Bradt family fonds, 1796-1976 RG 666

 

The Bradt family came to the Niagara peninsula from Schenectady, New York as United Empire Loyalists. Arent A. Bradt (1732-1796) and his wife Eva Van Antwerp came to Canada with their children, settling in present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake around 1784. This move coincided with the disbandment of Butler’s Rangers, a Loyalist military unit founded by John Butler during the American Revolutionary War. The Butler and Bradt families both came to Canada from Schenectady. John Butler was married to Arent Bradt’s sister Catherine. Both families were granted land in the Niagara peninsula by the Crown for their loyalty.

Arent and Eva Bradt brought their five children with them, including Andrew (1755-1830), Margaret (b. 1758), John (1761-1828), Roger (b. 1765) and Peter (1767-1824). Andrew and John Bradt both served in Butler’s Rangers, Andrew as a Captain and John as a Lieutenant. Peter Bradt was the youngest member of the family, being 18 when his family came to Niagara. In 1792 he married Mercy Burtch. They settled on a farm near St. Catharines, and had twelve children between 1793 and 1818. Their son Thomas married Elizabeth Hansler. They had five children, including Mercy J. Bradt (Dunn).

Click here to view the Bradt family fonds finding aid: https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/13814/Bradt%20family%20fonds%20RG%20666.pdf?

Recent Submissions

  • Notebook of family records belonging to Mercy J. Dunn
    Dunn, Mercy J. (1918)
    Notebook of family records belonging to Mercy J. Dunn, Hagersville, March 11, 1918. A record of the Bradt family, including dates of birth, death and marriages, as well as some biographical information. A family record of the Hansler family is included. A brief record of the Wills and Dunn families are also included. Loose material enclosed in the notebook was separated and put in an envelope. This material includes an obituary for Thomas Bradt and a news clipping from the Santa Ana, California “Register” on a Hansler family reunion.

  • Notebook of Mercie Bradt
    Bradt, Mercie (1858)
    Notebook belonging to Mercie Bradt, Wainfleet, C.W. Sept. 13, 1858. The notebook contains expressions, poems and sketches.

  • Bradt Family History Notes
    1943
    Bradt Family, 1943, n.d. Contains a brief family history written in 1943 by M.B. Smith of St. Catharines (daughter of Andrew Hansler Bradt); a family tree of the Bradt family; a written history of the Bradt line beginning with Arent Andriessen Bradt and Albert Adreiessen Bradt; a genealogy of the Bradt family reproduced from a diagram by T.W. Bradt of Aylmer, Ont.; and written accounts of the Bradt family history

  • Notebook of Elizabeth Hansler
    Hansler, Elizabeth
    Notebook kept by Elizabeth Hansler (1817-1889) when young. She later married Thomas Bradt (1810-1885). Some of the entries contain the cost of items purchased, such as shoes, bonnets, gloves, silk, cotton and wool. A lock of hair is included towards the end of the book. Names which appear in the book include Andrew Bradt, Mercy Jane Bradt, David James [Hansler] and Anna Maria Schram (who was raised in the Bradt family as a foster child).

  • Pretty Poems Children's Book
    n.d.
    A very small book of “pretty poems” featuring black and white illustrations.

  • Album of Bradt Family hair
    Bradt (Hansler), Elizabeth; Dunn, Mercy J. (1843-1976)
    Album, 1843-1976. An album containing locks of hair of Bradt family members. The album was started by Elizabeth (Hansler) Bradt in 1843, then continued by her daughter Mercy J. Dunn, in 1899. Each lock of hair contains the person’s name, year the lock was taken, and sometimes other details such as date of birth and death, place of birth, or other biographical information. The hair is adorned with ribbons and flowers, and many samples are braided. There are 255 locks of hair in the album.

  • Letters written by Mercy Jane Bradt to her parents, 1856
    Bradt, Mercy Jane (1856)
    Letters written by Mercy Jane Bradt to her parents, 1856. The letters were sent from the Williamsville Classical Institute, and dated January 29, September 18, and October 21. Transcriptions of the letters are included, as well as a history of the Williamsville Classical Institute.

  • Letter written by Stephen Durell to his sister Mercy Bradt, dated 5 August 1825
    Durell, Stephen (1825-08-05)
    Letter written by Stephen Durell, Vincennes, Indiana, to his sister Mercy Bradt, Niagara, Crookses [postmaster] Post Office in Newark, dated August 5, 1825. Durell writes about conditions on his farm, family members, and mentions a visit from Dewitt Clinton, who came to see the falls and start the canal. A transcription of the letter is included.

  • Letter written by S. Durell to Peter Bradt, 15 January 1820.
    Durell, S. (1820-01-15)
    Letter written by S. Durell, Knox County, Indiana, to Peter Bradt, Sixteen Mile Creek, Crookes [postmaster] Fort George, dated January 15, 1820. The last page of the letter contains messages written by Edee Durell and Samuel and Rhoda Williams. Samuel and Rhoda briefly describe their journey from Upper Canada to Indiana. An entry signed with the initials M.B. (Mercy Bradt?) can be found on the reverse of the first page. A transcription of the letter and a glossary of names that appear in Durell’s letters are included.

  • Account book, 1796
    Hansler, George (1796)
    Account book, 1796. The cover reads “Fonthill--Hansler Great Grandfather’s account book, 1796, Andrew Hansler”. The book likely belonged to Andrew’s father George (1756-1831), as Andrew Hansler was only six years old at the time. Entries are dated from March 29, 1796 to July 20, 1796. George was a farmer, tanner, and shoemaker in Fonthill.