He was born in 1590 in the small
farming community of Austerfield, Yorkshire, England. His father William died when young
Bradford was just one year old. He lived with his grandfather William, until
his grandfather died when Bradford was six. His mother Alice then died when he was
seven. Orphaned both from parents and grandparents, he and his older sister Alice
were raised by their uncle.
William was a sickly boy, and by the
age of 12 had taken to reading the Bible. As he began to come of age he
became acquainted with the ministry around
which the Separatist churches of the region would eventually form.
His family was not supportive of his moves, and by 1607 the Church of England
were applying pressure to extinguish these religious sects. Bradford, at the
age of 18, joined with the group of Separatists that fled from England in fear
of persecution, arriving in Amsterdam in 1608. A year later he migrated with
the rest of the church to the town of Leiden, Holland, where they remained for
eleven years.
Bradford returned to Amsterdam temporarily in 1613 to marry his bride, Dorothy May. He then took up the trade of a silk weaver to make ends meet, and also was able to recover some of the estate in England that had been left by his father, to support himself and his new wife. They had a son, John, born about 1615-1617 in Leiden.
Bradford returned to Amsterdam temporarily in 1613 to marry his bride, Dorothy May. He then took up the trade of a silk weaver to make ends meet, and also was able to recover some of the estate in England that had been left by his father, to support himself and his new wife. They had a son, John, born about 1615-1617 in Leiden.
By 1620, when a segment of the church had decided
to set off for America on the Mayflower, Bradford, now 30 years old, sold
off his house in Leiden, and he and his wife Dorothy joined; however, they left their
young son John behind, presumably so he would not have to endure the hardships
of colony-building. While the Mayflower was anchored at the tip of Cape Cod, and while many of the Pilgrim men were out
exploring and looking for a place to settle, Dorothy Bradford accidentally fell
overboard and drowned.
In 1623, he was married to the widowed Alice Carpenter Southworth. With his second wife, he had three
more children, all of whom survived to adulthood.
Successful colonies required successful leadership. The man to step forward in the Plymouth colony was William Bradford. After the first elected governor perished from the harsh winter, Bradford was elected and was then reelected for the next thirty years. Under Governor Bradford's guidance, relations with the local natives remained relatively smooth in Plymouth and the food supply grew with each passing year.
By autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims had much for which to be thankful. After the harvest, about ninety Indians joined the Pilgrims for a feast. The participants celebrated for several days, dining on venison, goose, duck, turkey, fish, and cornbread, the result of a bountiful harvest. This tradition was repeated at harvest time in the following years.
It was President Lincoln who declared Thanksgiving a national celebration in 1863. Governor Bradford and the Plymouth pilgrims were simply celebrating survival, as well as the hopes of good fortune in the years that lay ahead.
Beginning in 1630, Governor Bradford started writing a history of the Plymouth Colony, which is now published under the title Of Plymouth Plantation. He continued writing his history of Plymouth through about 1651. Bradford's writings are now one of the primary sources used by historians, and is the only thorough history of Plymouth Colony that was written by a Mayflower passenger. It is required reading in a number of collegiate American History courses. Many letters, poems and other writings of William Bradford, have also survived.
William Bradford was generally sick all through the winter of 1656-1657; on May 8, Bradford predicted to his friends and family that he would die, and he did the next day, May 9th, 1657, at the age of 68.
Successful colonies required successful leadership. The man to step forward in the Plymouth colony was William Bradford. After the first elected governor perished from the harsh winter, Bradford was elected and was then reelected for the next thirty years. Under Governor Bradford's guidance, relations with the local natives remained relatively smooth in Plymouth and the food supply grew with each passing year.
By autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims had much for which to be thankful. After the harvest, about ninety Indians joined the Pilgrims for a feast. The participants celebrated for several days, dining on venison, goose, duck, turkey, fish, and cornbread, the result of a bountiful harvest. This tradition was repeated at harvest time in the following years.
It was President Lincoln who declared Thanksgiving a national celebration in 1863. Governor Bradford and the Plymouth pilgrims were simply celebrating survival, as well as the hopes of good fortune in the years that lay ahead.
Beginning in 1630, Governor Bradford started writing a history of the Plymouth Colony, which is now published under the title Of Plymouth Plantation. He continued writing his history of Plymouth through about 1651. Bradford's writings are now one of the primary sources used by historians, and is the only thorough history of Plymouth Colony that was written by a Mayflower passenger. It is required reading in a number of collegiate American History courses. Many letters, poems and other writings of William Bradford, have also survived.
William Bradford was generally sick all through the winter of 1656-1657; on May 8, Bradford predicted to his friends and family that he would die, and he did the next day, May 9th, 1657, at the age of 68.
Ancestral Line: Janeal Kindred Smith...Kent Lewis Kindred...Chloris Hill...Jasper Franklin Hill...Heamon Alison Hill...Leonard Hill...Ruth Rumrill...Alice Parsons...Alice Olive Collins...Alice Adams...Alice Bradford...William Bradford...William Bradford
