Mary Bradford

Mary's date of birth of 1674 as usually given seems to be based on the ages of her two husbands. Her first marriage in 1698, however, hints that she may have been younger; tradition at the time for New England had first marriages at the age of 19-21, which would mean she was born around 1678 or so.

Both of Mary's marriages took place in New London County. Given that her family centered completely around Fairfield County CT, we're left with the problem of how Mary got to New London to marry in the first place. Single women did not travel without male accompaniment in that era. This argues that there was a brother who she went with to New London.

The only known brother whose fate is nebulous is Isaac Sherwood . He would certainly have been born in Fairfield County, but he could readily have traveled to New London and brought his sister with him. If that was the case, both would have married in New London.

Life summary

Mary Sherwood Bradford BIRTH 1674 Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA DEATH 16 Sep 1752 (aged 77–78) Montville, New London County, Connecticut, USA BURIAL Unknown MEMORIAL ID 86648764 · V

GEDCOM Note

Biography

Marriages

Daniel Fitch married Mary Sherwood of Fairfield, Connecticut, in Fairfield in March, 1698.<ref name=Baker>Baker: p. 381: Daniel died in 1711. "His wife survived him, and married Joseph Bradford."

The widowed Mary Sherwood Fitch married Joseph Bradford in Montville.

Children

Daniel and Mary had, all in Montville

• Adonijah
• James , b. 18 Oct, 1703, m. Ann Denison
• Lemuel, b. Jan 1704/5, m. Mary/Mercy Bigelow
• Mary, b. Sept. 1707, m. Rev. James Hillhouse
• Daniel, b. 20 Dec. 1709, m. Sarah Sherwood :: Joseph and Mary had only one child:<ref>Baker, p. 395</ref><ref>Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records", New London, p. 46, citing Vol. 1, p. 49 in original</ref>
• John, b May 20, 1717, m. Esther Sherwood.

Death

Mary's second husband, Joseph Bradford, died in 1747. She, having outlived two husbands, died on September 16, 1752, in Montville.

Sources

• Baker, Henry Augustus. History of Montville, Connecticut Formerly the North Parish of New London from 1640 to 1896 (Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., Hartford, Conn., 1896) * The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1884) Vol. 38, Page 344* Randall, Frank. Memoranda of All The Inscriptions in the Old Burying Ground at Colchester, Conn., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1888) Vol. 42, Page 80
• Roser, Mayflower Increasings, * Hall, Ruth Gardiner. Descendants of Governor William Bradford, Through The First Seven Generations (n.p., 1951) * Collins, Ancestors of Rejoyce Ballance Collins and Constance Dorothy Van Etten Collins, * Lainhart, Ann Smith, & Wakefield, Robert S. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations (General Society ofMayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA., 2004) Vol. 22: William Bradford, 5–7. * Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionaryof the First Settlers of New England (Boston, Little, Brown and Co., 1862) Vol. III, 532–535.* Oakes, Rensselaer Allston, Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York, (New York: 1905: Lewis Publishing), p. 911