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David Brady's Possible Family

The following is a story that I added to one of my trees on Ancestry. I thought by posting it here, I'd get a few more readers. David Brady was my 3rd great grandfather.Another post on David Brady is at http://mesenbrinkphotos.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-twenty-children-of-david-brady.html.

The information on David Brady's origin is sketchy. He is said to have been born in 1785 in Sussex county, New Jersey. When he died on July 12, 1878, he was 93 years, 1 month and 14 days of age according to his death certificate. Based on that, he was born May 28, 1785. His ages from the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses, when you consider the actual enumeration dates, confirm that birth year exactly.
His obituary gives his birthplace as Sussex county, New York (not New Jersey). But there is no Sussex county in New York, so this is clearly an error. A biography in Glover's 1906 county history states his birthplace as Sussex county, New Jersey. Otherwise, there isn't a lot of evidence of his birthplace.
The biography says he commenced pioneer life in Franklin county, Ohio before settling in Sandusky County, Ohio, and moving to Cass county, Michigan in 1828. The 1828 Cass county date is right, but he actually came there from Marion county, Ohio, where he received land patents in 1821 and 1822. His 1821 land patents, show that he lived in Ohio, and not New Jersey, so it is possible that he had been in Franklin or Sandusky counties prior to that.
David Brady received 480 acres of land in Big Island township, Marion county, Ohio in 1821 and 1822. At the same time, a William Brady and a Christoper Brady received land within a few miles of David, and even in the same sections and on the same days as each other. Christopher Brady remained in Marion county and he is said to have been born in Monmouth county, New Jersey. Coincidentally, David's daughter, Nancy, is also said to have been born in Monmouth county. I'm not sure what evidence there is for either statement, but it is worth noting.
In any case, finding potential siblings will lead to tips finding David's parents. If we can identify his siblings, we have that many more chances to find their parents. So now we have David Brady and at least one potential sibling:
1) David Brady; b. 28 May 1785, Sussex county, New Jersey; d. 12 July 1878, Cass county, Michigan.
2) Christopher Brady; b. 24 January 1781, New Jersey; d.18 April 1869, Marion county, Ohio.
William, who received land in Marion county, isn't listed as a head of household in the 1830 census. But listed with John Brady is a man born in the 1750s. A John Brady family matching those ages shows up in the 1840 census as well, without the older man. I suspect this might be the William who received land in the 1820s. Given his age, he is likely John's father, as well as that of David and Christopher. Land records show that William disposed of land between 1823 and 1831 to Christopher and John Brady and to Peter Van Houten, who will be identified below. In William's 1831 land sale to Christopher Brady, William is said to be from Cass County, Michigan. I'm not aware of records of William there, although he likely lived with his son, David, and died in Cass County, Michigan, being over 70 by then.
 John and Phebe Brady were still in Big Island township in 1850. The census shows John, age 61, and Phebe, age 52, both born in New Jersey, and five children born between 1824 and 1836 in Ohio. John and Phoebe were married in 1813 at First Baptist Church in Wantage, Sussex county, New Jersey, according to the History of the First Baptist Church of Wantage, Sussex, New Jersey. Another piece of evidence pointing to the Sussex county origin of the Bradys.
So we add:
3) John Brady; b. 19 January 1788, Sussex county, New Jersey; d. 22 August 1851, Marion county, Ohio.
Other First Baptist Church marriages are of interest. Mary Brady married Peter Van Houten in 1805 . They are buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Marion, along with several Bradys. Peter Van Houten received land in Big Island township, not far from the Bradys, in 1836, and bought land from William Brady in 1825. Mary could very well be a sister:
4) Mary Brady Van Houten, b. 21 July 1782, Sussex county, New Jersey; d. 30 May 1858, Marion county, Ohio.
Continuing with the Sussex marriages at First Baptist Church, another Mary Brady married David Cole in 1813. Catherine Brady married Peter Kember in 1811. James Brady married Phoebe Elston in 1812. The Kimbers, Phoebe Brady, and several Elstons are listed close to one another in the 1850 census of Washington township, Darke county, Ohio. Coles were also there. Joseph Cole's biography, in A Biographical History of Darke County Ohio, describes the various relationships between these families and the connection the Elstons had to Monmouth county, New Jersey. We can add Mary, Catharine and James:
5) Mary Brady Cole, b. 1792, New Jersey; d. 1850-1860, Darke county, Ohio?
6) Catharine Brady Kimber, b. 1791, Sussex county, New Jersey; d. after 1860, probably Darke county, Ohio.
7) James Brady, b. 1787, Sussex county, New Jersey; d. 28 November 1838, Darke county, Ohio.
Those receiving land patents in Darke county, Ohio were Asenath Brady, James Brady, and William Brady. These Brady's settled within a few miles of each other in German and Washington townships. James was listed as being from Greene county in his 1817 patent. James died in 1838, leaving his widow, Phoebe, who died in Darke county in 1882. A William, born in the 1790s, is in the 1830 census of Darke county, but not after that. There is no Asenath Brady in the early censuses, except for a son of James who was too young to have received the land patent mentioned above. I'm not sure yet what happened to William and Asenath, but with the proximity to other Bradys with Sussex county connections, they are potential siblings:
8) William Brady, b 1790s
9) Asenath Brady
Two Mary Brady's is problematic. Parents would sometimes give a baby the name of a deceased child. Since that name was probably from a grandmother or other relative, I'm sure they felt it was important to have a daughter carry that name on. But these Marys, both very much alive, had to have been from different families. I believe the Marion county family group (#1 - #4) may have been cousins to the Darke county family group (#5 - #9). There is nothing to indicate the Darke county Bradys' father or mother came with them. The Cole biography mentions James Brady coming out with his brother-in-law, Samuel Cole, and no mention of his father. The 1793 New Jersey Tax Lists for Sussex County list Joseph, Richard, and Robertson Brady, besides William.
So we have identified a William Brady, born ca 1755, who is likely the father of the Marion county Bradys. And there is a group of Bradys in Darke county, who also came from Sussex county, New Jersey, and who could all be siblings to each other and perhaps cousins to the Marion county bunch. Finally, we have the Monmouth county reference coming up numerous times. Perhaps William and siblings were originally from Monmouth county. Further searches for wills, land records, and biographies may be helpful.
Bob Mesenbrink
January 8, 2015

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