Josiah Bradlee (1778-1860)

He was the son of a Boston tinman. He established a valuable commission business principally from the heavy Salem India houses and from Nantucket and New Bedford in oil and sperm candles. By 1848, he was worth a reputed $1-million and was one of the handful of pre-war millionaires in Massachusetts. His was married twice and had five children (listed). His second wife, Joanna, was the daughter of Ebenezer Frothingham who owned a small crockery store on Marshall's Lane, Boston. She was Secretary or Treasurer of the Howard Asylum for Indigent Boys. Their descendants include Ogden Codman, co-author of The Decoration of Houses with Edith Wharton.