Welcome to the One-Name Study web pages for all BRADNER families and other individuals in my family tree.

First, I'll introduce myself.  My name is Bernie Bradner and I live in Canada.  I am retired from purchasing and materials' management in the aerospace industry.  Currently I'm spending lots of time doing those things for which I previously never had time (and still don't).  My interests are traveling, our local seniors' centre, the Halton-Peel Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and of course, genealogy.  I've been tracing my family's roots in my spare time since early 1990 and this has helped to keep me out of trouble.  Now I realize that doesn't tell you much about me, but what were you expecting – a full biography!?

The origin of BRADNER names is somewhat conflicting.  BRADNERs seem to have first appeared in Great Britain and Ireland.  The earliest Bradner I've found was christened Elizabetha BRADNER in Yorkshire England in 1573.  She was the daughter of Hugonis BRADNER.  On the other side of the Irish Sea, O'Hart's publication, "Irish Pedigrees" states that the Gaelic surname O'Brudair has been anglicised as Broder, Brodrick, Brother and Bradner.  The ancient surname O'Brudair's (Bruidair) was from the family of O'Ryan of Idrone, County Carlow, Ireland.  I have not found the name Bradner recorded in County Carlow but we know for certain that Bradners lived in County Wicklow, Ireland from the mid-1600s.  Bradners are later found in small numbers in County Armagh, Ireland.  I expect they are likely an off-shoot of early Bradners also found in Scotland about the same time.

Many of the Bradners living in the USA today are the prodigy of Reverend John BRADNER born about 1690 and Christian COLVILLE.  We do not yet know where Reverend John Bradner was born, but he graduated from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 12, 1712 with a Master of Arts degree.  Shortly after graduation, he was accepted into the household of Rev. Alexander COLVILLE of Dromore, County Down, Ireland.  He was hired as a religious tutor for the two Colville children, one of whom was Christian and soon to be John's wife.  Later that same year, Rev. John and Christian eloped to America.  Almost on arrival in America, Rev. John was invited to preach at Cold Springs Presbyterian Church in Cape May County, New Jersey.  He was officially ordained in 1715 and remained in Cold Springs until 1721 when he left to take up a ministerial position in Goshen, Orange County, New York.  He remained in Goshen until his death in 1732.  John and Christian had four boys and four girls which did much to establish many of today's American Bradners.

One of Reverend John Bradner's relatives, another named John Bradner, who married Elizabeth CARR, appears in Virginia in Colonial American times.  His birth is estimated to be about 1765 but we have not yet discovered the connection between him and Reverend John.  His descendants of today are mainly in Virginia and North and South Carolina.  This John BRADNER died in 1812 in Halifax, Virginia.

The best I have done with researching my own Bradner line is to take them back to yet another John Bradner who was born about 1660 in County Wicklow, Ireland.  Some of his descendants left Ireland for greener pastures (if you can believe that) and emigrated to England, and later from there to Canada and Australia.  Much of the emigration from Ireland took place as a result of the "Potato Famine" in the mid-1800s.  My great-grandfather, Joseph Bradner was part of the family that emigrated to England.  One of his sons, my grandfather, Joseph Henry Bradner emigrated to Canada.  Another branch of this tree established the Bradner name in Australia.

Three of my grandfather's siblings still remain a mystery and prompted me to embark on this One-Name Study ever hoping to find them through a wider search.  If anyone has information on Thomas Henry BRADNER born November 26, 1883 in Cheltenham, England who married Edith YEATES born in 1885 in the same place, I would love to hear from you.  They were last known to have lived in Los Angeles, California in 1928 and dropped out of sight.  Thomas' brother William BRADNER born January 19, 1877 was last living in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1828.  Lastly a sister, Charlotte (Lottie) BRADNER, born 1871 was last living in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1928 and she married Stephen E. STEVENS.  She may have also reverted back to her previous married name of Mrs. George GOULD.

Finally, there was a family of Russians with the surname of Brezinski that emigrated to the USA in the early 1800s and their surname became Bradner.  Descendants of these Bradners are known to be living in Ohio and possibly other states.
 

Bradner towns

Bradner Family Tree pages

The Family Tree pages linked to this page are a compilation of the work of many researchers documenting their ancestry.  I am especially grateful to Frank BRADNER of Ocala, Florida and the late Beulah SCHROEDER for their more than thirty years of research and publication of a major genealogy on Rev. John BRADNER's descendants.  Chuck BRADNER of Virginia has done an equally impressive job on his Virginia ancestry which I have incorporated into these web pages.  We hope you will benefit from this information and will share your findings with us.