John Pace, of Middlesex, VA

John Pace, I
Also Known As:	"John of Middlesex", ""John Pace of Middlesex"", "John I Pace"
Birthdate:	circa 1669
Birthplace:	Charles City, Surry County, Virginia
Death:	January 20, 1720 (46-55) Christ Church, Middlesex, Virginia
Place of Burial:	Middlesex , Virginia, United States
Immediate Family:	Son of unknown father of John Pace, of Middlesex, VA and unknown mother of John Pace, of Middlesex, VA Husband of Elizabeth Pace and Mary Pace / How / Graves Father of Sarah Davis; Joseph Pace, I; Benjamin Pace; Margaret Johnson; Mary Eleanor Turman and 5 others

Managed by:	Alicia Bellamy
Last Updated:	today

View Complete Profile

view all 14

Immediate Family

Elizabeth Pace

wife
Sarah Davis

daughter
Joseph Pace, I

son
Benjamin Pace

son
Margaret Johnson

daughter
Mary Eleanor Turman

daughter
Jane Blackley

daughter
Newsome Pace

son
William Pace

son
George Pace

son
John Pace, Jr., of Middlesex County

son
Mary Pace / How / Graves

wife

About John Pace, of Middlesex, VA

http://www.pacefamilyhistory.info/lines/john-mid/benjamin.htm
NOTES FOR JOHN PACE OF MIDDLESEX

John Pace of Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, Virginia is NOT the son of Richard Pace of Charles City, Virginia, and therefore not a descendant of Richard Pace of Jamestown. Researchers may have been confused by the fact that the Jamestown Paces were from Middlesex, England.

We can tell the two families apart using the yDNA of their male-line descendants:

http://www.pacesociety.org/DNA/results.htm

The Jamestown and Charles City Paces = Haplogroup R1b. Richard Pace II did have a son John, who married Elizabeth Lowe.

John Pace of Middlesex = Haplogroup I2b2. He married (1) Elizabeth (probably Newsome), and (2) Mary Murray.

John Pace of Middlesex is related to the Paces of Staffordshire and Shropshire, England—but it’s not clear how he is related.

Alas, John’s parents are still unproven. Examination of his known records shows that he would have been born between 1657 and 1672.

There are two good candidate couples for his parents;

1. John Pace & Mary ______ of Hungar’s Parish, Northampton County, Virginia, whose son John was christened April 2, 1661. Hungar’s Parish records also show a John Pace died later in 1661—it’s not clear if this was either the father or the son.

http://www.pacefamilyhistory.info/lines/john-mid/jp.htm

2. Joseph and Margaret of Shropshire, England, whose son John was christened Sept. 22, 1665; Wrockwardine, Shropshire, England.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N53M-YVX

There is a close DNA relationship between descendants of John of Middlesex and descendants of George of Shropshire, who is also a son of Joseph and Margaret (#2 above), brother of the John Pace who was christened 1665.

Here are the lines of our John and his possible brother, George:

http://www.pacesociety.org/DNA/johngeorge.htm

Alas, we can’t tell how closely the two lines were related. The Hungar’s Parish John Pace may have been a brother or cousin of Joseph of Shropshire, or he may be an unrelated Pace who was simply born at the right time and reasonably nearby.

John Pace of Middlesex may be the John who arrived Port of Baltimore 1679--he would have been 14 at the time. See discussion here: http://www.pacesociety.org/re-view.htm

More research is needed!

***********************************************************************

WILL OF JOHN PACE OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA

Added by AliceGleasonGould on 27 Apr 2008

In the name of God, Amen, I John Pace, Senr., in the County of Middlesex and Parish of Christ Church, being sick and weake. . . make this my last will and testament.

I give my body to the Earth, there to receive a decent and Christian burial, and my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it me. For what worldly goods I have I give as followth:

I give to my eldest son John Pace all my carpenders, joyners and turners tools and in jenerall, saveing one large saw, one small hand saw, t wo chisels, one gowage, one addze and broad ax for the plantation.

I give to my son Joseph Pace all my land and plantation where I now live, onely that my wife shall possess and injoy her life in one part of it to begin at a white oak in the head of the spring branch and to run a straight course to Mr. Jno. Segar's, the said land to include the plantation. At her death wholely to return to my son Jos. Pace.

I give at my wife's death one large bible and to Wm. Davis leather cou[ ].

To my daughter Margarett Pace one large lookeing glass which is now in my house.

I give to my daughter Mary Pace at her day of marriage the new narrow stript feather bed with new blankets and a rug, with curtanes and vallencs thereto belonging.

Further I give to my daughter Mary Pace one table and six new leather chaires to be possest with at the day my wife should marry or otherwise at her death.

I give to my daughter Joane Pace a good feather bed and furniture at the day of her marriage and two large leather chares, one iron pott, one small lookeing glass and a chist with lock and key which stands above staires, and two cows.

I lend to my well beloved wife all the rest of my personall estasbe together with land and plantation aforementioned during her widowhood or if she marrys to give security for the personnal estate which shall remain after the legacys taken from it and at her death to be equally divided between my three youngest sons, Benj., Newsome and William Pace.

And further I do . . . appoint and make my wellbeloved wife my whole and sole executor of this my last will and testament . . . against all others whatsoever. In witness whereof I have heronto set my hand and seal on this second day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty.

Signed, sealed and delivered/ in the presence of/ Joseph Hardee/ David (X) George/ John George

John Pace, Seal/ At a court held for W L S Slos, the seventh/ day of March, 1720 [1721]. Mary produced this/

will of John pace, deceased, in the court/ and made an oath thereto and . . ./

was proved in court by the oaths of the/

witnesses . . . and was admitted to record.

Additional information about this story

Description from a photocopy of the orgininal, Middlesex Co., Virginia, Will Book #4, 1713-1734, pgs. 173-74; published in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 4, No. 2, pg. 72.; re-printed in Pace Society Bulletin, #75, March, 1986.

John Pace of Middlesex

Added by AliceGleasonGould on 29 Apr 2008

After much study combined with educated guesses, known family customs as to given names, and applied logic, the following regarding the connection between John [Pace] I of Middlesex, and Richard and Isabella Pace of Jamestown (Surry County) has taken shape.

First, the Maycock papers (p. 6-7) states positively that Georges son, Richard II, and wife Mary Knowles had five sons, and one daughter. The fifth son was John Pace I who married Elizabeth Newsome, and eventually went to Middlesex County as stated in the papers. Later, Richard IV named one of his sons Knowles Pace indicating adherance to family name custom. Of the six children of Richard II, and Mary Knowles, only Richard III moved early to North Carolina (1706 land grant). John I, and Elizabeth Newsome Pace wer in Middlesex in 1694, twelve years earlier than Richard III's move south. It is probably fact that after some years, as has been suggested by genealogists, John I could have moved to North Carolina to be near his brothers and sisters. This would leave his Middlesex plantation to his oldest son, (tradition & law) John II, and wife Elizabeth Montague Pace.

John I was born in 1672, and most likely married Elizabeth Newsome in 1693 upon reaching age 21, both them being of marriagable age. That John I of Maycocks did in fact marry Elizabeth Newsome of Surry County seems a certainty. Both the early Pace , and Newsome (Spencer) families were of Surry County, and were neigbors through four generations as follows;

Arrived 1609-11: Richard I - Isabella Smith Arrived 1607: William Spencer - Alice

                       George I - Sarah Maycock                             Elizabeth Spencer - Rob't. Shepard

Richard II - Mary Knowles Anne Shepard - Wm. Newsome
(John I - Elizabeth Newsome Elizabeth Newsome - John Pace I)
The Pace, and Spencer families were somewhat isolated across the James river (3 miles) from Jamestown. Strong friendships must have developed, and surely it was so with John I, and Elizabeth Newsome. It is unlikely, due to the distance, that there was any contact at that time with anyone in Middlesex, and beyond belief that there could be two William Newsomes, two sets of Johns & Elizabeths having their first children named Sarah, and George. The population of the area at that time was too sparse for that to be a fact, or even possible.

John I, and Elizabeth Newsome of Surry probably were married in Surry or Jamstown - the records in that area were destroyed during the Revolution, and there is no record of their marriage at Christ Church, Middlesex Co. Their plantation must have been a wedding present from both their families as it was paid for with 7000 lbs. of prime tobacco which represented a lot of money then. They must have been married some months before moving to Middlesex as their first child Sarah was born only eight months after the purchase.

Sarah's birth is the first Pace record in the registry of Christ Church parish, Middlesex. Their first sons birth, George Pace, is also registered there. At this point it has become obvious that both children were named for their grandparents, George, and Sarah Maycock Pace, (Family Custom). This fact ties John I of Middlesex to Richard, and Isabella of Jamestown, and identifies him as John of Maycocks as well as of Middlesex, and their great grandson. (Maycock papers)

John I, and Elizabeth Newsome had two other sons named John, and William. These two names, (per custom), tie John I, and John II into the Richard I line going back to the Paces of England. The name William is carried down from the William Spencer ancestor who was one of only two survivors of the original 105 Jamestown colonists, arriving in 1607 in the ship Susan Constant.

Most genealogists believe that Elizabeth of Middlesex was in fact the daughter of William (another William of Spencer line), Newsome of Surry County. This is quite logical since the names Newsome, and Spencer also appear in the later Middlesex Pace lines. Joel Pace I names his fourth son Spencer, not a common given name, and again following the family custom by taking a name from the Wm. Spencer line. In fact it is believed that Joels son was actually named William Spencer Pace, Spencer being used by preference. There is little doubt that the marriage of Elizabeth Newsome of Surry to John Pace I of Maycocks (later Middlesex), passed the blood of another patriot William Spencer, to the Pace generations.

A check on the give names through the Pace generations bears out the fact that we have followed the family custom, in most lines, of borrowing them from the past generations. This would point to the fact that most early Paces are indeed, (including Middlesex line) descended from Richard I, and Isabella. This of course excludes Paces arriving in America later on. There is much confusion as to names and dates in our early 1600 beginnings due to lack of, and/or destruction of records. However, it is virtually impossible that there could have been two John Paces marrying two Elizabeth Newsomes, both with children named Sarah, and George in the same time, and area. Rather, the confusion of names, records, and handing down information by word of mouth over the generations has created the doubt that exists. There can be only one conclusion, that the Middlesex line is indeed descended from Richard I, and Isabella Pace.

Once againthe custom of taking given names from past generations will give us a look at our English ancestors. Richard I of Jamestown is descended from one of the lines shown on the following chart though there seems to be a generation missing between him and the last shown.

Though a bit obscure, and incomplete in all information we can believe that our Pace line began with;

John Pace = A woman of Hants, Hampshire England, ca. 1450, [parents of]: Dean Richard Pace, b. 1482, d. 1536, Dean of St. Pauls, London, Sec of State to King Henry VIII, unmarried; John Pace, b. ca. 1484-86, ed. Eton & Cambridge, [father of]: John Pace, b. 1522, d. 1590, ed. Eton & Cambridge, Court Jester for Queen Elizabeth I; Richard Pace, ed. Eton & Cambridge, Vicar - St. Dunstans - Stepney, London; Thomas Pace, cared for his uncle Dean Richard, received Holbury Manor, Hants.

Richard of Jamestown is descended from one of these lines although it seems there is a generation between. Richard and Isabella were married in St. Dunstans in 1608 before coming to America 1609-11. He probably was married on becoming 21 years of age as seemed to be the custom then, so he must have been born around 1586-87. Perhaps his grandfather (or uncle) Richard, Vicar of St. Dunstans performed the ceremony. Vicar Richard could have been married since it was now Church of England, and celibacy was no longer required, so he could have been Richard of Jamestowns Grandfather.

CONCLUSIONS

1. That John of Middlesex was in fact John of Maycocks.

2. That John of Maycocks married Elizabeth Newsome of Surry.

3. Above taken from the Maycock Papers.

4. That John I was the son of Richard II, and Mary Knowles (Maycock Papers), and therefore was the grandson (great) of Richard I, and Isabella.

5. That the Johns, and Eizabeths, with children Sarah, and George were due to lack of records, and much confusion and duplication.

6. That continuity of given names not only ties us to the William Spencer line, but also ties the Middlesex line to Richard, and Isabella. Also, in a later generation Joel Pace II named a daughter Isabella - no doubt after her great grandmother Isabella of Jamestown.

7. The names Newsome, Spencer, William, Isabella, Knowles, George, John, Joseph, Sarah, etc., all are passed down from the Spencer and/or Richard Pace lines through the Middlesex line tying us all together.

8. Finally - most of the available writings seems directed toward proving that John I of Middlesex WAS NOT connected to Richard, and Isabella rather than that he was, (a fact which is backed by most genealogists). Mabel Pace Tanner, my grandmother , in her D.A.R. application, made reference, (in her Middlesex line), to George, and Richard as ancestors. This probably came down by word of mouth from generation to generation, a strong oral tradition not to b e denied, here, and in many other instances in Pace history.

Robert T. Poole - Malone, 1984 - (6th Dradft), FINAL. Maj. Robert T. Malone, 151 - Mass. Ave., Congers, NY 10920

FOOTNOTE I arrived at the above by matching generations rather than dates which are often wrong or not available. R.T.M.

Additional information about this story

Description By Robert T. Poole Malone, 151-Mass. Ave., Congers, NY 10920, 1984, as printed in the Pace Society Bulletin, No. 75, March, 1986, pgs. 19-24.