Bradford (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

As of Oct 7, 2022:

  • Two Big Y-700 test results of patrilineal (Y-DNA) descendants of Gov. Bradford have posted. This confirms the Y-DNA Haplogroup falls under I-M253>DF29>Z63>BY151>BY351>BY3407>CTS2910>Y10994>Y21374>Y21381>Y21371>Y21370>Y21372>FGC72882

IMPORTANT: Read me First

Paper Trail

For more information see: Wakefield, Robert S. and Lainhart, Ann Smith, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 22 Bradford. Names in bold text have had a Y-DNA descendant Y-DNA tested.

English Ancestry

Information on the Bradford Ancestry in England can be found at: Browne, William Bradford, Ancestry of the Bradfords of Austerfield..., The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 83 (1929) pp. 439 ff.

First Generation

(Gov.) William Bradford[1] was baptized at Austerfield, Yorkshire, England on 19 Mar 1589/90, son of William Bradford (II) and Alice Hanson. His father, William (II), died 15 Jul 1591 and William (III) went to live with his paternal grandfather, William Bradford (I)[2] His Bradford grandparents died by 1600 and his mother died in 1597, so before he was aged ten, the future Governor was raised by an uncle, Robert Bradford.

Bradford married his first wife, Dorothy May at Amsterdam, Holland on 9 Dec 1613 (see Media:NL-LdnRAL_AR_1004_198_028.jpg.jpg, transcription of record also Media:Marriage record of William Bradford and Dorothy May.jpg). She had only one child, John (born about 1617) before her death at Plymouth Harbor in December 1620. This son (John) married Martha Bourne but they had no children. Thus, all of the descendants of Gov. Bradford are by his second wife.

Bradford married his second wife, widow Alice CARPENTER Southworth [1] at New Plimoth Colony, 14 Aug 1623. This was the fourth marriage to occur within this colony.[3] They had a daughter, Mercy (born before the 1627 Land Division) and two sons (who both carried on the Y-DNA of the Bradford family):

Second Generation

[2] (Maj.) William (IV) born 17 Jun 1624. He was was married three times, first abt 1650 Alice Richards; second to an unknown woman; and third aft 1677 to Mary (At)WOOD Holmes. By his first wife he had nine children: Maj. John (1652/3), William (V) (1655), Lt. Thomas (1657), Mercy (1660), Alice, Hannah, Melatiah, Lt. Samuel, Mary and Sarah. By his second wife he had a son, Joseph. By his third wife he had four sons: Israel, Ephraim, David & Hezekiah.

Joseph born 1630. He married Jael Hobart (daughter of Rev. Peter) at Hingham 25 May 1664. They had three sons: Joseph (1665, no further record), Elisha (c1669) & Peter (1676/7 d.y.).

Third Generation

Maj. John was born Plymouth 20 Feb 1652/3 and died Kingston 8 Dec 1736. He married Plymouth 6 Jan 1674 Mercy Warren and they had five children (Plymouth, now Kingston): John (1675 m Rebecca Bartlett), Alice (1677 m Edward Mitchell & Joshua Hersey), Abigail (1679-1697 unm.), Mercy (1681 m Jonathan Freeman & Isaac Cushman), Samuel (1683 m Sarah Gray), Priscilla (1686 m Seth Chipman) and William (1688 m Hannah Foster).

William (V) was born Plymouth 11 Mar 1654/5 and died there 5 Jul 1687. He married Plymouth 1679 [3]Rebecca Bartlett and they had three children (Plymouth, now Kingston): Alice (1680/1), William (1682 m Elizabeth Finney, daughter of Elizabeth Faunce) and Sarah (1684).

Thomas was born Plymouth 1 Mar 1657 and died Windham, CT 1 Oct 1731. He married twice, first Norwich 1681 Anne Raymond and second after 1705 Katherine _____ (no children). By his first wife Thomas had five children: Joshua (1682 m Mary Brooks), James (1689 m Faith Adams, Susanah Adams & Leah Ripley), Ann (c1691), Jerusha (1692) and William (1695 prob. d.y.).

Samuel was born abt 1668 and died Duxbury 11 Apr 1714. He married Duxbury 31 Jul 1689 Hannah Rogers[4] and they had seven children: Hannah (1689/90), Gershom (1691 m Priscilla Wiswall), Perez (1694 m Abigail Belcher), Elizabeth (1696), Jerusha (1699), Welthea (1702) and Gamaliel (1704 m Abigail Bartlett).

Lt. Joseph is said to have been born 18 Apr 1675[4] and died New London, CT 16 Jan 1747. He married twice, first Lebanon, CT 5 Oct 1698 Anne Fitch and second New London 25 Feb 1716 Mary SHERWOOD Fitch. By his first wife Joseph had ten children: Ann (1699), Joseph (1702 m Henrietta Swift), Priscilla (1702), Althea (1704-1704), Irene (1704-1704), Sarah (1706), Hannah (1709), Elizabeth (1712), Althea (1715) and Irene (1715). By his second wife Joseph had one more child: John (1717 m Esther Sherwood).

Israel was born 1677 and died Kingston 26 Mar 1760. He married Plymouth 27 Nov 1701 Sarah Bartlett and they had seven children: Ruth (1702), Bathsheba (1703), Benjamin (1705 m Zeriah Stetson & Mercy Chipman), Abner (1707 m Susannah Potter), Joshua (1710 m Hannah Bradford), Ichabod (1713 m Mary Johnson & Mary Samson) and Elisha (1718 m Mary Sturtevant).

Ephraim was born Plymouth abt 1685 and died Kingston bef 6 Oct 1746. He married 1710 Elizabeth Brewster (daughter of Wrestling Brewster and they had eleven children: Deborah (1712), Anna (1715), Elizabeth (1717), Ephraim (1718/9 likely unm.), Abigail (1719/20) Lusannah (1721), Elijah (1723), Ruth (1725), Ezekiel (1728 m Betty Chandler), Simeon (1729 m Phoebe Whiton) and Wait (c1730 m Wealthea Bassett).

David was born Plymouth 4 Apr 1690 and died Kingston 16 Mar 1730. He married Plymouth 23 Feb 1714 Elizabeth Finney (daughter of Elizabeth Faunce) and they had five children: Nathaniel (1715 m Sarah Spooner), Jonathan (1717), Lydia (1719), Lemuel (1721) and Nathan (1722 m Elizabeth Groce & Sarah Sturtevant).

Hezekiah was born Plymouth 1687 and died Kingston 10 Apr 1761. He married Plymouth 21 May 1714 Mary Chandler, daughter of Joseph Chandler and they had one child: Mary (1717).


Elisha was born Plymouth abt 1669 and died Kingston 16 Jun 1747. He married twice, first abt Jan 1702 Hannah Cole (no children) and second Plymouth 7 Sep 1719 Bathsheba Brock. By his second wife Elisha had fifteen children: Hannah (1720), Joseph (1721-1743 unm.), Sylvanus (1723-1725), Nehemiah (1724-p1744 likely unm.), Laurana (1726), Mary (1727), Elisha (1729 m Mary Sturtevant), Lois (1730/1), Deborah (1732), Alice (1734), Asenath (1736), Carpenter (1738 m Mary Gay & Mary Steele), Abigail (1741-1760), Chloe (1743-1747) and Content (dau 1745-1747).

DNA Results I-FGC72882

Previous Y-DNA testing[5]

Previous Y-STR testing through the Mayflower Society DNA Project and the Bradford surname DNA project Group 3[6] has indicated that the Bradford lineage belongs to the Y haplogroup I-M253, which is quite common in Northern Europe and Northwestern Europe. Plugging in the modal 111 STR values for the family into the Nevgen Haplogroup Predictor tool gives a prediction the family falls under: I-M253>DF29>Z63>BY151>BY351 with a 95.6% probability.

NGS/WGS testing

NGS/WGS testing of patrilineal (all male line) Bradford descendant(s) furthers refine the clade and can potentially differentiate between the branches of descendants. As of Oct 7, 2022 two Big Y-700 test result has been posted to the Mayflower DNA Project website. The haplogroup beyond BY351 to >BY3407>CTS2910>Y10994>Y21374>Y21371>Y21370>Y21372>FGC72882.

Availability of Y-DNA SNP testing

Family Tree DNA (www.familytreedna.com) currently does not offer individual Y-SNP testing and the only test they have to discover your Y-SNPs is the Big Y-700 test (regular price US $449, but they do have sales on this test from time to time). However, YSEQ does have FGC272882 for purchase (US $3.00 for the DNA sample kit and US $18.00 for the Y-SNP test).


  1. ↑ Pilgrim Hall Museum biography of William Bradford.
  2. ↑ William (I) was married twice. His first wife (mother of William (II) may possibly have been Alice Morton, great-aunt of George Morton.
  3. ↑ Pilgrim Hall
  4. ↑ Date from Hall, Ruth Gardiner. Descendants of Governor William Bradford (through the First Seven Generations). [S.l.: s.n.], 1951. p.4 The Bradford Silver Book stated no primary source has been found for this date, so it should be considered unconfirmed.
  5. ↑ Some versions of the 23andMe test incorrectly report male Bradford descendants under Y Haplogroup I-Z58, when the correct haplogroup would be I-Z63.
  6. ↑ At the bottom of this group are individuals who are NOT descended from Gov. William Bradford and fall under a different Haplogroup of I-M253.

References and External Links

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