With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it makes me think of my ancestor, William Bradford and the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock. As a kid, I lived near my paternal grandma. My family often visited for Sunday dinners, picnics, or family get-togethers. Grandma was a wealth of information when it came to family history and often had many stories to tell us about our ancestors, one of whom, was William Bradford, the famous Pilgrim who served 30 years as the second governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.
As I learned more about this ancestor, I realized that he did not have an easy life. As a child, he suffered much loss and was orphaned by the time he was seven. Though he struggled with his health as a teen, he studied the Bible and was inspired by the teachings of the Puritans. He attended religious reform meetings with a group called the “Separatists,” but was imprisoned along with others for his beliefs before he was 20 years old.
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