Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1744 - 1826 (82 years)| Name | Richard BRADFORD [2, 3] | |
| Suffix | Sr. | |
| Birth | 1743/4 | Northampton County, North Carolina  [4] |
| Gender | Male | |
| HIST | Richard Bradford, Sr. moved to Sumter County, South Carolina in 1774. In 1786 Richard donated 2 acres for Green Swamp Church. Willed to wife Elizabeth (life estate), then to son Mathew. Will Book D 1, page 118. On May 7, 1802, he deeded to Jeremiah Brown (son-in-law) 368 acres. Deed Book A, page 154. On October 2, 1806 he deeded to Henry Britten of Winyah County 366 acreas from original grant from 162 acreas obtained from Jeremiah Brown. Deed book B, page 361. On May 4, 1814 he was deeded from General Thomas Sumter, deed book H, page 458. Richard willed to son Robert on April 4, 1825. Will Book D 1, page 118. 160 acres to daughter Sarah (Bradford ) Brown. 160 acreas to daughter Eliza (Bradford) Wilder. 160 acres to grandaughter Nately Eliza Bradford, daughter of Richard Bradford Junior. 160 acreas to granddaughters Nancy, Louisa and Harriet, daughters of Mary (Bradford) Brown. Richard sold the property to John Gayle where the first Sumter Court House was built. According to an article called “Greenswamp Plantation, The Wilson Home, by Blanding Upshur Jones, Richard was the son of Nathaniel, and Nathaniel was the son of Gabriel Bradford, who between the years of 1746-1750, a man by the name of Gabriel Bradord migrated from Virginia to South Carolina with a band of emigrants and his three sons, William, Nathaniel, and John. The drifting group settled down and lived in an area near Camden which is now called Bradford Springs. Eventually, Nathaniel moved further south and acquired lands which are located in the High Hills section of Sumter County. He had a son by the name of Richard Bradford, who eventually inherited this land from him. Reflections by Sammy Way: Second Mill became a center for sports and entertainment When the long, hot days of summer became too much, Sumterites would head for Pocalla Springs or "Sunset Lake" for a refreshing swim or a day of boating. The lake's pavilion was the scene of many festive summer dances and social events. Even before the pavilion was built, this area was the site of much activity. As early as the 18th century, Richard Bradford erected a grist mill. Soon after, the lake became known as Second Mill. On the site of what is now Swan Lake Iris G SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO Posted Saturday, January 29, 2022 6:00 am By SAMMY WAY Sumter Item archivist and historian Reflections remembers Second Mill, which was one of two mill ponds constructed on the Bradford plantation. The mill pond, also referred to as Sunset Lake, was located near the Wedgefield Highway and played a varied role in the history of the Sumter District. In order to complete this research, the author used The Sumter Item archives, the writings of Cassie Nicholes and numerous documents and maps. According to Nicholes, "Robert Bradford, the son of Matthew and Harriet Dingle Bradford and grandson of Richard and Elizabeth Singleton Bradford, came to South Carolina from Virginia and purchased land on Green Swamp circa 1789." On his plantation, Richard authorized the construction of a grist mill and a sawmill. The grist mill was located on a stream, now known as Second Mill, and on the pond, now known as Swan Lake Iris Gardens, he built a sawmill. A canal connected the two streams; there was not enough water entering First Mill, thus the canal permitted the migration of water from Second to First Mill, enabling operation of the sawmill. According to an article published in The Sumter Daily Item on Sept. 1, 1909, W. E. and John I. Brunson of Sumter formed a partnership leading to an important enterprise resulting in the manufacturing of several commercial products. Dr. John I. Brunson proposed to move his flour roller mills from Sumter to the waterpower channeled at Second Mill Pond, located two miles from Sumter. His mill would utilize the waterpower to grind bolted (separate good from bad) meal and a fine grade of patent (plain) flour. The mill would continue to grind ordinary corn for the accommodation of the local farmers. It was expected that a 600-foot-long siding would be run from the Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad in order to provide an exchange point for receiving wheat from Western markets and for shipping the products from the mill. Some unexpected, yet welcomed changes followed the development of this mill. "In connection with the commercial features of this enterprise, work on a dance pavilion and a club house was to be started shortly thereafter. The new owners also planned to clear the large pond of snags and stumps, making it a beautiful pleasure lake on which motor launches and other boats could be placed in the future." Plans also included making the pond attractive and safe for swimmers following the removal of sludge and other hazardous matter. "A magnificent new bridge with concrete pillars was proposed to cross the causeway. J. M. Minnus, who was the superintendent of construction of the Sumter sewage system, was placed in charge of the concrete work. An electric light plant was to be constructed to light the grounds when the site became ready for public use. Some delays briefly deprived Sumter of a magnificent pleasure park, but it would not be long before Sumter would have a delightful entertainment venue near the city. The arrival of 1924 saw Second Mill's first two dances having taken place, and it was the opinion of the general populace that "if the first two dances were to be taken as indications of the future, Second Mill would have a very successful season for dancing, and before the end of the summer. Its already popular resort would become even more popular with Sumter's citizens." Disaster strikes The dance pavilion at Second Mill (Sunset Lake), "popular summer resort, located two miles from Sumter on the Pinewood road, was burned to the ground shortly before four o'clock the morning of Jan. 2, 1930, by a fire of an undetermined origin. The wooden structure was a mass of flames within a few minutes after it was discovered, and all efforts to extinguish it proved futile. All that remained of the building that was the scene of numerous dances during the last five or six years was a smoldering mass of embers. Several boats near the pavilion were ignited and burned; the soft drink stand was slightly damaged by the heat." "The pavilion was built by G. W. Bradford at a cost of approximately $17,000 and carried insurance of $10,000. Bradford had not announced whether the structure would be rebuilt, but it is assumed that it will be." Bradford's Chapel was also known as Green Swamp Church Three members of Sumter County Historical Commission examine the marker erected by them on the north side of Highway 763 between the Iris Gardens and Second Mill at the site of Bradford's Chapel or Green Swamp Methodist Church in June 1950. Viewing the marker were, from left, Thomas M. Stubbs, chairman of the commission, Mrs. LeRoy S. Davis and C. D. Cooper Jr. SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO Posted Friday, May 16, 2025 6:00 am BY SAMMY WAY Sumter Item archivist and historian Reflections revisits the writings of Thomas Stubbs as relevant to the arrival of Methodists into the Sumter community. Information and photos were taken from The Sumter Item archives. The writings of Thomas McAlpin Stubbs and Dr. Anne King Gregorie were also consulted. According to Stubbs, "Two years after the close of the Revolution the Methodists were organized as a district and separate church. It was at their Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, during Christmas week of 1784, that this step was taken. Their outstanding leader, who was to prove the greatest influence in the establishment and spread of Methodism in America, was Bishop Francis Asbury. For some 30 years until his death in 1816, this tireless itinerant minister had for his circuit the vast area from Northern New Hampshire to South Georgia, a distance he covered on horseback sometimes twice in a single year." Richard Bradford was a large landowner and an Episcopalian who lived a little west of what is known as "Second Mill." He had obtained a grant of land in this area as early as 1774. His home was about a good day's ride on horseback for Bishop Asbury to the home of Col. James Rembert. Tradition holds that it was at Bradford's home that Bishop Asbury would stop for the night en route from Camden to Charleston and that the first Methodist prayer meeting ever held in this immediate vicinity took place at Bradford's property. Bradford soon provided a site for a chapel and perhaps gave Asbury material for the building as well. This building stood on the north side of the highway between First and Second Mills. At this location, the Methodists worshipped from about 1786 until 1827. Both Rembert Church and Bradford Chapel were part of the Santee Circuit, which covered a considerable area and portions of several counties. They were served at that time not by "stationed" preachers but by itinerant ministers or circuit riders. By 1827, population growth on John Gayle's farm two miles to the east called for the construction of a church in Sumterville, and Bradford Chapel, or Meetinghouse, was abandoned. [1, 4, 5] | |
| Religion | a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church about 40 years (at death) [6] | |
| _UID | D6820E01857F41C3BD13757FC7E66682C8A7 | |
| Death | 21 Jun 1826 | Sumter (later Clarendon) District, South Carolina [4, 6, 7] |
| Person ID | I377 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 17 May 2025 | |
| Father | Thomas BRADFORD, b. 1693, Charles City County, Virginia d. 1762, Northampton County, North Carolina (Age 69 years) | |
| Mother | Elizabeth Norwood SMITH d. ca. 1739-54 | |
| Marriage | Abt 1729 [8] | |
| _UID | 07A07F373B034C95A86E3BA660F29CA607BD | |
| _UID | 07A07F373B034C95A86E3BA660F29CA607BD | |
| Family ID | F2673 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Elizabeth SINGLETON, b. 1748, Northampton County, Virginia d. 1829, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 81 years) | |||||||||||||||
| Marriage | 1786/73 [8, 9] | |||||||||||||||
| _UID | A7EC77AE028D49BC9C13E3F59C36F30CA4BD | |||||||||||||||
| _UID | A7EC77AE028D49BC9C13E3F59C36F30CA4BD | |||||||||||||||
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| Family ID | F142 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||||||||||||
| Last Modified | 20 May 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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