William Bradford (governor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Bradford
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A portrait idea of William Bradford, drawn long after he lived
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| 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th & 11th Governor of Plymouth Colony | |
| In office May 1621 – 1 January 1633 |
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| Preceded by | John Carver |
| Succeeded by | Edward Winslow |
| In office 3 March 1635 – 1 March 1636 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Prence |
| Succeeded by | Edward Winslow |
| In office 7 March 1637 – 5 June 1638 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Winslow |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Prence |
| In office 3 June 1639 – 5 June 1644 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Prence |
| Succeeded by | Edward Winslow |
| In office 4 June 1645 – 9 May 1657 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Winslow |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Prence |
| Commissioner of the United Colonies | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca. 19 March 1590 Austerfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 9 May 1657 (aged 67) Plymouth Colony |
| Spouses | Dorothy May Alice (Carpenter) Southworth |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Weaver, settler |
| Profession | Colonial governor, writer |
| Signature |  |
William Bradford was an early English leader in North America. He was a famous Pilgrim who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the historic ship called the Mayflower. Bradford served for about thirty years as the Governor of Plymouth Colony. He helped write the famous Mayflower Compact, which was an early agreement for self-government. Bradford also wrote a famous journal titled Of Plymouth Plantation. His book tells modern readers the real story of how the early settlers survived in a new land.
Contents
Early Life in England
William Bradford was born in a small village called Austerfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was baptized on 19 March 1590. His father, also named William, and his mother Alice Hanson were hardworking farmers. The family owned land and was well respected in Northern England.
Tragedy struck his home when Bradford was very small. His father died when Bradford was only one year old. His mother remarried, so young William went to live with his grandfather. His grandfather soon passed away as well. Bradford returned to live with his mother and stepfather, but his mother died in 1597. Bradford became an orphan when he was only seven years old. He went to live with two of his uncles.
His uncles expected young William to work outside on the farm. However, Bradford became very sick as a child and could not do hard physical chores. Because he had to stay indoors, he spent his days reading books. He studied the Bible and learned about history and classic stories. This quiet time helped him love learning, and he began to question how churches were run.
Joining the Separatist Group
When Bradford was twelve years old, a friend invited him to hear the Rev. Richard Clyfton. Clyfton was preaching at All Saints' Church, Babworth in Nottinghamshire. The preacher believed that the Church of England needed to change and remove older Roman Catholic traditions. Bradford was deeply inspired by these speeches, even though his uncles told him not to attend.
Bradford soon met an older man named William Brewster who lived at Scrooby manor. Brewster was a friendly bailiff and postmaster. Brewster lent exciting books to young Bradford and taught him about new ideas. Many people who wanted complete church reform were called Puritans. A smaller group decided that fixing the state church was impossible. These people were called Separatists because they chose to separate completely.
King James I of England took the throne in 1603. The king wanted all English people to follow the royal church rules. By 1607, secret meetings began at Brewster's home at Scrooby. Around fifty believers met to worship in secret, guided by Clyfton and the Rev. John Robinson. The royal authorities, led by the Archbishop of York, discovered these meetings. Several leaders were arrested, and government officers watched their homes constantly.
Escape to the Dutch Republic
The secret group decided to leave England without permission to find safety. They chose the Dutch Republic because people there enjoyed religious freedom. Escaping was illegal, and their first attempt in 1607 went terribly wrong. An English ship captain betrayed them to the authorities. Bradford and his friends were caught and held in prison for a short time.
By the summer of 1608, the group managed to escape safely in smaller parties. Bradford arrived in Amsterdam at age eighteen. In 1609, the whole group moved to the pretty city of Leiden.
Life in the City of Leiden
Life was difficult for the English travelers in Leiden. They did not speak the language and had very little money left. Bradford lived with the Brewster family in a cramped neighborhood. They had to take difficult jobs to pay for simple food.
When Bradford turned twenty-one in 1611, he received an inheritance from his family's farm. He used this money to buy a house in Leiden. Bradford learned a new trade as a fustian weaver, making thick cotton cloth for coats. In 1613, he married a young woman named Dorothy May. The young couple welcomed a son named John in 1617.
Planning the Atlantic Voyage
By 1617, the Leiden community faced new worries. Their children were growing up speaking Dutch rather than English. The parents wanted to protect their culture and worship together in peace. They decided to establish a new settlement across the ocean in the New World.
The leaders negotiated for three long years. They asked King James for permission to settle in the northern Colony of Virginia, near the Hudson River. They also worked with investors in London called the Merchant Adventurers to get money and supplies. Agent Robert Cushman and respected elder John Carver helped organize the trip.
In July 1620, around fifty travelers boarded a small ship named the Speedwell at Delftshaven. Bradford and his wife had to make the painful choice to leave their young son John in Amsterdam. The little boy was too weak to survive the long, dangerous voyage.
The Historic Voyage to America
Sailing on the Mayflower
The Speedwell met another ship, the Mayflower, in Plymouth, England. Unfortunately, the Speedwell began leaking badly and could not cross the ocean safely. Many passengers squeezed onto the Mayflower, while others stayed behind.
The Mayflower set sail on 16 September 1620. It carried 102 passengers along with about thirty crew members. About half of the passengers belonged to the religious group, while the rest were hired workers with practical skills. Today, all these brave travelers are remembered as the Pilgrims. Bradford later wrote that they knew they were pilgrims seeking a better spiritual home.
The trip was stormy and scary. Giant waves shook the wooden ship, and cold ocean water soaked the travelers. After more than two months at sea, lookouts spotted the sandy shores of Cape Cod on 19 November 1620. Fierce winter waves prevented them from traveling south to Virginia. The ship anchored safely inside Provincetown Harbor on 21 November 1620.
Signing the Mayflower Compact
Before anyone went ashore, the leaders realized they needed a system of laws. Since they were outside their original land grant, they needed an agreement to keep order. The men gathered in the cabin and wrote the Mayflower Compact. This document established a fair government based on majority rule. William Bradford was one of the very first leaders to sign his name.
Exploring Plymouth Harbor
Bradford joined several cold scouting expeditions to search for a good home. During the first search on foot, he walked into a deer trap built by local Native Americans and was swung into the air.
In December, Bradford and other men took a small open boat across chilly waters. A fierce storm broke their boat's mast, but they landed safely on Clark's Island. A few days later, they found an excellent site with clean streams and cleared fields around Plymouth Harbor. The location was an abandoned village called Patuxet, where a terrible illness had wiped out the native residents years before. Bradford noted the bones of past villagers on the ground.
When Bradford returned to the Mayflower, he received tragic news. His wife, Dorothy May, had accidentally fallen from the ship's deck into the freezing ocean and drowned.
Building Plymouth Colony
A Harsh First Winter
The Mayflower sailed into Plymouth Bay on 20 December 1620. On Christmas Day, the colonists began chopping trees to build their first common house. However, a dreadful illness swept through the camp during the freezing weather. Bradford fell terribly ill with severe hip pain in January 1621 and barely survived.
Half of the passengers and several crew members died before spring arrived. To keep their numbers secret from watching eyes, the colonists buried their dead friends in unmarked graves on Cole's Hill.
Only a few adults stayed healthy enough to care for the sick. A brave soldier named Captain Myles Standish cared kindly for Bradford. This experience forged a lifelong friendship between the two men. Standish became the top military commander of the colony, while Bradford handled civilian matters.
Peace Treaty with Massasoit
In March 1621, an Indigenous man named Samoset walked into Plymouth and greeted the settlers in English. He soon introduced them to Massasoit, the great sachem of the Pokanoket people.
Governor John Carver and Massasoit signed an important peace treaty on 22 March 1621. Both sides promised never to harm each other and pledged military aid if enemies attacked. Bradford wrote down every word of this treaty in his journal. The alliance brought decades of peace to Plymouth, even when other groups like the Narragansetts and Massachusett people grew worried about the new colony.
Leading as Governor
In April 1621, Governor Carver collapsed in the hot sun while planting corn and died shortly after. The settlers gathered and elected William Bradford as their new governor. Bradford was thirty-one years old. He went on to lead Plymouth Colony for about thirty years.
Bradford worked with an assistant governor named Isaac Allerton. Later, the colony formed a council of five assistants called magistrates. These trusted leaders included Stephen Hopkins, John Alden, and John Howland. Bradford helped divide farmland fairly among families, organized trade for beaver furs, and solved disputes.
Writing History and Later Life
Bradford was a talented author. His most important book is titled Of Plymouth Plantation. He began writing this great history in 1630 and continued adding to it until 1646. He described the stormy ocean voyage, the harsh first winter, and the help the colonists received from Native Americans.
The original handwritten manuscript disappeared during the Revolutionary War, but it was found years later in London. In 1897, the British government returned the precious journal to the people of Massachusetts. Historians call Bradford an early father of American history because his records are so clear and honest. Bradford also helped write Mourt's Relation with his friend Edward Winslow.
Family and Later Years
William Bradford had two marriages during his lifetime. His first wife was Dorothy May, whom he married in Amsterdam in 1613. Dorothy passed away in Cape Cod Harbor in December 1620, along with other travelers like Edward Thomson, Jasper More, James Chilton, and William Butten. Dorothy and William had one son named John, who was born in Leiden and later lived in Norwich, Connecticut.
In August 1623, Bradford married Alice Carpenter Southworth in Plymouth. Alice had arrived on the ship Anne and brought two sons, Constant and Thomas, from her earlier marriage. William and Alice had three children together: William, Mercy, and Joseph. Their son William became a military leader and respected town magistrate. Alice lived until 1670 and was buried near her husband.
Death and Legacy
William Bradford died on 9 May 1657 at the age of sixty-seven. He was buried on Burial Hill overlooking Plymouth Bay, where a stone cenotaph honors his life. Bradford is remembered as a patient leader whose faith, wisdom, and writings helped establish one of the most famous early communities in North America. His story was later featured on television in the American Experience series, where actor Roger Rees portrayed the brave governor.
See also
In Spanish: William Bradford para niños
- List of descendants of William Bradford (Plymouth governor)
