Notes and Links

• m1. Alice Richards* (1627-1671), of Weymouth MA, in 1651.
• William and Alice had 10 children:
  • John Bradford; b. Feb. 20, 1652, Plymouth MA; d. Dec. 8, 1736, Kingston MA.
    • m. Mercy Warren (1653-1747), daughter of Joseph Warren and Priscilla Faunce. John and Mercy had 7 children.
  • William Bradford; b. Mar. 11, 1654, Plymouth, MA; d. July 6, 1687.
    • m. Rebecca Bartlett (bef.1664-1741), of Duxbury MA, and had 3 children.
  • Thomas Bradford* (1657-1731)
    • m1. Ann Smith Raymond* (1664-1705)
    • m2. Priscilla Mason
  • Alice Bradford; b. 1659, Plymouth; d. Mar 15, 1745/6 Canterbury CT.
    • m1. Rev. William Adams (1650-1685), son of Rev. William Adams, and had 4 children. He had been married previously to Mary Manning of Cambridge MA, and had 3 children by her.
    • m2. Maj. James Fitch (1649-1727), son of Rev. James Fitch and Abigail Whitfield. Alice and Rev. William had 7 children. He had been previously married to Elizabeth Mason (d. 1684) and had 3 children by her.
  • Mercy Bradford; bap. Sep. 2, 1660, Boston, Suffolk Co. MA; d. bef. Apr 5, 1720, Hartford, Hartford Co. CT.
    • m. Samuel Steele (1652-1710), on Sep. 16, 1680. Samuel is the son of John Steele and Mary Warner. He was from Hartford CT. Mercy and Samuel had 8 children. By following the line of descendancy: from Mercy Bradford (1660-1720) and Samuel Steele (1652-1710), to their youngest son, Eliphalet Steele (1700-1773), who married Catherine Marshfield (1701/2-1788), and had a daughter Mercy Steele (1727-1794) who married Capt. Noah Webster (1722-1813), one arrives at their son, the 4th of 5 children: Noah Webster, Jr. (1758-1843) the reknown Lexicographer.
  • Hannah Bradford; b. May 9, 1662, Plymouth; d. May 28, 1758, Windham, CT
    • m. Joshua Ripley (1658-1739), on Nov. 28, 1682. He was born in Hingham MA, the son of John Ripley and Elizabeth Hobart. Hannah and Joshua had 12 children, including 2 sets of twins. Gen. George McClellan, inventor George Eastman, and actor Christopher Reeve are all descended from Hannah Bradford and Joshua Ripley: See below.
  • Meletiah Bradford; b. Nov 1, 1664, Plymouth; d. aft. Apr 24, 1739.
    • m1. John Steele (1660-1696/7) of Norwich CT, son of James Steele and Bethia Bishop. Meletiah and John had 3 children.
    • m2. Ensign Samuel Stevens (d. 1712) of Killingworth CT, son of William Stevens and Mary Meiggs. Meletiah and Samuel had 2 children.
  • Samuel Bradford; b. 1668, Plymouth MA; d. Apr. 11, 1714, Duxbury MA.
    • m. Hannah Rogers, b. Nov. 16, 1668, Duxbury MA, daughter of John Rogers and Elizabeth Pabodie. Samuel and Hannah had 7 children.
  • Mary Bradford; b. 1669, Plymouth MA; d. Oct. 10, 1720, Chilmark, Dukes Co. MA.
    • m. William Hunt; b. c1655, of Weymouth MA, son of Ephrain Hunt and Ebbet Brimsmead. Mary and William had 2 children. After Mary's death, William Hunt remarried to his sister-in-law, Sarah (Bradford) Baker, widow of Kenelm Baker (see below).
  • Sarah Bradford; b. 1671, Plymouth; d. 1712, Marshfield.
    • m1. Kenelm Baker; b. 1657, of Marshfield MA, son of Samuel Baker and Eleanor Winslow. Sarah and Kenelm had 10 children.
    • m2. William Hunt, widower of Mary Bradford (1669-1720).

• m2. Sarah (___?) Griswold, in c. 1673. Sarah was also known as the "Widow Wiswall". Sarah was the widow of Francis Griswold (1629-1671). Her maiden surname is unknown. See the reference below.
• William and Sarah had one child:
  • Joseph Bradford; b. Apr 18, 1675, Plymouth; d. Jan. 17 1747, New London, CT
    • m1. Anna Fitch (1676-1715) of Norwich CT, daughter of Rev. James Fitch and Priscilla Mason. Joseph and Anna had 10 children, including 3 sets of twins.
    • m2. Mary (Sherwood) Fitch (d. 1752), of Stratford CT, daughter of Matthew Sherwood and Mary Fitch. Joseph and Mary had one son. Mary was the widow of Anna Fitch's brother, Capt. Daniel Fitch.

• m3. Mary Atwood Holmes. Mary was the widow of John Holmes, and she and John had three children between them, two of whom were: Mary Holmes and Joseph Holmes (b. Jul.9, 1665 - d. June 26, 1723); Joseph Holmes m. 1st Sarah Sprague, daughter of Samuel Sprague, who was the son of William Sprague. He m. 2nd. in about 1697, Mary Brewster (b. Feb. 10, 1678-9 - d. Apr. 17, 1761), daughter of Wrestling Brewster, who was the son of Love Brewster, who was the son of William Brewster, of the Mayflower.
• William and Mary Atwood had 4 children:
  • Isreal Bradford; b. c1677, Plymouth; d. Mar 26, 1760, Kingston.
    • m. Sarah Bartlett; b. c1681, Duxbury; d. Apr 3, 1761, Kingston, daughter of Benjamin Bartlett and Ruth Pabodie of Duxbury MA. Isreal and Sarah had 7 children.
  • Ephraim Bradford; b. 1685, Plymouth; d. 1746, Kingston.
    • m. Elizabeth Brewster; b. bef. Dec 1691, Duxbury; d. Dec 5, 1741, Kingston. She is the daughter of Wrestling Brewster and Mary __?. Lt. Ephrain and Elizabeth had 14 children.
  • David Bradford; b. bef. 1687, Plymouth MA; d. Mar. 16, 1729/30.
    • m. Elizabeth Finney; b. Apr. 11, 1690; d. aft. Oct 9, 1746. She is the daughter of Jonathan Finney and Joanna Kinnicut. David and Elizabeth had 5 children.
  • Hezekiah Bradford; b. bef. 1687, Plymouth; d. aft. Apr 23, 1761.
    • m. Mary Chandler; b. Aug. 3, 1704, Duxbury MA, daughter of Joseph Chandler and Mercy __?. Hezekiah and Mary had one child.

Brief Biography:

Often known as "Major William Bradford" because he commanded the Plymouth forces in the fight against the Narragansett in King Philip's war. He was wounded by a musket ball which he carried the rest of his life. He served as Deputy Governor of Plymouth in 1682-1686 and again in 1689-1692. During these terms from 1680 he also served as Treasurer. He was the Councillor of State to Gov. Sir Edmund Andros during the interim, 1687-1689.

He married 3 times: first to Alice Richards* (1627-1671), daughter of Thomas Richards* and Welthian Loring* of Weymouth and had 10 children. His second wife was once thought to be Mary (Fitch) Wiswall of Duxbury, the widow of Parson Wiswall of Duxbury, however it was more recently discovered that his second wife was Sarah (___?) Griswold*, known as the Widow Wiswall, by a coincidence of similar names. Maj. William had one child by his second wife. He married for his third wife, Mary Atwood Holmes (d. 1715), and had 4 children.

Late in his life, Willam Bradford* (1624-1704) built a house in Kingston. MA that was passed down to his oldest son, Major John Bradford, and is now a museum, known as the Bradford House. Also passed down to John, was the manuscript Of Plymouth Plantation which was written by Gov. William Bradford*.

Line of descent to Gen. George McClennan, Commander of Union Forces - Civil War:

• William Bradford* (1624-1704), m. Alice Richards*(1627-1671); and had:
• Hannah Bradford (1662-1738), m. Joshua Ripley (1658-1739); and had:
• Joshua Ripley (b. 1688), m. Elizabeth Lathrop; and had:
• Mary Ripley (1716-1769), m. Joshua Abbe (1709/10-1807); and had:
• Rachel Abbe (1738/39-1795), m. Gen. Samuel McClellan (1729/30-1807), a General in the American Revolution; and had:
• James McClellan (1769-1837), m. Eunice Eldredge (1772-1804); and had:
• Dr. George McClellan (1796-1847), Surgeon, and founder of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia; m. Elizabeth Sophia Brinton (1800-1876); and had:
• George Brinton McClellan (1826-), m. Mary Ellen Marcy; and had:
  • George Brinton McClellan, Jr. (1865-1940), Mayor of New York City (1903-1909), m. Georgiana Louise Heckscher (1863-1962)

Line of descent to George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company:

• William Bradford* (1624-1704), m. Alice Richards*(1627-1671); and had:
• Hannah Bradford (1662-1758), m. Joshua Ripley (1658-1739); and had:
• Alice Ripley (b. 1683), m. Samuel Edgerton (b. 1670)
• Mary Edgerton (b. 1713), m. Daniel Fuller (b. 1699)
• Alice Fuller (b. 1751), m. Israel Ballard (b. 1747/48)
• Mary Ballard (1786-1831), m. Thomas Kilbourn (1771-1837)
• Maria Kilbourn (1821-1907), m. George Washington Eastman (___-1862)
• George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of the Eastman Kodak Company.

• William Bradford* (1624-1704), m. Alice Richards*(1627-1671); and had:
• Hannah Bradford (1662-1758), m. Joshua Ripley (1658-1739); and had:
• Joshua Ripley (1688-1773), m. Mary Backus; and had:
• Ebenezer Ripley (1729-1813), m. Mehitable Burbank (b. 1729); and had:
• Jerusha Ripley (1755-1838), m. Gad Lamb; and had:
• Ebenezer Ripley Lamb, m. Sarah Gaylord; and had:
• Charles Christian Lamb (b. c1827), m. Elizabeth Annette Russell (b. c1832); and had:
• Bert Israel Lamb(b. 1865), m. Harriet Davis (b. 1868); and had:
• Horace Rand Lamb(1892-1977), m. Beatrice Louise Pitney (1904-1997), photographer ; and had:
• Barbara PitneyLam, journalist; m. Prof. Franklin D'Olier Reeve (b.1928); and had:
• Christopher Reeve (1954-2002), noted film actor

References:

• The "Widow Wiswall", 2nd wife of Lt. William Bradford (1624-1704), has recently been identified as Sarah (___?) Griswold*, widow of Francis Griswold* (1629-1671). See: Major William Bradford's second wife , Sarah had 9 children by her first husband, Francis Griswold, one of which was Deborah Griswold* who married Jonathan Crane*, who are also ancestors of the author of these pages. See The Phelps-Griswold pages from the files of Stephen M. Lawson. Scroll down to the section entitled "Children of Edward and Margaret Griswold".
• Descendants of Gov. William Bradford.
• The Ancestry of Overmire Tifft Richardson Bradford Reed
• VAN HEMERT WESTON CROSS BALLARD CROZIER BOVEE.
• Descendants of Governor William Bradford, by Ruth Gardiner Hall, under auspices of the Bradford Family Compact.
• Bradford Genealogy by Faith Bradford
• A Line of Bradfords 1460-1988 by Bradford Stone