Bradford's birth date is known only by his census records, which give a range of 1775 to 1790. His death date is not known, but was after the 1840 census.

There is no known record of Bradford's first marriage, around 1802. Census records show a son in 1805 and a daughter in 1807. The son has been identified as Warren Edwards, and has now been DNA confirmed.

Bradford married Jenny Bond on 23 Aug 1814 in Wilson County, TN. The bondsman was Thomas Bond. Jenny died shortly thereafter, and according to census records, there were no surviving children from that marriage. Bradford remarried on 3 Jun 1819 to Nancy Caraway. He and Nancy were residing in Statesville, Wilson County, TN in the 1820 census. He had served in the West Tennessee Militia in the War of 1812, and received a land grant of twenty acres on Hurricane Creek in Wilson County. He was still residing in Wilson County in the late 1820s, as he served as a bondsman for marriages. and in 1833 was present at the estate sale for John Edwards. He then appeared in the Carroll County, TN tax rolls in 1836. In the 1840 census in Carroll County, he and Nancy had 2 boys and 4 girls. That was the last known record for Bradford.

Following Bradford's death, Nancy and the children moved back to Wilson County. She bought 55 acres in District 20, was in the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Wilson County, and then the 1870 census in Saline County, IL with her son John. Court records give a death date of 1870.

Bradford and Nancy's children, according to censuses (spouses in parentheses)

were:

Warren 1805 (Polly Whitlock)

unidentified female 1807

unidentified female 1827

Sarah 1829 (James Edwards, James R Feeney)

Elizabeth 1830

Hiram 1832

Narcissa 1836

John 1838 (Margaret Caraway)

bio by Herry Edwards