Profile of the Day: William Bradford

William Bradford

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s a conversation starter for Thanksgiving dinner – share with your relatives how your family is related to William Bradford, governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts and organizer of the very first Thanksgiving.

A passenger of the Mayflower and signatory of the Mayflower Compact, Bradford was known as the leader of the early Plymouth Colony settlers. He served as governor of the colony for 30 years. His journal, Of Plymouth Plantation, is considered to be one of the most important documents of early American history. In his journal, Bradford provides a first hand account of the lives and struggles of the early Plymouth settlers.

Bradford’s journal also provides one of two written accounts of the very first Thanksgiving, which was held to celebrate the colony’s first successful harvest. The Plymouth colonists were not the only people to attend the feast. Guests also included the Wampanoag, who were key to the colonists’ survival during their first year in the New World.

Do you have Mayflower ancestors?

Explore William Bradford’s family tree on Geni to discover your connection this Thanksgiving!
 

View William Bradford’s Geni Profile

Image: Wikimedia Commons