Miller-Bradford Pedigree and Brick Walls

Now and then I like to add a pedigree to the blog so we don't get lost in who we are talking about (sorry it's a little fuzzy):

This chart shows where the work is cut out for us:  

1. Finding the parents of  Rosannah Roddy
2. Finding the parents of Samuel Bradford (1727-1782)
3. Finding the parents of Samuel Bradford (1705-1767) and of his wife, Margret.

I hope you will join me in trying to break through these research "brick walls"!!

In addition, I have only shown William and Rebecca's son, Samuel (and his wife, Rachel Dawson) in this chart.  Now and then I write about Samuel and Rachel, but I would be happy to add posts about William and Rebecca's other children if any of you would like to email me stories and pictures about them!  The same goes for information about Samuel and Rachel Dawson's many children.  It would be wonderful for all of us to find out more about our "cousins."  Thank you!

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)

Summer 1778 At The Head Of The Elk

While we have some of information about William Miller, precious little is from those highly sought-after primary sources. One item that comes as near to that particular genealogist's nirvana is the record we have of his marriage to Rebecca Bradford on June 13, 1778, in Elkton, Maryland, by Reverend William Thompson. Because this record is copied from the original (thanks to the Jeremiah Baker Chapter of the DAR), it is not technically a primary source, but we won't quibble. [Note: Lori Butler actually visited the Cecil County Historical Society in Elkton this summer and copied the page above for us, so thanks to Lori, too].

So we can be quite certain in declaring that William and Rebecca were in Elkton in June of 1778. We hunger for more details. Where was their residence? How long had they lived in Cecil County? Precisely when did they leave for Fayette County, Pennsylvania? Where were their parents living? But those questions are for another time. Let's enjoy the knowledge that we can at least pinpoint this fascinating couple on one day in history.

So how did that history affect their lives? We can't know for sure, and yet a quick look at the surrounding events is instructive.

According to Elkton.org, "On a hot stormy day, August 27th in the year 1777, three hundred ships with over 15,000 British soldiers, commanded by General [William] Howe, landed on the shores of the Elk River [see map]. They marched to Elkton and made camp. There were more soldiers than citizens in the entire county. In anticipation of the enemy's arrival, people hid their horses, cattle, and valuables in the woods, so that the soldiers couldn't take them. On August 25th, prior to the landing of the British, General George Washington traveled through pouring rain to reach Delaware and then Cecil County. He came to observe their situation, knowing that the British were sailing up the Chesapeake Bay. Washington stayed at Head of Elk [later known as Elkton] in a hotel owned by Jacob Hollingsworth. On August 27th, General Howe slept in the same room and was waited on by the same servant who waited on Washington just two days prior. The British stayed in the County for a few days, planning strategy, stocking up on supplies, and waiting for the storm to pass. When they marched onward, it was to Brandywine and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. No battles took place on Cecil ground that August of 1777, but it was a time that Cecil Countians will never forget."

That December, 75 miles away, Washington and his troops suffered through the winter at Valley Forge. By June 19th of 1778, Washington, still in Pennsylvania, left to join the troops in New Jersey (where the Battle of Monmouth would play out on June 28th just 15 days after their marriage).

The war would rage on for five more years, and as far as we know, Mr. and Mrs. Miller would remain in Elkton during most of that time. Their first two sons would be born, and some time between 1782 and 1783, as the War was ending, they would move their family west to Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

In future posts, we will examine the legends about the first years of their married life in Cecil County, the stories of boat-building, William knowing Rebecca as a baby, and whether or not he owned a mill there in Elkton. As we combine our search efforts, hopefully the fabric of their life will someday be woven into a more complete piece. But for now, even these threads are fascinating.