FOLLOWING THE FRANK HERBERT BRADLEY FAMILY

 

Frank Herbert Bradley at age 24

Frank Herbert Bradley was born in 1880 in Blackburn, England, the son and 12^th child of Abram Bradley and Elizabeth Clegg Bradley.  He came to America, landing in Rhode Island, with his mother and 4 older sisters in 1895 at the age of 5 years.  At some point before 1902 he moved to New York City and learned the silver trade at Tiffany’s.  In 1902 he came to San Francisco where he boarded with the widow, Ella Chase Taylor Smedley, and her daughter, Harriet Bell Smedley who became Frank’s wife in 1906.

My Grandma B, Harriet (Hattie) Bell Smedley Bradley with her new husband, my Grandad B, Frank Herbert Bradley in 1906 on their honeymoon.

1919 – Harriet Bell Bradley, with her four children:  Harriet Chase, Frances Marian, Herbert Kinsey (my Dad), and Ruth Ella.

Late 1920s – The Bradley family.  Standing: Harriet (Hattie), Frances, Harriet, and Frank.  Kneeling: Ruth and Herbert

c. 1930 – Harriet, Herbert, Frances, and Ruth Bradley

Harriet Bradley married Charlie Mors in September of 1936 and they had two children, Marian and George.

1939, June 17, at my Mom & Dad’s wedding:  Ruth Bradley, My Mom Lillian and Dad Herbert Bradley, Frances Bradley, and Harriet Bradley Mors with her husband, Charlie Mors.  Herbert and Lillian had four children: Shirley-Gail, Stephen, Meredith, and Cynthia.

Ruth Bradley’s marriage to Charles Thurmond, December 16, 1939 in Northbrae Community Church, Berkeley, California.  They had two children, Don and Carol.

Frances Bradley in 1942.  She married Phillip Fletcher on December 19, 1944 in Northbrae Community Church, Berkeley, California, and they had a daughter, Phyllis.

1946 – Standing: Harriet & Charlie Mors, Harriet (Hattie) Bradley, Lillian and Herbert Bradley, and Ruth Bradley Thurmond.

Seated are cousins Marian Mors and Gail Bradley, Frances Bradley Fletcher, and cousins Don Thurmond, and George Mors

1949 – Gail and Meredith Bradley, Marian and George Mors, and Stephen Bradley.  Not pictured, Cynthia Bradley who was only 4 or 5 months old at the time.

1953 – Top row: Harriet Bradley Mors and Frances Bradley Fletcher

Next row: My Dad, Herb Bradley, Harriet (Hattie) Bradley, and my cousin Marian Mors

Next: My Mom Lillian Bradley, yours truly Gail Bradley, and Ruth Bradley Thurmond

Next: cousins Steve Bradley, Don Thurmond, and George Mors

Bottom row: cousins Phyllis Fletcher, Carol Thurmond, Meredith Bradley, and Cynthia Bradley.  At this point the Frank Herbert Bradley family had increased by 13.

1964 – Included in this picture are Harriet Bradley Mors, Ruth Bradley Thurmond, Frances Bradley Fletcher, my cousin Phyllis Fletcher, and Donna, wife of my cousin George Mors, my brother, two sisters, a family friend, and my Mom.

1988 – The extended Bradley family at Lake Tahoe.  Ruth Bradley Thurmond, the last surviving member of the original four Bradley children, and her husband Charles Thurmond are among the standing folks.  All else are first and second cousins with a couple of spouses thrown in for good measure.

1991 – We gathered in Truckee, CA to plant a tree in Charles Thurmond’s memory.  Ruth Bradley Thurmond is on the far right.  All else are Bradley first and second cousins plus a couple of spouses.

1999 –These are all Bradley first and second cousins with spouses plus a couple of friends.

2011 – Bradley first, second, and third cousins are represented here along with three spouses.

In 2012 – My brother, Steve Bradley, cousins Marian (Mors) and Carol (Thurmond), me - Gail (Bradley), and cousin George Mors.

2012 – cousins Carol, Gail and George showing off their new hip replacements.

2014 – 7 of the 9 Bradley first cousins, the offspring of Frances Bradley Fletcher (Phyllis), Ruth Bradley Thurmond (Carol), Harriet Bradley Mors (George and Marian), and Herbert Bradley (Gail, Cindy, & Stephen).  Missing, (Meredith Bradley, and Don Thurmond)

2018 – In the picture are 5 of the Bradley first cousins - Carol and Don (Thurmond), George Mors, Cindy and Steve (Bradley), and I, Gail (Bradley), count as the 6^th, taking the picture.

In 2021 the family lost first cousin, George, seated here in the first row on the left, but we keep going, and one of these days the third cousins are going to start producing fourth cousins, and the Frank Herbert Bradley family will continue to grow.  As of this date, I believe there are 43 first, second, and third Frank Herbert Bradley cousins!  Harriet's and Herbert's families stayed in the same area for a while.  My cousins Marian and George Mors and I were in high school together.  I believe they moved to southern California the year after I graduated.  The Thurmond and Fletcher families moved away sooner, so I didn't go to school with any of those cousins.  All in all, it’s rather amazing how close many of us have managed to stay over the years - the Bradley family reunions at Lake Tahoe every summer having certainly helped with that.

:->

La Nightingail

When the Bradley family reunion group set up on the beach at Meeks Bay, they took up quite a space with 3, sometimes 4 canopies.  I suppose we were lucky no one ever complained – that I know of, anyway - seeing as how it was a prime beach spot right at the water's edge.  At least we set up 2 behind 2, not 4 across.  Meeks Bay, Lake Tahoe, by the way, was the chosen site for our Bradley reunions because that’s where Frank and Hattie Bradley took their four children to camp and swim in the cold clear water of that beautiful lake.