Anne Bradstreet

BIOGRAPHY OF ANNE BRADSTREET

Anne Bradstreet was born in Northampton, England, in the year 1612. She was the daughter of Thomas Dudley and Dorothy Yorke. Dudley had been a leader of volunteer soldiers in the English Reformation and Elizabethan Settlement. Later on, he became steward to the Earl of Lincoln. Dorothy was a gentlewoman of noble background and she was well educated. At the small tender age of 16, Anne got married to Simon Bradstreet, who was a 25 year old assistant in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and also the son of a puritan,, who had been in the care of the Dudley’s since the death of his father.

Anne and her family emigrated to America in 1630, on the Arabella, which was one of the first ships to bring the Puritans to New England in hopes of setting up plantation colonies. The journey that they made to America was difficult. Many died during the three month journey. They dies because they were unable to cope with the harsh climate, and the poor living conditions. Anne, who was well educated, wasn’t prepared for such rigorous and also found the journey difficult.

When they got to New England, Thomas Dudley and his friend John Winthrop made up the Boston’s Settlement. Winthrop was the Governor, and Dudley was Deputy- Governor and Bradstreet was Chief Administration. The colonists' fight for survival had become daily routine, and the climate, lack of food, and primitive living arrangements made it very difficult for Anne to adapt. She turned inwards and let her faith and imagination guide her through the most difficult moments; images of better days back in England, and the belief that God had not abandoned them helped her survive the hardships of the colony.

Anne fell sick, Paralysis took over her joints. Despite all these trials and temptations, she and her husband managed to make a home for themselves, and raise a family. Also despite her health, she had 8 children, and Simon eventually came to prosper in the new land. One day something terrible happened, their house caught on fire and the family was left homeless, and had no personal belongings. Although the fire, it did not take them long to get back on their feet, thanks to their hard work.

While Anne and her husband were very much in love, Simon's political duties kept him traveling to various colonies on diplomatic errands, so Anne would spend her lonely days and nights reading from her father's vast collection of books, and educating her children. The reading would not only keep her from being lonely, but she also learned a great deal about religion, science, history, the arts, and medicine, most of all, reading helped her cope with life in New England.

Anne Bradstreet was especially fond of poetry, which she had begun to write herself; her works were kept private though. She wrote for herself, her family, and close circle of educated friends, and did not intend on publishing her work. One of her closest friends, Anne Hutchinson, who was also a religious and educated woman had made the mistake of airing her views publicly, and was banished from her community.
However, Anne's work would not remained private. Her brother-in-law, John Woodbridge, had secretly copied Anne's work, and would later bring it to England to have it published The book did fairly well in England, and was to be the last of her poetry to be published during her lifetime.

By and By, Anne’s health was slowly falling. She went through a lot of trials, and now she had tuberculosis. Shortly after contracting the disease, she lost her daughter Dorothy to illness.

After Anne’s strong battle with illness, it came to an end when she died on September 16, 1672, in Andover Massachusetts, at the age of 60.