Bradlee family

Though the Bradlee family was not a member of the Boston Brahmin society, they did marry into the Putnam family was as the Crowninshield family; and Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee's second great grandmother, on his granmother's side was Caroline Choate of the Boston Brahmin Choate family. Samuel Bradlee was the grandson of Nathan Bradley, the Bradlee ancestor, who was born in Dorchester, Boston, Suffolk, Massachustts on 1631, changed the family name to Bradlee. Samuel did so because he was running to be Constable of Dorchester and there were too many Bradleys and became confusing.

Nathan Bradley
Nathan was the ancestor of the Bradlee family and the first to be born in Boston in 1631. His job was to ring the town church bell and he sold sider.

Samuel Bradlee
Samuel was elected Constable of Dorchester. Before he was elected constable, Bradlee was a weaver and a fisherman. He was also the one to change the surnam from Bradley to Bradlee. During the Revolution there was a Royal warrent to shoot any Bradlee on sight who spelled their name with two "e's" at the end, because it was too American and "ey" is the British way of spelling the name.

Thomas Bradlee
Thomas Bradlee, Esq. (Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; November 17, 1788 - February 19, 1878; Jamaica, Long Island, N.Y.) was the ninth of the twelve children of Samuel Bradlee and Ann Dunlap. His occupations were:
 * Member of the Light Infantry Company of Winslow Blues
 * President of a sacred musice society
 * Choister of churches
 * Publisher and Editor of the Long Island Farmer Newspaper
 * Justice of the Peace
 * Police Justice of the villiage of Jamaica, Massachusetts

Boston Tea Party Participants
There were four Bradlee brothers, children of Samuel Bradlee, who participated in the Boston Tea Party: David, Josiah, Nathaniel and Thomas Bradlee. However it was their sister, Sarah who dressed them up like Navtive American Indians and she earned the name "Mother of the Boston Tea Party."
 * David Bradlee: Captian in the Continental Army; member of the St. Andrews Lodge of Freemasons
 * Josiah Bradlee: member of the Sons of Liberty; enlisted in the American Revolution
 * Nathaniel Bradlee: member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
 * Thomas Bradlee: member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association; member of the St. Andrews Lodge of Freemasons

Sarah Bradlee
Sarah was dubbed the "Mother of the Boston Tea Party" for dressing up her four brothers, David, Josiah, Nathaniel and Thomas Bradlee, and her husband, John Fulton as Mohawk Indians to board the British ships at Boston Harbour.

Frederick Josiah Bradlee, Jr.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on 20 Dec 1892; married on 3 Jul 1917 in Beverly, Massachusetts to Chevaliere Josephine de Gersdorff (Manhattan, New York; 18 Jun 1896 - 15 Oct 1975; Beverly, Massachusetts). Frederick was on the first All-American football team, which was at Harved from where he graduated in 1915. He played for four years, from 1912-1915 on the undefeated Harvard football team and became All-American in 1914. His positons were Halfback and Fullback.

Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee

 * Bureau Chief of News Week in Paris
 * Chief Executive Editor of the Washington Post
 * Vice President at-larg of the Washington Post
 * Awarded the Knights Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour

Putnam-Bradlee Family
Ben Bradlee's fifth great grandfather was Josiah Bradlee I (24 Mar 1754 - 2 Oct 1798), who married (7 Aug 1777) to Hannah Putnam (3 Jul 1758 - 4 May 1793). Bradlee is a lineal descenant of the Putnam family at least three times.

Crowninshield-Bradlee Family
Ben Bradlee is descedant of the Bost Brahmin Crowninshield family two times: his great great grandfather was Josiah Bradlee, a sea merchant, who married Alice Crowninshield. Bradlee's mother was Chevaliere Josephine de Gersdorff, who's parents were Carl August de Gersdorff and Helen Suzette Crowninshield. Alice and Josephine share a common ancestor who was Benjamin Williams Crowninshield, 5th United Sates Secretary of Navy.