James T. Bradbury was born around 1841 in Maine to Wyer and Eliza Bradbury. His father was a master mariner who owned $700 of real estate and $150 of personal property. He grew up and attended school in Machias, Maine.
He enlisted in the Union army on July 15, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company C of the 6th Maine Infantry. The regiment took part in the Seven Day’s Battles, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Battle of Gettysburg. He died near Rappahannock Station, Virginia, on November 7, 1863.