Daniel Shatford (abt. 1708 - abt. 1773)

Born about 1708 in Gloucestershire, England

Descendants

Died about 20 Jun 1773 at about age 65 in Halifax, Nova Scotia Colony

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Biography

Daniel Shatford journeyed to the Americas from Gloucester, England. According to the records, Daniel was born in Gloucestershire, England where his Father was a licensed schoolmaster appointed by the Bishop.

In 1735 Daniel Shatford is listed as a schoolmaster in New York, while under administration of the British.^[1] He “instructed Youth with Success and Repudiation in New York"^[2] Daniel was listed as a Freeman of New York on Sept 16, 1735.^[3]

He "reached Halifax from New York soon after the arrival of Cornwallis's fleet," (i.e. 1749-1753).^[4]

As the advertisement at right shows, he was active as a teacher as early as January, 1754. In 1759, he was granted a license to “keep a school” in Halifax to teach Writing, Arithmetic, Bookkeeping, Navigation, English, and Latin. He taught school in Halifax until his death in 1773.

His second wife was named Sarah and she was Sarah Shatford Lawson's mother. The records of St. Paul's Church, Halifax, seem to show the death of his second wife and the third marriage of Daniel.

Daniel died on June 20, 1773 at age 65 (putting is birth year 1707/8) and his obituary notice is the “first attempt of the modern kind".

From: The Slave in Canada by T. Watson Smith (1898): “Daniel Shatford ... willed to his wife his "Negro man slave," Adam; Adam at the wife's death to become the property of the testator's daughter, Sarah Lawson."^[5]

Notes

Could be coincidence (I do not know how common the name Shatford is in the UK) but as there is a Daniel Shatford in Lunenburg County in the 1800s.. I would assume this to be the grandson (possibly great) of this Daniel Shatford. No info on this connection.

Sources

1. ↑ Henry Webb Dunshee (1883) History of the School of the Collegiate Reformed Dutch Church in the City of New York, p.62
2. ↑ Patrick Thibeau (1922) Education in Nova Scotia Before 1811)
3. ↑ New York Historical Society (1885) The Burghers of New Amsterdam and the Freemen of New York 1675-1866, Volume 18, p. 128,
4. ↑ T. Watson Smith (1898) The Slave in Canada from Fort Havoc (Public Archives of New Brunswick)
5. ↑ T. Watson Smith

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