Lt. Arthur Bragdon Sr. was born about 1597 in Stratford-upon-Avon, co. Worcester, England. "Saco Valley..." says about 1598, close enough. He was a constable in 1640 in York, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. He was an alderman in 1641 in York, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. He took the oath of fidelity to the Massachusetts government on 22 Nov 1652. He died on 2 Oct 1678 in York, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts, his estate inventory was taken that same day.

The history of this ancient Suffolk family traces its ancestry as a family of Anglo Saxon origin before the year 1100 and appears first in the ancient records in Suffolk. The first BRAGDON to come to America was Arthur. There is much known about Arthur but there is also much that is not known about him. The unknown becomes as important as the known because there is much confusion and contradiction surrounding Arthur. It is said by some that Arthur came on the Hopewell, but the Hopewell is said to have arrived in 1630 by some and 1640 by others. (maybe both). I have found that the Hopewell was part of the Winthrop fleet that sailed in 1630. Arthur's name is not on the passenger list and .to date I haven't found Arthur on any passenger list. Banks says that Arthur came on the Bonaventure in 1634. I have found two Bonaventures and Arthur is not on the passenger list. Banks got his information in 1900 from a person in Boston with the surname Bragdon who could not remember his source. Some have suggested that Arthur may have been a crew member or in the Kings Army and would not be on the list for passengers. Arthur signed some land papers in York in 1636. I have also heard that he was in Essex before coming to York. (Is that Essex Mass. or Essex England?) Downeast Ancestry says that Arthur is the son of Thomas and married Jone GOLD and is from Stratford-Upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. Records from Stratford-Upon-Avon not only doesn't bear this out but seem to disprove it. There is a "BRAGDEN family there with all the same names and dates for the children but that Arthur2 BRAGDEN(Thomas1) is too old to be our ancestor Arthur. It is that Arthur who married Jone Gold. There is also an Arthur2 BROGDON(Thomas1) there that sold property in 1630. (just before the Winthrop fleet sailed.) He's mother was Alice. Is he our Arthur or is he Arthur BRAGDEN or is he just who the records say he is, "Arthur BROGDON". There was a BRAGDON shipyard in Scotland from whence the Maine BRADGDONS came (C.E. Banks, History of York Maine, 1931-5, 1967, p 74). Conventional history says that Arthur had three sons, Arthur, Thomas and Samuel. But it is questionable whether Samuel is the son of Arthur or if he came from England a little after Arthur. Saco Valley Settlements and Families, by Ridlon, State Lib. Ridlon states "SAMUEL BRAGDON is said to have come from ENGLAND. He was early settled in York, Me." Samuel refers to a Deacon BRAGDON in his will as his "dear cousin". This leaves us with Thomas and Arthur Jr. and Arthur himself threw us a curve here when he named Thomas in his will as his only son. The only alleged son of Arthur's that withstands the test of time is Thomas. After this the decent becomes clearer.

On Oct 13, 1703, the wife and five children of Arthur were killed by the Indians (Penhallow's Indian Wars.) Some say only the wife and the two youngest were killed, the older children were taken by the Indians.

Sheila Chlotiel: In a deposition Arthur Bragdon states his age which places his birth in 1597 and he was therefore 81 years old when he died. His wife's name was Mary, but there is nothing to suggest her family name or connection . . . it further states Arthur Bragdon left issue three sons. No daughters are known. This article has his signature and states he was undoubtedly a native of Stratford-upon-Avon. The men were butchers, same as followed by John Shakespeare, and Arthur Bragdon must have known the Bard of Avon, for he was 19 years old when Shakespeare died. This statement is made on circumstantial evidence arising on the existence of a Bragdon family living in Shakespeare's parish, whose sons carried the names of Arthur and Thomas as did the York family and the only Bragdon family found in England which bore these Christian names. It is stated that another resident of Stratford was an early emigrant in Maine, settling in the adjoining town of Kittery. At this period business communication was common between towns in Warwickshire by means of navigation of the Severn, and Bristol was probably the port from which he emigrated.

Arthur is first of record here in 1636 as witness to the sale of property. This land was situated on Bass Cove. This grant was contested by Godfrey as to the extent of its bounds, and arbitrators Richard Vines and Henry Josselyn awarded the case in favor of Bragdon which was confirmed by Godfrey 21 January 1643, making the limits of his land on the NE to the path leading from the Plantation of Christian Point.

Arthur Bragdon on the Jury of Life and Death:
The Jury doeth find Robert Collins guiltie of the acke of Incontinence, not guiltie of the forsement.

Captains Grant and Bragdon are instructed to march to Narridgewock after the enemy, "Taking care that no Hostility be acted by you anywhere eastward of the Kennebeck River, but at Narridgewock, and that nothing be done on that side of the river contrary to the Cessation agreed on with the Penobscot Tribe. You may be very exact in your journal in noting down everything that is worthy of your observation, and send an account of your proceedings." (Letters of Col. Thomas Westbrook)

Arthur had a land grant of 100 acres in York, Maine (Massachusetts Colony).

Other men came here directly from England and founded families which continued the original names in town for three hundred years. Arthur Bragdon, a planter at Bass Cove, presumably furnished food to the fishing fleet.

Beginning with the house of Edward Godrey [Godfrey?], "the first bylt there" (1630), which stood close to shore at high tide on the south side of Meeting House Creek, the earliest houses were built around the shore of the Creek. Colonel Walter Norton's, along side of Godrey's, occupied till 1640 by Governor Hooke; Edward Johnson's to the west of Godrey's; Rowland Young's, Henry Simpson's and Ralph Blaisdell's, farther down near the Market Place; Henry Donnell's near Stage Island; Arthur Bragdon's on the river bank near Bass Cove.

He (Sir Ferdinando Gorges) appointed Thomas Gorges to be the first mayor (1641) of Gorgeana (Agamenticus) as well as the deputy governor of the Province of Maine, and for the first eight aldermen he named "Edward Godrey, gentleman; Roger Garde, George Puddington, Bartholomew Barnett, Edward Johnson, Arthur Braginton (Bragdon), Henry Simpson, and John Rogers."

A study of the names of the York signers of petitions from 1652 to 1668 in order to determine who were for Gorges and who were for Massachusetts will not easily distinguish the followers from the opponents. Most consistently for Massachusetts were Peter Weare and Capt. Francis Raynes. Among those who signed Peter Weare's letters to help him get out of jail were . . . Arthur Bragdon, Jr., Samuel Bragdon . . .

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There were six trainbands or companies of militia in the county; the troops of York were under the command of Job Alcock, Lieutenant, and Arthur Bragdon, Ensign.

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1649: "It is ordered at this Courte, that Arthur Bragdon of Agamenticus shalbe sworne a constable for that plantation at the next Courte holden there."
Constable of Gorgeano. 

He was married to Mary Garde about 1642.

Mary Garde was baptized on 1 Feb 1626/27 in Bideford, co. Devon, England. Children were:

i. Thomas Bragdon was born in 1643 in York, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. He died on 14 Oct 1690 in Cape Neddick, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. 
ii. Arthur Bragdon Jr. was born in 1645 in York, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. He died on 14 Oct 1690 in Cape Neddick, York Co., Province of Maine, Massachusetts. 

Lt. Arthur, Daniel, and Thomas Bragdon, with James Freethy and William Wormwood, were all killed by Indians and thier inventory taken on the same day, 14 OCT 1690, apparently the five out of nine were surprised while loading a vessel at Cape Neddick, mentioned by Niles.

iii. Samuel Bragdon.