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A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789 by Edward C. Papenfuse, et. al.
Volume 426, Page 632   View pdf image (33K)
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FAC BIOGRAPHIES

Dallam (1706-1761), who married Elizabeth
Johnson (?-1748); Richard Dallam (1708-ca.
1765), who married Frances Wallis (1711-?). Her
half sister was Christian Dallam (1704-1787), who
married Richard Caswell (1685-1755). Her half
nephew was Richard Dallam (1743-1820). CHIL-
DREN. SONS: Aqulia Paca (1738-1788); William Paca
(1740-1799). DAUGHTERS: Mary (1733-?), who
was unmarried in 1781; Susannah, who married
in 1776 her first cousin William Smith (ca. 1756-
ca. 1794); Elizabeth (1742-1758), who died in
Philadelphia and is buried in Christ Church Cem-
etery, Philadelphia; Martha (1743/44-1829), who
married in 1767 James Phillips (?-ca. 1800); and
Frances (?-ca. 1787), who married in 1765 her
half cousin Richard Dallam (1743-1820). PRIVATE

CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILI-
ATION: Although his father was a Quaker and
requested in his will that his children be brought
up as Quakers, John became an Anglican, served
as church warden and vestryman of St. John's
Parish, Baltimore County, and entered the births
of his children in the parish register. SOCIAL STA-
TUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1743; Esq., by
1780. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter, devel-
oper. Paca laid out the towns of Abingdon, in
1779, and Washington, by 1781, both in Harford
County. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
Lower House, Baltimore County, 1744 (elected
to the 2nd session of the 1742-1744 Assembly to
replace his brother), 1745 (Aggrievances), 1745/
46-1748 (Aggrievances Cv 1, 1-3,4), 1749-1751
(Aggrievances Cv-3; Bills of Credit 1), 1753-
1754 (elected to the 3rd session of the 1751-1754
Assembly), 1754-1757 (Bills of Credit 6; Arms
and Ammunition 5, 6), 1762-1763, 1770 (elected
to the 3rd session of the 1768-1770 Assembly;
Grievances 3); Conventions, Harford County, 1st,
1774, 3rd, 1774. LOCAL OFFICES: churchwarden,
St. John's Parish, Baltimore County, 1736-1737;
St. John's Parish Vestry, Baltimore County, 1737-
1740, 1748-1751, 1753-1756; justice, Baltimore
County, 1744-1753 (quorum, 1750-1753), Har-
ford County, 1774-1777 (quorum, at least 1774);
justice. Especial Court of Oyer, Terminer, and
Gaol Delivery, Baltimore County, 1750-1751
(quorum); commissioner to erect a courthouse
and prison, Harford County, 1773; Committee of
Correspondence, Harford County, 1774; com-
missioner of the tax, Harford County, appointed
1777 (appointment not renewed June 1777); judge.
Court of Appeals for Tax Assessment, Harford
County, 1779. MILITARY SERVICE: captain, by 1774.

WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY:

distributed his slaves and stock to his daughters
before 1782. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: at least
3,360 acres in Baltimore County (1,282 acres in-
herited from his father, 470 acres acquired through
marriage, 425 acres acquired by purchase, 150
acres added through patent and resurvey, at least
420 acres inherited from his sister Priscilla, and
at least 152 acres inherited from his sister Susan-
nah). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN

FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: acquired 673 acres
by patent and 205 acres by purchase, and sold
924 acres, for a net loss of 46 acres, 1746-1759;
acquired 744 acres by patent and purchase and
785 acres by inheritance from Josias Middlemore,
and sold 283 acres, for a net gain of 1,246 acres,
1750-1759; acquired 264 acres by patent and 48
acres by purchase, and sold 1,493 acres and gave
1,120 acres to his sons, for a net loss of 2,300
acres, 1760-1769; acquired at least 600 acres as
heir of Martha Adair, and sold 833 acres, for a
net loss 233 acres, 1770-1779; sold 258 acres and
at least 24 and one-half lots in Abingdon, and
gave at least 13 lots in Abingdon to his children,
1780-1785. All of these transactions were in Bal-
timore County before 1773 and in Harford County
after 1773. Paca's will, written in 1781 with a
codicil in 1782, mentions ca. 2,400 acres and lots
in Abingdon and Washington towns, Harford
County. Of this acreage, at least 1,000 acres had
already been deeded to his sons. The 1782 codicil
confirms specific lots in Abingdon and Washing-
ton to his son William and his three married
daughters. By 1783 the children were paying taxes
on this land. After 1783 John Paca's land trans-
actions were confined to sales of Abingdon lots.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on January 2, 1785, at
the home of his daughter Martha Phillips in Har-
ford County.

PACA, WILLIAM (1740-1799). BORN: on Oc-
tober 31, 1740, on the Bush River, near the later
town of Abingdon, Baltimore (later became Har-
ford) County; second son. NATIVE: fourth gen-
eration. RESIDED: in Baltimore County until 1759
(at school in Philadelphia, 1752-1759); Annap-
olis, Anne Arundel County, 1759-1774 (at school
in London, 1761); Queen Anne's County and
Philadelphia, 1774-late 1781 or early 1782 (ac-
tually lived for most of this period in Philadelphia,
but retained legal residence in Queen Anne's
County); Queen Anne's County, 1782; Annap-
olis, 1782-1785; Queen Anne's County, 1786-
ca. 1795; Annapolis, ca. 1795-late 1796; Queen-
Anne's County, 1796-death. FAMILY BACK-

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A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789 by Edward C. Papenfuse, et. al.
Volume 426, Page 632   View pdf image (33K)
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