Ships and Sea! Bradford Shipbuilders and Sailors

Ships and Sea! Bradford Shipbuilders and Sailors)

Bradford history is linked to one of the most famous ships in American history, the "Mayflower" and for many of the generations that followed Gov. William Bradford; their lives remained connected to the sea. Benjamin "the Loyalist" Bradford, great-great-grandson of Gov. William Bradford, certainly continue that connect to the sea. Born in Plymouth Co., Massachusetts and later raise along the coast of Maine. He can easily be known as one of the first "captains of sea". Thankfully, we know him as Benjamin "the Loyalist" as there would be a number of "Capt. Benjamin Bradford" during the mid-1800s to make a researcher's task a confusing one.

Benjamin "the Loyalist" operated a ferry from Oak Point (Todd's Point/Ganong Natural Park) to the St. Andrews Peninsula, likely during the 1820s and 1830s. This ferry help create a vital route between the towns of St. Andrews and St. Stephen. (Read More)

By the mid-1800s, two of Benjamin grandsons, Joshua Bradford II (b. 04 October 1820 - d. 01 December 1903) & Benjamin F. Bradford (b. 04 April 1823 - d. December 1876), were engaged in shipbuilding near the town of St. Andrews. In 1856, they built the 324-ton, 3-masted barque, "Lady Daly". The follow year, from their shipyard at Chamcook, they built the 705-ton, 159-foot vessel called "Lammergeir". It too was a 3-masted barque. It was later sold to Thomas Burton Wilson. The ship was sold a number of times thereafter; sold at Liverpool in October of 1857 and at Belfast in November 1861. The ship was such majestic vessel that it caught the eye of artist Joseph Semple, who painted the ship in full sail as it sailed near Belfast in 1871.

"The barque Lammergeir approaching Belfast Lough"
Artist Name: Semple, Joseph
Date of Artwork: 1871
Medium: Oil on canvas | Dimensions: 50.0 x 77.5 cm
Credit: Jones-Sands Publishing: "Marine Art & Ulster", 2005, p46

In August 1858, the Bradford brothers built another vessel, the "Georgianna". This 2-masted Schooner was smaller then their previous ships being 96-tons. This ship was built for Thomas Burton Wilson, however, that same year, Wilson sold it back to Benjamin Bradford, and co-owners Jeremiah Craig & Henry Cookson. It should be noted that Benjamin married a member of the Cookson family, Mary Helen Cookson, in 1846. This was perhaps a niece of Henry Cookson as it appears her parents were William Cookson and Ann Doten.

By August of 1859. Benjamin was back at the helm of the Georgiana, sailing her into New York City. A marine intelligence report makes the following statement: Tuesday, 2 August 1859: "Schr. Georgiana. (Br.) Bradford, St. Stephen, N.B., 11 ds., with lat h to J. Boardman & Co." with another report stating "Schr. Georgiana, Sweet. Boston 3 ds., mdse. To master." At the end of the month, another marine intelligence report makes the following entry: Saturday, 28 August 1859 - "Arrived: Schr. Georgiana. (Br.) Bradford, St. Andrews, N.B., 9 ds., with lath to H. A. Dewolfe."

A year later in January 1860, some disturbing news is reported in the Saint John Morning News, for 30 January 1860: "Capt. Benjamin Bradford, of schooner "Georgiana" belonging to St. Andrews, N.B., a quiet steady inoffensive man, has been missing in New York since Monday morn. It is supposed that he was murdered for his money".

So this is where things become interesting; was this simply misinformation or was a certain "Capt. Ben Bradford" murdered? Benjamin's uncle, Benjamin Bradford (b. Abt. 1779 - d.16 August 1858) died in 1858 and research indicates that he died at Bayside. Not to mention that we would have been near the age of 79 year, and in all likelihood, too old to captain a ship. In addition, to add further confusion, there was a "Capt. Benjamin Bradford" (b. 04 August 1780 - d. 17 April 1857) who is buried in Woodstock, Windham Co., Connecticut with his wife Sally Healy (b. 1787 - d. 1822). But we can scratch this "Capt. Ben" because his date of death was prior to the 1860 news report and he had no connection to the sailing ship Georgiana or the Bradfords of New Brunswick other than being a distant, distance cousin. Perhaps this confusion was nothing more than error in reporting...

Regardless, by the 1870s, we find Capt. Ben Bradford sailing again, this time at the helm of the schooner "W.T. King". The "W.T. King" must have been an older ship since records indicate it was in service in 1834 as an Immigrant ship running from Halifax to Philadelphia.

On January 4, 1877, the following is reported in the St. Croix Courier newspaper: "A telegram was received here on Thursday last by Messrs. G.D. King & Sons announcing the abandonment at sea of the "W.T. King" on her passage for the West Indies to New York. It also announced the death of Chief Officer Capt. Bradford which occurred before the abandonment took place, having died of sickness and exposure. The captain leaves a wife and several children". Obviously, this Capt. Ben was from the Charlotte County area since the report was published in the county newspaper.

Capt. Benjamin Bradford died in December 1876, presumably at sea, somewhere of the coast of Boston. Research continues on the Capt. Benjamin Bradford and his time at sea.

Sources:
Charlotte County Archives, St. Andrews, Charlotte Co., New Brunswick
Port Registers (compiled by Charles Valpy); Journals of the House of Assembly of New Brunswick (compiled by L. Norton Wyse)
"Vessels Built in St. Andrews & St. Stephen" - Robert B. Applebee (manuscript, 1938, NB Museum)
New York Times
www.AtlanticTallShips.ca - Art Gallery of Nova Scotia