New England
ENGLAND
In the year 1436, the name was spelled Braa’se although still pronounced ‘Braccie". In that year we find a John Braase of Doverdale, County of Worcester, England, who married Margery Power and had a son John Braase, who married Isabel, daughter of Sir Humphrey, Stafford, Knighted, and had Robert, who married Isabel, daughter of John Stormey. The son from this union, William of Doverdal, Worcester County, seems to have been the first who spelled his name Brace. He was living in 1505 and also in 1549. He married Jane, daughter of William Whytton of Whytton Salop. He died before Sept. 17, 1560, leaving issue as follows: William of Droitwich; John of Tearnell House; Lewis; Phillip: and Elizabeth, each of whom married and had children.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bracey, Thomas, from Wilaston, Cheshire, England, arrived at Chester (Upland) in 1682. He appears to have been a man of means and of reliable integrity was a member of the Society of Free Traders, and at a meeting of that society held at London on the 29th of May, he was placed at the head of a committe of twelve to reside in Pennsylvania and manage the affairs of the society here. He was a member of the first Provincial Assembly held in Philadelphia in 1683, and doubtless took a part in that held at Chester previously. But notwithstanding the public trusts with which he was charged, he found time to give constant attention to the meeting of the Friends, of which he appears to have been a highly respected member and an esteemed minister. He made a settlement in the upper part of Chester township, but in his latter years lived in the borough. He died in 1691, leaving two daughters to survive him, Rebecca, who was married to Thomas Thomson of New Jersey, and Mary, who became the wife of Francis Worley. Thomas Bracey had suffered distress of his goods in his native country for preaching the gospel and for absenting himself from the national worship.
CONNECTICUT
Name of Brace and Bracey and Bracy are found in Probate and Town Records at Hartford, Connecticut in one or more cases where the name Bracy is used in the body of the deed and signed by the name of Brace, which renders it more difficult to give the line of Henry Brace.
Stephen Brace of Hartford, Connecticut, as well as William Brace of Doversdale, England, spelled his name Brace but pronounced it as Bracey. Church and town records relating to his family show both forms of spelling. Nor have the centuries entirley succeeded in changing the more melodious French pronunciation to the harsher English. John Sherman Brace, from whose ‘Brace Lineage" I , Lucy Brace, have copied much of the first two pages of his notes says: "While the final ‘y’ has been for the most part dropped, its use is still continued, especially by descendants of a Massachusetts branch of the family. In our own branch, it also survives the ages. A gentleman who occupies the office next to my own, often affectionately addresses me as ‘Bracy". The name has been borne by men in every walk of life who have risen above the mediocre. By men who have achieved success in the professions and in the commercial, industrial, and political life of the Nation.
REVEREND JOHN BRACY
Reverend John Bracy or Bracie married Aug. 4, 1631 to Phebe Bisby of Bigsby whose last name is alos given as Besbridge, eldest daughter of William Busby of London, England and who purchased property for her and her children, located in Wetherfield, Connecticut. She later Married Samuel Martin and they occuoied this property along with the Brace children. This property is referred to, under her son John and son Thomas’ names. In 1661 the children were of age or married and deeded their rights in the property to their mother and stepfather, Samuel Martin. On Dec. 6, 1683, Phebe was appointed to administer upon her second husband’s estate.
Rev. John Bracy died Jan. 19, 1709. The first settlements by the family in the New World were in the Connecticut Colony. John Bracie was possibly this man’s name because the first American Historian, Cotton Mathers, in connection with the seating in the meeting house says: "Rev. Mr. Bracey and wife had seats assigned them". There was a clergyman connected with Branford Church who remained in this country but a short time and then returned to England. This clergyman may have been Mr. Bracie. Charles E. Banks, Mss. In Library of Congress writes: "Rev. John Bracey is the name of an immigrant from English Parish of Wooten, Bedfordshire, England to New Haven, Conn. John Bracie came over in 1642 as did also this man and settled in New Haven, where first he, with prefix of respect, sat down in 1644". He was given a prefix of "Mr.", and honor in that distant accorded only to persons of wealth and prominence.
Colonial records of New Haven County, V2, p. 139, show that a Mr. Bracie in July, 1647, took the oath of Fidelity. John Bracey was deeded land in New Haven, Conn. On Aug. 3, 1647, and on October 5, 1647, John Bracey deeded to others various tracts including his home lot. Records contain no further mention of him. Whether or not he left descendants in the New World is unknown as it is not at all certain that this is the same man as Rev. John Bracy, but the dates seem to coincide correctly. He is believed to have returned to England after disposing of his land.
Issue: John Bracey, born 1638 in England; died Jan. 19, 1698 in Wethersfield, Conn. Baptized Sept. 5, 1649 in New Haven, Conn., and was from London and Maulden County, Bedfordshire, England. Married about 1677 to Anne (Pearce) Carmichale. Tailor by trade and an irrepressible drafter. In York Deeds, Bk. 5, Pt. II, Folio 14, it states: " John Penwill presents John Bracy for a common liar", and in Folio 117 it states "County York, in presentments agreed upon and brought in by the Grand Jury Jan. 4, 1697/8 to ye court of Sessions at York ‘we present John Bracie for cursing’", and in Folio 117 it states: " County York at a Court of Sessions held at Wells July ye 5th, 1698 before Samuel Wheelwright, Samuel Connell, William Pepperell and Abraham Preble, Esq. His Majesties Justices of Peace in ad. County. John Bracy being summoned to appear at the court to answer a presentment of the Grand Jury exhibited against him for cursing. And this court being made sensible that he was not capable to appear, is sentenced to sit in Ye Stocks at York bot exceeding three hours. Mr. Deynell & Lt. Preble to see ye execution done within one month of ye Day hereof and he is to pay fees of Court 5s." John lived discredited in York about 25 years.
William Bracy married 1-Mary Marston, 2-Penelope Day, and 3-Mary Rylance.
Constant Bracey married John Morray.
Phebe Bracey
Stephen Bracey or Brace married Elizabeth
STEPHEN BRACEY OR BRACE
Stephen was born about 1644 in England and came from London that same year. Died 1724. Married Elizabeth _________ who survived her husband 32 years.
Stephen Bracey or Brace dropped the ‘y’ yet did not change the pronunciation and spelled the name Brace. He was in Hartford Colony in 1660 and in Swansea, Mass. In 1667 and back in Hartford in 1669. In 1675 he lived in Hartford on lot 13, on Charter St. It is recorded in V 14, p 174, #184 of Connecticut Historical Societies that he pruchased land of Nathaniel Willet on Dec. 15, 1675. In the Hartford, Conn. Vital Records p. 362, it states"another parcel of land in Hartford on Conn. River beloged to Steven Brace and his heirs forever Dec. 23, 1673". On p 281, same book, it says "Steven Brace witnessed the signing of a deed, dated July 1685." In early Conn. Probate Records, V I, Hartford District 1635-1770 by Manwaring, p. 74, "an amount of the second Tier of Lotts. Beginning at Windsor Bounds #70 to Samuel Steele, bounded north by Bevel Waters and south upon Steven Brace, Chains 4, link 06. #71 to Stephen Brace bound north upon Samuel Steele and south upon Richard Gilman. Chains 4, links 03" (p193, same bk. Copied from Probate Records on p. 182) Court Record, p. 162 "1 st March, 1676-1677: Adms. To Stephen Bracy.
He later lived near Little River in Hartford where he died in 1692. He owned land at Rocky Hill, Great Meadows, and other places including his Padaquank lands. His name occurs signed to an article that was drawn up at a town meeting and it states"We whose names are here underwritten, do freely upon our admission to be Inhabitants of this town of Swansea, assent to the above written agreement, made between the Church of Christ now meeting here at Swansea, and Capt. Thomas Willet and his associates, as the said agreement is specified and declared in the three proposals aforewritten, with the several conditions and explanation thereof concerning the present and future settlement of this Township. In witness therof, we have hereunto subscribed." This original page is numbered in pencil—Swansea Town Meetings 1667-1718, p. 18—and on p. 14 of Swansea Town and Proprietor’s Records 1670-1718 it states: "Stephen Brace, for not performing the condition of his grant, the grant is by the Townspeople the 12th of Sept., 1679, declared void." (At the beginning of this paragraph, Stephen’s name was written as Stephen Brase.)
MASSACHUSETTS
Stephen Brace is credited with settling in Hartford, Conn. About 1669. The absence of a more definite date is better understood after a review of the early history of Hartford. Its first settlement was made in 1653 when the Dutch built on what is still called Dutch Point, a fort which they called the House of Hope. Here they maintained a fur trading post until 1654, when the fort was siezed and the Dutch driven from the Colony. In 1656, Thomas Hooker and Samuel Stone, two influential clergymen of Cambridge, Mass. Led their congregations through the wilderness and after two weeks’ journey, reached the Conn. River, which they crossed on rafts and settled near the fort. The settlement was first called Newtown, but the next year was named Hartford. From this it will be seen that the town in 1669 was little more than a frontier settlement in a land where few existed.
Jamestown, Va., the first English settlement in America (1607), had been settled within the memory of men then living, and Plymouth less than 50 years before. Six years would elapse before King Phillips Indian War would be fought and 23 years before so-called witchcraft a Salem would cause a reign of terror in her sister settlement. Early settler took little care to preserve personal records or even those of the community. The solving problems of the present kept the pioneer too busy to concern himself with the future. Documents, lists, and memoranda, which would serve, if preserved, as excellent records of the times, would often be destroyed as soon as they served the temporary purpose for which they had been prepared. It s therefore fortunate that enough records survive to enable us to fix a approximate date of Stephen’s settlement.
Church and town records have both forms of spelling the last name of this family, and the Mass. Branch of the family still continues to use the form of ‘Bracey". Swansea, Mass., which in 1675 was to become the scene of a horrible Indian massacre, was incorporated in 1667.
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It was, however, settled at an earlier date. Little is known of Stephen’s residence in Swansea; grant of land to him there was revoked, possibly after his departure from the town. Hartford, Conn. Attracted many settlers from Mass. Towns. A greater degree of religious toleration was enjoyed there, the soil
Was more fertile, a new country—beckoning, attractive, and hospitable. The early history of the town, like the rest of New England, was unusual for three reasons: its settlers came to seek religious freedom from an intolerable condition in England; they came with no hope of gain from the middle classes of society, originally exchanging comfortable homes for the dangers, discomforts and privations of the wilderness; and they were of English blood in which no other strains mingled for nearly 150 years.
Stephen Brace well represented this history—he was of Norman English blood, was a man "of good estate" and was a Puritan when Puritanism was in full flower.
