1. Nathaniel Bradford of Accomack County, Virginia - Lower ...

household. A Thomas Williams was a witness for Christopher Sadbury in Nathaniel’s defamation
suit against Sadbury in 1678 183 and in April of that year he was mentioned in a deposition as being
with Nathaniel when Nathaniel accidentally killed one of William Burton’s hogs. 184 At Thomas
Williams’ death, Nathaniel petitioned for administration of his estate as Williams’ greatest
creditor. 185 Williams died owing various individuals more than the value of his entire estate, so his
wife Elizabeth requested that she and her child at least be given clothing, since there would be
nothing else left to her after the payment of Williams’ debts. Nathaniel Bradford was ordered to
give Elizabeth the clothing and to take Thomas Williams’ estate into his care. 185
- John Reeves was certainly one of Nathaniel’s servants. In 1676, he petitioned successfully for his
freedom from Nathaniel, who was attempting to keep Reeves for a year longer than the term of
service for which he had been indentured. 186 It is known that Reeves was brought to Virginia by an
individual other than Nathaniel, 187 so it appears that in this case Nathaniel purchased the headright
rather than arranging for the transportation himself. It is likely that this was the case with most of
Nathaniel’s headrights, since there is no evidence that Nathaniel was engaged in the shipping
business. Reeves died a few years after completing his term of servitude. 188
Apart from the servants listed on Nathaniel’s 1672 certificate of importation, the identity of others may be
surmised from examination of the Accomack County court records. The following individuals were
servants of Nathaniel late in his life, being listed as in his possession at the inventory of his estate: Mary
Stewart, Mary Shaw, William Trafford, Charles Justis and Mary Farrill. 189 Each of them was valued by the
appraisers based on the time they had left to serve. Mary Farrill and Mary Shaw, who each had only one
year to serve, were valued at a little over 1 pound sterling, whereas Charles Justis, Wm. Trafford and Mary
Steward each had 5 years left on their indentures and were valued at between 8 and 9 pounds sterling. To
give some idea of how much this was worth, passage to Virginia from England cost about 12 pounds
sterling in 1680, or about 2500 lbs tobacco, and passage from Barbados 6 lbs sterling. 190 The court records
of Accomack County allow the lives of these 5 servants to be traced to some degree:
- It appears that Nathaniel’s son William sold Mary Stewart to Richard Bally after Nathaniel’s
death, as in 1692 she was presented for fornication as Bally’s servant. 191 Charles Scarburgh paid
her fine of 2000 lbs tobacco in exchange for her entering his service for two and a half years after
she had completed her original indenture with Baily. It also appears that she wed the man whose
child she bore, a certain Jones. 192
- Mary Shaw may have been the same Mary Shaw who in 1689 was in the service of Robert
Hutchinson, and whose term of service was extended since she attempted to run away. 193
Nathaniel had several recorded dealings with Robert Hutchinson in his life: he was sued by
Hutchinson in 1670 over an account 194 , and Hutchinson’s house is where a recorded conversation
occurred regarding another of Nathaniel’s servants, the John Reeves mentioned above 195 .
Hutchinson must have sold Mary Shaw to Nathaniel sometime in 1689 or 1690.
- No significant records pertaining to Charles Justis exist in the Accomack court orders, but William
Trafford appeared on several occasions. After Nathaniel’s death Trafford, though still a servant,
sued the administrators of Nathaniel’s estate (his son William and wife Joan) for a mare and colt
that Nathaniel had given him. 196 It’s worth quoting a few of the depositions given in this matter for
the details they contain:
“Deposition of Henry Read aged about 62 years: About a year ago in May, Mr. Natha.
Bradford, Sr., came to Read's house and asked him to come down to his house to "cut
horses and desired me if I had a good pliant rope to bring it with me. 'I have promised the
boy William Trafford a mare for bearing of bricks.'" Bradford had already given him a
mare, but it died, so now he was giving him another mare and colt. Read said he "would
give him the cutting of ye colt", but Bradford "answered that if he had given him five
mares, he had not lost by it" - for Bradford had hidden plate in a water hole; Trafford
found it and returned the entire amount to Bradford. The last mare delivered to Trafford
was branded "with NB with ye wrong end upwards." Signed in sworn in open court 17
September 1691 by Henry (R) Read”
“Deposition of James Ewell aged about 55 years: About three or four years ago, Ewell
bargained with Nathaniel Bradford to do some brick work; Bradford, who was to find a
helper, brought William Trafford. "After some time, Mr. Bradford came to Pungutege
and ask your deponent how I liked ye said Trafford. [I] replied he did very well. So said,
Page 37 of 74 Copyright 2008 Adam M. Bradford