Question

many servants tried to escape the mistreatment and poor living conditions of indentured servitude. the following advertisements for runaway servants were published in a newspaper called the virginia gazette. read the advertisements. then answer the question below.

september 24, 1736
ran away, on saturday the 14th of august last from the owners plantation, in middlesex county, a convict servant man, named thomas rennolds, by trade a shoemaker; he is of a small stature, smooth - faced, and about twenty years of age. he took with him several shoemakers tools,...and, tis supposed, he also took with him a small brown horse.

january 11, 1737
on sunday last, ran away...a servant man, named thomas cellars...he is a small man, of about five feet two inches high; his left eye quite out, by a blow from a horse;...an englishman by birth, plays very well on the violin, or fiddle....whoever will bring the said runaway to me, shall be...rewarded.

imagine you are a historian studying the daily life of indentured servants. based on these advertisements, what can you tell about life as a servant in colonial virginia? select all that apply.

• servants sometimes stole goods when they ran away.
• servants sometimes knew special skills or trades.
• employers did not know much about their servants.
• servants were generally not valuable to their employers.

Explanation:

1. Thomas Rennolds took shoemaker’s tools and a horse, showing theft when escaping.
2. Thomas Rennolds was a shoemaker, Thomas Cellars played the violin—both had special skills/trades.
3. Advertisements detail servants’ physical traits, trades, and origins, so employers knew them well (third option is incorrect).
4. Employers offered rewards for returning servants, indicating servants were valuable (fourth option is incorrect).

Answer:

Servants sometimes stole goods when they ran away, Servants sometimes knew special skills or trades.