BRADFORD, JOHN S., was born June 9, 1815, in Philadelphia, Pa. His father was a native of Delaware, and died in Philadelphia in 1816. John S. learned the trade of a book-binder in his native city, and in 1835 started on foot for the City of Mexico. He walked to Pittsburg, thence to Cincinnati by steamboat, from there to Dayton, O., and Richmond, Ind., working at his trade in all the places he passed through. At Richmond he was induced, in 1837, to join a corps of United States engineers who were then engaged in constructing what was called the National Road. It was a wagon road, built at the expense of the United States government. The law authorizing its construction was enacted when the Democratic party was in power, with one of its cardinal tenets: opposition to all internal improvements by the government; but President Jackson favored this because it was a military necessity. The road commenced at Cumberland, Md., crossed the Ohio river at Steubenville, passed through Columbus, O., Richmond, Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Ind., thence to Vandalia, Ill. At the latter point a determined contest arose between the people of the States of Illinois and Missouri, whether the point for crossing the Mississippi river should be Alton or St. Louis, the contestants fully believing that the future great city of the Mississippi valley depended on the decision of that question. Before it was settled the public mind became interested in railroads, and the National Road ended at Vandalia. The corps of engineers disbanded at the latter point. The State capital was then in transit from Vandalia to Springfield, and Mr. Bradford came here, arriving December, 1840. In the spring of 1841 he bought the interest of Mr. Burchell in the book-bindery of Burchell and Johnson, and became one of the firm of Johnson and Bradford.

John S. Bradford was married July 15, 1841, in Brandenburg, Ky., to Adaline M. Semple, who was born Oct., 1817, in Cumberland county, Ky. Her brother, Hon. James Semple, was at that time Charge de Affaires to New Grenada, afterwards United States Senator from Illinois, and still later one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the State.

Soon after coming to Springfield, J. S. Bradford became Lieutenant in the "Springfield Cadets." They were ordered to Nauvoo by Gov. Ford in 1845, serving two months in the "Mormon war." In 1846 Mr. Bradford enlisted in Co. A, 4th Ill. Inf., under Col. E. D. Baker, and was appointed Quartermaster by Gov. Ford. As such he accompanied the regiment to Mexico, where he started to go twelve years before with a bookbinder's outfit. After his arrival in Mexico he was commissioned as commissary in the United States army. He was at the bombardment and capture of Vera Cruz, battle of Cerro Gordo and others, returning with the regiment to Springfield in 1847. The result of that war securing to us California and the discovery of gold, Mr. Bradford started from Springfield Jan. 1, 1849, by the Isthmus of Panama to California, and was eighty-seven days on the Pacific ocean, reaching San Francisco May 20, 1849. He made Benicia his headquarters, and when the military commander of the department of the Pacific ordered a government to be formed for a new State, Mr. Bradford was elected to represent the district bounded by Oregon on the north, Sacramento river on the east, Bay of San Francisco on the south, and the Pacific ocean on the west. That Legislature organized the State without ever having gone through a territorial probation, and divided it into counties. Mr. Bradford was elected in 1850 to represent a district composed of the five counties of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin, being a portion of the district he represented in the first Legislature. His family resided in Springfield, and he retained his business relations with Mr. Johnson also. He returned to Springfield in 1851, and since that has served the county of Sangamon, in 1857, as Superintendent of Public Instruction; was one of the Commissioners to divide the county into townships and name them, served the city of Springfield as Treasurer, Alderman and Mayor. When Illinois was calied on for 6,000 of the 75,000 men to meet the rebels, Mr. Bradford was appointed by Gov. Yates as commissary, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, his commission bearing date April 16, 1861, being the first commission issued by Gov. Yates in connection with the war to suppress the rebellion. He prepared quarters for the first soldiers rendezvoused by the State, and called it Camp Yates.

J. S. Bradford severed his connection with the firm of Johnson & Bradford in 1869, and opened a book store in Springfield, which he sold out in 1873, and moved to Aberdeen, Miss., returning to Springfield in Nov., 1875, where he now resides.

Mr. and Mrs. Bradford had seven children in Springfield, namely--

WILLIAM, resides at Lake Station, Newton county, Miss.

OSCAR, born Sept. 28, 1845, in Springfield, was married in 1871, in Owensboro, Ky., to Mary Crutcher. They reside in St. Louis, Mo.

SUSAN A. resides with her parents, in Springfield.

EUGENE S. resides in St. Louis, Mo.

JOHN, ANTRIM C. and DONALD, reside with their parents in Springfield.