Genealogical and Family History
of the
STATE OF MAINE

Compiled under the editorial supervision of George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
New York
1909.

[Please see Index page for full citation.]

[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

[Many families included in these genealogical records had their beginnings in Massachusetts.]

BRADBURY The ancient name Bradbury is of Saxon origin, and is composed of the two elements brad, signifying broad, and bury, town, and was probably assumed by some one who had dwelt in the town of Bradbury. The name was restricted in England to narrow limits, and at the time of the settlement of the first emigrants in New England seems to have been confined to one parish in Derbyshire. The radiating point seems to have been Ollerset in the parish of Glossop, in the northerly part of Derby. The first mention of the name is in 1433, when there were living in Ollerset Roger de Bradbury and Rodolphus de Bradbury. Neither one of these two is claimed as an ancestor by the American Bradburys. (I) Robert Bradbury, the earliest known ancestor of this line, must have been born as early as 1400. He resided at Ollerset in Derbyshire, and married a daughter of Robert Davenport (copied also Damport), of Bramhall, county of Chester. She was buried at Stansted, Mount Fitchet, county of Essex. Children: William and Thomas. (II) William, son of Robert Bradbury, was of Braughing, in Hertfordshire, in 1462. He married Martha, daughter and co-heir of Geoffry Rockhill, of Wormingford, county Essex. Children: Robert, Thomas, George, Henry and Philippa. (III) Robert (2), eldest child of William and Martha (Rockhill) Bradbury, named in in inquisition of his brother, Sir Thomas, then dead, supposed justice of the assize, Isle of Ely, Feb. 4, 1486, witness to the will of George Nichall, of Littlebury, Dec. 2, 1484, died 1489, and was buried in the church of Grey Friars, London), is said to have married Anne, dau. of Infans Wyant. They had s son William, next mentioned. (IV) William (2), son of Robert (2) and Anne (Wyant) Bradbury, was born in 1480. He is named in the inquisition post mortem on the estate of his uncle, Sir Thomas, in 1510, then aged thirty-five years, to whose estate he succeeded, Lord of the Manor of Mancendem, acquired the manor of Catmere Hall in Littlebury, county Essex, 1543, and was buried at Littlebury June 15, 1546. He is incorrectly said to have married Joan, dau. of Sir John Fitzwilliams, Lord of Elmyn and Spotsbury, and widow of Thomas Bendish, of Bowre Hall, in Steeple Burmstead, Esq., who died in 1477, leaving issue: Richard Bendish, Esq. His children were: William, Phillippa and Matthew. (V) Matthew, youngest of the three children of William (2) Bradbury, was Lord of the Manor of Wicken Hall, in the parish of Wicken Bonant, which manor he acquired by purchase in 1557. He purchased the manor of Grange in Thaxted, county of Essex, and sold it the next year. He is mentioned in the wills of his brother William and nephew Robert. He died June 19, 1585, and an inquisition post mortem was held Oct. 26, 1587. He married Margaret Rowse, of the city of Cambridge. Children: William, Thomas and Barbara. (VI) William (3), eldest child of Matthew and Margaret (Rowse) Bradbury, of Wicken Bonant, Esq., aged forty-one in 1585, is named in the wills of his cousin Robert and brother Thomas. His own will is dated April 19, 1622, and was proved May 6, 1623. He died Nov. 30, 1622, and was buried at Wicken. He married Anne, daughter and heir of Richard Eden, Esq., LL.D., of Bury St. Edmunds, county of Suffolk, who died and was buried at Wicken, Feb. 8, 1612. Children: Matthew, Wymond, Henry, Thomas (died young), Bridget, Anne and Alice. (VII) Wymond, second son of William (3) and Anne (Eden) Bradbury, was of Wicken Bonant, afterward of the parish of Whitechapel, county Middlesex, and died in 1650. He was baptized at Newport Pond, May 16, 1574, and was of London, Oct. 17, 1628. He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Whitgift, and sister of the wife of his brother Matthew. She died June 26, 1612, in the thirty-ninth year of her age, and was buried at Croydon, county Surrey. Her first husband was Richard Coles, of Leigh, Worcestershire, who died Nov., 1600. She married (second) Francis Gill, of London, who died in 1605; and (third) Wymond Bradbury. Children: William, Thomas, Jane and Anne. (VIII) Thomas, second son of Wymond and Elizabeth (Whitgift) (Gill) Bradbury, was baptized at Wicken Bonant, Essex county, England, Feb. 28, 1611, as appears by the parish register. Early in 1634, says the Bradbury memorial from which this sketch is taken, he appeared at Agamenticus, now York, Maine, as the agent or steward of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the proprietor of the province of Maine. He was one of the original proprietors of the ancient town of Salisbury, Mass., one of the earliest settlers in that place, and was one of the foremost citizens there for a period of more than half a century. In 1640 he was made freeman, held at various times the offices of schoolmaster of the town, town clerk, justice of the peace, deputy to the general court, county recorder, associate judge and captain of the military company, and always filled these important positions with credit to himself and satisfaction to the public. He wrote an easy, graceful and legible hand, and had a clear and concise style of expression. In 1636 he became a grantee of Salisbury, and the following year was appointed first clerk of the writs in that town. He was chosen deputy to the general court in 1651-52-56-57-60-61 and 1666. In 1654-56-58-59 he was a member of various committees to settle differences concerning lands, to fix boundaries and locate grants. As agent for Gorges, he executied some of the earliest deeds contained in the York county records. He died March 16, 1695, aged eighty-four years or more. Thomas Bradbury was married to Mary, daughter of John and Judith Perkins, of Ipswich, in 1636. When about eighty years old (1692) Mrs. Bradbury was arrested for the crime of bewitching John Carr, so that he became crazed and prematurely died. She was ably and courageously defended by Major Robert Pike, but she with four others was convicted. By some means she escaped punishment, but the others were executed. Her pastor, Rev. James Allen, testified of her as follows: "I, having lived nine years at Salisbury in the work of the ministry, and now four years in the office of pastor, to my best notice and observance of Mrs. Bradbury, she hath lived according to the rules of the gospel amongst us; was a constant attender upon the ministry of the word, and all the ordinances of the gospel; full of works of charity and mercy to the sick and poor; neither have I seen or heard anything of her unbecoming the profession of the gospel." One hundred and eighteen of Mrs. Bradbury's acquiantances, consisting of both men and women, gave very strong testimony of the goodness of her character. She survived until 1700, and died Dec. 20th of that year. Children: Wymond, Judith, Thomas, Mary, Jane, Jacob and William. (IX) Wymond (2), eldest child of Thomas and Mary (Perkins) Bradbury, born April 1, 1637, died April 7, 1669, on the Island of Nevis, in the West Indies, as is stated on a record made by his father and now in Essex county archives in Salem, Mass. He married, May 7, 1661, Sarah Pike, daughter of Robert and Sarah (Saunders) Pike. She married (second) John Stockman, who died Dec. 10, 1686, and by him she had five children. Children of Wymond & Sarah were: Sarah, Ann, and Wymond. (X) Wymond (3), youngest child and only son of Wymont (2) and Sarah (Pike) Bradbury, born May 13, 1669, died in York, Maine, April 17, 1734. He married Maria Cotton, born Jan. 14, 1672, dau. of Rev. John Jr. and Joanna (Rosseter) Cotton. Her father was the son of Rev. John and Sarah (Story) Cotton, and her mother the daughter of Dr. Bryan Rosseter, of Guilford, Connecicut. She married (second) John Heard, of Kittery, and died in that won Jan. 30, 1736. Children of Wymond and Maria: Jabez, Wymond, John, Rowland, Ann, Josiah, Theophilus, Maria and Jerusha. (XI) Elder John, third son of Wymond (3) and Maria (Cotton) Bradbury, born Sept. 9, 1697, died Dec. 3, 1778, aged eighty-one years. He was the founder of the York family of Bradbury. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church, a man of much energy, prominent in town affairs, severl times a member of the provincial legislature, ten years a member of the executive council, and also judge of the probate court. He was an ardent patriot in the time of the revolution, and it is said that on one occasion he rebuked his minister in open meeting for disloyal sentiments expressed in his sermon. He married Abigail, dau. of Lieut. Joseph and Abigail (Donnell) Young, of York. Children: Cotton, Lucy, Bethulah, Maria, Abigail, Elizabeth, John, Joseph and Anne. (XII) Joseph, eighth child and third son of Elder John and Abigail (Young) Bradbury, born Oct. 23, 1740, died in Saco, Dec. 23, 1821. Joseph Bradbury, of Pepperellborough (now Saco), was first lieutenant in Captin Humphrey Pike's first (Pepperellborugh) company, Third York County Regiment, and his name is in the list of Mass. militia officers, commissioned March 27, 1776. He was also in Captain Thomas Rumney's company of the Third York County Regiment, and his name is on the of officers of Mass. militia chosen to command a battalion drafted from York county brigade, agreeable to order of court of August 9, 1777. This regiment was raised in Biddeford, Pepperellborough, Buxton, and Little Falls to re-enforce the Northern army. He was also captain of the first company of Colonel Cutts' (Third York County) regiment, and his name is on the list of officers of the Mass. militia. He was commissioned Dec. 14, 1779. He was a resident of Saco fifty-three years. He married Dorothy, daughter of Daniel Clark Esq. She was born in York in 1748, and died Juune 7, 1831, aged eighty-three years. Children: Jeremiah, Anna, Dorothy and Narcissa. (XIII) Jeremiah, eldest child of Capt. Joseph and Dorothy (Clark) Bradbury, born at Saco, Oct. 22, 1779, died in Calais, Nov., 1848. He read law in the office of Cyrus King Esq., of Saco, and subsequently in the office of Nicholas Emery, of Parsonsfield. He was admitted to the York county bar in 1805, and began practice in Saco. He moved to Biddeford in 1810, and two years later to South Berwick. In 1813 he was appointed collector of customs for the district of York, and in May, 1815, moved to York. In 1820 he was appointed by Governor King clerk of the judicial courts of York county, and then he resigned his collectorship and moved to Alfred. He was clerk twenty years, filling the position continuously until 1841, with the exception of one year. In 1841 he moved to Calais, where he continued the practice of law, a part of the time as partner of George Walker, Esq., until his death in Nov., 1848. He married Oct. 28, 1810, Mary Langdon, born in Saco, Dec. 5, 1789. Her father was Seth Storer, of Wells and Saco. Mrs. Bradbury's mother was Olive, dau. of Colonel Tristram Jordan, who died in Saco, Aug. 4, 1842, aged eighty-four years. Children: Bion, Lucius, Mary Landon, Ann Eliza, Emily, Frederick Storer (died young), Marcia and Frederick Storer. (XIV) Hon. Bion, eldest child of Jeremiah and Mary Langdon (Storer) Bradbury, born in Biddeford Dec. 6, 1811, died in Portland July 1, 1887. He prepared for college in South Berwick and Gorham academies, and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1830. The following year he was preceptor of Alfred Academy, and in 1832 entered upon the study of law in the office of Daniel Goodenow, of Alfred. Before the completion of his studies he went to Portland and finished them with Hon. William P. Preble, and was admitted to the York county bar in May, 1834. He began practice in Calais, and soon formed a partnership with Hon. Anson G. Chandler, which ..... [Trans. note: bad news, folks. The book leaves out the next two pages, or at least the photocopy does. the next stuff, below, is no doubt about another surname altogether]