William Bradford

Gathered during Plymouth Colony's crucial first decade, Bradford's Letter Book served as a sourcebook for the Governor's well-known history, "Of Plymouth Plantation." This intriguing set of letters and documents offers us valuable first-hand acquaintance with the leadership of New England's first plantation. From this collection, we can better appreciate the complex reality that lies behind our idealized image of "the Pilgrim Fathers." Here we can see the conflicting motives and internal struggles, the misunderstandings and misrepresentations, and the practical considerations which combined to shape the lives of the early Plymouth colonists.

The letters of Governor William Bradford, who led the Plymouth Colony intermittently between 1621 and 1657, contain many insights into his life and achievements. Notable as one of the original organizers and passengers who set sail for North America on the Mayflower, Bradford was among the best educated and experienced of the settlers. Literate and an avid reader of Christian texts, it was a meeting with fellow settler William Brewster that set his life on a new course - together they aspired to found a new colony across the ocean, free from the persecutions of Puritans which had become common under the rule of the King of England, James I. This collection of letters begins after the settlers successfully founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It consists both of correspondence received by Bradford during his tenures as leader of the new community, and his replies. It is evident that the success of the colonists amid dire and basic conditions surprised onlookers; Bradford answers in order to inform enquirers about the steady progress of the colony. Various plantations were established over years, with constructions gradually taking place as conditions such as transit and food supply improved. Taken as a whole, Bradford's letters are an illuminating account of the management and growth of the fledgling Plymouth Colony.