Walnut Hill Plantation, Leon County, Florida

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Leon County, Florida. United States
Surnames/tags: Slavery Black_Heritage Plantations

Index of Plantations

Contents 1 Walnut Hill Plantation 2 Walnut Hill Statistics, 1860 3 Owner 4 Slaves 4.1 Slaves mentioned in Sallie Bradford's Journal 4.2 Slaves Mentioned in US Freedman Bank Records For Leon County, Florida 5 Sources

Walnut Hill Plantation

Thomas Anderson Bradford and his family came to Leon County, Florida around 1832. There were four brothers, and Richard's son, William, who each developed a plantation near the others, in an area now called Bradfordville. Thomas developed the Walnut Hill Plantation^[1] located in Leon County, Florida, near Lake Iamonia. Walnut Hill was a small cotton plantation of 2,120 acres. In 1860, the plantation had 65 slaves.

According to a Wikipedia article on Bradfordville: "The Bradfords were direct descendants of William Bradford, governor of the Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts). William's great great grandson, John Bradford, received a land grant located in Halifax County, North Carolina from King George III of Great Britain. The mother of the Bradford sons, Sarah Cromwell Bradford, was a direct descendant of Oliver Cromwell.

Bradfords and plantations

• Thomas Anderson Bradford, born February 13, 1790 founded Walnut Hill *Henry B. Bradford born October 30, 1791 lived a little further south on what is now Thomasville Road in the same area as brother Thomas.
• Dr. Edward Bradford born August 2, 1798 founded Pine Hill Plantation. The most successful brother, he later founded Horseshoe Plantation east-southeast of Lake Iamonia. The plantation is still in existence today as a privately run hunting plantation.
• Richard Henry Bradford born November 15, 1800 founded Water Oak Plantation near Lake McBride"^[2]

Walnut Hill Statistics, 1860

The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that Walnut Hill Plantation had the following:^[3]

• Improved Land: 1,700 acres (690 ha)
• Unimproved Land: 420 acres (170 ha)
• Cash value of plantation: $12,000
• Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $600
• Cash value of farm animals: $3700
• Number of slaves: 65
• Bushels of corn: 2500
• Bales of cotton: 80

Owner

• Thomas Anderson Bradford

Slaves

Bradford's daughter, Sallie Bradford, born in 1835, kept a journal for the plantation until her death in 1867. Among other things, it contained names and birth dates of the slaves that worked and/or lived there.^[4]

Slaves mentioned in Sallie Bradford's Journal

The following appeared to be family groupings, with 91 total entries:

(Information within parentheses is information found elsewhere)

1. Ben (Ben Martin, b 1830)
2. Caroline, b 16 Apr, 1838
3. Lavinia (Louvenia Martin), b 28 Oct 1856
4. Julia (Julia Martin), b 13 Nov 1858
5. Linda (possibly Jenny Martin), b 7 Mar 1862
6. ? (Mary Martin), b 27 Mar 1865
7. Andrew (Andrew Martin)

1. Pheba
2. Elisa, b 20 Dec 1840
3. Ned, b 22 July 1844
4. Manerva, b 6 Aug 1848
5. Christella, b 24 Apr 1850
6. Georgian, b 26 Apr 1852
7. Lucilla, b 8 Mar 1854
8. Martha, b 7 Feb 1862

1. Mannerva
2. Willis, b 11 Sep 1864

1. Nancy
2. Edd, b 25 Sep 1862
3. Spenser, b 4 Aug 1864

1. Emma (Emma Martin Curtis, b 1828, wife of Peter Curtis)
2. Peter (Peter Curtis), b 20 Sep 1851
3. Mary (Mary Curtis), b 6 Nov 1853
4. Anna (Anna Curtis), b 22 Sep 1855
5. Ellen (Ellen Curtis),, b 7 Sep 1857

1. Baragard (sic), "dead", b 13 Aug 1861
2. James Roberson, b 23 May 1864

1. Sarah
2. Susan, b 15 Apr 1840
3. Daniel, b 2 July 1842
4. Charles, b 18 Aug 1844
5. Bitha, b 29 Jul 1846
6. Lawrence, b 28 Jul 1848
7. Wily, b 28 Mar 1851
8. Betsy, b 4 Aug 1853
9. Alfred, b 27 Aug 1855
10. Walter, b 25 Jun 1858
11. Eli, b 6 Sep 1859
12. Samson, b 15 Feb 1860, crossed out
13. Kirby, b 3 Aug 1862, crossed out
14. Isum, b 18 Mar 1863
15. Ruben, b 3 Aug 1864

1. Joshua (Joshua McPherson), b 9 Nov 1829
2. Eliza (Eliza Harris McPherson), b 9 Dec 1834
3. Jackson (Jackson McPherson), b 22 Oct 1852
4. Washington (Washington McPherson), b 5 Aug 1855
5. Ailcy (aka Elley McPherson), b 28 Jul 1857
6. Nancy (aka Fanny McPherson), b 29 Dec 1858 (possibly wife of Boston Martin)
7. James Archer (James Archer McPherson), b 21 Jun 1860, crossed out
8. Dicie (Dicie McPherson), b 2 Jul 1862, crossed out
9. Anderson (Anderson McPherson), b 27 Mar 1864

1. Dennis, b 17 Aug 1825
2. Louisa, b 10 Jul 1835
3. Sam, b 27 Nov 1853
4. Sealy, b 16 Apr 1856, died, crossed out
5. Sarah Ella, b 8 Aug 1858
6. Guy, b 1 Aug 1860
7. no name (Unknown), b 3 Apr 1865

1. Ceayar (sic) (Ceasar?), b 9 Mar 1802
2. Cary, b 15 Sep 1806
3. Jane, b 12 Aug 1837
4. Edmond, b 24 Oct 1847

1. Ralph, b 27 Nov 1823
2. Anthony, b 1 Aug 1824
3. Nelson, b 26 Sep 1827
4. Maria, b 29 Jan 1830
5. Lewis, b 12 May 1832
6. Nancy, b 16 Sep 1840
7. Patience, b 2 Jan 1843
8. Malicy, b 6 Oct 1844
9. Richmond, b 8 Dec 1860, crossed out
10. illegible name, b 27 Mar 1864, crossed out
11. Harris, b 10 Jul 1863

1. Margaret, b 1 Jul 1839
2. Robert, b 4 Feb 1855
3. Ziah (?), b 2 Aug 1858, crossed out
4. Mag Kilsy (?), b 27 Sep 1859
5. Thomas, b 3 Mar 1864
6. Henrietta, b 3 Mar 1864

1. Rozella, b 28 Feb 1819
2. Gilbert, b 15 Mar 1841
3. Wilson, b 16 Mar 1843
4. George, b 27 Jul 1847
5. Wallace, b 3 Jun 1849
6. Ambrose, b 15 May 1851
7. Berk, b 22 Oct 1853
8. Lucy, b 22 Sep 1855
9. David, b 20 Dec 1857
10. Linton, b 22 Oct 1858, died, crossed out
11. Bettie (Lucie's child), b Mar 1876

1. Joseph, b 4 Jan 1852

Slaves Mentioned in US Freedman Bank Records For Leon County, Florida

• William Henry Starks^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Walnut Hill Plantation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut_Hill_Plantation#:~:text=Walnut%20Hill%20Plantation%20was%20a,owned%20by%20Thomas%20Anderson%20Bradford.)
2. ↑ Bradfordville, Florida for a history of the Bradford brothers and their plantations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradfordville,_Florida)
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Walnut Hill Plantation," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walnut_Hill_Plantation&oldid=1046881320 (accessed July 9, 2022).
4. ↑ Florida Memory Project, Sallie Bradford Slave Register, 1860 -1876(https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/329096?id=2)
5. ↑ Ancestry.com, United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874 Tallahassee, Florida Roll 5, Aug 25, 1866-Jan 15, 1872, accounts 1-887, p 60, # 432

• The Red Hills of Florida, 1528-1865 by Clifton Paisley, published by The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa and London, copyright 1989, p 135
• Plantations of Leon County in 1860 (https://genealogytrails.com/fla/leon/plantations_1860.html)