1. Nathaniel Bradford of Accomack County, Virginia - Lower ...
1. Nathaniel Bradford of Accomack County, Virginia - Lower ... 1. Nathaniel Bradford of Accomack County, Virginia - Lower ...
John Smith’s map of Virginia. The peninsula of the eastern shore is at the bottom. Brief History of the Virginia Colony on the Eastern Shore to 1654 English settlement on the mainland of Virginia first began in the spring of 1607, with the founding of Jamestown [depicted left] by the Virginia Company of London. The following year Captain John Smith, one of the leaders of the new colony, set forth on an exploration of the Chesapeake Bay, in the course of his journey touching down at several spots on the eastern shore and even being hosted by the Indians there. The first settlement on the east side of the Chesapeake occurred in 1614 when Sir Thomas Dale sent a small group of men to Smith’s Island to engage in fishing and salt production. After a few years the salt works had fallen into disuse and the island was abandoned, but in 1619 the activities of Thomas Savage, who was engaged in trade with the local Indians on the shore, revived interest in settlement. A year later the first Virginians began to arrive from across the bay and settled on land set aside by the Company in the south of the peninsula on Old Plantation Creek. This was the first permanent settlement of the English in Accomack. The year 1622 saw a tremendous uprising of numerous western shore Indian tribes against the encroaching English [depicted left]. This constituted a serious attempt to eliminate the European presence in Virginia, and about a third of the fledgling colony’s inhabitants lost their lives. A bitter and brutal war ensued that lasted for much of the decade. However, the natives of Accomack took no part in the massacre and as a result the colonists there were spared not only the initial violence itself, but also its bloody aftermath. So fearful was the mood of the colonists on the western shore after the massacre that there was talk among the government at Jamestown of relocating the capital to the eastern shore. Any idea of fleeing Jamestown was quickly set aside as being born of “a Panicke feare”, although the colony’s leaders did write to the company Page 4 of 74 Copyright 2008 Adam M. Bradford
in London that “no question . . . that place [i.e., the Eastern Shore] had beene better at the first to have seated on, in regard of fertilitie, Convenience, all sorts of provision and strength both against the Native and Forreiner”. 18 Due to a variety of factors, including the Virginia Company’s financial difficulties and its inability to adequately protect the colonists from Indian attack, in 1624 King James rescinded the Company’s charter and instituted direct royal rule over Virginia. At that time there were only 51 people living on the eastern shore, mainly clustered in the south of the peninsula, but over the next decade settlement began to spread northwards and the population increased eightfold to about 400 inhabitants. By 1643 the population had more than doubled to about 1,000 19 . By 1654, when Nathaniel Bradford first appears on the eastern shore, the English had been settled there for a generation and a relatively stable society had arisen among them. Eastern Shore of Virginia, with a few principal locations of importance to this biography. Social Heirarchy of 17 th Century Accomack In 1634, when Virginia was divided by the crown for administrative purposes into 8 shires or counties, Accomack was one of them, comprising all the settlements on the eastern shore. In 1642, the name of the shire was changed by the Virginia Assembly to Northampton, although then and for a long time after the entire eastern shore was commonly referred to as Accomack. The name Northampton was reportedly chosen after the English birthplace of Obedience Robins 20 , one of the first Commissioners of Accomack and a leading figure on the eastern shore. The county was ruled by men like Robins – County Commissioners, or Justices of the Peace, who were appointed by the governor. Large landowners with wide connections, they monopolized most of the civil and military posts of weight in the county, and through intermarriage were beginning to form a relatively stable ruling group. Beneath the Justices on the social scale was a large population of freeholders of varying degrees of substance – planters and craftsmen like Nathaniel who often held secondary public posts such as surveyor and constable and who served as jurymen. This group, essentially Virginia’s middle class, contained many gradations of wealth, including freeholders like Nathaniel who owned a few thousand acres, as well as others who might own only fifty. Directly beneath the freeholders in status was a group of free non- Page 5 of 74 Copyright 2008 Adam M. Bradford
- Page 1 and 2: 1. Nathaniel 1 Bradford of Accomack
- Page 3: Sketch of Nathaniel Bradford Nathan
- Page 7 and 8: Nathaniel’s Early Years to Settle
- Page 9 and 10: to tender our Cause; that (if ye sd
- Page 11 and 12: Nathaniel as Constable & Birth of N
- Page 13 and 14: Alice sold the Occahannock plantati
- Page 15 and 16: The occupation of currier no longer
- Page 17 and 18: approve the appointment of the King
- Page 19 and 20: The fundamental division within the
- Page 21 and 22: ecompense for their services. The m
- Page 23 and 24: Nathaniel in the Late 1660’s: 166
- Page 25 and 26: practice that another of Nathaniel
- Page 27 and 28: man were the father of Nathaniel Jr
- Page 29 and 30: Nathaniel as Grand Juror and Repres
- Page 31 and 32: court’s reputation. Since the acc
- Page 33 and 34: Nathaniel Bradford During the 1670s
- Page 35 and 36: 2800 acres. In that same year Natha
- Page 37 and 38: household. A Thomas Williams was a
- Page 39 and 40: In 17 th century Virginia slavery w
- Page 41 and 42: Mathews’ lack of payment for cert
- Page 43 and 44: Governor Berkeley used the eastern
- Page 45 and 46: Though tobacco was the staple of Vi
- Page 47 and 48: himself was probably not in Sussex
- Page 49 and 50: Now that all of Nathaniel’s land
- Page 51 and 52: * * * * * Nathaniel as Attorney On
- Page 53 and 54: Nathaniel’s tithables remained co
in London that “no question . . . that place [i.e., the Eastern Shore] had beene better at the first to have<br />
seated on, in regard <strong>of</strong> fertilitie, Convenience, all sorts <strong>of</strong> provision and strength both against the Native<br />
and Forreiner”. 18<br />
Due to a variety <strong>of</strong> factors, including the <strong>Virginia</strong> Company’s financial difficulties and its inability to<br />
adequately protect the colonists from Indian attack, in 1624 King James rescinded the Company’s charter<br />
and instituted direct royal rule over <strong>Virginia</strong>. At that time there were only 51 people living on the eastern<br />
shore, mainly clustered in the south <strong>of</strong> the peninsula, but over the next decade settlement began to spread<br />
northwards and the population increased eightfold to about 400 inhabitants. By 1643 the population had<br />
more than doubled to about 1,000 19 . By 1654, when <strong>Nathaniel</strong> <strong>Bradford</strong> first appears on the eastern shore,<br />
the English had been settled there for a generation and a relatively stable society had arisen among them.<br />
Eastern Shore <strong>of</strong> <strong>Virginia</strong>, with a few principal locations <strong>of</strong> importance to this biography.<br />
Social Heirarchy <strong>of</strong> 17 th Century <strong>Accomack</strong><br />
In 1634, when <strong>Virginia</strong> was divided by the crown for administrative purposes into 8 shires or counties,<br />
<strong>Accomack</strong> was one <strong>of</strong> them, comprising all the settlements on the eastern shore. In 1642, the name <strong>of</strong> the<br />
shire was changed by the <strong>Virginia</strong> Assembly to Northampton, although then and for a long time after the<br />
entire eastern shore was commonly referred to as <strong>Accomack</strong>. The name Northampton was reportedly<br />
chosen after the English birthplace <strong>of</strong> Obedience Robins 20 , one <strong>of</strong> the first Commissioners <strong>of</strong> <strong>Accomack</strong><br />
and a leading figure on the eastern shore. The county was ruled by men like Robins – <strong>County</strong><br />
Commissioners, or Justices <strong>of</strong> the Peace, who were appointed by the governor. Large landowners with wide<br />
connections, they monopolized most <strong>of</strong> the civil and military posts <strong>of</strong> weight in the county, and through<br />
intermarriage were beginning to form a relatively stable ruling group.<br />
Beneath the Justices on the social scale was a large population <strong>of</strong> freeholders <strong>of</strong> varying degrees <strong>of</strong><br />
substance – planters and craftsmen like <strong>Nathaniel</strong> who <strong>of</strong>ten held secondary public posts such as surveyor<br />
and constable and who served as jurymen. This group, essentially <strong>Virginia</strong>’s middle class, contained many<br />
gradations <strong>of</strong> wealth, including freeholders like <strong>Nathaniel</strong> who owned a few thousand acres, as well as<br />
others who might own only fifty. Directly beneath the freeholders in status was a group <strong>of</strong> free non-<br />
Page 5 <strong>of</strong> 74 Copyright 2008 Adam M. <strong>Bradford</strong>
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