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Mark Bradley
Sumner County, Tennessee
Illinois or Wisconsin
Elizabeth Looney (b. 30 Sep 1801, TN; d. 26 Jul 1842)
Biography
Mark Bradley, son of Joshua Bradley and Nancy Gardner, was born 23 July 1799, probably in Sumner County, Tennessee. He married Elizabeth Looney on 20 June 1821 in Randolph County, Illinois. Elizabeth was born 30 September 1801, likely in Tennessee.
Early Death: Very little else is known about Mark's life. He died in 1833, possibly in Gallatin or Jo Daviess County, Illinois, or possibly in Wisconsin. The uncertainty about his place of death suggests he may have been traveling or exploring new territories at the time, which was common for young men in this period of westward expansion. He was only about 34 years old at the time of his death, leaving behind his wife Elizabeth and four young children.
Elizabeth's Remarriage
Elizabeth Looney Bradley married James Gillespie of Randolph County on 29 January 1835, about a year after Mark's death. James Gillespie was a prominent member of the community and was one of the original organizers and trustees of Shiloh School and later Shiloh College. Through this marriage, Mark Bradley's children were raised in the Gillespie household, connecting them to another founding family of the Shiloh community.
Family Legacy: Elizabeth and James Gillespie are both buried in Gillespie Cemetery near Shiloh, Randolph County. Elizabeth died on 26 July 1842 at the age of 40, just seven years after remarrying. James Gillespie died in 1855. Through their stepfather James Gillespie's connection to Shiloh College, Mark Bradley's children remained connected to the Bradley family legacy in Southern Illinois.
Wisconsin Connection
Interestingly, three of Mark Bradley's four children eventually moved to Wisconsin, establishing a northern branch of the Bradley family. This migration pattern was unusual for the Bradley family, most of whom remained in Southern Illinois. The children's movement to Wisconsin may have been influenced by Mark's possible connection to that region at the time of his death, or by later opportunities that drew them northward.
Children of Mark Bradley & Elizabeth Looney
4 Children
Eliza Jane Bradley
ca. 1823 - ?Joseph M. Garner (b. ca. 1822, IL)
Cyrus Giles Bradley
17 Mar 1825 - 22 Oct 1903Mary Foster
Annice Looney Bradley
26 Mar 1827 - 16 Apr 1914Benjamin Will
Theodore Melville Bradley
29 Jul 1830 - 4 Oct 1886Margaret Wilson (b. 16 Nov 1828, Kililea, County Armagh, Ireland; d. 1898, WI)
The Wisconsin Branch of the Bradley Family
Three of Mark Bradley's four children (Cyrus Giles, Annice Looney, and Theodore Melville) all migrated to Wisconsin, creating the northern branch of the Bradley family. This was a significant departure from the pattern established by most of the Bradley family, who concentrated in Southern Illinois.
Key Locations:
- Superior, Wisconsin - Where Cyrus Giles Bradley died in 1903
- Osceola, Wisconsin - Where Annice Looney Bradley died in 1914
- Lafayette County, Wisconsin - Where Annice married in 1849
- Stillwater, Minnesota - Where Theodore married Margaret Wilson in 1857
Theodore's wife Margaret Wilson was an Irish immigrant from County Armagh, Ireland, adding international heritage to this branch of the Bradley family. The children's migration to Wisconsin and Minnesota represented the family's participation in the settlement of the Upper Midwest frontier.