William Bradford
William Bradford was born on March 19th, 1590. William passed away May 9th, 1657 at 67 years old. William Bradford was born in Austerfield, Yorkshire, England.
William Bradford was an English Puritan Separatist that was originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. He moved to Leiden in Holland so that he could escape from prosecution from King James I of England, and then he emigrated to the Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower in 1620.
William was one of the signatory of the Mayflower Compact and he would go on to serve as Governor of the Plymouth Colony intermittently for nearly 30 years from 1621 until 1657.
William served as a commissioner of the United Colonies of New England on multiple occasions and twice served as its president.
While living with two of his uncles at the age of 7, he became badly sick. He was unable to work on their farm, so instead he turned to reading and became familiar with the Bible and the classics of literature. This is seen by many as a key factor in his intellectual curiosity and his eventual attraction to the Separatist branch of Puritan theology.
William, age 12, was invited by a friend to hear the Rev. Richard Clyfton preach some 10 miles away in All Saints Church, Babworth in Nottinghamshire. He continued attending the man’s sermons, despite being forbidden by his uncles. During one such meeting, he met a bailiff and postmaster (named William Brewster), who lived four miles from Austerfield at Scrooby manor. William would borrow books from the man, and Brewster regaled him with tales of the efforts toward church reform that was taking place in England.
The Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England in September of 1620. He was one of 102 passengers in incredibly cramped conditions. In November of 1620, they spotted Cape Cod hook, after roughly a month of delays back in England and roughly two months at sea.
They finally arrived in Plymouth Bay in December that same year. They began building the colony’s first house on Christmas.
Bradford wound up becoming governor of Plymouth Colony because Governor Carver collapsed as he worked in the fields on a hot day. He died just a few days later. William was selected as the new governor.
Of Plymouth Plantation is William’s journal that covers the years 1630 until 1651 in Plymouth. This is regarded as the most authoritative account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the colony that they founded.
The journal describes the tale of the Pilgrims from 1608, when they settled in the Dutch Republic on the European mainland through the 1620 Mayflower voyage to the New World, lasting until 1647.
The book concludes with this list, written in 1651, of Mayflower passengers and what exactly happened to them.
Related Authors
Readers who follow William Bradford also follow these authors:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
- John Sandford, author of the Prey/Lucas Davenport Series.
- Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone Series.
William Bradford: F.A.Q
When was William Bradford Born?
William Bradford was born on March 19th, 1590.
When did William Bradford die?
William Bradford died on May 9th, 1657 at 67 years old.
Where was William Bradford Born?
William Bradford was born in Austerfield, Yorkshire, England.
What was the first book William Bradford wrote?
The first book written by William Bradford was Dialogues, published in 1622.
What was the most recent book William Bradford wrote?
His most recently released work was Of Plymouth Plantation on January 25th, 1630.
How many books has William Bradford written?
William Bradford has written 2 books. All of his books are Non-Fiction Books.