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

Citations
Introduction
1.Nathaniel must have been at least 21 years of age when he posted a bond for Ann West Charlton’s
appeal to the court at James City in September 21, 1658 [See note 24]. That gives an absolute upper limit of
1637 for the year of his birth. However, he was probably born before 1633, since he was most likely at least
21 when he witnessed Stephen Charlton’s deed of gift to his daughter Elizabeth in October 1654 [See note
22].
2.JoAnn Riley McKey, Accomack County, Virginia Court Order Abstracts, Electronic Edition (Bowie,
Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 2001); 7: 22. All tithables are supposed to have been collected by June 10.
1690.
3.McKey, 8: 4
4.James Handley Marshall, compiler, Abstracts of the Wills and Administrations of Northampton
County, Virginia 1632-1802 (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 1994), 60. [N.B. – see page 8 for a discussion
of a competing theory that has Nathaniel married to Alice after the date of Richard Smith’s will.]
5.Marshall, 67
6.See William R. M. Houston & Jean M. Mihalyka, Colonial Residents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore
(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985). William’s age was listed as 50 in August 1713 (A 8: 603).
This probably comes from a deposition, but I have yet to check the original record. An independent
estimate arrived at by assuming an age of 21 at his appointment as a surveyor in Sussex Co.,
Delaware/Pennsylvania in 1683 yields a birth year of 1662, so a birth year of around 1662/1663 seems
broadly accurate, especially given that his older brother was probably born in 1660 or 1661.
7.McKey, 1: 95
8.That Joan’s marriage to Nathaniel occurred in 1677 or before is deduced from the probable birth year
of their son John and is arrived at by assuming that Joan gave birth to John after her marriage to Nathaniel.
For evidence of John Bradford’s birth year, see McKey, 8: 66 (19 Feb 1691/92 court), where it is recorded
that John chose Thomas Budd as his guardian. Children were allowed to choose their guardians upon
arriving at the age of 15, so 1677 should be a reliable upper limit to the possible range of years in which
John was born. See also McKey, 9: 38 (8 Oct 1698 court), where John’s release to his brother William for
the lands at Bradford’s Neck is noted. To sign a legal instrument, one had to be at least 21, which again
gives 1677 as a reliable limit to John’s probable birth year. If it is certain that John was not born after 1677,
his release to William hints that he was probably not born much before 1677. William’s need for a release
from his brother John would have been operative ever since their father’s death in 1691 and it is likely that
William was only waiting until John turned 21 to actually obtain the release. For further support for a birth
year of 1677 see McKey, 9: 24 (7 April 1698 court), in which it is mentioned that Capt. Thomas Welburne
brought a suit at the complaint of John Bradford. Since, one could not sue or be sued until one reached the
age of 21 (for which see McKee, 8: 107), it is likely that John was not 21 when the suit was brought. It
therefore seems likely that John turned 21 at some point after Welbourne’s suit, but before John’s release to
his brother William. This might indicate that his birth fell sometime between April and October of 1677,
but it is unclear when precisely Welbourne initiated the suit.
9.Northumberland County, Virginia Record Book 1710-1713: Deeds Wills Inventories Etc., FHL
microfilm 32639, folio 336.
10.McKey, 8: 31
11.McKey, 8: 35
12.McKey, 9: 38. Joan Budd’s last known appearance in the records..
13.McKey, 10: 109. Anna Donella named as wife of Thomas Budd. [N.B. When Thomas Budd wrote
his will on 5 May 1721 his sons Thomas and John were not of age, so they must have been born sometime
after 1700. It remains to be determined whether they were the children of Joan or of Thomas’s second
wife, Ann Donella Middleton.]
14.Based on search of Nell Marion Nugent, Cavaliers and Pioneers (Richmond, Virginia: The Library
of Virginia, 2004), volumes 1 through 3.
15.Based on search of court abstracts for Northampton County (for which, see bibliography): Ames,
1632-1640 & 1640-1645; Mackey & Groves, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, 5.
16.I have declined to give citations for the information in this paragraph as it is all covered later in the
text.
17.Jennings Cropper Wise, Ye Kingdome of Accawmacke (Richmond, Virginia: The Bell Book &
Staionary Co., 1911), 191. N.B. Quote is from a secondary source quoting an original source. In 1673,
King Charles II granted the entire colony to the Earl of Arlington and Lord Culpeper. The quote is
presumably the language used in the actual grant.
Page 57 of 74 Copyright 2008 Adam M. Bradford