The Bradt family came to the Niagara peninsula from Schenectady, New York as United Empire Loyalists. Arent A. Bradt (1732-1796) and his wife Eva Van Antwerp came to Canada with their children, settling in present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake around 1784. This move coincided with the disbandment of Butler’s Rangers, a Loyalist military unit founded by John Butler during the American Revolutionary War. The Butler and Bradt families both came to Canada from Schenectady. John Butler was married to Arent Bradt’s sister Catherine. Both families were granted land in the Niagara peninsula by the Crown for their loyalty.

Arent and Eva Bradt brought their five children with them, including Andrew (1755-1830), Margaret (b. 1758), John (1761-1828), Roger (b. 1765) and Peter (1767-1824). Andrew and John Bradt both served in Butler’s Rangers, Andrew as a Captain and John as a Lieutenant. Peter Bradt was the youngest member of the family, being 18 when his family came to Niagara. In 1792 he married Mercy Burtch. They settled on a farm near St. Catharines, and had twelve children between 1793 and 1818. Their son Thomas married Elizabeth Hansler. They had five children, including Mercy J. Bradt (Dunn).

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