William Bradford

William Bradford, governor and historian of the Plymouth Colony, was born in Austerfield, England, in 1590 and died in Plymouth, New England, in 1657. In Of Plimouth Plantation, he wrote of leaving a goodly and pleasant city that had been their resting place for nearly 12 years, saying they knew they were pilgrims, looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits. He also wrote of their great hope and inward zeal to lay some good foundation, or at least make some way toward it, for propagating and advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world, even if they should be only stepping stones for others in so great a work.

Plymouth, Massachusetts · United States