Bradbury Gravestone Project

Captain Thomas and Mary Perkins Bradbury are founding members of the Bradbury family within the United States. Their names can be found in the written history of the Salem Witch Trials. At the age of 75, Mary was tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged. Unlike other convicted victims however, she avoided her execution date by escaping jail with the help of her family. She was eventually exonerated. Because she lived out her life as a free woman, there was no need for the site of her grave to be secret, like those of so many other victims of this dark period in history. Mary and Thomas are buried in the family plot in Salisbury, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on their gravestones. Neither stone is legible any longer. They have been moved, altered, shattered, and are now all but gone.

That is the reason for this campaign. It is my wish to have two grave markers created to once again mark their burial site. I have received permission from the town of Salisbury to do this, as long as I keep the new markers as true to their original form as possible, and do no damage to the rest of the site. The original stones would be left in place as well, since they are a part of the site and I have no wish to remove them. I am working with a monument maker and an expert on historical stones from the time period to accomplish this, and now I just need to raise the money necessary to have the stones made. There are several options for materials and methods. I have set my goal to achieve the least expensive option. If we exceed that goal, we can look into even more accurate materials and carving methods as we progress.

I'd like to involve as many members of the Bradbury family as I can locate, so that we descendants all have the opportunity to know we were a part of preserving this vital piece of our family history. I wish to know that the graves of our ancestors are clearly marked for future descendants to discover, just like I did for the first time in 1995. 

If you are a descendant of Thomas and Mary Bradbury, have an interest in the history of the witch trials, or just feel that nobody should ever simply be forgotten, I ask that you make a small donation to this cause.