William Bradford (printer, born 1663)

William Bradford was born on May 20, 1663, to William and Ann Bradford in the village of Barwell in Leicestershire, England. Bradford apprenticed outside the family to learn a trade, as was customary at the time. His trainer was Andrew Sowel (some sources spell Sowle or Sorole), the foremost Quaker printer in London, who printed in the Crooked Billet in Holloway Lane at Shoreditch. Bradford started working for Sowel around 1680 and, by December 3, 1684, he had mastered the trade and was freed from his apprenticeship. Bradford married Sowel's eldest daughter, Elizabeth, on April 28, 1685. Sowel arranged for the two to join William Penn in his new colony in North America with a letter of recommendation from George Fox, founder of the Quakers, to become the colonial printer. ==Career==

William and Elizabeth Bradford arrived in America sometime in November 1685 and settled at a location near where Philadelphia was eventually laid out. Bradford then established Pennsylvania's first printing press, likely in the Chester or Burlington area. His first publication was an almanac, Kalendarium Pennsilvaniense compiled by Samuel Atkins, Student in the Mathamaticks and Astrology. Bradford advertised it as available to purchase near Philadelphia in on December 28, 1685. After an incident with his printing press, Bradford was told not to print anything unless it was approved by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly council. In 1688, he printed Temple of Wisdom, the first full-sized book released in the Middle Colonies. Bradford was living in Philadelphia by 1689 and had established a bookstore. He published a booklet in 1689 composed by Quaker missionary George Keith titled The Presbyterian and Independent Visible Churches in New England. He had sent his wife and two infant sons to England and was making preparations to follow, to become the replacement printer for Sowel who had died, with plans to take over his business there. It wasn't until he had moved to New York later did he have enough business to contract with the managing partners of the paper mill to get preferential terms on products. The mill was the only paper manufacturer in the Thirteen Colonies until 1710. One of note was the first book in New York City, "New-England Persecution Transmitted to Pennsylvania" authored by Keith and with some words in Hebrew type. Bradford was the governor's only printer in the province of New York for three decades until 1723. He began publishing their first newspaper, the New-York Gazette in 1725, which was published weekly. == Later life and death ==

Bradford remained as publisher of the New-York Gazette, printing it until he retired. In 1727, he took James Parker as an apprentice for an eight-year term. In 1731, Bradford's first wife died and afterwards he married a widow named Smith. In 1734, his former apprentice, John Peter Zenger, was brought to court for libel, but Bradford remained out of the case. Bradford is interred in the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery on Wall Street in Manhattan where his tombstone still stands reading: ==Bradford family printing legacy==

Bradford's wife Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, Andrew in 1686, who, along with his wife Cornelia Smith Bradford, were early American printers. Andrew published the first newspaper in colonial Philadelphia. William Jr, the brother of Andrew, was a printer and seaman. Bradford's grandson, William Bradford became a well-known printer during the American Revolution for the Continental Congress. The Bradford Family Papers (1620–1906) are deposited at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Bradford established printing and publishing businesses that operated for 140 years from 1685 until 1825. He trained several apprentices that including John Peter Zenger, James Parker, Henry DeForest, and his son Andrew Bradford. == See also ==