Spelling variations of this family name include: Bradford, Bradeford, Braidford, Bradforde and others.
First found in Yorkshire where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: William Bradford of Yorkshire who arrived at Plymouth in 1620, aboard the Mayflower and, on the death of John Carver in 1621, was chosen leader of the Pilgrims, 2nd Governor of the Plymouth colony. His wife wife Dorothy died at sea, en-route to the Colony. Other settlers include: Henery Bradford, who came to Virginia in 1625.
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