John Bradford (1664 - bef. 1735)

Born 1664 in Charles City County, Virginia Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca (Pace) Aycock — married before 1722 in Bertie County, North Carolina [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 6 Nov 1735 before age 71 in Brunswick County, Virginia Colony

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Biography

John Bradford was a Virginia colonist.

John was born about 1704 probably in Charles City County, Virginia Colony. His parents at this time are unconfirmed. John may possibly be the son of Richard Bradford who owned 1397 acres in Charles City County and appears on the Quit Rent Rolls of Virginia in 1704.^[1] John passed away before 6 November 1735 in Brunswick County, Virginia Colony.^[2]

Marriage

John married Rebecca Pace before 1722 in either Virginia or North Carolina (no marriage record found). This is indicated by a deed dated 20 February 1722 transferring 285 acres previously owned by Richard Pace from John Bradford and wife Rebecca to Nicholas Hatch.^[3][4]

Death & Legacy

John died in Brunswick County, Virginia colony in 1735. His will was dated 3 November 1732 and entered for probate on 6 November 1735 in Brunswick County.^[2] All of the land bequeathed in John's will appears to be located in North Carolina although his will was probated in Brunswick County, Virginia. Based on the contents of the will, all of John's children were minors in 1732. His eldest son Richard is to be given his legacy "when he is of age." Named in his will are:

• Eldest son, Richard – land on the south side of Fountain Creek (Located in Northampton County, North Carolina), 400 acres on the north side of river called "Pamplico" and he is to allow his mother, my wife, half the profits of the Mill.
• Son Nathaniel – various tracts of land including 640 acres of land called "Pamplico"
• Son John – two tracts of land
• Eldest daughter Frances, Negroes and land
• Second daughter Rebecca, Negroes and land
• Youngest daughter Sarah, Negroes and land
• Gabriell Pickrell – 300 acres
• Thomas Powell – land
• Margaret Moore – 200 acres on Beaver Pond Creek and after her death to her son Tobias Moore
• Wife is to receive remainder of estate for life and appointed executrix

Brother John

Richard II's brother John Bradford married a woman named Rebecca Pace. Rebecca was the great granddaughter of Richard Pace, the man widely attributed with warning the residents of Jamestown of the impending Indian attack in 1622. Pace was forewarned of the Indians' plot by a friendly Indian, Chanco, a Christian convert Pace treated like a son. But for that warning, some believe that all of Virginia's colonists would have died in the ensuing surprise attack. The surprise attack was carried out early on Good Friday, March 22, 1622. Chanco, who was told to kill Pace in that morning assault, struggled with his conscience all night before the attack. Fortunately for Jamestown (not to mention Pace), Chanco declined to kill Pace and instead warned him of the impending attack. Pace rowed across the James River's backwaters to Jamestown from his mainland home to warn Jamestown residents of the ensuing attack. Jamestown was saved. 103 Rebecca Pace Bradford is mentioned in the will of her father, John Pace. That will, dated March 13, 1736, was probated in Bertie County, North Carolina, in February 1738.

After becoming an adult, John moved off the family's plantation and moved out of Charles City County altogether. By 1719, John and Rebecca were living in Prince George County, Virginia. Indeed, in that year John, in the earliest record of any Bradford in North Carolina, witnessed the recording of land purchased by his father-in-law Richard Pace. 104 John Bradford's plantation, which was in the portion of Prince George County that was later broken off and renamed Brunswick County in 1732, abutted Virginia's border with North Carolina. 105

John and Rebecca Bradford had at least six children: Richard, John Jr. (discussed below), Nathaniel (whose sons John and Nathaniel eventually moved to Wilkes County, Georgia), Frances, Rebecca and Sarah. John Bradford Sr. died in Brunswick County, Virginia and his will, dated November 3, 1732, was probated on November 6, 1735. He left his heirs land in both Brunswick County, Virginia, and Northampton County, North Carolina. After his death, his wife, Rebecca Pace Bradford, married William Aycock and moved to Wilkes County, Georgia. 106

One of John and Rebecca's sons, John Bradford Jr. (1730-1787), who is often referred to as "Colonel John Bradford of Halifax," is a distinguished early American. John Bradford Jr. served in many positions of authority in colonial North Carolina and became a Colonel in the North Carolina Militia of Halifax County in the Revolutionary War. In that capacity, Colonel John Bradford was actively involved in battle. Included among his military exploits, Colonel Bradford led his regiment in the left wing of the battle line in Patterson's Brigade during the battle of Wright's Mill. Moreover, on April 4, 1776, Colonel Bradford served as Halifax County's representative to North Carolina's provisional congress and, as such, was a signer of the famous Halifax Resolves, a pre-cursor to the Declaration of Independence which declared North Carolina's independence from Great Britain.

Despite the historical prominence of Colonel John Bradford's career, he was by no means the most famous of John Bradford's descendants. To the contrary, Colonel Bradford's grandson, John Branch, had an incredibly illustrious career. Branch, a lawyer, became the Governor of North Carolina (1817-1820), served a six-year term as a United States Senator, acted as Secretary of the Navy for President Andrew Jackson and was finally appointed Governor of the territory of Florida by President John Tyler in 1843. Branch died in North Carolina on January 4, 1863. A drawing of Branch (set forth here) is set forth in The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. 107

Also of interest, several sons of Henry Bradford (1761-1838, one of Colonel John Bradford's sons) moved to a place in Leon County, Florida. That place, just north of Tallahassee, was named Bradfordsville after those Bradfords. 108

For more information about this branch of the family (no pun intended), which migrated south to Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Texas, among other places, I would suggest Sandlund II, Julian Hart Robertson's The Cox and Bradford Families and two books by John Bennett Boddie: Virginia Historical Genealogies and Southside Virginia Families. 109^[5]

Will

Will of John Bradford, Brunswick Co., VA - November 3, 1732 - Probated November 6, 1735 (29 V 507)

• To the eldest son, Richard: a survey of land on the south side of Fountain Creek, surveyed by the late Co. Thomas Cocke in 1732 -also 400 acres on the north side of river called "Pamplico" when he is of age. He shall allow his mother, my wife (Rebecca Pace), half the profits of the Mill.
• To son Nathaniel: Land lying on north side of Pea hill, also tract of 150 acres in N. C., being land I bought of Francis Ellidge on south side of Beaver Pond Creek; also land in N. C. on north side of Tarr River, called "Pamplico" 640 acres.
• To my son John: 200 acres on south side of Fountain Creek; and survey of land surveyed by Arthur Williams on South side of Jelks Swamp.
• To eldest daughter Frances, negroes and land.
• To second daughter Rebecca, negroes and land.
• To youngest daughter Sarah, negroes and land.
• To Gabriell Pickrell: 300 acres,
• To Thomas Powell: land
• To Margaret Moore: 200 acres on Beaver Pond Creek, and after her death to her son Tobias Moore.
• Wife, remainder of estate for life and appointed her executrix.

Witnesses: Richard Bradford, Margaret Moore, Phillip Prescott.

Children

of John and Rebecca (Pace) Bradford:

• 1 Richard, eldest son, was bequeathed by his father land on Fountain Creek, also 400 acres call "Pamplico". Fountain Creek was in Northampton Co., NC., as shown by grant to his brother Nathaniel, and "Pamplico" seems to be in Edgecombe Co., NC. He may have been the father of Thomas Bradford of Northampton.
• 2 John was bequeathed 200 acres on south side of Fountain Creek. A captain John Bradford was executor of Hugh Hardy's estate in Halifax, NC 1761, also of Jennings Hackney in 1765. He may have been the Colonel John Bradford who was very prominent in Halifax during the Revolution. Colonel John Bradford died in 1787 leaving a large family. He is said to have been born in 1708. (D.A.R., Vol 137, p. 42.) He would hardly have been a colonel in active service at the age of 70. (NC Col. Rec. 12-509) On Jan. 1, 1760, John Bradford and Patience, his wife, sold Jesse Pope 185 acres.
• 3 Nathaniel, bequeathed 150 acres on the south side of Beaver Pond Creek in NC; also patented 300 acres near Fountain Creek in Northampton Co., NC, April 11, 1745. On April 28, 1750, he sold these 300 hundred acres to Robert Jones Jr. of Surry. He evidently moved to Edgecombe Co. where he had been willed 640 acres on the Tarr River. In 1747, Nathaniel Bradford of Edgecombe sold 100 acres to Benjamin Lane, part of a patent granted to Thomas Brown March 2, 1774, and sold to Nathaniel Bradford. Nathaniel Bradford sold to John Bradford 185 acres granted March 20, 1749 for L 25 on November 11,1751. Captain Nathaniel Bradford of Edgecombe and wife Sarah sold land to Hugh Hardey, November 20,1756.

Research Notes

Richard I’s wife Frances was certainly the mother of Richard’s son Ralph, for reasons explained in the next chapter. She may not, however, have given birth to Richard I’s other children. It is possible that she was Richard I’s second wife, and that a previous wife gave birth to Richard II and John. In those days people often remarried, particularly since it was not infrequent for spouses to die from causes, natural or otherwise, during their twenties or thirties.^[6]

John was born in 1664. He passed away in 1735.

Sources

• Source: S83 Media: Letter Abbreviation: Researcher-Peter G. Sandlund-[Bradford] Title: Bradford Family Research Author: Peter G. Sandlund Publication: Address: 4206 Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway Alexandria, Va. Text: Several generations from the Bradford family. Note: This copy was sent to me by Bett Girardeau. Copy is in the Baker family file in possession of Cheryl Hudson Passey.

1. ↑ Smith, Annie Laurie Wright. The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1 June 2009, page 11
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} As cited on Will of John Bradford
3. ↑ Surrey County, Virginia Wills & Deeds (1716-1730), as cited on ancestry.com family tree
4. ↑ Source: #S83
5. ↑ [1] David Thomas Bradford, The Bradfords of Charles City County, Virginia, and Some of Their Descendants, 1653-1993
6. ↑ [2] BradfordFamily

Acknowledgments

• This person was created through the import of Shaw 2010-09-10 Dewey.ged on 11 September 2010.
• Thank you to Cheri Passey for creating WikiTree profile Bradford-1467 through the import of wikipaternal.ged on Sep 16, 2013.
• Family Search page:

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6CX-KB3