I thought I had submitted this message to PACE-L@rootsweb.com, but I can find no copy in the Archives. It seems I forgot to send it. I am forwarding the message now. It is given below. I have demonstrated, on the basis of circumstantial evidence, that Ann, wife of Richard Baker, had been married previously, this time to an UNK Floriday. Now the name Floriday would have been known to the colonists, in as much as Floriday may be a variant spelling of Flowerdew. Lady Temperance Flowerdew was the wife of Gov. Sir George Yeardley. The Floweredews or fflowerdieus come from co. Norfolk in England. I realize my connection of Flowerday and Flowerdew may be stretching a point. The text of the message follows: ******************** Did Ann Baker have a marriage prior to her marriage to Richard Baker? Her marriage to Richard Baker is proven by the will entered into probate in the Court held at Westover 3 April 1665. Ann was named executrix for the estate. Unfortunately, only an abstract of the court proceedings is referenced. An examination of the entire record might make clear a definite relationship between Richard Baker and Richard and Mary Pace. The will book for Charles City County for this time frame is missing. Shortly after Baker’s will was entered into probate, the widow Ann Baker petitioned the “Honoured Vestry of Westov’r Parish” on behalf of her son William Floriday! She said that her son was visited with dangerous convulsion “fitts wch taketh him commonly every day”. He was thus unable to earn a living and her son warranted a tax exemption. She stated she had maintained her son since September 1664. Richard Baker was then alive. In May 1665, she stated that she was a “lone woman and hath no servant and a charge of two children to maintaine.” The court ruled in favor of her and her son. William would not be required to pay taxes on account of poverty. This material is given on p. 322 of Beverly Fleet’s “Virginia Colonial Abstracts, the Original 34 Volumes Reprinted in 3, Vol. III” published by the Genealogical Publishing Co. of Baltimore. William Floriday is listed as a head right of Howell Pryse for land granted in Feb 1657. It is possible he was living in England. I find that Floriday is sometimes written ffloriday or even ffloridieu. A John X ffloriday was a witness to the sale of property by Richard Pace “with Consent of my wife Mary Pace” to Richard Taylor, 13 March 1661/2. Hamilton Noble Pace wrote the name as ffleridiau (sic). There remains the possibility that Ann Baker had a son-in-law named William Floriday rather than a son. However, if this is not the case then she was married to a Floriday and Mary Pace’s maiden name might be Floriday. ********* The complete transcript of Ann Baker's petition is given below: Ref: Fleet, Beverly, “Virginia Colonial Abstracts, the Original 34 Volumes Reprinted in 3,” Vol. III, Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., 1988 – “Charles City County, Court Orders, 1664 ‑ 1665, Fragments, 1650 ‑ 1699,” p. 322. p. 554. To the Honoured Vestry of Westover Parish. The Peticon of Ann Baker widd. That whereas yo’r petn’rs son Wm. Floriday is visited by the hand of God w’th Dangerous Convulsion fitts wch taketh him comonly every day whereby he is made incapable to labour for his Liveing, and out of motherly affeccon and natural Love yo’r petn’r doth accordingly to her ability kept and maintained him ever since September 1664. Wherefore yo’r petn’r doth most humbly beseech yo’r honoured Vestry to take it in their consideracon that your petn’r is a lone woman and hath no servant and a charge of two children to maintaine, therefore yo’r petn’r Doth sollicit that her son Wm. Floriday may be exempt from the Levies and taxes in regard of the premises, and yo’r petn’r shall pray, etc. We of the Vestry present, on serious consideracon do hereby acquitt Wm. Floriday of puying paris Levies, and do hereby recommend this peticon to the consideration of the Wotpll Co’rt for the acquitting, if they think fitt, the sd. Floriday from pyblick Levies, As witnes by our hands this 15th of May 1655. John Holmwood, James Blamore, Edw: Hill, James Ward, Otho Southcott, James Wallace, Willm Hunt. William Floriday is hereby exempted and released of the Vestry of Westov’r parish of his inability and povourty. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

Seems strange though. Richard Baker was apparently a man of property. On 18 March 1662 he and Patrick Jackson jointly patented 1500 acres "on the back side of Merchant's Hope". And a couple of years later he gives Richard Pace 140 acres "..lying...on the west side of the aforesaid Baker's plantation." And yet, only a few months later, his widow petitions the court saying she is so poor she "hath no servant". Seems odd he didn't make better provision for his wife. Maybe she was just poormouthing. --------------------------------- All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

Also, the deed of gift to Richard Pace, which is the only support for the theory that Richard Pace might have married a daughter of Richard Baker, seems to come at an odd time. By 13 March 1661/2, Richard Pace was not only married to a wife named Mary but apparently selling land which she had an interest in, perhaps had brought to the marriage. The deed of gift from Richard Baker to Richard Pace doesn't happen until 7 Feb 1664/5. The 1661/2 sale of land was witnessed by John Floriday, true, but also by Caesar Walpole, John Hobbs, and John Daniel. There's no evidence that Richard Baker ever had a daughter or stepdaughter named Mary who could have married Richard Pace. And Ann Baker, poverty-stricken widow struggling to maintain two children and an adult disabled son with no domestic help, doesn't seem to fit well as the mother-in-law of Richard Pace the prosperous landowner. Taking it all together, I don't see that it's possible to reach any sound conclusion about who Mary Pace was. There's just not enough information. James __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com