Preface

The surname Bradshaw ranked 703rd among the 1,000 most common names in America, according to the 1990 federal census. Many of that surname trace their origins to the British Isles, most commonly England. As shown by the Y-chromosome DNA test results of the Bradshaw DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA, there are many different (unrelated) families with this surname. Still, many of the Bradshaws in America do trace their ancestry to colonial Virginia, a significant number descended from the English immigrant John Bradshaw, who came to Henrico County, Virginia (near present-day Richmond) as an indentured servant in 1687.

Numerous family trees for this Bradshaw family have been published and posted online, but they badly conflict with one another and most of them are highly inaccurate. The purpose of this web site is to take an evidence-based approach to genealogy (with primary documentary sources and DNA analysis) to accurately portray the relationships of the various branches of this family of colonial Virginia, and to provide a strong evidence trail to link them back their immigrant ancestor, John Bradshaw. His place of origin in England has not yet been determined, but Y-chromosome DNA evidence appears to point to Lancashire County, England (based on DNA matches with men still living in England who trace their lineage to that historic County).

In England, the Bradshaw surname (as of the 1891 census) was most common in Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. According to http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Bradshaw:

"This interesting surname is of pre 7th century Anglo-Saxon origins. It is locational from any one of the places called Bradshaw in the various counties of Lancashire, Derbyshire, and West Yorkshire, although the centre of most frequently occuring name recordings is Lancashire. There the place is first recorded as Bradeshaghe in 1246, and means the broad grove, the derivation being from the Olde English word 'brad', meaning broad or wide, with 'sceaga', a thicket or grove. In the modern idiom the surname has several variants including Brayshaw, Brashaw, Bradshaw and Brayshaw. Locational names were generally given either to the local lord of the manor or more often to those former inhabitants of a place who went to live in another area. The easiest way to identify such strangers being to call them by the name of the place from whence they came. Spelling being at best erratic, soon lead to the development of "sounds like" spellings. Amongst the many famous name holders was John Bradshaw (1602 - 1659). He was a High Court judge, and lord president of the parliamentary commission at the trial of King Charles 1st in 1649. He was also a regicide, being one of the signatories of the death warrant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Bradesaghe, and dated 1246, in the Lancashire Assize Rolls, during the reign of King Henry 111rd of England, 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling."

John Bradshaw (the immigrant) died between 1696 and 1711, probably in Henrico County, but no Will or record of his death has been found. No family Bibles are known to exist for those first few generations. Vital records (as we know them today) did not exist until later. Therefore, it is quite a challenge to find solid proof of the relationships between the various Bradshaws living in colonial Virginia through the middle 1700's. The good news is that there only appears to have been this one Bradshaw family (John's) living at that time in Henrico County and the newer counties just to its south and west that were formed in early- and mid-1700's. Based on that and the modern DNA evidence, we can use the information in these primary documentary sources to propose a tree of the first few generations of descent from John Bradshaw (the immigrant). On this page, I will present that evidence and my justification for assembling the descendants tree the way I did. As most who have done extensive genealogical research in the records of colonial America will attest, everything is subject to interpretation and, as more evidence (from primary sources) comes to light, adjustments will need to be made. Some branches of the descendants tree will be lopped off and pruned elsewhere. Some of the names, dates, and places will need to be changed. I hope that this work presented here, along with forums like those on Facebook, will facilitate an active discussion of the genealogy of this Bradshaw family. Again, the focus should be on primary documentary sources and DNA evidence. If anyone finds entries that I have missed here from this time period, please let me know. If you know of any family Bibles for Bradshaws of these first few generations, I would love to include them here. Any men out there with the Bradshaw surname, please consider joining the Bradshaw DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA (see below). If you've already joined the project, please order the Big Y-700 test.

Here is my current listing of descendants of John Bradshaw (the immigrant) through the first four generations of descent, along with with a key to the format of this document and numbering system for Descendant IDs (at the end of the descendants listing). I will reference some of these Descendant ID numbers in the Historical Narrative section below. I have researched several of these lines past the fourth generation (especially that of my 5th-great-grandfather Moses Bradshaw [#1115]), but those listings are not included on this page. If you are interested in seeing them for your branch, please send me an e-mail.)

Descendants of John Bradshaw through four generations

Historical Narrative

John Bradshaw makes his first appearance in the records of colonial Virginia on 12 October 1688 when he testifies on behalf of the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit in Henrico County (VA, Henrico County, Record Book 5 (1688-1697), pp. 10-15 and VA, Henrico County, Court Minutes (1678-1693), p. 286):

"John Bradshaw, aged 24 or thereabouts, examined & sworn, saith that he the depon't, being serv't to John Granger, did (sometime last spring on a Sunday morning) hear Mary, the wife of the s'd John Granger, say that John Womack had six fletches of bacon in his house besides middlings & other small meat & had killed but one hogg out of his own stock that year."

"John Bradshaw, aged 24 years or thereabouts, exam'd & sworn, saith that about two days before John Granger's tobacco house wherein was Sam'l Fowler's tobaccor was burn'd, Sam'l Fowler did say to the depo't that he had been to have John Granger's bond sued & that he would bring more damage on him the s'd Granger then he was aware of, & the next day w'ch was the day before the house was burn'd, the s'd Fowler s'd to the depo't that he dreamt Mary, the wife of John Granger, had fired the tobacco house & burn't all his tobacco."

"John Bradshaw, aged 24 years, deposeth that Sam'l Fowler had a tobacco house of six lengths of boards allotted him to cure his crop of tobacco in w'ch he was to make at John Granger's, the door of w'ch house being wailed, this depon't & mistresse, the wife of the s'd Granger, opened & to[ok] out of it a bagg full (or nearest) of tobacco peggs on Munday or Tuesday last past, & also some time about the beginning of this instant Aug't, the wife of the s'd Granger did w'th a hickory switch strike & switch the s'd Sam'l Fowler, he the s'd Fowler having called her names as she, the s'd Mary, said, but this dep't heard them not, upon w'ch the s'd Fowler took the stick or switch from the s'd Mary and this depon't's master John Granger afores'd, endeavoring to take the same away from Fowler, told him, the s'd Fowler, if he would not let it goe, he would dash his head ag't the wall. Sworn this [18 August 1688]"

"John Bradshaw having attended two days as evidence for John Womack against Jno Granger has order granted his against Agent ye sd. Womack for 80 pounds of tobacco."

This establishes John Bradshaw's year of birth as approximately 1664. What were his origins? He is likely the same John Bradshaw brought over from the British Isles in 1687 as a headright of Richard Kennon, as recorded in Henrico County on 1 April 1690 (VA, Henrico County, Court Orders (1678-1693), p. 387, as transcribed by Wes Blankenship):

"At a court held at Varina for the County of Henrico, the first day of April by their Majesties, Justices of ye said County in the second year of ye reign of our Sovereign Lord & Lady William and Mary by the grace of God of England, France & Ireland, King & Queen, Defenders of ye faith & etc. and in the year of our Lord God, 1690. . . . Upon the petition of Mr. Richard Kennon these may certify that there is due unto him eight thousand acres of land for the importation of ninety servants into this Colony whose names are underwritten & for seventy persons more, being negroes, the same being legally provided by his oath in open Court . . . ARRIVED IN 1687 Henry Brooks, John Bradshaw, Robert Grigg, William Griffin, Joseph Higgens, Joseph Marshall, William Triphook, Thomas Sissom, Sim'o Pooke, Mary Marshall, Mary Middleton"

As a headright, John Bradshaw was required to serve a term (typically five to seven years) as an indentured servant. The 1688 court deposition shows the name of his "master" - John Granger. What became of John's servitude after testifying against Granger in the lawsuit? At what point had John fulfilled his obligations as an indentured servant?

Being a ancient surname based on location, it is to be expected that a number of different (non-related) Bradshaw families would immigrate to America in the 1600s and later. Richard Kennon (Kenyon) is believed to have come from Little Bolton in Lancashire County. DNA testing confirms a close relationship between John Bradshaw of Henrico County, Virginia and the Bradshaw family living in that part of Lancashire County. See Bradshaws in England, by Mark B. Arslan for my recent preliminary research on this Bradshaw family in England.

John Bradshaw's last appearance in the colonial Virginia records is, again, as a witness in a civil trial, this time on 1 June 1696 (VA, Henrico County, Court Minutes (1694-1699), p. 109):

"John Bradshaw, having attended two days as an evidence ag'st Will Arrington on behalfe of Fra. Reeve, judgm't is awarded ag'st him the s'd Reeve for [80] pds. of tobacco according to the law with costs . . ."

Somewhere in this timeframe, John Bradshaw was married to a woman named Elizabeth. (Did they marry during his term of servitude?) They had four sons: John, William, Benjamin, and Larner. Other children may have been born to this couple, but their names have not survived in the records. John apparently died between 1696 and 1711, as Elizabeth appears in court records of 1711 and 1713 as the wife of Arthur Marcum (VA, Henrico County, Court Minutes (1710-1714), pp. 77-89 and 248):

[4 June 1711] - "Elizabeth Marcum, having attended one day as a witness for Francis Scot against Abraham Womack, Adm'r with the Will annexed of Allanson Clerke, dec'd, it is ordered that the said Scot do pay her for her said attendance according to law with costs . . ."

[2 July 1711] - "Arthur Marcum and Elizabeth, his wife, by their petition complaining against Jane Bayly for unlawfully detaining the son of the said Elizabeth, a servant. It is ordered that the Sherif of this County do summon the said Jane to appear at the next Court to answer the said petition."

"In the action of case depending between Arthur Marcum, plaintif, and Abraham Womack, Adm'r with the Will annexed of Allunson Clerke, dec'd, defend't, for [6,735] pounds of tobacco due to the plaintif by account dated from 1707 to 1710, the defendant appears and offers a discount, and thereupon the accounts of both partys are referd to be setled by Mr. James Cocke and Mr. Joseph Pleasants, and upon their report and a further settlement in Court, there appears to be due to the plaintif the sum of [3,313] pounds of tobacco, which the defend't, Adm'r as aforesaid, is ordered to pay him out of the dec'd's estate in his hands with costs . . ."

"Elizabeth Marcum, having attended one day as a witness for Nicholas Scot against James Scot, it is ordered that the said Nicholas do pay her for her said attendance . . ."

[6 August 1711] - "Arthur Marcum and Elizabeth, his wife, having to the last Court complaind against Jane Bayly for unlawfully detaining the son of the said Elizabeth, a servant . . . the said Jane, being by order of the Court summoned, she doth now appear and the Court, having heard her and the complainants, together with the indenture and other evidence, it is ordered that the said indenture be lodged in the Clerks office and that the complaint be dismissed."

[3 August 1713] - "Elizabeth Marcum, by her petition, complains against William Ballew for misusing her son Benjamin Bradshaw, who is a servant to the said Ballew, the said Ballew appearing and the Court having examined into the said complaint, they direct that the said Ballew do provide his said servant with sufficient meat, washing, lodging, and cloathing."

Elizabeth does not appear in any Henrico County records after 1713. Her maiden surname is not known. Some secondary sources state that her surname is either Pleasants, Reeve, or Harper (take your pick). She appears as a witness on a deed written 14 March 1697/8 and recorded 1 April 1698 (VA, Henrico Co., Deeds & Wills (1697-1704), pp. 73-74) involving grantors Edward Jones and Mary (his wife) to grantee John Pleasants. Francis Reeve is also a witness to this deed. Note that John Bradshaw, in 1696, testified in court on behalf of Francis Reeve. Was he John's brother-in-law?

Several entries appear in the Henrico County Court Minutes for Arthur Marcum as late as 1722, some of these in association with his Bradshaw stepsons. An entry dated 4 September 1721 mentions his stepson William Bradshaw's residence as near "the Seven Pines up the swamp", next to Gillie Creek. This is near where the present-day Richmond International Airport is located, just east of downtown Richmond.

Henrico County of the early 1690s was much larger than it is today, comprising an area much farther to the west. In fact, by 1800, the following counties were formed from parts of Henrico County: Goochland (1727), Albemarle (1744), Cumberland (1748), Buckingham (1757), Amherst (1758), Fluvanna (1777), and Powhatan (1777). Records of the 1730's and the several decades following show that three of the sons of John Bradshaw and his wife Elizabeth (William, Benjamin, and Larner) lived along both the north and south sides of the James River in what is now Goochland, Powhatan, and Cumberland Counties.

However, their other son John was living in Bristol Parish of Prince George County as early as 1719 and as late as 1749 along Namozine Creek that divides the northwestern side of Dinwiddie County from Nottoway and Amelia Counties. Amelia County was formed from Prince George County in 1748, Dinwiddie County from Prince George County in 1752, and Nottoway County from Amelia County in 1788. DNA evidence shows that John Bradshaw was, indeed, closely related to his Bradshaw contemporaries (William, Benjamin, and Larner) and was most likely their brother.

The later generations of descent from these four brothers would migrate from Virginia into the adjoining states, as shown by the distribution of these surnames at the time of the 1840 USA census. (Source: http://www.ancestry.com/facts/bradshaw-family-history.ashx)

Descendant Listings

Descendants of John Bradshaw & Elizabeth ----- through four generations

Here is the GEDcom file of descendants through four generations: GED-Bradshaw-0-4.ged. I have uploaded this as Public Member Tree to Ancestry.com, as well.

Documentary Sources

USA Federal Censuses:

1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1900

USA Notes (Vital Records, Wills, Deeds, Tax Lists, Cemeteries, etc.):

Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Missouri
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia (1 of 3)
Virginia (2 of 3)
Virginia (3 of 3)
West Virginia

USA American Revolution Pension Files:

The following Revolutionary War pension files are all for great-grandsons of John Bradshaw (the immigrant):

S.1501 - Charles Bratcher [#241]
S.15760 - John Bradshaw [#413]
S.35200 - Larner Bradshaw [#411]
S.6708 - Robert Bradshaw [#412]
W.3932 - Jonas Bradshaw [#226]
W.8394 - Claiborne Bradshaw [#311]
W.894 - Benjamin Bradshaw [#423]

DNA Research

A new tool in genealogical research is the use of genetic markers in DNA to establish family relationships. See Y Chromosome DNA Testing. The Y-chromosome is passed down from father to son to grandson to great-grandson, etc. along the male line (as are surnames in many modern western societies). Occasionally, due to random mutations, one or more of the genetic markers may change in an individual and be passed down to his son that way. Standard tests are available (based on a cheek swab) to identify 37, 111, or more markers on the Y-chromosome. (The more the markers, the more precise the identification; 37 or more markers should be tested, in order to be useful for genealogical purposes. Older tests at 12 and 25 markers are not useful and should be upgraded.) All direct male descendants of John Bradshaw would have a very similar, if not identical, set of markers (or haplotype). Someone with a surname of Bradshaw (or some variation), whether or not they had done in-depth genealogical research, could compare their haplotype to known John Bradshaw direct male descendants see if they were likely to be a direct male descendant of John Bradshaw. Likewise, the John Bradshaw haplotype could be compared to haplotypes of other families to see if these families were closely related. The Family Tree DNA testing service is one of the most well-known and best suited for Y-DNA testing. If anyone is interested, please contact me by e-mail. The tests can be ordered from Family Tree DNA as a part of the Bradshaw DNA Project. In this project, please view both the Results and Patriarchs pages (https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/Bradshaw/about/results) to see how this Bradshaw family compares to others of the same surname.

Bradshaw Y-DNA Results
Patriarchs of Bradshaw Y-DNA Test Participants

To help defray the cost of the testing, there is a Bradshaw DNA Project fund that will allow those of us without the Bradshaw Y-chromosome (such as females born with the maiden name of Bradshaw) to jointly share in the cost of this project. If those interested in this avenue of research can contribute a little from time to time, it will greatly help to increase the level of participation by direct male descendants with the "right" DNA. If you would like to take advantage of the fund for your test, let the Project Administrator know. Those of us without the Bradshaw Y-DNA chromosome may help others out by contributing.

The results of the Y-chromosome DNA tests clearly show that the test participants of the Bradshaw DNA Project, males mostly with the Bradshaw surname, belong to a number of different (unrelated) Bradshaw families. In the Results spreadsheet, the various Bradshaw families have been arranged into clusters, with the clusters each indicated by a unique background highlighted color. This is very helpful to those who are researching their Bradshaw genealogy, as it allows you to focus your research on the relevant family (highlighted cluster), while ignoring the rest. The family to which our immigrant ancestor John Bradshaw (of Henrico County, Virginia) belongs is indicated in the spreadsheet by a bright yellow highlighted background (sample below). The first two columns (from left to right) are kit number and earliest confirmed direct paternal ancestor. In the next column, for those who have documentary evidence showing their descent from the immigrant John Bradshaw, the Descendant ID of their branch is shown. Otherwise, you'll see a comment. Some of these kits were submitted by men with a surname other than Bradshaw, but they clearly belong to this Bradshaw family, as shown by their Y-chromosome DNA results. The next column shows the haplogroup, with the haplotype (Short Tandem Repeat, or STR, values) to the right of that (up to 111 of them). A "+" in the rightmost column shows that the test participant has done the Big Y-700 test.

In the haplogroup column, the terminal Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, or SNP, is shown, along with the haplogroup designation (2019) as defined by the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). (These designations are no longer being updated, but are still useful for seeing the hierarchy of the SNP's.) The SNP's in green have been confirmed by testing of the SNP, while those in red are estimated based upon the values of the haplotype. The most recent SNP for this cluster is R-FTC65766, which is just downstream of R-FTC65342. See https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/R-FTC65766/story

This DNA project is open to other Bradshaw families with British heritage, as well as African-Americans whose ancestors took the Bradshaw surname when they were emancipated. It will establish if there is any relationship between these families and ours, perhaps prior to John Bradshaw's generation. In addition, it will help differentiate between the various Bradshaw families in the USA and elsewhere, especially where the documentary evidence is lacking. It is especially important to have Y-chromosome DNA testing done for those Bradshaw males (with the surname) whose family remained in the British Isles, as it will help to establish the possible points of origin for the surname and provide clues as to where Bradshaw ancestors may have lived before they immigrated to America and elsewhere.

Acknowledgements

During my 56+ years of research, I have tried to carefully document the primary sources of each piece of information in my database in order to validate the extensive research done by myself and many others. I continue to be amazed and gratified at the sense of teamwork displayed by other genealogists I have met. Hopefully this compilation will help others now and in the future to carry on the work that has been done so far.

If you would like to comment on any information contained within, or wish to correspond with me about this family, please send me an e-mail message at: contact@arslanmb.org. Additions and corrections are greatly appreciated. I am especially interested in receiving information obtained from primary sources (parish registers, census listings, Bibles, cemeteries, vital records, probate and land records, etc.) and photographs and digital images relating to this branch of the Bradshaw family so that I can incorporate them into this page. Also, I would like to provide links to other pages on the Internet that deal with Bradshaw genealogy.