Robert Bradish was baptized 4 April 1596 in St. James Church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He married Maria Howes in 1620. They had four children. They emigrated and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Maria died in 1638. He married Vashti Morrell in 1639. They had three children. Robert died in 1659. Descendants and relatives lived mainly in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Michigan.
Six heirlooms – a portrait, a table, a parure, a whiskey label, a set of books, and a building -- tell the stories of six branches of a family whose possessions lived through three centuries and eventually came together under one roof before dispersing again. These items have survived through generations and witnessed their owners as they evolved through history. In addition to the lives of their individual owners, the stories also cover certain historical and cultural figures, both American and French: slave traders and plantation owners, merchants and financiers of New York, whiskey distillers, Creoles of Louisiana, wreckers off the Florida Keys, drafters on Napoleon’s mission to Egypt, French lawyers and politicians, World War II fighters, and CIA spies. The book pays homage to the heirlooms’ past owners; it also examines the culture that surrounds families of wealth and status and the fierce struggle to retain these advantages through marriage ties. The stories pay homage to the heirlooms’ past owners.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
