BRADFORD.
BRADFORD.
His thorough understanding of Indian character,
and his promjit action, tact and bravery, saved
many lives and won for liini the love and i-espect
of his people. Had it not been for the Indians
the pilgrims would have starved, for new emi-
grants were arriving at intervals, bringing with
them no provision, and the alarming inroads
made on their scanty stores caused a severe
famine in the settlement. Governor Bradford
sent out expeditions to trade with the savages,
and in almost every instance the colonists were
treated with fairness. In 1629 a new and larger
patent of land was granted them in the name of
" William Bradford, his heirs, associates, and
assigns,"' confirming the laws they had drawn
up and giving them many privileges for which
they had not dared to hope. Little by little the
judicious management of the governor lessened
the extreme misery and want of the colonists.
The friendship of the Indians kept them many
times from starvation, and the furs and other
products for which they traded were readily
turned into money on being taken to England.
Though in his youth Governor Bradford had
been given scant opportunities for acquiring
knowledge, later in life he had studied the lan-
guages in order that he might, as he quaintly
expressed it, '" see with his own eyes the ancient
oracles of God in their native beauty." French
and Dutch, Latin, Greek and Hebrew were all
familiar to him, and he was also a student of
history, philosophy and theology. His pen was
as busy as his brain, and though but one of his
works was published during his life, many others
have been handed down as valuable, both from
a historical and literary point of view. The first
book was " A Diary of Occurrences," embracing
the time between the landing of the pilgrims at
Cape Cod, Nov. 9, 1620, and Dec. 18, 1621. He
was assisted in writing it by Edward Winslow
and it was printed in London in 1622. In his
wiU he mentioned some manuscripts of which he
said, " I commend vmto your wisdom some small
books written by my own hand, to be improved
as you shall see meet." These were published in
the collections of the Historical society of Massa-
chusetts, and include: '"Some observations of
God's merciful dealings with us in this Wilder-
ness" (1794); " A Word to Plymouth " (1869-70);
"Of Boston in New England," and "A Word
to New England" (1838), and " Epitaphium
Memn." In " Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers
of the Colony of Plymouth from 1602 to 1625,"
published by Alexander Yoimg, in 1841, are the
following writings from the hand of Bradford: a
part of the '" History of the Plymouth Planta-
tion," the " Diary of Occurrences," " A Dialogue,
or the S\im of a Conference between some young
men born in New England and svmdry ancient
men that came out of Holland and Old England,"
"A Memoir of Elder Brewster,"' and a fragment
of Bradford's letter book. His "" History of the
Plymouth Plantation " at one time existed in the
original manuscript in the New England library,
but was probably lost during the war with Eng-
land. For additional facts regarding Bradford's
life and \\T:itings see " The Life of WiUiam Brad-
ford," by Cotton Mather; "American Bio-
graphy," by Jeremy Belknap; "The Pilgrim
Fathers," by W. H. Bartlett; '• Historical Memoir
of the Colony of New Plymouth,"' by Francis
Baylies; "Chronicles of the Pilgrims," by
Young, and "History of Massachusetts," by
Hutchinson. Governor Bradford died at Ply-
mouth, Mass., May 9, 1657.
BRADFORD, William, printer, was born in Leicester, England, in 1658, and belonged to the company who, imder the leadership of William Penn, came to America in 1682. He set up the first printing-press in Philadelphia in 1685, and the same year published " Kalendariimi Penn- silvaniense " for 1686. In partnership with two others he built a paper mill on the Schuylkill river in 1690, and would doubtless have contin- ued in Philadelphia had it not been for his sharp thrusts at the New England churches. His " Ap- peal to the People " in 1691, and other tracts were held to be so flagi-antly libellous and seditious, that all his publications, his press, type, etc., were confiscated. He was tried before the courts; conducted his own case, and escaped by disagree- ment of the jury. Being invited to establish a printing-press in New York, he set up the first press in that province in 1693, and printed the laws of the colony. Aside from his ordinary printing business, he had the position of public printer, not only of New York but of New Jersey, and for thirty years he was the only printer in the colony, and held the oflice of public printer for more than fifty years. He retained an inter- est in the press he set up in Philadelphia vmtil 1713, when his son, Andrew Sowles, took charge of it, and became the public printer. Mr. Brad- ford's imusual vitality and vigor is indicated by the fact that when sixty-seven years old he started the New York Gazette. This was in October, 1725. The Gazette was the fom-th news- paper in the colonies. Three years later (1728) he built a paper miU in Elizabetlito%vn, N. J. He died in New York city. May 23, 1752, and was buried in Trinity churchyard.
BRADFORD, William, soldier, was born in New York, 1719. He was a grandson of William Bradford, the first printer of New York, and was a partner for a while with his uncle. Andrew Sowles, in Philadelphia. He went to England in 1741; secured printing material and a library, and on his return to Philadelphia began the publica-
