Each of Brad's three names is rooted in that family history: "Bradford" is after Governor Bradford, an early governor of the Plymouth colony; Mr. "Morse" came from Virginia and married Governor Bradford's granddaughter; another "Morse" (a "great+ " uncle connected by various dots and dashes to Brad) was an inventor of code; and David "Wilmot" was a member of Congress from Pennsylvania, was one of the founders of the Republican Party, encouraged Abraham Lincoln to run for office, and was well known for introducing amendments (the "Wilmot Proviso") to bills-no matter what the bill was about-calling for the abolition of slavery. Brad grew up in days when "James" was "Jimmy" and "Robert" was "Bobby", so "Bradford" (for which he was teased for sounding pompous) became "Brad"…
For more, read Profile of Bradford W. Morse in The Advocate, 74 (2016).