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

Explanation:

• Employers did not know much about their servants: The advertisements describe physical characteristics (e.g., "small stature", "smooth - faced", "left eye quite out") rather than personal or emotional aspects, indicating a lack of in - depth knowledge.
• Servants sometimes knew special skills or trades: Thomas Rennolds is described as a shoemaker, and Thomas Cellars plays the violin/fiddle, showing they had special skills.
• Servants were generally not valuable to their employers: This is incorrect. The fact that employers placed advertisements (which cost money and effort) to retrieve runaway servants implies that servants were valuable (e.g., as labor, in the case of a shoemaker who could make shoes for the plantation).
• Servants sometimes stole goods when they ran away: Thomas Rennolds is said to have taken "several shoemaker's tools" and a "small [brown] horse", indicating theft.

Answer:

Employers did not know much about their servants, Servants sometimes knew special skills or trades, Servants sometimes stole goods when they ran away.