An experienced docent will lead you through the home of William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As you walk through this National Historic Landmark, your guide will share the stories of all the people who lived and labored in the home and garden. This admission option also includes entry for the self-guided stroll of the garden. Paca, William (1740-1799), lawyer and politician, was born on 31 Oct 1740, at his father's plantation on the Bush River near Abingdon in Baltimore County, Maryland, the third child and second son of John Paca (c.1712-1785), planter, and his wife Elizabeth Smith (?-c.1766). William Paca was a patriot leader who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and served as the State of Maryland’s third Governor. After marrying the wealthy and well-connected Mary Chew in 1763, the young lawyer built a five-part brick house and terraced pleasure garden on two acres of land in Annapolis. Another, William Paca of Maryland, has been elusive despite having an Italian-sounding name. Declaration signer William Paca. The search for Paca’s ethnicity has absorbed our community since 1937 when researcher Giovanni Schiavo contacted one of the signer’s descendants who confirmed an Italian lineage. In Washington, D.C., near the Washington monument, is a small park and lagoon dedicated to the memory of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the 56 granite blocks there bears the name of “William Paca.” William Paca was a United States politician, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. William Paca was born on October 31, 1740, to a wealthy planter in Maryland. William Paca (/ ˈpeɪ.kə / PAY-kə or / ˈpæk.ə / PAK-ə; October 31, 1740 – October 13, 1799) [1] was a Founding Father of the United States who was a signatory to the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence. He would sign the Declaration of Independence, pledging his life, his fortune and his sacred honor. After the death of his wifein 1774, Paca fathered two children out of wedlock: Hester (1775–1793), whose mother Levina was a free woman of color, and Henrietta Maria (1777–1850) the daughter of Sarah Joice. Paca was a leader of the patriot cause in Maryland from the initial opposition to the Stamp Act in 1764 through his service in the Congress. He voted for adoption of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 and was one of Maryland's four signers on August 2nd. William Paca (October 31, 1740 – October 23, 1799) was a lawyer, judge, Governor, and American Revolutionary War patriot. He served as a delegate from Maryland to the Second Continental Congress and became an infamous signer of the Declaration of Independence. William Paca. William Paca (October 31, 1740 – October 13, 1799) signed the United States Declaration of Independence in August 1776 and was also a delegate to the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress from Maryland, Governor of Maryland and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the William Paca was a signer of the Declaration of Independence who was from Maryland. He came from a wealthy family, and began his political career early, pretty soon after starting his own legal practice. William Paca was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland, and later Governor of Maryland and a United States federal judge. Declaration of Independence, 17761 IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, Associated Locations: Hartford County, Maryland – Birthplace Associated Dates: October 31, 1740 – Born William Paca (October 31, 1740 – October 23, 1799) was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland, and later Governor of Maryland and a United States federal judge. Life Sketch from Lives of the Signers Character [] When the Maryland legislature removed the restrictions on her delegates, Paca voted for independence on July 2, 1776 and signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2. From December 1790 through May 1800, Congress met in Congress Hall, adjacent to Independence Hall (then known as the State House), where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The club cites the fact that Paca was the only Italian-American besides Caesar Rodney to sign the Declaration of Independence as the reason for bestowing him this honor. [16] Paca-Carroll House at St. John's College is named for Paca and fellow signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll. [17] The five-part Georgian mansion at 186 Prince George Street was built in the 1760s for William Paca, one of Maryland’s four Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the state’s third Governor. Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers William Paca 1740-1799 Representing Maryland at the Continental Congress by Ole Erekson, Engraver, c1876, Library of Congress
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