Bradford, New Hampshire
Merrimack county. Situated about midway between the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers, bounded N. by Newbury and Sutton, E. by Warner, S. by Henniker and Hillsborough, W. by Washington; is 31 miles from Amherst, 25 from Concord, and 80 from Boston. This town is watered by small streams, which principally issue from ponds,—of which the largest is Todd's pond, lying in Bradford and Newbury. This pond is supplied with water from the hills and mountains in Newbury. In it are a number of floating islands which are deemed objects of curiosity. Its outlet forms the northern branch of Warner river. Pleasant, or Bradford pond, is on the E. side of the town. It is about 550 rods long and 150 wide. It communicates with Warner river by an outlet at the N. end of it. In this pond are several islands, which, with the rugged declivities on the E. bank, the waters below, and the cottages and cultivated fields on the west bank, present to view, in the summer season, a wild and variegated landscape. Many parts of Bradford are hilly. A large proportion of the town, however, lies in a valley, about three miles in width. Near the Sunapee mountains, on the N.W., is an extensive plain, more than a mile long and about half a mile wide. The soil differs in quality. It is light, loamy or rough. In the easterly part are valuable stone quarries. Bradford was granted to John Peirce and George Jaffrey in 1765. Its first settlement was made in 1771, by Dea. William Presbury and his family. They were soon followed by several inhabitants from Bradford in Mass., from which circumstance it derived its name. It was incorporated Sept. 27, 1787, and is mentioned in the act as including New Bradford, Washington Gore, and part of Washington. Population in 1830, 1,285.
