BRAINARD-BRAINERD-BRAYNARD FAMILY

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

This website is dedicated to preserving the genealogical history of all Brainard-Brainerd-Braynard family members world-wide. The family has only one immigrant ancestor--Daniel Braynerd/Braynard/Brainerd--who came from England to Connecticut in 1649 as a lad of eight or nine years of age.The name, in its variant spellings, does not exist in England, and may have been spelled very differently. We must remember most people could not read, write or spell, and local dialects sounded quite different to outsiders.

Daniel grew up in Hartford, most likely in the home of William Wadsworth, as an indentured servant, or apprentice. At age twenty-one, he relocated to Haddam, CT, prospered, and married Hannah Spencer. They had eight children--Daniel, Hannah, James, Joshua, William, Caleb, Elijah and Hezekiah.

In addition to all who have received the family name by birthright, many have received the name through adoption, marriage, or other reason. Some were bestowed the name at the time of their immigration into the United States, as a stage name, as the mother's birth name, or by missionaries in their country of origin.

The Brainard-Brainerd-Braynard family genealogy has been recorded in numerous publications since the late 1700's. It was first compiled in writing by a Rev. Elijah Brainerd. This so-called "Brainerd Manuscript" is kept in the archives of the New England Historical & Genealogical Society in Boston, MA. It is written very simply on 6-inch by 3-inch sheets of paper, and contains a listing of Daniel and his children. The cover is titled "A Genealogical Synopsis of the Brainerds." It is dated 20 January 1786.

In the "Brainerd Family Genealogy" loose files in the library of the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, CT, is a four-page letter from an Elijah Brainerd to Rev. David Dudley Field, dated 6 Dec. 1813, which lists an additional two generations of some family members. A somewhat complete family genealogy was compiled by Rev. David Dudley Field, titled The Genealogy of the BRAINERD FAMILY in the United States, and was published in New York by John F. Trow, Printer, in 1857. However, many families were left out, as they were not members of the church, did not contribute (financially or otherwise) to the effort, or had moved beyond contact into the wilderness.

A very comprehensive family genealogy was researched and compiled between 1880 and 1907 by Lucy Abigail Brainard (53iii. Daniel[2] line). It is The Genealogy of the BRAINERD-BRAINARD Family in America, 1649-1908 , in three volumes, published by the Hartford Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company, Hartford, CT, in 1908. It was later printed in seven separate volumes--one for each son.

A Supplement to the Genealogy of the BRAINERD-BRAINARD Family in America was compiled from 1985 to 1990, and privately published by Richard David Brainard, Portland, OR, in 1990. This was followed by a two volume 1990 Update to The Genealogy of the BRAINERD-BRAINARD Family in America, 1649-1908, also privately published by Richard David Brainard, Portland, OR, in 1990.

A Brainard-Brainerd-Braynard Family Newsletter has been published quarterly since 1991 by Richard David Brainard. It includes current and historical information, as well as current births, marriages, and obituaries, as provided to the editor by family members. A subscription is $15 per calendar year, from Richard Brainard, 813 SW Alder St. #700, Portland, OR 97205.

Mr. Brainard acts as the family genealogical historian, keeping lineages up to date as information is received from family members. In addition to the mailing address above, he can be reached at 503-243-2652, or by email at dickbrainard@qwest.net.