Sacramento County
Biographies
EUGENE
BRADFORD
Eugene Bradford, a representative of an
old and prominent New England family, was born in Washington, D.C., January 29, 1869. His father, George W.
Bradford was born near Vincennes, Ind., while Grandfather Bradford, also named
George W. was born in Connecticut, Great-grandfather Charles Bradford came
from Massachusetts. Grandfather George W. Bradford was a
large distiller and pork packer at Washington,
Ind., and flat boated
his product down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. The Bradfords
are traced back to Governor Bradford of Massachusetts, who came from England in the “Mayflower.” Eugene Bradford’s father came to California in the early days of the gold rush and
for a time ran a store in Santa Rosa, after which he returned East. In 1861 Judge Terry of Indiana obtained for him an appointment as a
clerk in the treasury department at Washington, D.C., under President Lincoln’s
administration. With zeal he applied himself to his duties and his energy and
fidelity won for him recognition, and gradually working up he became chief of
one of the bureaus in the department, a position he filled until his death on
March 5, 1875. The mother of our subject was named Catherine Clark and was a
native of Philadelphia, Pa. Grandfather Marsh B. Clark, born in
1800, was also a clerk in one of the departments in Washington, serving faithfully for many years; he
passed away in 1886. He was a cousin of N. P. Willis, the poet, while his wife
was named Margaret Arnold. Catherine (Clark) Bradford passed away October 27, 1870. Of her
nine children only two are living, Sheridan, of Sacramento, and Eugene, who
spent the first seven years of his life in Washington, and then came to the
home of his uncles, William and James Bradford, in Sacramento County.
In Sacramento, November 23, 1897, Mr. Bradford was
married to Miss Annie Zimmerman, who was born at Camden, Ohio, a daughter of John Harvey and Jane (Taylor) Zimmerman. The father was born in Prebble County, Ohio, October 8, 1835, and served in the
Civil War as a member of Company B, 54th Ohio Infantry, 2nd
Brigade, 2nd Division, 15th Army Corps, having enlisted
February 21, 1864. Serving in the march through Georgia he took part in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, Dalton, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, and Lovejoy Station, and the assault on
Fort McAllister, and was on the front line on Sherman’s famous march to the sea. After Lee’s
surrender he took part in the grand review at Washington, receiving his honorable discharge June 18,
1865. After the war he removed with his family to Missouri, and in 1878 to Elk Grove, Cal., where he engaged in farming until his
death in 1915, aged eighty years. His wife died in
1913, passing away at the age of seventy-eight. Mr. Zimmerman always took an
active part in the G.A.R. and obtained much pleasure from his association with
the old boys in blue. Annie Zimmerman was the fourth oldest in a family of
seven children, four of whom grew up.
In 1904 Mr. Bradford purchased a portion
of the old Bradford holdings near Elk Grove where he made
the needed improvements and has since resided. Three children have come to
bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Bradford: Byron Meredith; Fannie Fern;
and William Barton.
Transcribed
by Gloria Wiegner Lane.
Source: Reed, G.
Walter, History of Sacramento County, California
With Biographical Sketches, Page
472. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1923.
© 2007 Gloria Wiegner
Lane.