The Liberty County Superior Court, in chambers and sitting in equity, was petitioned by Enoch Daniel and Jane N. Bradley of Liberty County, administrators of John S. Bradley, late of Liberty County; and Cornelia N. Bradley, William H. Bradley, Joseph M. Bradley and Daniel E. Bradley, children of John S. Bradley and Jane N. Bradley, now their natural guardian.
According to the petition, when John S. Bradley died intestate in 1859, he left a small estate both real and personal in Liberty County for his wife and four children. The petitioners stated that his residence was in a “remote and destitute portion of said county almost entirely destitute of educational privileges,” so they wished to sell the 1100-acre tract on the Little Canochee Creek in the 17th District and move to Taylor’s Creek. The property was bounded by land belonging to D.B.M. Sheppard, Wiley Harnage, Joseph Whitten, Andrew Baggs, and E. McFail.
They said planned to invest part of the sale proceeds in the new residence and invest the rest in “some safe stock that will yield an income to the family and heirs of said deceased.” In addition, John S. Bradley had left “two valuable negro men viz Bill & Harris one about 24 years of age the other 23 years of age unfortunately said negroes are of bad disposition and hard to control and would not earn but a small income to work them on the plantation where the family resides and there not being a sufficient force or number of hands belonging to said estate to warrant your petitioners in employing an overseer for the management of said hands we therefore think it would be to the interest of said heirs to sell said two negroe boys viz Bill & Harrison as we think they can be sold for a large price say from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars each as we will not sell for a less price [and] place the money at interest for the benefit of said heirs or invest in some safe paying stock.” They thus requested permission to sell “said negroes Bill & Harrison.”
Recorded in Liberty County Superior Court on February 18, 1861.
Source: Superior Court proceedings, Vol. 6, 1855-1864, Liberty County, Georgia, pp 430-1; database with images, “Liberty County Superior Court Proceedings, Vols 6-7 1855-1885,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H3-7969 : accessed 16 Oct 2022), Family History Library Film 175262 (DGS 008628086), images 246 of 702.