General Notes

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Robert Braswell, son of Richard Braswell, Gentleman, was born in Lond
on E ngland, in 1612. On 22 February 1627-28 he entered Oxford Universi
ty at t he age of fifteen. On 3 November 1631 he graduated with a BA degre
e. He be came an Anglican clergyman, immigrated to America, as ear
ly as 10 Novemb er 1635 and was living in the Isle of Wight, Virginia, whe
re he owned a pl antation on the Blackwater River. He became the rect
or of the Anglican Chu rch which is now known as the Old Brick Church, Is
le of Wight, Virginia.
In 1653 Robert Braswell was elected to the House of Burgesses of Virgi
ni a. At this period of time separation of church and state was the sub
je ct of much agitation in both Europe and America. In 1653 he was suspe
nd ed from the House of Burgesses. As stated "At a Grand Assembly Ju
ly 5, 165 3, it is ordered by the present Grand Assembly that Mr Robert Br
acewell, c lerke, be suspended, and is not in a capacity of serving as a B
urgesses, s ince it is unpresidential, and may produce bad consequences
." Here the na me is spelled Bracewell, however in records pertaining to R
obert Braswe ll the name is sometimes spelled Braswell and sometimes Brace
well.
Records of his descendants have those two spellings, as well as other
s, s uch as Brascill, Brazill, and Brazel. This does not mean that the ind
ividu al himself was inconsistent in the spelling of his name, as the na
me was o ften written by lawyers, clerks, and custodians of records. In di
rect quot ations the original form will be used. The will of the Revere
nd Bracewe ll (Braswell) was made 15 February 1671. It was one of the earl
ier wills m ade in this country. It is to be found in Deed and Will Bo
ok I, pa ge 9, of the Isle of Wight records of Virginia.
In his will Robert Bracewell directed that his two underage sons - Ro
be rt Jr. and Richard - were to receive the bulk of his estate and we
re to sh are the 700 acre home plantation and 800 acres on the Nansemond R
iver. Th ey also were to share in the new mill when it was completed. He n
amed t wo friends and neighbors - George Gwellin (Welsh for William) and R
icha rd Izard - to act as guardians for the children, each to receive fo
ur shil lings with which to buy himself a ring. He further directed that h
is two s ons be placed in school to learn to read and write. His three mar
ried daug hters were to receive three cows each. The indentured servant, E
lizabeth H all, was to receive a heifer. Seven of his friends were to rece
ive one co w, and his son-in-law William West was to receive a cow and yea
rling.
Included in the inventory of his property were sixty three head of live
st ock, a servant boy, a library worth 500 pounds of tobacco, a sloop, sil
ver ware, and numerous articles of clothing and household furnishings. T
he tot al value of his estate was given as 35,800 pounds of tobacco (Wi
ll and De ed Book I, page 55). From an accounting of his estate render
ed on 10 Janua ry 1669-70 and signed by Richard and Rebecca Izard, it appe
ars that Mr Iza rd, who owned the adjoining plantation, must have perform
ed his duti es in a very satisfactory manner indeed.
The children of the Reverend Robert Bracewell and Rebecca wer
e: 1. Ja ne - whose first marriage was to Robert Stokes, her second marria
ge w as to Rober Ely, and her third marriage was to John Roberts. 2. Rebec
ca Br acewell married William West. 3. Anna married James Bagnall. 4. Ro
be rt Jr married Susannah Burgess. 5. Richard married Sarah ??????. "Follo
wi ng the Braswells in America 1600-1983" by Dr R B Braswell; pages 7-8