William Bradford biography at QuotationFun

A Short Biography of William Bradford

Author Name:

William Bradford

Born As:

William Bradford

Other Names:

Born:

19 Mar 1590

Died:

09 May 1657




author picture
Pilgrim leader; second Governor of Plymouth colony                          
                          
Parents William and Alice Bradford                          
Elected thirty times to be the Governor.                          
Source: Wikipedia

Bradford’s lack of family bonds was a significant factor in his joining the dissident religious congregation that would one day be known as the Pilgrims.

When Bradford was just over a year old, his father died. He was raised by his mother until the age of four when his mother re-married and Bradford was sent to live with his grandfather.

Two years later, his grandfather died and he returned to live with his mother and stepfather. A year later, in 1597, Bradford became an orphan at age 7 when his mother died. He was sent to live with two uncles.

Captain John Smith had discovered this 6 years before and named Plymouth, after the town in England.

The Native American village was deserted because the inhabitants had been decimated by diseases in 1617 brought to them by English fishermen.

Pneumonia was the chief sickness, while malnutrition and starvation.

Nearly half of the 102 passengers and crew aboard the Mayflower perished. 4 people died while the Mayflower was still anchored at the tip of Cape Cod, the other 41 died at the colony.