My autosomal DNA connections to my Bradford side are intersting as they lead back to the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Here are my ThruLines at Ancestry going back to Harvey Bradford:
Harvey was the most recent male Bradford in my ancestry. Patricia on the left is also my 2nd cousin through the Hartleys. Here is how that tree looks on my own family tree at Ancestry:
This shows that Harvey and his wife had two children: Henry and Hannah. I descend from Hannah and my other matches above descend from Henry. That is, except for Patricia who also descends from Hannah.
Henry Clay Bradford
I’m descended from Henry’s sister Hannah. Let’s see what the Henry Line was up to. Here is Henry in 1850:
Henry was a ‘Nailor’. I believe that he made nails. One famous nail company in Wareham was Tremont Nail. I believe that there could have been others. It is possible that Harvey worked at the same location as his son Henry. Here are some possible places where Henry worked from an 1830 map:
Confusingly, a nailor could have also worked at a cotton carding works. Perhaps Henry worked at the factory on the bottom right which was near the old Horseshoe pond. However, there are other possibilities.The family was living on High Street in Rochester which was approximately to the left of the ‘T’ in Rochester in the map above. Walter was born apparently in East Taunton, so the family was apparently there for a little while.
In 1860, Henry was living in Acushnet, MA:
It is not clear why his wife Rhoda appears to be living next door with her parents. Perhaps these were two houses side by side or one house with two units. Walter is the one shown in my ThruLines above.
In 1870, the family was also living in Acushntet, though the Post Office is Mattapoisett, so apparently close to that Town.
Here is something I did not know about:
The couple divorces in 1876. Rhoda comes back to Massachusetts and remarries. .Henry C also remarries and dies in Maine.
Here is a summary from one tree at Ancestry:
In 1910, Henry’s second wife has died and he is living with his son in Norway, Maine:
Walter B Bradford Born 1857
Walter marries Olive A Collins in Acushnet in 1882:
The family appears to be living with Olive’s brother in 1900:
In 1910, the family moved to Rochester:
Walter was a “Teamer”. He presumably drove a team of horses which carried heavy loads. Walter’s burial stone is in the Sherman Cemetery in Rochester, MA.
Flora Bradford
My ThruLines would have me evaluate Flora Bradford’s children:
I have two DNA matches from two of her children. Ancestry has this photo:
Flora married in Marion in 1920:
Olive was born the same year:
I am also related to the Hathway family. However, I assume that the connection is not with this line of Hathaway. So Olive was the mother of one of my matches. I assume that the match knew who his mother was.
My guess is that my other match Terry knew who her father was (John below):
Olive Bradford Born 1893
Here is a photo of Olive from Ancestry:
Olive marries Charles Henry Savaria in Rochester in 1909. Here is the family in 1910 in Rochester:
Charles was listed as doing odd jobs. Henry was listed as a teamster in the 1920 Rochester Census:
My DNA match and otherwise 2nd cousin had as her father Charles H Savaria Jr. Here is the family in 1950:
They lived on Rounesville Road in Rochester where Charles was a sawmill winch operator.
Dorothy Bradford Born 1904
I have a small DNA Match to Phillip who descends from Dorothy Bradford:
Dorothy married Ernest Gosson and lived on Main Street, Acushnet, MA in 1940:
Ernest was a truck driver for an interstate commerce. Here is 155 Main Street:
So far these ThruLines seem to check out.
Looking at Joyce’s ThruLines
Joyce is my father’s first cousin, so she is a generation closer to the Bradfords. Here are her ThruLines via Henry Bradford:
Common to my ThruLines are Patricia and Terry. Then Joyce additionally matches Shane and Cynthia under Olive Bradford thorugh Olive’s daughters Ariel and Agnes.
Ariel Savaria Born 1918
In 1940, Ariel lived on New Bedford Road, Rochester, MA with her family:
George was a highway and construction surveyor. In 1950, the family was living in Little Compton, RI:
Agnes Savaria Born 1922
Agnes also married a Lawrence. The couple was living on Marion Road, Rochester in 1950:
They were the 8th house on the left proceding West. I remember a Ray Lawrence in elementary school. Perhaps he was the son of this Raymond. Apparently he was a distant Bradford relative.
My Brother Jon’s Bradford ThruLines Adds Alice Bradford Born 1891
These are all ThruLines via Harvey Bradford and his son Henry. Jon adds offspring from Alice Bradford:
Based on the ThruLines, Alice married a Morse. This tree at Ancestry fills in some more information:
I see Evelyn and Hazel on the list above. In 1940, Alice and her family lived on East Central Avenue, Wareham:
So these must be my Onset Bradford cousins.
My sister Lori has a match to another grandchild of Alice:
In 1950, Hazel lived at Brown Street, Wareham:
Hazel’s husband worked in the cranberry business.
That covers the DNA matches that Ancestry identifies as going back to Harvey Bradford through his son Henry. I have many other Bradford relatives.
Summary and Conclusions
- Based on Ancestry ThruLines, I have many relatives around the 4th cousin level who descend from Harvey Bradford.
- Many of these cousins seem to have stayed in the SE Massachusetts area – or at least their parents or grandparents have.
- I have been able to fill in some of the details for some of the descendants of Henry Bradford. He was the only sibling of my ancestor Hannah Bradford.