Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Bradbeer, Samuel 1821 - 
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com February 20, 2006, 11:38 pm

Author: History of Grundy Co IL 1882

Samuel Bradbeer, farmer, P. O. Gardner. The representative pioneer is a native 
of England, and was born April 3, 1821. His parents, Samuel and Jane (Lake) 
Bradbeer, emigrated to Kendall County, Ill., in 1853, where the father died in 
1856. The parents were blessed with eight children, viz., Robert, Mary, 
Elizabeth, Samuel and James, and three deceased. They were members of the 
Congregational Church. The father was one time in excellent circumstances 
financially, but was made to sustain quite a loss by some illegal proceedings. 
He was therefore unable to give his children much chance to obtain an 
education. Our subject had the advantage of the country schools until he was 
eight years old, at which time he engaged on a farm, herding cattle, gathering 
stones, etc., for which he received only his board for two years. At the age 
of ten, he was called home to take his older brother's place, he having hired 
out for a long time. In two years, he was set free again to care for himself, 
and engaged to a farmer for his board and clothing. Later, he was rewarded 
with _2 of English money per year. In one year more, he received _8, or $40, 
per year. Two years later, he withdrew from active labor and prospected for 
awhile in London, finally returned to his parents, and soon engaged to a 
doctor for about six months. He was then employed as a waiter in a private 
family at Exmouth for ten years, receiving from $80 to $100 per year. He was 
married, April 11, 1851, to Sarah Carter, the result being three children - 
Susan J., Alice and Sarah. Mrs. B. was born in Somerset County, England, 
January 20, 1815; is a daughter of Robert and Susannah (Diment) Carter, 
natives of the same country, and the parents of three children - Sarah, John 
and William. Our subject lived in Kendall County, Ill., for nine years, and 
then came to Braceville Township, this county, in 1863, where they have since 
remained. They possess now over 100 acres of fine land, the result of their 
own labors. He is a member and Pastor of the Old School Baptist organization, 
holding at present the pastoral charge of the Verona church. His wife and 
daughter are Methodists. In the person of Mr. B. we have the character of a 
remarkable self-made man. The first penny he ever had in his life was given 
him by a cattle driver whom he helped transfer his herd a short distance. This 
he spent for two English songs, "Farmer's Boy" and "On Fox Hunting." When 
twelve years old, he would slip books from the library where he was working, 
and sit by his bed at the barn and read nearly all night. At another place 
where he worked, he had an alarm clock which he arranged to strike at three 
o'clock, at which time he would light a candle and sit up in bed and read some 
book or paper. So earnest was he in the pursuit of knowledge that he and his 
brother James gathered old bones and broken glass from the fields, which they 
sold in order to secure the "Saturday Magazine", which cost 6 d. per month.

Additional Comments:
Source: History of Grundy County, Illinois. (1882) Chicago: O.L. Baskin & Co. 
Historical Publishers, p107

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