| BRADFORD FAMILY IN OHIO |
| The family reached White Woman creek in New Castle Township and ended a journey of over 300 miles. Their homestead was invariably covered with a dense forest, which John and the boys started to clear. They built a half-faced lean-to, to temporarily house the family. Additional clearing was needed to plant their first crops. Then a log cabin was built in which the entire family helped. Once the notched logs were put into place, the women would carry clay from the river to daub in between the logs. The door was a long buckskin, weighed with a log at the bottom. Beds were made of dried leaves, the children sleeping in the low loft under the rafters. During the winter, the blast of wind through the clay cracks caused the water to freeze only a few feet from the fire, which was constantly ablaze. There being very few white folks in the area, the children played with the Indian children. The troubles with the Indians ended in Ohio with the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. In 1811, General Harrison defeated the Indians at Tippecanoe (Indiana) and then the great Indian Chief, Tecumseh, was killed in 1813, ending hostility in the area. For food, John & Peter found numerous flocks of turkeys and lots of deer in the woods (there were also wolves, bears and in central Ohio, panthers). There were also a great number of gray & black squirrels. The Poll Tax of 1811 shows John and Peter (only adult men were listed) living in New Castle Township. A short time later, Peter continued his exploration of the area and even rented a cabin from William Speer in Union Township, Muskingum County. Peter returned to Virginia in early 1812, and on April 26th he married Nancy Ann Davis. Back in Virginia, Peter told all that would listen, about the wonderful country in Ohio, that he had explored. He told of his travels in Coshocton, but also of Muskingum County. In 1813 the families of Joseph Bradford and John Bradford, Jr., accompanied the family of Peter Bradford to Coshocton Co., Ohio. Also making the trip, were the Davis (both Peter and John had married a Davis girl) and the Wood families (Peter Wood would soon marry Hannah Bradford). When the families reached Coshocton County, the family of Joseph Bradford and the Wood family decided to settle in New Castle Township. But, the families of Peter Bradford, John Bradford, Jr. and the Davis families decided to travel to Muskingum County and settle. Also traveling to Muskingum County were Peter & John’s younger brothers, William and Gasper. The Bradfords settled on Section 8, while the Davis family settled on Section 7. A short time later, Peter moved to Section 7 (Peter picked up his claim for 160 acres of the NE section of Section 7 at the Zanesville office on May 28, 1916). John Jr. remained on Section 8, which he held as a veteran of the War of 1812 (enlisted in Captain Gilchrist’s Company). In about 1815, John Bradford, now 70 years of age, decided he was getting too old to farm. He was invited by John Jr., to bring his wife and younger children to his farm to live. John left the New Castle farm to Joseph Bradford and took his wife and the younger children, still at home, to Muskingum County. John Jr. had settled on Section 8, just west of Bloomfield in Highland Township. In the “1820 Census”, John and Hannah are listed as “John Jr.”, while their son is listed as “John Sr.” (the term “Jr.” and “Sr.” are used by a census taker to separate two families with the same name. The term does not necessarily designate the older person or senior member of the family). In the 1820 census, the taker made a mistake and listed John as “26-45” when he should have been listed as “45 plus”. Family of John & Hannah Bradford at the time of the 1820 census: John May 8, 1745 75 1820 Census (above), Male 26-45 (mistake) Hannah May 17, 1762 58 1820 Census (above), Female 45 plus 1. Joseph March 31, 1779 41 married & living in Coshocton Co., Ohio 2. Nancy March 27, 1781 39 married & living in Hardy Co., Virginia 3. George August 21, 1783 37 married & living in Hardy Co., Virginia 4. Peter January 27, 1786 34 married & living in Muskingum Co., Ohio 5. John Jr. November 2, 1788 32 married & in 1820 Census (above) 6. Elizabeth September 22, 1791 29 1820 Census (above), Female 26-45 7. William September 11, 1794 26 married & living in Guernsey Co., Ohio 8. Hannah January 1, 1797 23 married & living in Coshocton Co., Ohio 9. Gasper February 20, 1799 21 1820 Census (above) Male 16-26 10. James January 25, 1801 19 1820 Census (above) Male 16-26 11. Mary January 12, 1804 16 1820 Census (above), Female 16-26 All members of the Bradford family were accounted for in the 1820 census. In 1820-30, James and Nancy Bradford Tucker and their family, left Virginia and settled in Highland Township, Muskingum County; their older sons settled next door. George Bradford’s family was left as the only remaining Bradfords in Virginia. George’s wife, Mary, had died and George married Elizabeth Schell in 1815, and by the 1820 census, he now had 8 children, four by his first wife (George would eventually father 21 children, moving west to Indiana in 1843). In 1830, at the age of 85 years, John Bradford of Yorkshire, England (veteran of the Dunmore & Revolutionary Wars and father of 11 children) died in Highland Township. He was taken to the Bethel United Methodist Cemetery, where he was buried. His wife, Hannah, died in 1840-50. The Bethel United Methodist Church and Cemetery was first organized in 1816, in Highland Township. In 1978 the graves at the cemetery were recorded and it was noted that a renovation preserved most of the stones, but John & Hannah Bradford were not listed. Ione Supplee noted in 1985 that it is a known fact that John R. Bradford was buried next to his wife and his stone is missing. |
| BETHEL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH & CEMETERY 10015 Bethel Road Norwich, Ohio 43767 |
| For many years, the location of the graves of John & Hannah were unknown. A recent discovery of an August 28, 1904 “Marion Chronicle” (Marion, Indiana) newspaper, revealed a story about a Bradford Reunion. It stated, “a photograph of the grave of John Bradford, was taken by Henry Bradford at Bethel Cemetery, near Zanesville, Ohio, about two weeks ago and was one of a collection at the reunion.” Row 17 (in 1978 all graves at the Bethel Cemetery were recorded – Peter’s grave stone is only 10% readable in 2000 and Elizabeth’s is only 5%). Row 17 contains the graves of two of John’s sons: Peter (4th child) and John Jr. (5th child). Between these two men are several graves with no stones, therefore, it is a strong possibility that John & Hannah may be located between the families of their two sons. John & Hannah (Shrout) Bradford were married 52 years and had 11 children, 100 grandchildren and 508 great-grandchildren that are known at this time. What a legacy this poor English boy from Yorkshire and a German girl from Philadelphia would leave. |
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