NAME GAME: Angela Nuzzo of Bradford sheds some light on one
facet of “the convoluted story” of how Bradford got its name.

Citing the book, “McKean: The Governor’s County,” by Rufus
Barrett Stone in 1926, she writes: “The name Bradford has come down
to the city in logical if not inevitable historic sequence; first
as the name of the township in 1827; 45 years later, in 1872, as
the name of the borough; and seven years later, in 1879, as the
name of the city.

“Prior to 1827, the settlement of the valley was between Kendall
Creek and the saw mills at and near State Line. For some years the
settlers of this mill district had felt the need of the advantages
of a separate township. John Melvin, one of the mill proprietors,
presented a petition asking for the division of Ceres Township and
that the west end be set off in a separate township to be called
Bradford.

“Melvin’s Mills was a New Hampshire village from which Melvin
had come and it was situated in the town of Bradford.

“About 1837, Col. Levitt Little came to the area and began the
settlement known as Littleton or Littleville.

“In 1851, Daniel Kingsbury purchased 60,000 acres in and around
Bradford Township. The growth in population of this new center made
it imperative for Kingsbury to have a Post Office. With the PO
move, the name had to be changed. The population to be served by
the new PO was that of Littleton, Kendall Creek, Tarport and the
rest of the township.

“So the office was given the name familiar to the people and
chosen for the township. This served to settle the name upon the
village and so the common name for the PO, township and village was
Bradford.

“In 1872, when it was determined to have the village made a
borough, there was no other name thought of. It followed that in
its own name the Borough of Bradford was incorporated as a city in
1879.”

Indeed, this is a “convoluted” story as Angela suggests and
readers have provided still more fascinating details of Bradford’s
evolution from settlement to city over the years. As for today’s
chapter, suffice it to say Bradford City apparently owes its name
to Bradford Township which, in turns, owes its name to Bradford,
N.H. More soon on this story.