack on the colony. According to the accounts, the youth instead warned Pace of the impending attack. After securing his household, Pace rowed across the James River to warn Jamestown. Neither account actually mentions the name of the Indian youth, but the story later became conflated with that of a Powahatan emissary named Chauco or Chanco, and the name Chanco has since been (possibly erroneously) associated with the youth who warned the Pace family. [edit] Account from "Voyage of Anthony Chester" An anonymous eyewitness account of a voyage to Jamestown aboard a vessel commanded by Anthony Chester, and later of the massacre, translated into Dutch and published by Peter Vander Aa at Leyden in 1707, relates the warning received by Richard Pace: " At the time of this massacre a party of Indians embarked in four boats for Jamestown, with the intention of attacking and murdering the English in this town and the surrounding country, but the hellish plan was frustrated by the disclosure of the project by a converted Indian in the employ of a Mr. Pace; on the night preceding the contemplated attack two Indians, brothers, who had embraced the Christian religion, one in the employ of a Mr. Perry, the other in the employ of a Mr. Pace, on retiring for the night discussed the plan of murdering their masters and by the doing assist and please their King Powhatan and thus also to aid the massacring party who were to arrive the following day by order of King Powhatan to murder all the settlers. Apparently the plan as discussed by the two brothers was agreed upon, but the Indian in the employ of Mr. Pace arose early in the morning while his brother was yet asleep and repairing to his master's residence disclosed to him the entire murderous plan, for he regarded and loved Mr. Pace as a father while Mr. Pace loved his Indian as a son. Mr. Pace was not slow in heeding the warning, at once placing his residence in a state of defence; and hastily rowed in a canoe across the river to Jamestown to notify the Governor of the impending danger. Hardly had we completed our defensive preparations when the boats bearing the savages hove in sight, but as soon as we opened fire upon them with our muskets they retreated in a cowardly manner. By the mercy of the Lord who had moved the heart of this converted Indian to give us timely warning the lives of more than a thousand of our people, of whom I was one, were spared.[9] " Note that the reference to King Powhatan is erroneous, as that particular ruler died in 1618. George Sandis' Account, as recounted by Edward Waterhouse The second account comes from the Records of the Virginia Company of London (a bound transcript of which is found in the papers of Thomas Jefferson), in which Edward Waterhouse, a secretary for the Virginia Company in London, cites a letter from Jamestown colony treasurer George Sandis (or Sandys): " The letters of Mr. George Sandis a worthy Gentleman and Treasurer there....those treacherous Natiues, after fiue yeares peace, by a generall combination in one day plotted to subvert their whole Colony, and at one instant of time, though our seuerall Plantations were an hundred and forty miles vp one Riuer on both sides.... They [the Sandis letters] certify further... That the slaughter had beene vniuersall, if God had not put it into the heart of an Indian belonging to one Perry, to disclose it, who liuing in the house of one Pace, was vrged by another Indian his Brother (who came the night before and lay with him) to kill Pace, (so commanded by their King as he declared) as hee would kill Perry: telling further that by such an houre in the morning a number would come from diuers places to finish the Execution, who failed not at the time: Perries Indian rose out of his bed and reueales it to Pace, that vsed him as a Sonne: And thus the rest of the Colony that had warning giuen them, by this meanes was saued. Such was (God bee thanked for it) the good fruit of an Infidel conuerted to Christianity; for though three hundred and more of ours died by many of these Pagan Infidels, yet thousands of ours were saued by the means of one of them alone which was made a Christian; Blessed be God for euer, whose mercy endureth for euer; Blessed bee God whose mercy is aboue his iustice, and farre aboue all his workes: who wrought this deliuerance whereby their soules escaped euen as a Bird out of the mare of the Fowler. Pace vpon this discouery, securing his house, before day rowed ouer the Riuer to James-City (in that place neere three miles in bredth) and gaue notice thereof to the Gouernor, by which meanes they were preuented there, and at such other Plantations as was possible for a timely intelligence to be giuen; for where they saw vs standing vpon our Guard, at the sight of a Peece they all ranne away. In other places that could haue no notice, some Peeces with munition (the vse whereof they know not) were there.[10] " An Account of Chauco's Visit to Jamestown Chanco/Chauco/Chavco first enters the narrative in a letter from the Virginia council to the Virginia Company of London dated April 4, 1623 (which is just a year and a few weeks after the March 22, 1621/22 attack, as New Years Day fell on March 25 under the Julian Calendar used at the time in England and her colonies): " May it please you to understande, yt since our laste Lre, there cam two Indians. to m[artins] Hunndred who accordinge to order were sent vp to James Cyttie, one of which Called (Chauco) who had lived much amongst the English, and by revealinge yt pl[ot] To divers vppon the day of Massacre, saued theire lives, was sent by the great Kinge, wth a messuage, the effect wherof was this, that blud inough had already been shedd one both sides, that many of his People were starued, by our takinge Away theire Corne and burninge theire howses, & that they desired, they might be suffred to plante at Pomunkie, and theire former Seates, wch yf they might Peaceablely do they would send home our People (beinge aboute twenty) whom they saued alive since the massacre, and would suffer us to plant quietly alsoe in all places, The other (called Comahum) an Actor in the Massacre at Martins Hundred, beinge a great man and not sent by the greate Kinge, Wee putt in Chaines, resolvinge to make such vse of him, as the tyme shall require.[11] " The original manuscript appears to show the Indian's name as "Chavco" (which at the time could indicate "Chauco" since "u" and "v" were used somewhat interchangeably) which over time has been corrupted as "Chanco." Many have assumed, based upon this letter, that Chauco was the same person who warned Richard Pace of the attack, but such an assumption may have been in error, as it is known that several members of the Powahatan tribe seem to have warned the colonists. A court record of 25 October 1624 mentions an Indian named "Chacrow" living with Lt Sharpe, Capt. William Powell, and Capt. William Peirce "in the tyme of Sir Thos Dale's government" -- that is, before 1616.[12] [edit] Return to Pace's Paines In the wake of the 1621/22 attack, Richard Pace and his family resided within the protection of Jamestown's walled fortifications. Then, sometime between October of 1622 and January of 1622/23, he submitted a petition to the Governor and Council in Virginia requesting permission to return to Pace's Paines: " To the right Wor11 Sr Francis Wyatt knight ec and to the rest of the Counsell of Estate here The Humble petition of Richard Pace Humbly sheweth Whereas yor petitioner heretofore hath Enjoyed a Plantation one thother side of ye water, & hath bestowed great Cost & Charges vppon building ther, & Cleareing of ground but at length was Enforced to leaue ye same by ye sauidge Crewelly of ye Indians. Yett now purposeing (by gods assistance) to fortifie & strengthen ye place wth a good Company of able men, hee doth desier to inhabit ther againe, & by yor leaue freely to Enjoy his said plantation, promissing to Doe all such things as by yor worps dyrections hee shalled by Enjoyned, either for ye better safe guard & defence of ye people, ht hee shall ther put our, or in wteur yor shall please to Comaund him In tender Consideration Wherof may itt please yor worps to grant him his request, and hee shalbe bound to pray for yor health and happines both in this Worlde & in ye worlde to Come This petition graunted, as many others also resouled vpon ther plantations according to order receaued from England[13] Descendants From the land patent mentioned earlier, it is known that Richard Pace had a son named George Pace, who, based upon the following Virginia Colonial land abstract of a quitclaim dated 25 February 1658/9, is believed to have had a wife named Sarah and a son named Richard: " Know all mean by these presents, and witnesse that I Richd Pace sonne and heire apparent of mr Geo Pace of the Com of Charles Citty att Mount March in Virginia, and sonn and heire as the first issue by my mother Mrs. Sara Macocke wife unto my aforesd father (being both dec'd) Do hereby by these presents...allow of the sale of eight or nine hundred acres of land being neere unto Pierces hundred, als Flowrday Hundred, sold by my dec'd. father Mr. George Pace unto Mr. Thomas Drew as per bill of sale bearing date the 12th of October Ao 1650... " This second Richard Pace had a wife named Mary, as shown by a Charles City, Virginia court record dated 13 March 1661/2, in which Richard Pace sells land "with consent of my wife, Mary Pace"[14]. He appears to have died sometime between 19 November 1677 (when he was mentioned in a court record [15] as receiving the bounty for killing a wolf) and 14 February 1677/78 (when administration was granted to Mary Pace[16] on the estate of "Richard Pace, her deceased husband"). He left a living heir, for a court record of 15 April 1678[17] appoints two men to appraise the estate of Richard Pace "in behalf of the orphan". From here, however, the documentation trail grows somewhat cold. A letter said to have been written by Winifred Aycock Lane[18] purportedly provides information about the children of Richard and Mary Pace. However, the original letter no longer exists, and three extant transcripts differ somewhat from one another on certain details[19]. Many Pace families in North America claim Richard Pace as a direct ancestor. However, these claims are based largely upon circumstantial evidence, as there are many gaps in available written records regarding the first several generations of Richard Pace's descendants, making the corroboration of a claim of direct descent problematic. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA of various Pace descendants constitutes an ongoing effort to support or refute such claims of descent. Such DNA evidence cannot be used to conclusively prove descent from any specific individual, but it can refute claims of common descent within genealogical time scales. [edit] Further reading
  Person ID	I166	America
  Last Modified	8 Oct 2010

  
  

  Family	Isabella SMYTH,   b. 1589, St Dunstan, Stepney, Middlesex, England d. Bef 1635, Jamestown, James City, VA (Age 45 years)
  Marriage	5 Oct 1508	St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, England
  Children	1. George PACE,   b. 1609, ENGLAND d. 4 Jun 1655, Charles City, Charles City County, Virginia, USA (Age 46 years)
  Family ID	F14	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Oct 2010

  
  

• Event Map

  Marriage - 5 Oct 1508 - St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, England Birth - 1583 - Wapping Wall, Middlesex, England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R), (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998).