William Bradford (1590-1657)

William Bradford (1590 – May 9, 1657) was a leader of the Pilgrim settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and became Governor of the Plymouth Colony.

Related Topics:
1590 - May 9 - 1657 - Pilgrim - Plymouth Colony - Massachusetts

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He was the son of William Bradford and his wife Alice Hanson, and was baptised on March 19, 1590 in Austerfield, Yorkshire. At an early age he was attracted to the primitive congregational church in nearby Scrooby. By 1607 he was a committed member of what was termed a separatist church, since they wanted to separate from the Church of England. When James I began to persecute separatists in 1608 he fled to the Netherlands along with many members of the congregation. They went first to Amsterdam before settling at Leiden. He married his first wife Dorothy May (1597 – December 7, 1620) on December 10, 1613 in Amsterdam. While at Leiden he supported himself as a fustian weaver.

Related Topics:
March 19 - 1590 - Austerfield - Yorkshire - Scrooby - Church of England - James I - 1608 - Netherlands - Amsterdam - Leiden - 1597 - December 7 - 1620 - December 10 - 1613

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Shifting alignments of the European powers caused the Dutch government to fear war with Catholic Spain and to become allied with James I. Pressure and even attacks on the separatists increased in the Netherlands. Their congregation's leader, John Robinson, supported the emerging idea of starting a colony. Bradford was in the midst of this venture from the beginning. They wanted to remain Englishmen, yet get far enough away from the church and the government to have some chance of living in peace. Arrangements were made, and William with his wife sailed for America in 1620 from Leiden, aboard the Mayflower.

Related Topics:
Spain - 1620 - Leiden - Mayflower

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Even before landing on American soil, Bradford's wife died. On December 7, 1620 Dorothy Bradford drowned within sight of Cape Cod. Supposedly, upon seeing the desolate landscape of the New England coast, she committed suicide by jumping overboard. However, this story has mostly been discredited since its original source retracted this claim. Dorothy's death still remains somewhat of a puzzle since Bradford did not include any mention of it in his writing, but he records his shore expedition on the same day in some detail. The notable omission of Dorothy's death could indicate either a taboo from suicide or a distraught Bradford.

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The first winter in the new colony was a terrible experience. Half the colonists perished, including the colony's leader, John Carver. Bradford was selected as his replacement in the spring of 1621. From this point his story is linked with the history of the Plymouth Colony.

Related Topics:
John Carver - 1621

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William Bradford's second wife, Alice Carpenter, came to Plymouth on the Anne in July 1623, and married Governor Bradford on August 14, 1623 at Plymouth. They had three children, William, Mercy, and Joseph. Alice also helped to raise John, the son of his first marriage. William Bradford died at Plymouth and was interred at Plymouth Burial Hill.

Related Topics:
August 14 - 1623

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Some historians feel that Bradford's greatest achievement was introducing a system of privatized production. These historians contend that the colonists produced more farming for themselves, rather than for the community.

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