GreenerPasture.com

Sign In



FREE ancestry since 1999 - History belongs to all of us!

Add YOUR Family To This Page

flag  History of Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Journey back in time to Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Visit Braintree, Massachusetts, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.

Follow us on Instagram      Subscribe to our Youtube channel      Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com Visit Our Old Newspaper Blog Visit Our Life Blog

Do You Have Braintree Roots? Share Your Ancestral Story!

Braintree, Massachusetts, USA - Railroad Station

Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA

Braintree is the birthplace to Presidents John Adams, and John Quincy Adams, as well as statesman John Hancock and General Sylvanus Thayer. Braintree is also the site of the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti murders as well as the retirement home of the co-inventor of the telephone Thomas Watson. braintreema.gov

Braintree includes: Braintree Highlands (Monatiquot Heights) and Mayflower Park.
netronline.com/ mass_lookup.htm




There is MUCH more to discover about Braintree, Massachusetts, USA. Read on!

Braintree Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards


Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Railroad Station

Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Cochato Club

Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Thayer Public Library

Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
1910 Washington Street, Braintree, Mass.

Discover Braintree: History, News, Travel, and Stories

Add informationAdd History/News/Story
  • Braintree was founded on land first colonized in 1625 by Captain Wollaston, and initially named Mount Wollaston.

    www.braintreema.gov/ about_history.html
  • 1640 - Braintree is incorporated

    Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
  • 1839 - Braintree
    Braintree, Massachusetts
    Norfolk county. This town formerly included Quincy and Randolph, and was first called Mount Wollaston. It is celebrated for the antiquity of its settlement, (1625) and for the eminent men it has produced, both in church and state. The surface of the town is variegated by hill and dale, presenting many delightful views of Boston, its harbor and the adjacent country. The soil is a strong gravelly loam, and very productive. Excellent granite abounds here, of which large quantities are annually quarried and transported; and some of the best merchant ships are built of native white oak and cedar. The holley tree (Ilex aquifolium) is indigenous. Indications of coal have been so strong as to warrant an attempt at mining. The Manatiquot river, which rises in Randolph, after meandering through this town and receiving the waters of Great and Little ponds, meets the tide waters of Boston harbor, at Braintree landing, on Weymouth Fore river, 11 miles from Boston. At this ... Read MORE...

  • 1845 - BRAINTREE. [Pop. 2,168 Inc.1640.]
    Braintree formerly included Quincy and Randolph. The town of Quincy contains the oldest settlement.

    The Maniquot river passes through the town, and unites with Weymouth Fore river, at Braintree Landing.

    The chief manufactures are boots, shoes, nails, and paper.

    Distance from Dedham, 12 miles ; from Boston, 10.
    An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
  • 1848 - Braintree
    This town formerly included Quincy and Randolph, and was at first called Mount Wollaston, and is one of the most ancient places in the state, the first settlement being made in the town as early as 1625. The ancient history of Braintree now properly comes under the head of Quincy, as Mount Wollaston, the place where the first settlement was made, is within the limits of that town. Braintree was incorporated in 1640, Quincy in 1792.

    The soil of this township, though not very fertile, is strong, and well repays cultivation. The Maniquot river, after passing through this town and affording many mill sites, meets the tide-waters of Weymouth Fore river at Braintree landing. In the town are manufactories of cotton, satinet, shovels, paper, nails, and chocolate; large quantities of shoes are made here. There is excellent granite found here, and large quantities are exported; ship-building is also carried on to some extent. There are 3 churches, one of which is Unitarian. On the eastern... Read MORE...

  • 1854 - Braintree
    Braintree, a post-township of Norfolk co., Mass., on the S. Shore and Old Colony railroad, 10 miles S. by E. of Boston. Pop., 2969.
    A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.
  • Braintree Massachusetts, 1890
    Braintree, one of the most respectable and ancient towns of the State, lies in the northeastern part of Norfolk County, 10 miles south of Boston, on the Old Colony Railroad. The stations, villages and post-offices are Braintree, South Braintree, and East Braintree. It is bounded on the northwest and north by Quincy, east by Weymouth, south by Holbrook, and southwest and west by Randolph. The area is 7,956 acres, aside from the highways and water surfaces. There are 1,997 acres of woodland, consisting chiefly of oak and pine. The holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) is indigenous here. Along the highways are numerous elms and maples, some of which have been growing fifty years.

    Gooch, or Great, Pond, in the westerly part, contains about 150 acres; Little Pond, near South Braintree village, about 75 acres; and Cranberry Pond, at the south, 25 acres. The surface of the town is agreeably diversified by several eminences, affording fine views, but none of great height, except on the northwest... Read MORE...

  • 1895 - Braintree
    Brain'tree, a post-village of Norfolk co., Mass, in Braintree township, on the Old Colony Railroad, at its junction with the Granite Branch and with the South Shore Railroad (operated as a branch of the Old Colony), 10 miles S. of Boston. It has several churches, a savings-bank, a public library, a newspaper office, and Thayer Academy, which has a fund of $200,000. P. of township (1890), 4848. The township has granite-quarries, and manufactures of boots, carpets, paper, organs, shovels, twine, tacks, &c. It contains villages named South Braintree and East Braintree.
    Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
  • 1916
    Braintree, a post-village of Norfolk co., Mass., in Braintree township (town), on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 10 miles S. of Boston. The town has granite-quarries and manufactures of absorbent linen, filters, carpets, leather, engines, etc. The banking point is Quincy. Down to 1792, Braintree included what is now Quincy, the birthplace of John Adams, John Hancook, and John Quincy Adams. Pop. of the town in 1900, 5981.
    Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher
  • Braintree is the site of the infamous 1920 murders that led to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti.

    wikipedia.org

Discover Your Roots: Braintree Ancestry

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

We currently have information about ancestors who were born or died in Braintree.

View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)



male ancestorHenry ADAMS (1583, , England (United Kingdom) - 6 October 1646, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
male ancestorJohn WHEATLEY (4 January 1595, , Dorset County, England - 1646, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
male ancestorThomas THAYER (16 August 1596, Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England - 2 June 1665, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
female ancestorAgnes Anna LOVELL? (1598, , England (United Kingdom) - 9 July 1643, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
female ancestorMargaret (Margery) WHEELER (25 April 1600, Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England - 11 February 1673, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
male ancestorJohn FRANCIS (1600, , England (United Kingdom) - 17 September 1688, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
male ancestorThomas FAXON (1601, Hingham, Essex, England - 23 November 1680, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
male ancestorWilliam HAYWARD (February 1604, Stepney London Borough of Tower Hamlets Greater London, England - 10 May 1659, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)
female ancestorJoane PETERS (1605, Enstone, Oxfordshire, England - 23 November 1680, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA)

Ancestors Who Were Married in Braintree, Massachusetts, USA

We currently have information about ancestors who were married in Braintree.

View Them Now

male ancestorJoel JENKINS (1616 - 2 November 1688) and female ancestorSarah GILBERT (3 November 1624 - 1687) married 14 July 1640
male ancestorPeter GEORGE (1628 - 19 January 1693) and female ancestorMary ROWNING (12 November 1613 - 1694) married 30 September 1641
male ancestorHenry ADAMS (1610 - 21 February 1676) and female ancestorElizabeth PAINE (23 July 1620 - 29 February 1675) married 17 November 1643
male ancestorFrancis GOULD (1622 - 27 March 1676) and female ancestorRose WHITEHALL? (1627 - 1679) married 1648
male ancestorJoseph ADAMS (9 February 1626 - 6 December 1694 ) and female ancestorAbigail BAXTER (28 September 1634 - 27 August 1692) married 26 November 1650
male ancestorFerdinando THAYER (18 April 1625 - 28 March 1713) and female ancestorHuldah HAYWARD (7 October 1636 - 1 September 1690) married 14 January 1652
male ancestorThomas FAXON (11 July 1630 - 25 May 1662) and female ancestorDeborah THAYER (27 March 1634 - 31 May 1662) married 11 April 1653
male ancestorSamuel KINSLEY (7 May 1629 - 21 May 1662) and female ancestorHannah BRACKETT (4 June 1634 - 3 July 1706) married abt. 1655
male ancestorThomas BARRETT (1634 - 8 December 1702) and female ancestorFrances WOOLDERSON (1635 - 27 May 1694 ) married 14 September 1655
Not the place you are looking for? Try again!

Search for Your Family by Place

To search for a place, specify place name below. Choose name from the list. Then SEARCH.
*Place Name:

Who Are You Searching For?

Search for Your Family by Name

NOTE: If you don't know your ancestor's whole name or are unsure of the spelling, specify part of the name.

First Name:
*Last Name:
Gender:
Born (+/- 2 years):
Died (+/- 2 years):
Match all terms exactly:

Updated: 4/19/2023 9:46:26 AM

Braintree Ancestry Tales: Share Your Unique Story!

If you'd like to be contacted by others who have ancestors from Braintree, leave a message here!
The comments you read here belong only to the person who posted them. We reserve the right to remove off-topic and inappropriate comments.