Bradbury lost his oldest son William on 13 January 1874, a few weeks before he started the journal, and his grief is evident throughout the two year period. He mourns the loss of "Willie" every year on the anniversary of his death, and mentions it at other times as well, at one point writing ten pages of verse about him. "Willie" was on track to become a Baptist minister like his father, he died before finishing school at Newton Theological Institute, and his father fondly notes his popularity, saying that all of "Willie's" classmates came to the funeral. Bradbury had a large family of six brothers and sisters, many of whom remained in Auburn, Me., and had children. Samuel Gurney Bradbury (1804-1868) was the oldest. Olive Hersey Bradbury Blaisdell (1806-1870) was a fellow Baptist and Bradbury's favorite sister, he notes that he lived with her and her family briefly after his parents died. Benjamin Thomas Bradbury (1808- ), and Joseph Fellows Bradbury (1814-1889) were his only two living siblings as he wrote his journal in the 1870s, and Bradbury writes of his prayers that Benjamin will "convert" to the Baptist faith. Jennie Derby Bradbury (1818-1831) was called Jane, and died at age thirteen. His youngest brother Levi Loring Bradbury (1822-1860) also attended Bowdoin, then moved to Mississippi to practice law, eventually settling in Texas where he married, had four children, and worked as a lawyer. In December 1873 Bradbury sprained his ankle in the street in Providence and remained at home due to this injury until March 1874. His entries often start "still a prisoner to the house," and he spent much of his time reading published sermons in English and Greek, memorizing parts of the Bible, and writing in his journal. His entries are full of reflections on his childhood, happy life, and the loss of many close family members, and include poetry about his parents, siblings, his wife, to whom he dedicated more than forty verses, and his deceased son William, as well as some religious themed poetry, and one about the pain in his ankle. He concludes his journal soon after his recovery, noting that it is shorter than his other journals due to his injury. This collection contains one bound journal in which Ammi Ruhamah Bradbury made weekly, and sometimes daily, entries about the speakers he heard each weekend at church and daily prayer meetings, and the speeches he himself gave. The journal spans the period from March 1872-April 1874. Bradbury was pastor of the Park Avenue Baptist Church in Providence. His journal shows that he made frequent trips to nearby towns in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to preach at various churches or listen to others preach. In milder weather he frequently mentions going to the park and holding services in the late morning or afternoon outdoors on a platform. He notes the crowd he draws, frequently starting out with a handful of people and ending up with a hundred or more. A devout Baptist, Bradbury enjoyed preaching, listening to others preach, attending daily prayer meetings at Brown University, and attending Baptist revivals or "three days meetings." He was a member of at least four Temperance organizations, and there are several entries about his battle to get support for local legislation banning the sale of liquor. Bradbury performed a number of weddings each year in the spring and summer months, and he enters remarks on each couple in his journal, commenting once on the age differences between couples, and how marriage should not be about "worldly advantage." Soon after, he expresses a wish to perform more weddings for generous fees, as "pin money is very useful." Bradbury notes his "conversion" to Baptism came in 1835 when he was a freshman at Bowdoin, and credits this to Dr. Thomas C. Upham (1799-1872), Bowdoin's professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. Upham was his mentor and set him on his course to become a minister, and Bradbury sadly remarks on Upham's death in April 1872. He also briefly mentions his roommate at Bowdoin was John Albion Andrew (1818-1867), who would become the Governor of Massachusetts (1861-1866) during the Civil War. On 4 July 1873, Bradbury notes that it was the quietest Fourth he remembers in Providence. He relates that the mayor threatened to fine anyone who bought or sold firecrackers, and forbade people from firing any small arms or pistols in celebration of the holiday.
