Franklin M Bradley 1831-1919

Within the family history of the family of Eber Muzzy Bradley ( 1802 Essex, Vt) and Elsa/Elsey/Eliza Rynearson is a list of their 9 sons. Eber, John, Frank, Fernando, Abraham, Jacob, Garrett, William and Stephen. The census records support the existence of the 9 sons. The 1840 census, which lists seven sons (William was born 1842, Stephen 1844), and the marriage record for Eber and Elsa (1827) identifies Butler County, Ohio as the birth place for the first eight sons. The 1856 census for E. M. Bradley taken in Huron, Iowa provides the names and age for the last six. Clearly identifying the first three sons poses a challenge. This is certainly true for, “Frank”. ---------- As you search through the census records for possible candidates for an older Frank Bradley you find a “Franklin Bradley” age 29 ( 1831), born, Ohio, in Benton, Iowa in the 1856 and 1860 census. Benton is the same small town where Eber is found in 1860. With a date that matches what we would expect for “Frank” and a birthplace of Ohio and residence in the same town as his supposed father it seems a pretty safe conclusion that we have found father and son. ---------- The 1856 Iowa census list the number of years each person has lived in Iowa. The census indicates that Eber and his sons have lived in Iowa for 13 years. The 1856 census for Franklin also notes that he had lived in Iowa for 13 years. ---------- The start of the Civil War in 1861 disrupted the lives of the Bradley brothers. After the war they scattered to the far parts of the western United States. Tracking where they ended up is a genealogical challenge. This is certainly true for Franklin Bradley. An easily arrived at assumption is that the brothers would enlist in Benton or Yellow Springs. However the records we find are for Bradleys, that enlisted, are in Burlington, Iowa. The explanation is found in the records of the Yellow Springs Presbyterian Church. In the records for Elsey Bradley we find a notation that she “dismissed to the 1st Congregational Church in Burlington” in 1861 thus placing the family in Burlington. Elsey, Stephen, Garrett and Abram V. are all listed in the Yellow Springs membership records. ---------- We can trace Franklin to his time and place of death using his military records. Note that information from one record can be found in the other records. These points make it easy to follow the connection between them. The records provide a physical description for Franklin, his place of birth, where and when he enlisted, the units he served in, and his time of death. ---------- We have recovered an enlistment record, ----------- “Engr. Reg’t of the West—Franklin M Bradley—Age 30 (1831), height 5 9 1/2--- dark completion, blue eyes, brown hair--- born Butler Co, Ohio---Enlisted Sept 30, 1861, Burlington, Iowa. ---------- We have also recovered a set of more detailed service records; ---------- Franklin M Bradley---Military History; Enlisted Sept 30, 1861, Burlington, Iowa, 1 Mo Engrs, Reenlisted Jan 18, 1865, 4 U.S. V.V.----Domestic History; Born Ohio, 5 ft 9 inches, dark completion, blue eyes, grey hair, place of residence, Phillipsburg, Ks.-----Date of death Oct 13, 1919. ---------- We find a record of him in the, U.S. National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Leavenworth, Kansas in 1919. ---------- There is also a record for his burial in the Leavenworth National Cemetery. “Bradley, Franklin M, 4 U.S.V.V. Oct 13, 1919.” ---------- The military records place Franklin in Phillipsburg, Kansas late in his life. Franklin’s father, Eber, and his two brothers, William and Jacob, are buried together in the Fairview Cemetery in Phillipsburg. In the 1900 census in Phillipsburg we find William and Jacob. Also in Phillipsburg in 1900 is a Frank Bradley born May 1831 in Ohio. It would seem a given that we are looking at three brothers. However the census records add a bit of confusion, they note that Frank’s parents were born in New Jersey. A first reading of the record would lead us to reject this Frank as our Franklin. But also note that in the 1910 census for William notes that his father was born in Kentucky whereas the 1900 census noted that his father was born in Vermont. Anyone who was studied census records understands how fickle they can be at times. The 1915 Kansas Sate census notes that the 83 year old Frank Bradley born in Ohio came to Kansas from Iowa. ---------- The 1860 census in Benton lists Franklin age 29, Nancy Jane age 26, Henry age 6, Louis age 4 and John age 1. We should also note that Louis’s full name was Louis Harding Bradley, Harding being Franklin’s grandfather’s name. Death records for Henry and Louis, who eventual made their way to the Spokane, Wash area, list their parents as Franklin Bradley and Nancy Jane Humphrey. ------------------- Franklin / Eber Muzzy / Harding Bradley / Stephen Bradley