Elizabeth T. Bradford (maiden name: Halbert) was born around 1835 in Missouri to Eli Halbert and Frances Sherrill. By 1850, she was living with her grandparents, John and Mary Sherrill, in Texas, Missouri. She married Josiah T. Bradford on May 15, 1856, and they had at least six children: America, born around 1857; Columbus, born around 1860; Grant, born around 1862; Florence, born around 1867; Arthur, born around 1870; and Huber, born around 1873. They lived in Sherrill, Missouri, and her husband worked as a farmer. By 1860, they owned $840 of real estate and $400 of personal property.
She and her husband remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War, and Josiah served in the Union army. By 1870, their wealth had grown to $4,000 of real estate and $900 of personal property, and they employed at least one white domestic servant. Her husband died on July 12, 1911. She applied for a widow’s pension later that month and eventually secured one. By 1920, she was living with her daughter America in Sherrill. She died there on July 30, 1921.