Abner Bradford - Any Relation??

Plymouth Colony

In researching our Bradford ancestors in Delaware, I have often come across an Abner Bradford for whom there is quite a bit of online information. He is, apparently, a direct descendant of the famous Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony fame. However, I can find no tie-in to Abner via any of our Bradford relations ...yet!

Of course we know that the father and maternal grandfather of our Rebecca Bradford were both named Samuel Bradford. Her father has been ruled out as being related to Governor Bradford, this Samuel (and his brother James) being Scots-Irish, having come from Northern Ireland in the 1700's.

Of Rebecca's maternal grandfather, whom we affectionately refer to as Red Lion Sam in this blog, we know nothing of his origins. We only know that he was born around 1690 (place unknown), married "Margret" around 1710, and we learn from his will that he died on April 20, 1767, in Red Lyon/Lion, New Castle County, Delaware. The only children mentioned in the will were William, Sara (Rebecca's future mother), and Martha.  From land records, we know that Samuel owned a piece of land called “Dragon Swamp” located in Red Lion Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware.  And that is it.

We know nothing of this Samuel's parents or where he came from. However, if we ever do find a connection with the famous Governor Bradford of the Plymouth Colony, it would have to be through this Samuel Bradford.

Can we glean any clues about Samuel's life by studying the history of Abner Bradford?

Here is an interesting description of  young Abner, a Revolutionary War patriot, who enlisted soon after the Declaration of Independence:

Taken From A Delaware Military War Record

In addition to the above information, I have learned the following from other researchers:

• Abner Bradford was born 1758 in Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. Brandywine Hundred is right next door to Christiana Hundred where he enlisted (see above), and both are only about 10 miles north of Red Lion Hundred, where our Samuel lived.
• Abner died March 2, 2841, in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
• His first wife was Rachel Baldwin.  She died and he had a second wife named Elizabeth (surname unknown to me).  He and Elizabeth lived for awhile in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
• He is thought to be the son of Abner Bradford (b. 1707 Kingston, Massachusetts) and Sarah Porter.
• That would make him grandson of Israel Bradford and Sarah Bartlett) whose father was Deputy Governor William Bradford, son of the famous Governor William Bradford.

While I have been unable to find a link to Abner, there are some interesting coincidences, the first being proximity.  Many of our Bradford's and Miller's lived in this region of Delaware, including our Abraham Miller (Rebecca's father-in-law) who owned property in Christiana Hundred (he is noted on a 1777 tax list of Christiana Hundred as having owned 13 acres there).

Secondly, descendants of Abner Bradford wound up in Adams County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania, just like many of our Bradford's did.

Still, I have found no direction connection between Abner Bradford and our Bradford's.

Additionally, because researching Bradford's is never straightforward or without confusion, a Rootsweb entry lists an Abner Bradford as being born in 1758 (a match), married to Rachel Baldwin (another match), having parents named Abner Bradford and Susannah Porter (close, but not quite a match), and that he was born in 1758 in Kingston, Plymouth County, Massachusetts (not even close to the Brandywine Hundred, Delaware as noted above)!

Brandywine Valley, Delaware

So as always, the mystery continues! Are we, as descendants of Rebecca Bradford Miller, or are we not, related to the famous Governor?? Only time and lots more research will tell.

NOTE:  If any descendants of Abner Bradford can throw any light on this question, we would love to hear from you!

Also, if any of you men can trace your surname line directly back to Red Lion Sam, a Bradford DNA test would be invaluable in solving this mystery (please see immediately preceding post).

A Correction and a Research Clue

William and Rebecca Miller left Cecil County, Maryland and moved to Fayette County, Pennsylvania around 1782 as mentioned in yesterday's  post. That post, however, contains an error. I said:

"On August 21, 1771, a Lawrence Harrison sold 293 acres to a William Miller (our William?), though the deed was not recorded till 1788 (the land was originally owned by Lawrence's father, a man named Battle Harrison, and it appears that this might have been a land grant)." 

However, Battle Harrison is Lawrence's father and it does not appear to have been a land grant. I just found the correct information online - see below (italics added). However, this contains a great new research clue:

"Lawrence Harrison, Sr., father of Benjamin, settled near- Stewart's Crossing, now Connellsville, Fayette County, Penn., prior to Mar. 30, 1768. Lawrence owned land adjoining Col. William Crawford who settled there on the west bank of the Youghiogheny River about 1767. (Veech, pp. 90-93, 118-19)

Crawford made surveys in the vicinity of Stewart's Crossing for Benjamin, William., Battle and Lawrence, Jr., sons of Lawrence Harrison. (Veech, P. 119)

This area in Pennsylvania where the Harrisons lived was claimed for awhile by Virginia. Therefore, records of Benjamin Harrison are found in Westmoreland County, Penn., as well as in Yohogania County, Va. until boundary disputes were finally settled in September 1780."(source: http://www.frontierfolk.net/ramsha_research/benharrison.html)

I have in the past concentrated my research on Fayette County, PA, records, but indeed, it looks like a search of Westmoreland and Yohogania counties is in order.

The Youghigeny River Near Connelsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Rebecca's Uncle James Bradford

County Down, Ireland

As we search for where Rebecca Bradford's father, Samuel Bradford, was from, a look at the records of extended family is proving helpful. In particular, information about Samuel's brother, James Bradford, sheds light on the origin of this family. Below are references to James [in bold], the first being an article about James' son (Rebecca's cousin), the infamous David Bradford of Whiskey Rebellion fame:

"David Bradford, son of James, of David, of Samuel, an emigrant who settled on the headwaters of the Elk, Cecil County, Maryland (this descent to David is not positive, but reported only), m. Elizabeth Porter. His [David's] father, James Bradford, removed to Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1773, with his wife, Ann Hamilton, where were b. James, David, Mary m. James Allison, and another daughter who married John McDowell. David Bradford d. in Louisiana. His wife Elizabeth d. September 9, 1831." (from William Egle's Notes and Queries of Pennsylvania, 1700s to 1800s, published 1894-1896).

Information about James' daughter [and Rebecca's cousin], Mary Bradford Allison (see above), appears in the following website, and seems to throw a slightly different light on the immigration issue. At:

http://www.saskatelwebsite.net/deham/allisonfamily.htm we read: "Mary Bradford, born about 1748 in Ireland, daughter of James Bradford and a sister to David Bradford, who is well known in connection with the Whiskey Insurrection of 1791. Mary immigrated with her family from Ireland to Cecil Co, Maryland, later moving to Washington Co, Pennsylvania. She is buried in Chartiers Hill Presbyterian cemetery near Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania." Other records indicate that another Bradford's in-law was from County Down in Northern Ireland. These groups bound by marriage tended to travel together, or at least meet up in the new country, another point in favor of the Bradfords being of Scots-Irish origin.

In analyzing the two references above, the second one about Mary Bradford suggests that her father, James, immigrated from Ireland as a married adult with his wife and children (including Mary). Did his brother, Samuel [Rebecca's father] come over at the same time? It is unknown. However, another record indicates that James lived in Elizabethtown, New Jersey for awhile, where his daughter, Agnes, married James McDowell (a young man who had also immigrated from Northern Ireland). Again, it is unknown if brother Samuel ever lived in New Jersey.

The first reference above, however, indicates that it was James' and Samuel's father, grandfather or great grandfather who was the immigrant ancestor [as a side note, admittedly, "the descent to David is not positive, but reported only"...more research is obviously needed here!]. Perhaps this does not conflict with the other information about James coming over as a married adult, in that several generations could have immigrated to America at the same time.

As ever, we are left with more questions than answers, but I am certain that Rebecca's father, Samuel Bradford, was of Scots-Irish origin, he or his ancestors having immigrated from beautiful Northern Ireland.

(picture above of County Down from: freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com)

William Miller--A Builder of Boats?

One of the burning questions for all William Miller researchers is whether or not he was truly involved in the business of building boats and ships. Family legends hold fast the notion that he built sloop ships on Chesapeake Bay for General George Washington during the Revolution, and that even after moving west to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, the family carried on the business of boat-building.

Once source of this legend is this page out of a Fayette County history book which talks about "the Millers" helping to build the flat bottom boats along the Yough [Youghiogheny] River which were used to transport pig iron up to Pittsburgh.

While this is likely our William, there is no proof. But circumstantial evidence certainly points that way. Land records show that a William Miller bought property right along this river--something a boat-builder would certainly do.

It is up to future researchers to find more certain proof, but for now, we cling to the thought of an ancestor involved in such a unique profession.