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!1 eir-oae. com-the1 and iA fra-2 a son86V-id re-Ty-t at found tessesPleasant Meeting of Familyat Matter Park.ity toas in time, that upon stion. is no t this comede at ;d thet.n?”thermineknowioctorharedledge.soever; thatidmits gress, ontest ibt he • him* *, thaty to i pos-me he ere in1 ofIEM.Staidurt-“Con-iy asr thatoming3 the madettitude : Ken-es not nerely : state nt ford theicky isIy he . littlereturn t will case— indicf-ondest therediningmnger:annotle old sspeci-Ken-•lamor t the ipaign L of itsix of and wayhallHis n islustthenot.EYE.7 wasinting-bs forPROMINENT IN HISTORY.Nomeroas In Southern Huntington and Northern Grant Counties—The Oficers.The Bradford family of Grant, Huntington and. other counties held ita third annual gathering at Matter park at Marion Saturday. There were members from various parts of the state, some of whom had been separated frdon the main body of the tribe so long that they had lost the line of connection, and were busy tracing it up at the reunion. Schuyler Colfax Bradford of Elkhart and Dr. W. M. Bradford of Cambridge, Ohio, were among these visitors, as was also Aaron Bradford of Hartford City.These meetings were first held in honor of Joha Bradford, a Yorkshire sea captain, who was one of the earliest known progenitors of the Bradford family. The ancestry of the Bradfords were active in the early history of this country. William Bradford was the second colonial governor of the first Puritan colony in America, succeeding the renowned Governor Carver. It was Governor William Bradford who negotiated that famous treaty o; peace with King Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, which was not broken for fifty years. He was a close associate of Captain Myles Standish and Elder Brewster, two leading historical characters of this country's primitive history. The name William ts a prevailing title, every generation having one member and perhaps two or three called William. The first book published in the early Virginia colonies was printed by a William Bradford, and there are other Williams all the way down the line whc have won distinction, and of which the present generation is proud to acknowledge relationship.The Bradford descendants so well known in Huntington county may be separated into two clans, comprising the direct descendants of Gaspar and George Bradford, who were the sonsof the sons of Captain John, the sea.rover of Revolutionary note. Gaspar moved to Grant county in 1853,settlingon a farm four miles north of Marion.*at a time when the country was practically a wilderness, Indians and wild game being plentiful. He bought land and cleared it, and raised a small family, three of whom are still living, one of them being Henry Bradford, who is now president of the family organization. Gaspar was born in 1799, and died in 18S6.George Bradford, a brother of Gaspar, and the progenitor of the almost innumerable line of Bradfords which made up the principal part of the population of Washington township, Grant county, at the present time* as well as a portion of Van Buren, came from Virginia in 1843. Three sons preceded his coming by three or four years, and built a cabin for the reception of the parents in th central part of what is now Washington township. The journey from Virginia was madein one four-horse wagon, one, two-horse wagon, the father and mother riding in an old-fashioned buggy, which resembled somewhat the primitive stage coach. The driving of a team in those days was done by a man or boy who rode on the back of the near horse. No better method was then known.THE DAY S DOINGS.There were about one hundred and fifty people present at the reunion, and there probably would have been more than twice as many more had the weather been suitable for the occasion, as the Bradford family, with its connections, make up a larger association than is usually found. At the noon hour a table seventy feet long was prepared in emergency hall on the park grounds, and loaded down with edibles. Women of the Bradford family are noted for their cake baking faculties, and there was cake galore. Ctkc that would melt in the mouth, and each bite set up a wild craving for more, making eating dangerous unless good judgment was used. A fullenumeration of everything good to eatat that spread cannot be mentioned here. Suffice to say that there were oceans of it. After dinner there was a literary program in the way of songs, readings, etc., which was interesting, and which was an exhibition of the talent which may be found in the family. Those on the program for the day were Rev. J. W. Bowen, Orpha Haines, Mary Mazingo, John Harfran, Lillie Landess, Edith Bradford, Florence Wolfe, the Misses Renbarger and Rev. J. H. Robinson. Many letters wereread from relatives at a distance expressing regret at not being able to be present. Following are the names of the officers of th© association: President, Henry Bradford; vice-president, O. C. Bradford; secretary, Cora Brad-ford Fisher; assistant secretary, Emmett Bish; treasurer, William Harlan.Asnieii to 1lt; willOf £berthetitleihe \ his Iat YfindsABariA1 curr of V at tpre^hornIsaaremday.SurandMrs of (cityLouLyntheaboiT1thedenitrip Mar com chu: that at t onew/ALoupio:Tol. wa| to t timexpingeffefirelen?giming bellt; ago que grai cus* to lt;Chilt; that out.Wlced iheFrateeors.ElkfortdepIndGratrocaffahonHis*circabilreclt;tioiKHetIVlivetheganspo:ingneewhcdueandDoastalwhcuseIVMai‘IPilluseibacformaiwetsle«myKid
Newspaper Details
Huntington Weekly Herald
Huntington, Indiana, US
Fri, Sep 13, 1907
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Deborah G.
NA, 23 Nov 2022
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