ANNE BRADSTREET
Anne Bradstreet was born in Northampton, England, in the year 1612, daughter of
Thomas Dudley and Dorothy Yorke; Dudley, who had been a leader of volunteer
soldiers in the English Reformation and Elizabethan Settlement, was then a
steward to the Earl of Lincoln; Dorothy was a gentlewoman of noble heritage and
she was also well educated.
At the age of 16, Anne was married to Simon Bradstreet, a 25 year old assistant
in the Massachusetts Bay Company and the son of a Puritan minister, who had been
in the care of the Dudleys since the death of his father.
Anne and her family emigrated to America in 1630 on the Arabella, one of the
first ships to bring Puritans to New England in hopes of setting up plantation
colonies. The journey was difficult; many perished during the three month
journey, unable to cope with the harsh climate and poor living conditions, as
sea squalls rocked the vessel, and scurvy brought on by malnutrition claimed
their lives. Anne, who was a well educated girl, tutored in history, several
languages and literature, was ill prepared for such rigorous travel, and would
find the journey very difficult.
Anne Bradstreet was born in Northampton, England, in the year 1612, daughter of
Thomas Dudley and Dorothy Yorke; Dudley, who had been a leader of volunteer
soldiers in the English Reformation and Elizabethan Settlement, was then a
steward to the Earl of Lincoln; Dorothy was a gentlewoman of noble heritage and
she was also well educated.
At the age of 16, Anne was married to Simon Bradstreet, a 25 year old assistant
in the Massachusetts Bay Company and the son of a Puritan minister, who had been
in the care of the Dudleys since the death of his father.
Anne and her family emigrated to America in 1630 on the Arabella, one of the
first ships to bring Puritans to New England in hopes of setting up plantation
colonies. The journey was difficult; many perished during the three month
journey, unable to cope with the harsh climate and poor living conditions, as
sea squalls rocked the vessel, and scurvy brought on by malnutrition claimed
their lives. Anne, who was a well educated girl, tutored in history, several
languages and literature, was ill prepared for such rigorous travel, and would
find the journey very difficult.