Childhood of William Bradford
Governor Bradford was born on March 19, 1590, in Austerfield, England, near Sheffield. Soon after his birth his father died. His mother remarried and sent him to live with his grandfather. A short time later both his mother and his grandfather died. He then went to live with his paternal uncles Robert and Thomas.
By the time he was 12 he was already deeply interested in the scriptures and met another youth similarly preoccupied. He introduced William to the Puritans in the neighborhood. He joined the Separatists or Puritans, a group that had left the Church of England, the nation's church. They held prayer meetings in secret, in defiance of King James. He was later adopted by William Brewester.
In 1608 William left England, and fled to Holland looking for religious freedom. Later he sailed to America with a group of Separatists who
became known as the Pilgrims.
Childhood