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GROUND. FATHER. John Paca (ca. 1712-1785), son
of Aquila Paca (ca. 1676-1721). MOTHER: Eliz-
abeth Smith (?-ca. 1766). UNCLES: Aquila Paca
(ca. 1703-1743/44); William Smith (?-1777).
BROTHER: Aquila Paca (1738-1788). SISTERS: Mary
(1733-?); Elizabeth (1742-1758); Martha (1743/
44-1829), who married James Phillips (?-ca.
1800); Susannah; and Frances (?-ca. 1787), who
married Richard Dallam (1743-1820). FIRST cou-
SIN: Martha Paca (1732/33-?), who married Rob-
ert Adair (?-1768). MARRIED first, on May 26,
1763, Ann Mary Chew (1736-1774), daughter of
Samuel Chew (ca. 1704-1736/37) and wife Hen-
rietta Maria Lloyd (?-1765). Ann was the step-
daughter of Daniel Dulany (1685-1753). She was
the granddaughter of Philemon Lloyd (ca. 1674-
1732/33). Her brothers were Philemon Lloyd (?-
1770); Bennett (?-1793); and Samuel Chew (by
1734-1786). Her half brothers were Lloyd Du-
lany (1742-1782); Richard Dulany (?-died young).
Her stepbrothers were Daniel Dulany, Jr. (1722-
1797); Dennis Dulany (1730-1779); and Walter
Dulany (?-1773). Her sisters were Henrietta Maria
(1731-1762), who married Edward Dorsey (1718-
1760); Margaret (?-1773), who married JohnBeale
Bordley (1726/27-1804). Her stepsisters were Re-
becca Dulany; Rachel Dulany; Mary Dulany; and
Margaret Dulany, who married first, Alexander
Hamilton (1712-1756), and second, William Mur-
doch (ca. 1710-1769). Her first cousin was Mary
Chew, who married first, Alexander Hamilton Smith
(ca. 1748-1784), and second, William Lyles (?-
1790). Her niece was Henrietta Maria Chew (1759-
1847), who married Benjamin Galloway (1752-
1831). MARRIED second, on February 28, 1777,
Ann (ca. 1758-1780), daughter of Henry Har-
rison (ca. 1713-1766), Esq., of Philadelphia, a
merchant, and wife Mary Aspden. Ann was the
granddaughter of Mathias Aspden (?-1765) of
Philadelphia, a merchant. Her brothers were Jo-
seph; Mathias; and George. Her sister was Mary
(?-1793), who married in 1773 Rev. William White
(1748-1836), the first Protestant Episcopal Bishop
of Philadelphia. CHILDREN. SONS: John Philemon
(1771-1840), who married in 1800 Juliana Tilgh-
man (?-1861); William (by 1774-1779); and Henry
(1778-1781). DAUGHTERS: Henrietta Maria (ca.
1764-died young). NATURAL DAUGHTERS: by
Levina, Hester (1775-?). The only official men-
tion of Lavina occurs in the baptismal record for
Hester in Christ Church Parish, Philadelphia.
When Paca was about to return to Maryland in
1781, he left Hester, then in school in Philadel-
phia, under the medical care of Dr. Benjamin
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Rush. By Sarah Joice (?-1803), of Annapolis,
Henrietta Maria (ca. 1777-1850), who married,
in 1794, Thomas Grafton Addison (ca. 1770-1826)
and moved to Kentucky. PRIVATE CAREER. EDU-
CATION: Academy and Charity School of Phila-
delphia, 1752-1756; College of Philadelphia, 1756-
1759, granted Bachelor of Arts degree, 1759;
studied law with Stephen Bordley (ca.1710-1764),
1759-1760; Inner Temple, Inns of Court, Lon-
don, 1761; College of Philadelphia, granted Mas-
ter of Arts degree, 1762. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.
Anglican. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Esq.,
by 1777; Hon., by 1795; one of the founders of
the Forensic Club, 1759; member of the Homony
Club, 1771-1774; steward of the Jockey Club,
Annapolis, 1788; founded club for young lawyers
in Annapolis, ca. 1783. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Paca was described by Charles Willson Peale as
"a handsome man, more than six foot high, of
portly appearance, being well educated and ac-
customed to the best company, he was graceful
in his movements and complacent to everyone."
John Adams characterized Paca as a "delibera-
tor," and a modern historian has noted that dur-
ing pre-Revolutionary conflicts "to a large extent
he was the intellect behind Samuel Chase's rhet-
oric." Paca is credited with the carefully designed
gardens of his home on Prince George Street in
Annapolis, and he employed a professional land-
scape architect for the gardens on his Wye Island
estate. His mansion, "Wye Hall," built on Wye
Island in Queen Anne's County about 1791, has
been termed by a modern historian "almost cer-
tainly the most splendid house in America." OC-
CUPATIONAL PROFILE: lawyer; admitted to the
following courts: Mayor's Court, Annapolis, Oc-
tober 1761; Anne Arundel and Baltimore coun-
ties, June 1763; Chancery Court by April 1764;
Provincial Court, April 1764; Frederick and Prince
George's counties, June 1764; Queen Anne's
County, June 1765; and Charles County, Novem-
ber 1772. Paca maintained an extensive planta-
tion on his Wye Island property. PUBLIC CAREER.
LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Annapolis,
1768-1770 (Grievances 3; Laws to Expire 4), 1771
(Grievances), 1773-1774 (Elections 2, 3; Griev-
ances 1, Cv, 2, 3; Laws to Expire 3); Conventions,
Anne Arundel County, 1st, 1774, 2nd-3rd, 1774,
5th, 1775, 6th-8th, 1775-1776 (did not attend
the 6th and 8th Conventions), Annapolis, 9th,
1776 (Elections); Senate, Western Shore, Term
of 1776-1781: 1777, 1777 (resigned on December
19, 1777, during the 1st session of the 1777-1778
Assembly), Eastern Shore, 1778-1779 (elected
633
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