Alice Carpenter was born to Alexander and Pricilla Carpenter on August 3, 1590 in Wrington, Somersetshire, England. Alice was one of 6 children born to Alexander and Pricilla.  Alice was very well educated for a woman during that time. In about 1600 Alice and her family moved to Amsterdam, Holland because of the persecution in The Church of England, soon after moving to Holland they became members of the Separatist congregation. A few years later they moved to Leyden, Holland.

William Bradford was courting Alice but her parents did not agree to the match based on social reasons (I could not find evidence supporting this but thought that it was interesting if it is true).

So Alice married Edward Southworth on May 28, 1613 in Leyden, Holland. Soon after in 1614 they had their first child a son so  they named him Constant Southworth a few years later in 1617 his younger brother was born Thomas Southworth.

In the year 1621 Edward died leaving Alice a widow their 2 children.

Alice Southworth and her son Thomas Southworth moved with her brother In-law and sister on the ship Anne headed to Plymouth in 1623. Alice left her son Constant Southworth behind to follow them to America (he did follow about five years later 1628/1629). Soon after arriving Alice Carpenter Southworth and William Bradford decided to marry on August 14, 1623.

The marriage of William Bradford and Alice Carpenter Southworth was noted in a letter written by Emmanuel Altham to his brother Sir Edward Altham in September, 1623 :

"Upon the occasion of the Governor's marriage, since I came, Massasoit was sent for to the wedding, where came with him his wife, the queen, although he hath five wives. With him came four other kings and about six score men with their bows and arrows - where, when they came to our town, we saluted them with the shooting off of many muskets and training our men. And so all the bows and arrows was brought into the Governor's house, and he brought the Governor three or four bucks and a turkey. And so we had very good pastime in seeing them dance, which is in such manner, with such a noise that you would wonder...

"And now to say somewhat of the great cheer we had at the Governor's marriage. We had about twelve pasty venisons, besides others, pieces of roasted venison and other such good cheer in such quantity that I could wish you some of our share. For here we have the best grapes that ever you say - and the biggest, and divers sorts of plums and nuts which our business will not suffer us to look for."
Sidney V. James, Jr., editor, Three Visitors to Early Plymouth
(Plymouth, Mass. : Plimoth Plantation, 1963), p. 29-30.

William Bradford had married Dorothy May, But in 1620 Dorothy May Bradford accidently fell overboard the Mayflower and drowned leavening William a widower for they had one son who was in Holland with their friends there.

Soon after their happy wedding Alice and William Bradford gave birth to their first son on June 17, 1624 they decided to name this son after William so their first son was to inherit the name William Bradford (Jr). Then on May 22, 1627 Alice and William had their first daughter they decided to name her Mercy Bradford. Then in 1630 their second son was born to them  they named him Joseph Bradford.

Wherever Alice Southworth Bradford was known "she was loved and highly esteemed for her generous nature, her willingness to help others, and also for her strength and steadiness of character."

Sadly on May 9, 1657 the love of her life William Bradford died.

Then on March 26, 1671 Alice died in New Plymouth, Massachusetts, America!

Even thou Alice had died God was not done with her yet He had plans for the generations that came after her. While researching about Alice I found this very interesting chart.

•    Alice Carpenter* (1589/90-1657), and her first husband, Edward Southworth, had a son:
•    Capt. Thomas Southworth, who married Elizabeth Raynor, and had a daughter:
•    Elizabeth Southworth, who married Joseph Howland, and had a son:
•    Nathaniel Howland, who married Martha Cole, and had a son:
•    Joseph Howland, who married Lydia Bill, and had a daughter:
•    Susan Howland, who married John Aspinwall, and had a daughter:
•    Mary Rebecca Aspinwall, who married Dr. Isaac Roosevelt, and had a son:
•    James Roosevelt, who married Sarah Delano, and had a son:
•    Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd. President of the United States. Elected for 4 terms, and served 1933-1945.

References:
Thank you to http://www.concentric.net/~pvb/GEN/acarp.html for the chart!
And thank you to http://www.pilgrimhall.org/bradfordalicerecords.htm for the eye witness of Emmanuel Altham to his brother Sir Edward Altham in September, 1623.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jakratzner/carpenter_alice.htm The only place I found that said Alice and William were “sweethearts”.