Peter Bradley

Biography

Peter Bradley made his living along Long Island Sound, the waterway between Connecticut and Long Island in present-day New York. He appears in New London on Connecticut’s coast in 1654 as a mariner, working a vessel between ports on the Sound. His home lot had previously belonged to John Gallup and lay east of Town Street, sloping toward the marsh below. House, shore and livelihood were therefore closely connected in the small settlement.

Peter married Elizabeth Brewster. Their recorded children were Elizabeth, Hannah, Peter and Lucretia, the youngest born in August 1661. The family’s home stood near the northern end of the lot, reached by a lane from Town Street.

He died at Flushing on Long Island, now part of Queens in New York City, in 1662. An inventory there included his boat and sea clothing; his New London home lot was appraised at £30.

His death left Elizabeth with young children, including an infant daughter. The New London land remained part of the family’s property history long afterward, but Peter’s own brief record is anchored in his vessel, his waterfront home and the inventory taken at the end of his life.