William Bradford.......... My Ancestor

Tika has given me permission to tell you all about my most famous ancestor, so here goes. I remember so well when I discovered (back in about 1977) that my maternal lineage went straight back to William Bradford of Mayflower and Plymouth Colony fame. Boy did that deeply set the hook of genealogy and escalate my interest in American history. William Bradford was born in 1589 and in this house in Austerfield, England. I won't go into his entire biography; you can Google and learn more than you want to know. With the Separatists he went to Leyden, Holland and there married Dorothy May. They had a son, John, who stayed behind when the Mayflower sailed west. Dorothy endured the voyage but drowned in Plymouth Harbor (some say suicide; I would think depression). In 1623 William married Alice Carpenter; my line descends from their son, William (1624-1703) through his daughter Melatiah. Isn't that just the prettiest name you've ever heard? So begins Thanksgiving week for Tika and me.