Jonathan Dorr Bradley (1803-1862) Papers, 1804-1887 (Bulk: 1832-1864) MS 52

Introduction

This collection contains the papers of Jonathan Dorr Bradley (1803-1862), of Brattleboro, Vermont, for the period 1804-1887. The collection was given to the Vermont Historical Society by Edith R. Bradley in 1947. It is stored in one archival flip- top box and consumes .5 linear feet of shelf space.

Biographical Note

Jonathan Dorr Bradley (1803-1862) came from a long line of distinguished Vermonters. His grandfather, Stephen Rowe Bradley (1754-1830), was one of Vermont’s first two U.S. senators and served three non-consecutive terms. His father, William Czar Bradley (1782-1867), was one of the most successful lawyers and political figures of the mid-nineteenth century. He was expelled from Yale at age 13 and graduated from Amherst. He served in the state legislature and then two terms as a Vermont representative in the U.S. House. He was appointed agent for the United States under the Treaty of Ghent to survey and fix the northeaster border with Canada. William Czar Bradley married Sarah Richards (1783-1866) and they had three children, first Emily Penelope Bradley (1799-1865), second Jonathan Dorr Bradley (1803-1862), and last Merab Ann Bradley (1806-1845).

Jonathan Dorr Bradley was born on April 17, 1803. He graduated from Yale and Yale Law School. He practiced law first in Bellows Falls, Vermont, and later (beginning about 1832) in Brattleboro, Vermont. He represented Brattleboro in the Vermont state legislature for one term (1856-57) and served on the board of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Company. He was also a Justice of the Peace. He married Susan Mina Crossman and the couple had four children: William Czar Bradley II (1831-1908), Richards Bradley (1834-1904), Stephen Rowe Bradley III (1836-1910), and Arthur Crossman Bradley (1849-1911). Jonathan Dorr Bradley died on September 8, 1862; his wife Susan Crossman Bradley died on November 10, 1892.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the papers of Jonathan Dorr Bradley, the bulk of which date from 1832-1864 and primarily document his legal and political career as well as his business interests. From the 1830s-1850s, there are many documents arising from court cases in Brattleboro and Windham County, Vermont. In the 1850s, documents also reflect the actions and activities of the Vermont legislature and include copies of bills before the state legislature. Of special note are many letters from 1857-1858 that relate to the rebuilding of the Vermont State House and discuss problems and concerns with the building’s foundations (folder 5). As well, there is a letter to Bradley from Senator Justin Smith Morrill, dated August 28, 1860 (Folder 7). Another recurring topic is Jonathan

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Dorr Bradley’s interest in railroad companies and construction (especially see folders 3 and 4 for documents related to Jonathan Dorr Bradley’s advice on railroad investing).

Although most of the correspondence in the collection is more professional than personal in nature, there is a small group of personal letters written to Susan M. Bradley (Mrs. John Dorr Bradley) between 1860 and 1862. These include several letters from her son, Richards Bradley (1834-1904). Other documents from the 1870s and 1880s also appear to be papers of Richards Bradley.

The collection also includes assorted financial notes and accounts, including one account book of Jonathan Dorr Bradley, ca. 1832 (in folder 2) and one of Richards Bradley, ca. 1876-1878 (in folder 8). There is also an account book of Jonathan Dorr Bradley’s maternal grandfather, Mark Richards, with his heirs (in folder 1). This account book lists in detail gifts of money and property given to Mark Richards’ heirs, including Jonathan Dorr Bradley’s mother, Sarah Richards.

Some other documents of note within the collection include:

• Susan M. Bradley vs. Emerson, Phelps, and Foote on the handling of her guardianship while they had charge of it, in Windsor, amounting to $10,000, in 1836 (in folder 2)

• William C. Bradley’s explanation of the political changes in Washington in the spring of 1843 (in folder 3)

• An appeal for investment in a Boston aqueduct in 1845 (in folder 3)

• A leaflet related to subscriptions in the Brattleboro and Fitchburg Railroad Company (in folder 3)

• 1853 directory and rules for the and House (in folder 4)

• Letters asking John D. Bradley for his advice on railroad construction matters (in folder 4)

• “Joint Resolutions, touching the outrage upon the person of the Hon. Charles Sumner” (in folder 4)

• Pamphlet containing the bills in the Vermont Senate in 1857 (in folder 4)

• Undated document involving allowing the U.S. government to acquire acreage for a post office and court house in Rutland and Windsor, Vermont (in folder 9)

• Undated letters on altering laws on court jurisdiction and railroad regulations (in folder 9)

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• Proposed act to allow minors and married women to receive from savings banks funds on the same terms as if the minor was of age and the married woman was unmarried (in folder 9)

• Undated request for a patent on firearm improvement (in folder 9)

• Undated request for a patent on windmill improvements (in folder 9)

Related Collections

The collections of the Vermont Historical Society’s Leahy Library also contain the papers of John Dorr Bradley’s brother-in-law, Daniel Kellogg (MS 26), which includes some correspondence of Bradley’s sister, Merab Bradley Kellogg.

Inventory

MS 52:01 Papers and correspondence, 1804-1828 02 _____, 1832-1839 03 _____, 1840-1848 04 _____, 1850-1858 05 _____, 1857-1858 (rebuilding the State House) 06 _____, 1859 07 _____, 1860-1864 08 _____, 1876-1887 (Richards Bradley) 09 _____, undated

Ethan W. Bisbee & Gail Wiese September 2007 (revised August 2016) BradleyJonathanDorr.docx

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