William Bradley, of New Haven

William Bradley, lll, of Coventry in Warwickshire and his wife Johanna Bradley are not known to be the parents of William Bradley, of New Haven, or of Elizabeth Evarts, both of whom were colonists to New Haven in New England. The better evidence shows William Bradley, husband of Alice Bradley, as the son of Danyell Broadley de West Morton and Elsabeth Bradley.

Disputed origins

There are conflicting theories regarding the parents of William Bradley, husband of Alice Prichard. Some sources have him as the son of William Bradley III and Joanna Waddington. However, the Visitations of Warwickshire 1619 < Archive.Org > has the following:

Willm's Bradley 3 filius.
Spouse: Johanna fil ... Waddington de Com' Nott.

• Child: filius aetat. 3 dieru' 4 Septemb. 1619
• Child: 1. Anna
• Child: 2. Magdalena
• Child: 3. Elizabetha
• Child: 4. Letticia

PLEASE NOTE: NO SON WILLIAM IS LISTED (from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bradley-175)

Removed the baptism date of before September 04, 1619, Bingley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. That is the death date for Infant son Bradley (died young). Their parents are not known to have had a later son with the same name.

Origins

From “Danyell Broadley de West Morton, a Common Ancestor for Many American Bradleys.” by Stuart Bradley. < link >

Danyell Broadley de West Morton lived in Bingley, Yorkshire, England from 1588 to 1641 and was the father of our ancestor, William Bradley, who emigrated to New Haven, Connecticut in 1637. He was married three times and fathered children with each of his wives. His first wife, Elsabeth Atkinson, had eight children: Agnes, William, Daniell, Mathew, Michaell, Samuell, Abraham and Marie. William’s brother Daniell also emigrated to New England where he was a yeoman farmer and miller and had the misfortune of being killed by an Indian raiding party in 1689 when caught alone on the road outside Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Danyell’s second wife (a liaison - unmarried) was Annis Holdroide and their only child Esther died in infancy.

His third wife was Elizabeth Sheaffe and they had five children, Ellin, Joshua, Daniell, Nathan and Steuen. After the father’s death, William as the oldest son, made provision for the emigration of his stepmother and his half siblings to come and settle in Connecticut. Many American Bradleys are descendants of these half siblings.

Biography

Updated 7 May 2023

William Bradley joined Theophilus Eaton, William Davenport, and a dedicated group who sailed to Boston Harbor in 1638. They were supported by the Warwick Patent:

In June, 1638, the Company of Lords and Gentlemen all grantors of the Warwick Patent made John Winthrop, Jr., governor for them of the jurisdiction of Connecticut and sent him with a large amount of money and a great army of carpenters, masons, gardeners, and experienced engineers to found a settlement at the mouth of the Connecticut River with proper accommodations for themselves, but more especially to construct such houses as might be fit to receive gentlemen of quality presently come from England.

The construction of the settlement took three years. In 1641, Eaton, Davenport, Rev. Peter Prudden, the young William Bradley, and others finally reached New Haven. Bradley took the oath of fidelity on August 5, 1644.

Some interesting reading on the Warwick Patent and the history of the settlement of the mouth of the Connecticut River is available at the Old Saybrook Web site.

Note: This genealogy originally included Isaac Bradley as a son between Joseph and Martha. However, the author has removed that entry until its correctness can be established.

Alice Prichard of New Haven, Connecticut was born about 1624, and died in 1692. They were married in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, February 18, 1645. She took the name Alice Bradley. She is the daughter of Roger and Frances (_____) Prichard.

They had eight children:

• i. Joseph Bradley was baptized in New Haven Colony on January 4, 1645, and died in 1705. He married Silence Brockett on 25 Oct 1667.
• ii. Martha Bradley was born in New Haven Colony in October, 1648, and died in 1692-3. She married Samuel Munson on 26 Oct 1665; her second marriage was to Eliasaph Preston; her third marriage was to Daniel Sherman, widower of Abiah Street. Very much more information on the Munson family is available in The Munson Record; A Genealogical and Biographical Account of Captain Thomas Munson and His Descendants, by Myron A. Munson, M.A., 1895
• iii. Abraham Bradley was born in New Haven Colony on October 24, 1650, and died on October 19, 1718. He married Hannah Thompson on 25 Dec 1673.
• iv. Mary Bradley was born in New Haven Colony on April 30, 1653, and died on September 26, 1724. She married Samuel Todd, son of Christopher and Grace (Middlebrook) Todd [#1332/3], on November 26, 1668. Among their children was Abigail who married John Gilbert. (Read about the early New Haven Gilbert family which is separate and distinct from the main Gilbert line of this genealogy.)
• v. Benjamin Bradley was born in New Haven Colony on April 8, 1657, and died in 1728. He married Elizabeth Thompson on October 29, 1677. She was the daughter of John and Ellen (Harrison) Thompson, born June 3, 1657, in New Haven and died on November 3, 1718, in New Haven. He married a total of three times. His second wife was Mary Sackett, daughter of John and Agnes (Tinkham) Sackett, another line in this genealogy.
• vi. Hester Bradley was born in New Haven Colony on September 29, 1659. She died young.
• vii. Nathanial Bradley [#658]: He was born in New Haven Colony on February 26, 1660/1, and died on August 17, 1743.
• viii. Sarah Bradley was born in New Haven, Connecticut Colony, on June 21, 1665. She married Samuel Brockett on 23 (or 21) May 1682.

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From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Broadley-86

<!-- Removed Bradley-175 and Waddington-1-->

Origins of William Bradley

Many of the early Bradley genealogies[1] mention early Bradleys in assorted places, in England, starting as early as 1183. None of these early persons has any known association with the Bradleys who emigrated to America.

Two main theories have evolved. Keep in mind that we know from probate records that William Bradley, his step-mother, Elizabeth, and half-siblings, Ellen, Joshua, Daniel, Nathan, and Stephen all went to the New Haven Colony. The Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut..." volumes, edited by William Cutter, contain both theories.[2]

• Page 1150 v2, gives the "fancy" version, which is a pedigree built on the the 1619 Visitations of Warwickshire. The Cutter authors specifically state that the line has not been proved. They make suitable arguments in favor of this and then make the leap from a listing of a male child of William Bradley and Joanna Waddington born Sept. 1619, to stating that he is William of New Haven.
  • I. William Bradley of Sheriff Hutton
  • II. William son of William, who was of Coventry England and married Agnes Margate
  • III. William son of William and Agnes Bradley, who married Joanna Waddington who allegedly had:
  • IV. William who died in New Haven in 1691
• Pages 78 v1, 80/1 v1, and 1061 v2 contain the other theory. It has a much earlier version in print from an 1879 genealogy: "According to tradition, which is confirmed by careful research, the first Bradleys of the United States were descended from a family in the market town of Bingley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. ... The were all Cromwell men and staunch dissenters. ... Bingley, ... is on the River Aire, about twelve miles northeast of Leeds. Bradley, ... was about six or seven miles north of Bingley."[3] This theory has been repeated multiple times, since 1879 generally with no specifics. Although the History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire stated:
  • "Benjamin Bradley, an apothecary of London, England, came originally from Leicestershire in 1600; lived in the market town of Bingley in the West Riding of Yorkshre, England; d. about 1638; m. twice. His eldest son, William, emigrated to America ... Benjamin's children by his second wife were: i. Ellen, ii. Daniel b. 1615. iii. Joseph. iv. Nathaniel. v. Stephen." ii. Daniel is then given the life of Daniel Bradley of Haverhill, Massachusetts.[4] NOTE: There is no Benjamin mentioned in the Parish Registers at Bingley.

The parish register for the parish of Bingley was published in 1901.[5] Listed there are the following:

• 24 June 1632. Ellin, the daughter of Daniell Broadley de West Morton.[5]
• 1 May 1634. Joshua, the sonne of Daniell Boadley de West Morto’ .[5]
• 8 May 1636 Daniell, the sonne of Daniell Broadley de West Morto’.[5]
• 18 Nov 1638, Nathan, the sonne of Daniell Broadley de Wil’.[5]
• 21 Aug 1642, Steuen, the sonne of Daniell Broadley De West mort’.[5]

These are the exact names of the five children the widow Elizabeth Bradley brought with her to New Haven. The mother's name is unlisted and there is no located record of her marriage to Daniel. It is clear from these records that Daniel married first Elizabeth Atkinson and they had children baptized in Bingley, Agnes 1607, Daniel 1613, Matthew 1615/6, Michael 1619, Abraham 1622, Marie 1624, at which the long gap between children would indicate that Elizabeth Atkinson had died. No Williams were baptized in Bingley.

William Broadley, son of Daniel Brodeley of Shipley, was baptized on 27 Jan 1610/11 in nearby Shipley (Bradford) St Peter's Cathedral, Yorkshire, England.[6][7]

Note: The baptism in 1619 took place in Warwickshire, for an unnamed child of William of Coventry. The 1621 baptism date is for a William son of John.

Cromwell's Army?

It is frequently repeated that William was a friend of Oliver Cromwell, and was a Major in his army.[8][9] From the History of Bingley: "“Broadley. One of the oldest Nonconformist families of Bingley bore this name, and their descent may be traced in the Parish Registers. It was occasionally spelt Bradley, and one of them Major William Bradley, of Cromwell’s army, is traditionally said to have emigrated to New Haven, Conn. about 1643."[10] How true could this be? The English Civil War began August 1642. The first record of William in Connecticut is 1644. So maybe, but this just seems doubtful. Had he been a major in Cromwell's army, certainly he would have held some office in the New Haven trainband.

Immigration

Some of the same sources[8] above state that William came to New Haven with Theophilus Eaton in 1638. He later had enough status that had he come that early, he would have signed the fundamental agreement in 1639 or the following couple of years. His earliest record is his taking the Oath of Fidelity to New Haven in August 1644.[11] This was followed shortly by his marriage to Alice Prichard in Springfield, which would indicate that he may have spent some time in Springfield.

Sources

• 'Families of Ancient New Haven, vol. II, p 261'
• 'A Compilation Some of the Descendants of Roger Prichard c1600-1671, 1953'
• 'The Muson Record; A Genealogical & Biographical Account of Capt. Thomas Muson & His Descendants, 1895'
• 'Genesis of the White Family, p 207-208'
• Families of Ancient New Haven by Donald Lines Jacobus, pg. 261, 324, 1492
• https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr04/rr04_005.html#P27092 cites
  • 64. Susan Woodruff Abbott, Families of Early Milford, Connecticut, Genealogical Publ. Co., Baltimore, 1979.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22944714/william-bradley
• Hoadley, Charles J, MA. (editor) Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, From 1638 to 1649. Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1857.
• Hoadley, Charles J, MA. (editor)Records of the Colony or Jurisdiction of New Haven, From May 1653 to the Union. Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1858.
• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch (editor) Ancient Town Records Vol 1. New Haven Town Records 1649-1662. New Haven: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1917.
• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch (editor) [[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89067364133;view=1up;seq=7 Ancient Town Records Vol II. New Haven Town Records 1662-1684]. NewHaven: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1919. Index beginning at page 445.
• Descendantsof Danyell Broadley de West Morton
• http://www.bradleyfoundation.org/genealogies/Bingley/index.htm
• http://www.bradleyfoundation.org/genealogies/Bingley/tobg01.htm#11183C
• http://www.bradleyfoundation.org/genealogies/Bingley/tobg02.htm#11183
• https://bradleyhistory.com/2017/03/13/danyell-broadley-de-west-mort...
• Smith, Hon. Ralph. The Bradleys of New Haven and Guilford, Conn., Space:NEHGR|The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1903) Vol. 57, Page 134
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Broadley-86