Christopher Brockett/Bracket of New Haven, Vermont and New York b 1749 d 1811-19 - The Broket Archive

Christopher Brockett aka Brackett
of New Haven, Vermont and New York
b 1749 d 1810-20

This is an interesting example of the Brackett version of the New Haven surname prevailing. It isn’t a case of a simple variant spelling in a document or two. For well over 250 years there have been folk surnamed Brackett with the same ancestor as folk surnamed Brockett, and vice versa. Y-DNA evidence shows that current descendants from Christopher—who was mostly surnamed Brackett—also descend from John—who was mostly surnamed Brockett—of New Haven, d 1690.

DNA of 3rd and 7th cousins

Are there are other Bracketts from different lines who do too? We need more participants in the DNA project—both Brakets and Brokets.

Most of our knowledge of Christopher and his clan has been generated by Bill Brackett’s critical research, sustained over many years. Bill’s good work can now be readily found in various places on the internet. Our purpose here is to present sufficient evidence to establish a robust proof statement that Christopher Brockett was Christopher Brackett, not to present a comprehensive presentation of all the evidence about him and his descendants. So, we won’t by any means duplicate all Bill’s findings here but only select enough points to fulfil our aim, and refer you to his webpages where you can find his more detailed analysis and evidence.1 Please let us know if we have failed.

The evidence:

Primary:
+++1746: Adminstration of Christopher Bracket’s estate
+++1777-81: Revolutionary War records
+++1790-1820: Censuses
+++1802-3: New York tax returns
+++1820: Adminstration of Susannah Blakeslee’s estate
Secondary:
+++Records of early New Haven
++++++Barbour 1917-32
++++++Jacobus 1923-4
+++Records of Vermont and NY 1780-1897
+++Published genealogies 1879-1907
Parentage
Descendants

1746: Adminstration of Cristopher Bracket’s estate

This Administration was of the estate of a Christopher from a generation preceding the one we are investigating, however it helps prepare the ground.

Christopher wasn’t as common a forename in 17th and 18th C North America as the Johns, Samuels, or Williams, for instance, especially among Puritan families,2 and the Christopher Brokets/Brakets there between 1620-1820 can be counted on one hand. Indeed, judging by the primary records found so far, and examined here, they can be counted on two fingers—this one who died in 1746 in Wallingford and another who was born in 1749 in Wallingford. As for secondary sources, the reliable compilers of early New Haven records Barbour and Jacobus also recorded only these two Christophers, and various other authors support this interpretation, as we’ll see below. The 1905 Brockett and 1907 Brackett Genealogies from their start to finish also only record a couple of Christophers—although in slightly confused manner. And a search through the Ancestry.com and FindMyPast databases for Christopher Brokets and Brakets and variants 1620-1820 produced records of no others.3 Thus, pending emergence of other records suggesting otherwise, all this is good negative proof that the Christopher Brockett of 1749 New Haven was one and the same man as the Christopher Bracket of Vermont 1790-1800 and New York of 1802 onwards. But this is to jump the gun. Let’s see first what the primary and secondary records tell us.

This Christopher died intestate, so the estate papers consisted of a bond signed by the Administrator and an inventory of the deceased’s goods, as was typical. In this case the bond was for £500 dated 24 Aug 1746 and the Administrator and principal Bondsman was named as John Bracket, with Abner Johnson as Surety, both of Wallingford, New Haven CT. The following two snips from the bond (the heading and the start of the condition) show this and that the deceased was Christopher Bracket, also of Wallingford.4

Christopher Bracket bond 1746 heading
+++
Christopher Bracket bond 1746 condition

With many of the early members of this New Haven clan, the spelling of their surname in records varied, even sometimes within the same one, as here. In the bond it was spelt ‘Bracket’, but at the bottom John clearly signed ‘Brockit’:5

John Brockit signature Wallingford 1746

In the Inventory the name was spelt ‘Brockit’, and on the dorses and the 1924 cover sheets—most if not all by later hands—‘Brocket’, and thus the estate papers are catalogued as the “Will of Christopher Brocket of Wallingford”.

The inventory of Cristefor’s goods shows that he had very few:6+Read more

1777-81: Revolutionary War

Christopher Bracket was recorded in Elijah Dewey’s company roster at the Battle of Bennington, VT, 16 Aug 1777. He was therefore probably born by 1758 at the latest. This was obviously a different Christopher from the one above who died in 1746. Christopher Bracket was also recorded in a contemporary Vermont Pay Roll for 3 days service in “Capt. Joseph Safford’s Company of Malitia in Col. Ebenezer Walbridge’s Regiment on an Alarm” 2-8 Aug 1781, receiving £1 in “Wages, Rations and Travail [48 miles]”.7

Comment: If he traveled 48 miles for this alarm, it isn’t unreasonable to see him traveling 150 miles to join a company for the Battle of Bennington. Bennington is some 150 miles north of the New Haven area, where the other Christopher had died in 1746. William Brockett fought at Charlotte SC in the Revolutionary War, 280+ miles west of his home in New Bern NC.

1790-1820: Censuses

The following 4 censuses show that Christopher was still in Vermont in 1790 and 1800, but relocated to Camillus, Onondaga Co, New York by 1810. Camillus is some 190 miles west of Bennington. In 1800 he was recorded near the home of Ezra Bracket and again in 1810. It looks as though they relocated together. Ezra and others were recorded there in 1820, but not Christopher—nor elsewhere—so it looks as though Christopher had died between 7 Aug 1810 and 3 Aug 1820.

1790 census (2 Aug)

Christopher Bracket was recorded as head of a household in Manchester, Bennington Co, Vermont.8 The figures 2, 2, and 4 for the first 3 columns indicated 2 White males aged 16 or more [i.e. b by 1774], including head of family, 2 White males under 16 [i.e. b 1774 or after], and 4 White females. An absence of figures in columns 4, 5 and 6 indicated there were no Blacks in the household.

1790 US census Christopher Bracket

Assuming this was a nuclear family, it consisted of Christopher, b by 1774, his wife, 1 son b by 1774, 2 other sons b after 1774, and 3 daughters. This corresponds with the New Haven records of a marriage 5 years preceding 1774.

1800 census (4 Aug)

Christopher Bracket was again recorded as head of a household in Manchester, Bennington Co, Vermont.9 Ezra Bracket was this time too. Philip McIntyre’s dwelling was perhaps in between. “Ezra of Bennington, Vt.” was Christopher’s eldest son, according to Jacobus and other records below.

1800 US census Christopher and Ezra Bracket

The figures 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1 for Christopher in columns 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 indicated 2 White males aged under 10, 2 10-16 and 1 45 or more [i.e. b by 1755], including head of family, and White females as follows: 1 aged under 10, 1 10-16, 1 16-26, and 1 26-45 [i.e. b 1755-74].

There were 9 in Christopher’s household, 6 under 16, and only 2 over 26. Again, assuming this was a nuclear family, the 2 over 26 were Christopher and his wife, and the others 7 children. Along with eldest son Ezra in his own home, this again corresponds with other records below, although the daughters not so obviously.

In Ezra’s household were 2 White males aged under 10, 1 10-16, 3 26-45 [i.e. b 1755-74], including head of family, and 1 White female aged 26-45.

1810 census (6 Aug)

1810 US census Camillus Christopher and Ezra Bracket, near each other again, but this time relocated to Camillus, Onondaga Co, New York:10

1810 US census Camillus Christopher and Ezra Bracket

Christopher Bracket and his household comprised 2 males less than ten years of age, 1 male ten to fifteen years of age, 2 males sixteen to twenty-five years of age, 1 male forty-five years or older, 1 female less than ten years of age, 1 female sixteen to twenty-six years of age and 1 female 45 years of age or older. Ezra Bracket’s household comprised 2 males less than ten years of age, 2 males ten to fifteen years of age, 5 males twenty-six to forty-five years of age, 2 females less than ten years of age, 1 female ten to fifteen years of age and 1 female twenty-six to forty-five years of age. Altogether there was a large number of Brackets.

The 1810 census for Camillus also included one other Bracket household, that of Jno Bracket consisting of a male and a female, both aged forty-five years or older [i.e. b by 1765]:

1810 US census Camillus Jno Bracket

Whether Jno—i.e. John—was a brother of Christopher or his 82-year-old father (b 1728) is unclear, and not vital to our investigation, see the 1803 tax return for Camillus above. The couple weren’t apparently in the 1820 census, at least not for Onondaga.

1820 census (4 Aug)

Christopher Bracket/t is not found in this census, and no other census records of a Christopher Bracket (or variants) have been found until that of the—probable but not definite—Christopher Bracket in 1840 in Baltimore, Maryland.11 However Elsea was recorded as a householder in 1820 in Camillus, Onondaga Co NY:

1820 US census Camillus Elsea Bracket

The 10th and 11th columns indicated females 26-45 and 45+ [i.e. b by 1785] respectively, so she appears to have been a widow with a live-in daughter or servant, meaning Christopher had died between 7 Aug 1810 and 3 Aug 1820.

Also in Camillus also were the households of Ezra and David Bracket, sons of Christopher. The household of Jno Bracket of 1810 was not recorded. Otherwise the only other Bracket/ts in Onandaga Co were the households of Ichabod in Cicero,12 and Chauncy Brachet/Brocket in Marcellus.

The 1830 census of Elbridge, Onondaga County, New York included the households of Ezra and David Brackett.

1802-3: New York tax returns

“In 1799 legislation provided for the collection of taxes on real estate and personal property in the state of New York.”13 The 1802 return for Camillus, Onondaga, New York, recorded John Bracket and Christopher Braket paying ¢5 and ¢15 on $20 and $60 dollars of personal estate respectively:14

Christopher Bracket tax 1802

The 1803 return for Camillus, Onondaga, New York, recorded John, Ezra and Christopher Bracket each with $200 worth of land and house, and John with $54 worth of personal estate, and Christopher $42. John and Christopher were due ¢53 and ¢51 in tax respectively.15

Christopher Bracket tax 1803

Comment. These show that:

1. Christopher had relocated from Manchester, Bennington Co, Vermont to Camillus, Onondaga Co, New York between 1800-2, rather than between 1800-10, as could only be deduced from the censuses.
2. John was connected with Christopher and Ezra and therefore with little doubt related. Judging from his personal estate it looks likely that he was Christopher’s father; the previous record connecting them with each other was a New Haven one.
3. John was with Christopher and Ezra—other than in New Haven—by 1802, rather than by 1810, as could only be deduced from the censuses. Perhaps John was never in Vermont.

1820: Adminstration of Susannah Blakeslee’s estate

Susannah Blakeslee of North Haven CT was the 2nd wife of Captain Ezra Tuttle, father of Christopher’s wife Elizabeth, and after Ezra’s death Susannah married Oliver Blakeslee. She died in 1820 and her estate papers of 1820-1 mentioned Elizabeth (who was long deceased) four times as boundary markers in the division of her property among the children of Ezra Tuttle: once as “Christopher Braketts wife”, twice as “Elizabeth Brackett” and once as “Elizabeth Brockett”:16

[To Phebe Todd] 1 acre 5 rods pasture land bounded east on Peter Eastman south on Susannah Thorp west on heirs of Christopher Braketts highway north on heirs Christopher Braketts wife.
+++
Susannah Blakeslee estate Christopher Brakett
+++
[To Sinai Wheeler …] 36 8/10 rods wood land bounded east on Elizabeth Brackett’s heirs …17
+++
Susannah Blakeslee estate Elizabeth Brackett
+++
To Elizabeth Brocketts heirs [1 acre 5 rods pasture land bounded east on Peter Eastman south west on highway south on Phebe Todd west on highway north on Sinai Wheeler…]
+++
Susannah Blakeslee estate Elizabeth Brockett

It looks as though Elizabeth—and therefore Christopher—were known by both names.

New Haven records

We’ve seen above that the earliest primary sources for Christopher found so far are of a namesake in Wallingford in the middle of the 18th C and of himself in Revolutionary War records and a census from late 18th C Vermont. For the earlier 18th C the best secondary sources found for Christopher’s origins are the works of the two great compilers of early New Haven vital records: Barbour and Jacobus. They are our main bridge across the gap between the early generations and the censuses, and we are fortunate it’s a sturdy bridge. And certainly with respect to Christopher specifically, the following data reproduced by Barbour and Jacobus fit well with the later primary records, outlined above. For a more general discussion of the reliability of the publications of Barbour and Jacobus see the separate page.

Barbour

The Barbour Collection’s publication of the Wallingford Vital Records shows that Christopher and his parents and grandparents were from Wallingford. The general discussion about the Barbour Collection just mentioned shows that the currently available online version of these Wallingford Vital Records—a transcription by Coralynn Brown18—is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of the original handwritten records (i.e. a 5th generation copy).

But despite the obvious possibility of errors occurring in such an extended sequence, a comparison of entries relevant to this discussion shows the 5th generation internet copy to be faithful to the 3rd generation 1924 typescript, at least. However, with respect to our discussion here concerning Christopher’s surname, there is a feature presumably of the first 2 generations—or at least of the handwritten original—which has been omitted from the 3rd generation onward. This was the spelling of the surname for each individual entry. The 1924 typescript copy, the 2002 printed copy of it, and this online transcription by Brown are an alphabetical index, first by surname and within that by first name. They homogenized variant surname spellings under one head, in our case BROCKETT, whether the actual spelling was BROCKETT, BRACKETT, or BRACKIT, etc. Thus, in the case of our Christopher, how his surname was recorded isn’t visible. The forenames, however, look like faithful transcriptions of an original, e.g. Cristefer and Dauid in the snip below. In any event, in the absence of an online version of earlier generations of the records this secondary index is our only source for the vital records of Wallingford. We just need to be aware.

The following snip from it—checked against the 1924 transcript—shows all the entries for the family of Christopher’s grandparents John and Huldah. They are in alphabetical order and all intervening entries concerning other families have been removed here for clarity:

Barbour Wallingford Brown John and Hulda and family

These entries show that John who married Hulda in 1711 was born 1685, son of Samuel and Sarah, and that John and Hulda’s children were Daniel b 1712, Dauid b 1714, Ann b 1716, Cristefer b 1718, Mahitteble b 1719 and an ‘afterthought’ son John b 1728. They show that John, husband of Hulda, died in 1753 and Hulda in 1757.

The next snip shows all the entries in Brown for the 2 Christophers and associated entries, rearranged here into date order:

Barbour Wallingford Brown Christopher et al

John who married Jemime in 1749 was John son of John & Hulday, b 1728, in the snip above this one. Interestingly, Christopher was born 4 months and 1 week after John and Jemime’s marriage.

This following third snip shows all the entries in Brown for the New Haven Co North Congregational Church:

Barbour NHNCC Christopher and Elisabeth Tuttle

Brown cited her source here as Frederick W. BAILEY, Early Connecticut Marriages as found on Ancient CHURCH Records Prior to 1800, New Haven, [in seven volumes, 1896-1906]. This snip is from Vol 6.19

Compare these entries with Jacobus, as follows:

Jacobus

Jacobus recorded two 18th C Christophers:

1. “CHRISTOPHER, b 9 Apr 1718 WV, d s. p. 19 Jul 1746 WV.”20 Jacobus recorded him as 4th child and 3rd son of John and Huldah (EARL) Brockett.

2. “Christopher, b 2 June 1749 WV; Census (Manchester, Vt.) 2-2-4; m 23 Nov 1769 NoHC—Elizabeth da. Ezra & Hannah (Todd) Tuttle. Children (incomplete): 1 Jemima; m Abraham McIntyre of Camillus, N. Y., 1819. 2 Ezra; of Bennington, Vt., 1796.”21 Jacobus recorded this Christopher as 1st child of:

“JOHN, b 14 Feb 1728 WV; m 26 Jan 1748/9 WV—Jemima da. Daniel & Mary (Mansfield) Tuttle. Family incomplete.”22 Jacobus recorded this John as a younger brother of Christopher (b 1718) and 9th and last child and 6th son of John and Huldah (EARL) Brockett.

Comment: 5 of the 6 events in the New Haven area were evidenced by ‘Vital Statistics, Wallingford’ (WV)23, the 6th—a marriage outside the parish—by ‘Congregational Society, North Haven’ (NoHC).24 There’s no reason to doubt Jacobus’ allocation of them to their respective parents. They make good sense.

Christopher (b 1718): Jacobus’ Wallingford source recorded this Christopher born and dying there without issue, aged only 28. The 1746 Administration of his estate confirms his death in Wallingford. That there was no Wallingford or other New Haven marriage record for him suggests he died unmarried. In 1640 a State statute had been enacted: “The Magestrate who solemnizeth Mariedge betwixt any, shall cause a record to be entered in Courte of the day & yere thereof.”25 No marriage also fits the Administration of his estate.

The second Christopher (b 1749) is clearly the one we are investigating here, and according to Jacobus’ sources he was the nephew of the first. NoHC stood for ‘Congregational Society, North Haven’. According to Jacobus, this Christopher (b 1749) had at least 2 children. Jacobus was aware that:

1. The VT census record was of this Christopher after moving to Vermont. His surname being recorded as Bracket didn’t prevent Jacobus from making the link—nearly all 1790 New Haven ones were after all.
2. His account of the family was incomplete. He was mainly documenting New Haven events and provided no further record of the family, like Christopher’s date of death.
3. The daughter had married Abraham McIntyre from Camillus. Although he gave no source, its correspondence with both the primary and secondary VT records corroborates it.

Given Jacobus’ normal scrupulous precision, there can be little doubt that his Christopher Brockett b 1749 was Christopher Bracket of 1790 VT.

This section is still Page under construction! please check back later.

Other records from Vermont and New York

In addition to the primary evidence from Vermont considered above—the censuses and the Revolutionary War records—which show that Christopher was there by 1777 until at least 1800, the following secondary items are of relevance:26

1. Bennington Town records 1780-88. In 2001 Bill Brackett visited the Town Clerk’s offices in Bennington and Manchester, VT. The Bennington offices held no information. But  the Manchester office held some records of birth of children of Christopher and wife Elsea between 1780-8. “It is not clear when these records were written. They were in very old faded brown ink but probably had been copied from another source. The first record seems to have been written by a different individual than the other three.”27

Elizabeth Daughter of Christopher & Elsea Bracket was Born Bennington July 4th 1780
Belinda a Daughter to Christopher & Elsea Bracket was born Bennington June 4th 1782
Sarbra Daughter to Christopher & Elsea Bracket was born Manchester August 26, 1785
David Son to Christopher & Elsea Bracket was born Manchester May 12th 1788

Comment: This shows that the family moved from Bennington to Manchester between 1782 and 1785. It also shows that his wife was called Elsea. Whether or not this was Elizabeth is unclear. No record has so far been found of Elizabeth’s death, but most secondary sources including the Brackett genealogy,28 say Elsea—surname unknown—was a second wife. As shown above, in 1820 she was head of her own household in Camillus, NY.

2. 1796 and 1819. Jacobus recorded Christopher and Elizabeth’s son Ezra in Bennington, Vt, 1796, and their daughter Jemima marrying Abraham McIntyre of Camillus, NY in 1819. Unusually, Jacobus didn’t cite his sources. He acknowledged that his record of their family was incomplete, as mentioned above.

3. The McIntyre biography 1896.29 This predated the 1905 Brockett Genealogy, so wasn’t dependent on that, but it was clearly dependent on the 1883 Tuttle Genealogy, which it claimed a connexion with, as follows:

“Their English ancestry in one line descends through Sir John Brockett (now usually called Brackett), who had a son John, born in 1610, who came to America and settled in New Haven, Conn. To him there was born Samuel Brockett on January 14, 1652. He had a son John, born in 1685, who married Huldah Ells. A son of this John was born in 1718 and named Christopher, sr., whose son Christopher, jr., was father of Jemima Brackett, who married into the Mclntyre family, as noted further on. Taking up another line of the Mclntyre ancestry, it is found that William Tothill (as then spelled), of Devonshire, England, is recorded as bailiff in 1528 and again in 1548; as high sheriff of Devon in 1549, and Lord Mayor of Exeter in 1552.”

The last sentence was a direct quote from Tuttle,30 and the Tuttle Genealogy was apparently the first to publish the myth about Sir John Brockett—although it didn’t call him or his descendants Brackett. The misinformation that Christopher jr, father of Jemima, was the son of Christopher sr, son of John and Huldah, also appears to have come from Tuttle, although Tuttle only said he “may have” been. Nonetheless, the biography’s account is helpful in our investigation in two ways:

1. It agrees with Jacobus. It was not dependent on the Wallingford records (they hadn’t been published and the McIntyres wouldn’t have had access to the original books), so the link it made between the Bracketts/Brocketts of New Haven and the McIntyres of NY ties in with Jacobus’ record of Jemima marrying Abraham McIntyre of Camillus. It’s unlikely that the McIntyre biography was Jacobus’ source. So, although both Jacobus and the biography are secondary sources here they appear to be independent and corroborate each other.

2. The details confirming Christopher in Elbridge NY, which—ignoring the hero worship—appear to have elements of truth about them, being of a personal kind that can’t be gleaned from sources like censuses or tax returns, for example that he:

“was one of the very early settlers in the town of Elbridge, where he located previous to 1807. He was the first merchant in the village, and his account books prior to 1810 are still in possession of the Mclntyre family, showing fine penmanship, the methodical work of a careful and intelligent man of business, as well as many very quaint entries. He was one of the foremost in founding the Baptist church in 1813, and was perhaps the most prominent citizen of early times. Ezra Brackett, brother of Jemima, was one of the early Elbridge merchants and a man of character and respectability.”

Published genealogies

++++++1. 1879: Hughes and allied families
++++++2. 1883: Tuttle
++++++3. 1905: Brockett (EJB)
++++++4. 1907: Brackett (HIB)

We hope you think that the analysis provided above of primary and reliable secondary evidence provides a sufficient proof statement that Christopher Bracket of Vermont and New York, died 1810-20, was Christopher Brockett of New Haven, born 1749. However, published genealogies—while helpful in some respects in this investigation—added some conflicting suppositions, which on investigation turn out to be red herrings or wild goose chases, not based on evidence. Nevertheless, the red herrings and wild goose chases ought to be summarized, if only to show that that is what they are.

These published N American genealogies of the late 19th and early 20th C belong to a genre of their own, and some of their general characteristics are discussed elsewhere, but one of characteristic should be highlighted here. (To follow…)

One cause might have been that the Brockett and Brackett genealogies were largely territorial for the early centuries, the one focusing on New Haven and the other on the New England area, and if someone moved from one to the other it could cause a disconnect. More significantly, these one-name genealogies naturally focused on their own chosen name, and if someone switched between surnames he was liable to fall between two stools. Neither the Brockett nor Brackett genealogies entertained the possibility that Christopher might have switched names, and their confusion may have arisen for this reason.

These two limitations don’t apply to the Tuttle one-name genealogy—which focused on a different name and included research on other parts of New England—and the wild goose chase arising from it is different. The surname Brackett or variants scarcely appears in the huge work, and since the Broket/Braket variation was common in early New Haven records this is perhaps unexpected. To explain it by the author’s acquaintance with Linus Pierrepont Brockett, who was clear that “the name [Brockett] is to be carefully distinguished from that of Brackett”,31 the influential brother of the author of the Brockett genealogy32 would be speculative. The more likely cause, however, is that the Tuttle tribe was so large and so many of them had similar first names, that it would have been difficult—as it is for us today—to untangle which of them had connexions with Christopher, and no sources were supplied to help. Jacobus numbered Tuttle descendants at half a million in 1930.33 Were those connected to Christopher of this Tuttle branch or that? In any event, as we hope you agree, we have provided sufficient more reliable evidence for Christopher’s ancestry than will be disproved by conflicting accounts as to which Tuttle he was connected to, and they do not contribute to the proof statement in a significant way.

The relevant data in the Tuttle and Brockett genealogies was on Brokets, and the relevant data in the Hughes and Brackett ones was on Brakets. Because, as we’ve seen, Christopher was recorded as a Broket in the earlier surviving records and as a Braket in the later ones, he disappeared unsatisfactorily from the Tuttle and Brockett genealogies and appeared awkwardly in the Hughes and Brackett ones. However a critical analysis of all four of them in the light of primary evidence can produce a satisfactory proof statement. Do you agree?

1. 1879: Hughes and allied families

The title page of this work shows no author or place of publication but the archive.org reference shows it to have been compiled by DD and WH Hughes and published in Grand Rapids, MI, in 1879.34 Munsell also dated it 1879.35 Both this Hughes Genealogy and the 1907 Brackett Genealogy show uncertainty—whether about Christopher or his father John. From unnamed sources Hughes was confident of a John Brackett born 1720 in Massachusetts and of a John Brackett who died in Vermont aged 80. Whether or not the sources for these two items were the same we don’t know, but Hughes assumed the two Johns were the same. Whether or not the source or sources were reliable is another question. Where Hughes acknowledged uncertainty, however, was who John was the son of. You can see from this snip below that says he was “probably a son of one of the preceding [2 or 3 males].”36

Christopher in Hughes p 236

Hughes then presumably had a source which stated that Christopher Brackett was born at Bennington, VT, in 1744 and first married in 1768. This certainty about his birth sits uncomfortably with his uncertainty about siblings. The 1907 Brackett Genealogy’s account of Christopher below differed considerably from Hughes, casting further doubt on the reliability of both. But this is all understandable since both were clearly unaware of the birth and marriage records of Christopher Brockett from New Haven.

2. 1883: The Descendants of William and Elizabeth Tuttle

There are 4 relevant references in Tuttle: This section is Page under construction! please check back later.

1. Connexion through Capt Ezra Tuttle, b 1720, d 1793, father of Elizabeth, who married Christopher Brackett in 1769, and whose daughter Jemima married Abraham Mclntyre

2. Descendants of William and Elizabeth Tuttle 1883 p 642.John [so of Samuel 1652-1742], 1685; m. Huldah Ells; d. before 1711. 1. Daniel, 1712; m. Rachel —. 2. David, 1714. 3. Anna, b. Feb. 2, 1715: m. Gideon Hotchkiss. 4, Christopher, 1718; may have m. a dau. of Daniel Tuttle and had Christopher. 5, Mehitable, 1719. 6. Elisha, 1726. 7. John, 1728.

3. 138. Daniel Tuttle, b. Aug. 23, 1702. … . Will of Dan’l Tuttle, exhib. 1772. nms, wf., Mary, and Sam’l Tuttle. execrs., Benj. Trumbull, Thos. Mansfield and Sam’l Bishop, wit. It was not approved, and ordered to be on file. Christopher Brockett of Weathersfield, Cumberland Co., N. Y., (Windsor Co., Vt.,) a gr. s. of Dan’l Tuttle of No. Haven, appealed from the decision of the court as to the will of said Dan’l T. Capt. Ezra Tuttle joined Brockett in bonds; est insol.; may have had other chil.’ record imperfect.

I. Samuel, b. Feb. 12, 1727.
II. Daniel, m. Christian, dau. of Ebenezer Norton, b. March 12, 1728.
III. Mary, m. Jan. 17, 1755, Jacob Brockett. She d. June 20, 1760; (he m. (2) Nov. 18, 1760, Sarah Munson and had Munson, b. Oct. 5, 1761, Benajah, Asahel, Uri, Eli). 1 MARY, b. Oct. 10. 1755. 2, CHRISTOPHER of Weathersfield. Vt.
IV. Eunice, b. 1739; m. Lieut. Jared Hill, b. Aug. 10, 1736. (ante).37

4.

The relevant element of no.3 is III. Mary and Jacob. EJB reproduced this, but it wasn’t in Wallingford records—Jacobus had: …

3. 1905: The Descendants of John Brockett (EJB)

This book, which we refer to as ‘EJB’, is often an unreliable source, but it is widely available and cited, so needs to be included in any discussion about Brokets it mentioned. For a more general analysis of it see the separate page. With respect to Christopher, it recorded 3 Christopher Brocketts, each in the 18th C, each connected to the TUTTLE family and each without children. We quote EJB’s entries verbatim as follows, with bold highlights added for clarity:

  1. Christopher, b. April 9, 1718; lived at Wethersfield, Conn,; was great grandson of Daniel Tuttle, of North Haven, whose will he contested.38
  2. Christopher, b. June 2, 1749; m. Nov. 23, 1769, Elizabeth Tuttle, daughter of Ezra Tuttle and Hannah Todd. She [Elizabeth] died before 1793, and left no children.39
  3. Christopher, b. 1757.40

Again according to EJB (summarized):

  1. The Christopher (b 1718) was the 4th son of of John and Huldah (Ells) Brockett. This John was b 8 Nov 1685, son of Samuel and Sarah (Bradley) Brockett. Their 10th and last child and 6th son was John b 1728 who married Jemima Tuttle, see next.
  2. The Christopher (b 1749) was son of John Brockett, 6th son of John and Huldah (Ells) Brockett, b 1728 who married Jemima Tuttle 26 Jun 1748 at Wallingford, see previous. Comment: Jacobus had EARL for Huldah’s surname.
  3. The Christopher (b 1757) was the eldest son of [the Revolutionary War veteran]?? Jacob Brockett (b 1727, son of Samuel and Mehitabel (Hill)) and his first wife Mary Tuttle (daughter of Daniel Tuttle and Mary Mansfield), who died 20 Jun 1760.

More to follow.

4. 1907: Brackett genealogy:

This book by H I Brackett (HIB) focussed on descendants of the 17th C immigrants Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth NH and Richard Brackett of Braintree MA. It appears on the whole to have been a well-researched genealogy and suggests that our Christopher of Elbridge descended from Captain Richard Brackett of Braintree.41 HIB wasn’t sure of a birth date or place for Christopher, suggesting that he “was perhaps born in Boston”, the son of John Brackett, b 14 Apr 1719 in Braintree MA.42 He made no connection with the Brocketts of New Haven or Connecticut, although he was aware of them:

“… in the publication of names of men from Connecticut who served in the war of the revolution, it appears that ten persons by the name of Brackett were in the service of that colony during said war. The fact is that not a person by the name of Brackett was in its service; all of the ten referred to in the publication were Brocketts and undoubtedly so called themselves.”43

HIB wasn’t apparently aware of EJ Brockett’s The Descendants of John Brockett, published only 2 years previously. And as we’ve found out from that and primary sources above, Christopher’s father was indeed a John, but—in the records we have seen—surnamed Brockett rather than Brackett. HIB’s brief sketch of Christopher is, however, worth quoting:

Christopher Brackett was born perhaps in Boston; for a time prior and probably during the War of the Revolution, he dwelt in Bennington, Vt.; after the war removed to Manchester, where he lived until about 1800, when he removed to Elbridge, N. Y.; settled on a farm south of the village where he died at the age of seventy-five years. During the War of the Revolution he served in Elijah Dewey’s company; … Married (1st) about 1768, Elizabeth Tuttle by whom his older children were born; married (2nd) Elsa —. Issue, not in order of birth:
+++
1. Ezra, b. in 1769. See family 21.
2. Jemima, who mar. Abraham Mclntyre, of Elbridge.
3. Elizabeth, b. 4 July, 1780, in Bennington, Vt.
4. Belinda, b. 4 June, 1782, in Bennington.
5. Sabra, b. 26 Aug., 1785, in Manchester.
6. David, b. 12 May, 1788, in Manchester; lived in Elbridge, N.Y., where he raised a family.
7. Morris, drowned in 1816 in Osage river.
8. Jonathan, removed to Upper Canada in 1817.
9. Newman. No further record.
10. Sylvia, who mar. Rice and removed to Buffalo, N. Y.

Christopher in HI Brackett p 545
HIB recorded descendants of eldest son Ezra,44 but made no further mention of Jonathan.

Christopher’s parentage

Parents: John and Jemima TUTTLE, as per Jacobus. Comment: The signature of the Administrator of the estate of Christopher (b 1718) in 1746 was most likely that Christopher’s father: John who was aged 61 at the time. John, his youngest brother (b 1728), was only 18 then. Three years later he became father of Christopher (b 1749). According to Bill Brackett, this John reportedly died in 1800, at the age of 80 years, in Manchester, Vermont,45 but he was only 72 then, and so was possibly the John in Camillus in the 1810 census.

Grandparents: John and Huldah (Earl). Jacobus’ entry was: “John, b 8 Nov 1685 WV, d 12 Jan 1753 WV; m 1 Mar 1711 WV Huldah Earl, who d 29 Mar 1757 WV.”46 Jacobus recorded John as the 3rd son and child of Samuel and Sarah (Bradley).

Interpretation: According to Jacobus’ source, all these vital events of John and Huldah’s were in Wallingford.

Great gandparents: Samuel and Sarah (Bradley). Jacobus’ entry was: “SAMUEL, b 14 Jan 1651 NHV [1651/2]. bp 16 Jan 1651 NHC1 [1651/2], d 26 Oct 1742 ae. 93 WV; m 21 May 1682 WV, 23? May NHV—Sarah da. Willam & Alice (Prichard) Bradley, b 21 June 1665 NHV.”47 Jacobus recorded Samuel as the 3rd son and 7th child of the 1st Brockett recorded by Jacobus—John Brockett of New Haven, d 1690.

Interpretation: [1651/2] indicated ‘old style’ dating, and in these two cases meant 1652. ‘ae. 93’ meant ‘aged 93’, short for the Latin aetatis ‘at the age of’. According to Jacobus’ source NHV was Vital Statistics, New Haven,48 and his recording of the slight variation in the marriage date illustrates his precision. NHC1 was ‘First Congregational Society, New Haven’.49

Christopher’s descendants

Based on the evidence presented in the genealogies above and on further researches, Bill Brackett concluded that Christopher’s children were:50

With wife Elizabeth:
+++
Ezra born in 1769.
Jemima who married Abraham McIntyre of Elbridge, New York, her date of birth is unknown.
Sylvia who married … Rice and moved to Buffalo, New York.
+++
With wife Elsea:
+++
Elizabeth born 4 July 1780 in Bennington, Vermont.
Belinda born 4 June 1782 in Bennington.
Sabra born 26 August 1785 in Manchester, Vermont.
David born 12 May 1788 in Manchester, lived in Elbridge.
Morris who drowned in 1816 in the Osage River, his date of birth is unknown.
Jonathan born around 1799, moved to Upper Canada (Ontario) from Elbridge, New York.
Newman, date of birth unknown.

We focus here on Jonathan. Since the only Jonathan Braket found in the 1850/1 and 1860/1 N American censuses was the one recorded in the following 1851 and 61 Canadian census entries it is reasonable to assume that he was Jonathan son of Christopher. The Hughes and Brackett genealogies both recorded that Jonathan son of Christopher had moved to Upper Canada by or in 1817 (but said no more about him). ‘Upper’ Canada was an old designation referring to modern-day southern Ontario, as opposed to ‘Lower’ Canada—present-day Quebec—to the northeast.

The 1851 census for Gore of Chatham, Kent Co, Canada West (Ontario), shows Johnathan Bracket, aged 60 next birthday, born United States, and G Bracket, aged 20, born Canada, both as Inmates and Farmers, Religion: Church England.51

1851 Canada West census Johnathan and J Bracket

The 1861 census for Euphemia township, Lambton Co, Canada West, recorded the one-storied log-cabin household of Jonathan Brackett, aged 66, Farmer, and wife Mary Brackett, 61, both born in US, with Newman Bracket, 28, Single, Sarah Bracket, 20, and John Brackett, 16, all 3 Single and born in U.C.52 The next entry was for their son Martin Brackett and wife Elizabeth.

Gore of Chatham is c 336 m due west of Elbridge NY, where Christopher had lived, and Euphemia is c 27 m north of Chatham. Both Gore of Chatham and Euphemia were still rural settler towns in the mid 19th C, far from urban centers. Even in 2011 Euphemia was largely agricultural and only had 2049 inhabitants.53 In Jonathan’s time most families would have lived in basic log-cabin conditions, so it isn’t surprising that systematic records can’t be found—and probably weren’t kept—of the family’s vital events. But by piecing together scattered references Bill Brackett has discovered a remarkable amount about Jonathan and his family, firstly that he had married a daughter of David FANCHER by 1825:54

“The first actual settler in Euphemia was David Fancher. He was of French extraction, his ancestors having settled in the Mohawk Valley of New York State in early colonial days. Fancher as a boy had been a teamster in the Revolutionary Army. When he came to Euphemia in March 1825, he had a large family of grown up sons and daughters. William Walker and Jonathan Brackett, two sons-in-law, located in Lot 17, Concession 3; while Fancher himself too up Lot 18, Concession 3.”

According to records from NY 1797-1818, David and Sarah Fansher had 10 children, one of whom was Mary, born 1801. A birth record of Jonathan hasn’t been found, but according to the 1851 and 61 censuses he was born between 1791-5. The age ’60’ in 1851 was probably rounded up, so if ’66’ was accurate in 1861, he was probably b c 1795. His grave marker says he died in 1868 aged 69, placing his birth in 1799.55 1795-9 would have been while Christopher was still in Vermont.

Jonathan and Mary’s oldest child recorded in the 1861 census was Newman, aged 28, i.e. b c 1833. No record of their marriage has been located, but they were married by 1825, so in all likelihood had had other earlier children. G Bracket aged 20 in the 1851 census for instance, i.e. b c 1831, was probably a son,56 and Bill Brackett has found records of probable other children: Chester b c 1827, Phillip b c 1829, Betsey b c 1832, and Juliette b c 1836.57 Here our interest is in the sons Martin and John, ancestors of participants in the DNA project Ronald James Brackett and Harold Earl Brackett.

Page Last Updated: April 6, 2020

Footnotes

For full bibliographical details please see the sections Publications or Glossary.

Expand

[1] For example, his Brackett genealogy at goo.gl/MeSE3d (accessed 8 Nov 2018). To acknowledge Bill at every turn here would become tedious for the reader, however, but whenever we don't specify a source here, the information will have come from him.

[2] Jacobus 1830 p 24.

[3] As of 12 Nov 2018.

[4] Snips from an image in the public domain, but with acknowledgement to Ancestry.com, accessed 10 Nov 2018.

[5] Snip from an image in the public domain, but with acknowledgement to Ancestry.com, accessed 10 Nov 2018.

[6] Case Number 1892 of Ancestry.com's 'Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999' collection, retrieved 9 Nov 2018.

[7] NARA M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Roll: 0898. National Archives Catalog ID: 570910. Retrieved from Fold3.com 5 Apr 2018.

[8] US 1790 Federal Census for Manchester, Bennington Co, VT, p 13.

[9] US 1800 Federal Census for Manchester, Bennington Co, VT, p 205. Surname of Christopher---but not of Ezra---transcribed as Bracther in Ancestry.com 10 Nov 2018

[10] US 1810 Federal Census for Camillus, Onondaga Co, NY, p 74.

[11] Baltimore township Ward 5, NARA series M704 NARA roll 159.

[12] NARA series M33 NARA roll 67. Indexed by FMP as Schavos.

[13] From Ancestry.com's description of the Tax Assessment Rolls (accessed 17 Nov 2018).

[14] Snips courtesy of Ancestry.com (accessed 17 Nov 2018), from their 'New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804 online database. Original data: New York State Archives, Albany, New York, Microfilm Series B0950. The columns to the right of the name of the inhabitant recorded 1. a description of the real estate (house, land); 2. value of real estate; 3. value of personal estate; 4. Total taxable; 5. Dollars; 6. Cents.

[15] Surrounding names removed.

[16] On the second page of 'A Distribution Bill of real and personal property of Susannah Blakeslee Dec'd', in Case Number 1416 of Ancestry.com's 'Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999' collection, retrieved 9 Nov 2018. The snips below are from an image in the public domain, but due acknowledgement should be given to Ancestry.com for making them readily available.

[17] And again on the line above.

[18] At goo.gl/wP6juv (accessed 10 Nov 2018). Many thanks to Sue Pemberton for drawing my attention to this resource. The Wallingford page is part of the CT section of the late Jane Devlin's dunhamwilcox.net website, which is currently being kept running by others, Coralynn Brown presumably being one.

[19] At goo.gl/Pq8gRL (accessed 10 Nov 2018).

[20] p 331.

[21] p 332.

[22] p 332.

[23] p 7.

[24] p 6.

[25] goo.gl/Ew8Zzi (accessed 13 Nov 2018).

[26] Bill supplied other secondary sources from Vermont from 1776 onwards at goo.gl/qcAucP (accessed 22 Nov 2018).

[27] Brockett_Brackett file

[28] 1907 p 545, as 'Elsa'.

[29] According to Bill Brackett who quoted it in full at goo.gl/wU6PaJ (accessed 22 Nov 2018), this biography is found in Bruce D H (ed.) (1896) Onondaga's Centennial Gleanings of a Century, Boston History Co, vol 2, Section II Biographies, pp 91-94. It wasn't listed in Munsell 1900 (p 213).

[30] 1883 vol 1 p xviii.

[31] Letter of 16 Sep 1884 from Linus to a Brockett in Virginia. Photocopy of the original letter kindly supplied by Mark Brockett of New York, 1998.

[32] Mills Brown 1980 pp 11-12.

[33] 1930 p 124.

[34] goo.gl/3Tpvxe (accessed 11 Dec 2018).

[35] 1900 p 170.

[36] Hughes 1879 p 236.

[37] 1883 p 59-60.

[38] p 37.

[39] p 52.

[40] p 46.

[41] p 545 at goo.gl/vVXUzH (accessed 10 Nov 2018).

[42] pp 545 and 539.

[43] p 5.

[44] p 555.

[45] Source?

[46] p 324.

[47] p 324.

[48] p 6.

[49] p 6.

[50] For example, on findagrave.com at goo.gl/EV6JLC (accessed 10 Nov 2018).

[51] Canada Census 1851, Library and Archives Canada Film C-11729, Enumeration District 2, p 5. The initial is probably G but could be J, see 'Gregory' in item 19, and various Js.

[52] Canada Census 1861 for Canada West (Ontario) Province, Lambton District, Euphemia Subdistrict, enumeration District No. 1, Film C-1040-1041, p 13.

[53] 2011 Canadian Census.

[54] Citing Lauriston V (1949) Lambton’s Hundred Years 1849-1949, Haines Frontier Printing Company, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, p 58.

[55] On findagrave.com at goo.gl/oT7iU4 (accessed 8 Nov 2018). Is the grave marker original or has a new one been erected?

[56] Like '60' the age '20' was probably rounded down or up.

[57] For instance, Chester was mentioned as a sibling along with Martin Bracket, Juliet O’Brien, Sarah Jane Morgan, and John Bracket, with Franklin Fansher a witness, in the Will of Newman Bracket of Euphemia of 19 Mar 1887, probated 2 Jun 1887 (Lambton County Surrogate Court Records 1876-1892, vol B-C no 1119, Archives of Ontario Microfilm GS 2, Reel 69). Many thanks to Bill Brackett for this reference.

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