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Origin of the Bradys from Marion and Darke counties in Ohio

 In David Brady's Possible Family I speculated on siblings and cousins of my 3d great grandfather, David Brady. To summarize I identified two family groups, one, including David Brady, who settled in Marion County, Ohio in the 1820s, and another group who settled in Darke county, Ohio. These families both originated from Sussex county in New Jersey. David moved to Cass county, Michigan a few years after getting the Marion county land.

The Marion county group consists of a likely father, William Brady, born ca. 1750 with four known children, all born in Sussex county, New Jersey. The Darke county group, consists of five possible children, with three known to have been born in Sussex county, New Jersey. The oldest of the Darke county group, James, named a son, Robison. The Robison name, I believe, provides a significant link to their ancestry.

It seems likely that these two groups were related since both Brady groups originated in Sussex county New Jersey at about the same time. In fact both groups have members married at First Baptist Church in Wantage township.

Last year I got an email from Bradford Brady of Marion county, Ohio. He is a descendant of Christopher Brady, brother to my ancestor. He passed along a link to part of a document he found on the Brady family of the New York City area. The article, on genealogy.com, by Ellsworth John La Coste, provides some history of his Brady ancestry going back to the 1600s. 

Of interest to us was his description of a John Brady, born between 1724 and 1727 in New York City. He had two children born in North Castle, Westchester county, New York. William was born about 1760  and Robison was born about 1765. Both were mentioned in their uncle Zebulon's 1804 will. Robison was named for his grandmother, Maria Robinson. In 1793 he was listed in Hardston township of Sussex county, New Jersey as Robertson Brady for the local militia. He is said to have died there. Hardston township borders Wantage to the east. William is listed with the Wantage militia, also in 1793.

So we have the La Coste document showing William and Robison as brothers and we also find William and Robison living near each other in northern Sussex county. We have evidence of William moving to Marion county, Ohio, and his children there claiming Sussex county, New Jersey as their origin. No evidence has been found of Robison moving to Darke county Ohio, but La Coste states he died in Sussex county, NJ. The Bradys of Darke county, Ohio also claimed Sussex county, NJ origins, and one of Robison's sons, James, had a son also named Robison.

It seems very likely that the Bradys of Darke and Marion counties in Ohio are descended from the Bradys that La Coste documents.

I'll leave it to the reader to look at the La Coste documents, but in summary:

William (patriarch of the Marion county Ohio and Cass county Michigan Bradys) and Robison (patriarch of the Darke county Ohio Bradys) were sons of John Brady b. 1724-1727 in New Castle, Westchester, New York.

John's father was John Brady b. Jan 2 1697/8 in Southwerk, St. Olave, London, England and Maria Robinson. It was Maria whose maiden name was carried on, as the first name "Robison", to her grandson and 2g grandson.

As far back as can be determined, the Brady family is English. If at some point it can be traced back further, it might originate in Ireland or Scotland. But it should be noted as well, that the Bradys lived in what was New Amsterdam, and in the Dutch settlement of Sussex county, so the Dutch influence through marriage was significant.

Bob Mesenbrink

July 28, 2021




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