General Notes

Name Suffix:<NSFX> I
Richard Branham, Senior, was born in England about 1644, five years
before the beheading of Charles I. In 1665 he sailed from England tothe
Virginia Colony, so most of his youth in England was lived during the
period of the Commonwealth under Olive Cromwell.

On October 14, 1665, five years after the restoration of the monarchy,
Richard Branham received from Charles II, a royal patent (1) of 240acres
in the ( Old ) Rappahannock County, Virginia, "on the north side ofsaid
river and west side of Totoskey Creek, beginning at the head of land
belonging to George Haslock (Haslelock), deceased, on the side of asmall
swamp dividing said land and the land of John Sherlock, running
northwest,.... to the land of John Sherlock, running....to the land of
Samuel Cockin, 170 poles to the land of James Williamson..." Thepatent
was granted for the payment of passages of five persons from Englandto
Virginia. Their names were as follows: Symon Corneck, William Cisell,
John Brookes, Sarah Davis, and Marke Hill. Richard Branham, later
acquired lands in addition to the original patent.

On August 19, 1691, "Richard Branham of ) Old) Rappahannock County"
received another patent (2) consisting of "271 acres in the saidcounty on
the northwest side of Totaskey Creek, about a mile and a half from the
mouth, by his own land" and that of Robert Syson, Nathaniel Thrift,and
Cogwell.
____________________________________________________________________
SOURCES:

(1) Virginia Land Patents, Book 5, page 423
Nell Marion Nugent: Cavaliers and Pioneers
(Richmond: The Dietz Printing Company, 1934), page 531

(2) Northern Neck Book 1, 1690-1692, pages 91-93
____________________________________________________________________

RICHARD BRANHAM, SENIOR

Richard Branham, left a will (3) dated April 4, 1738, and proved onMay 1,
1728, in which he refers to himself and "Richard Branham, Senr., ofthe
County of Richmond (4) and Parish of North Farnham. Heirs were hisson,
Richard Branham, (a gun, a gold ring, and after the decease of hiswife,
the Plantation and all lands); his son, John Branham, (money); his
loving wife, Ann Branham, (All the rest of his personal estate and theuse
of the plantation during her lifetime). Executrix was his wife, Ann
Branham, Witnesses were Robert Tomlin, Edward Gill, and ElizabethGill.

SOURCES:
(3) Richmond County, Virginia, Will Book 5, 1725-1753, pages 95-96
(4) Richmond County, Virginia, was formed in 1692 from (Old)Rappahannock Co.
(5) Richmond County, Virginia, Will Book 5, 1725-1753, page 345.
(6) The date of probate was March 3, 1739, because, according to the
Julian Calendar, the new year did not begin until March. By act of
Parliament passed in 1750 the day following September 2, 1752, wascalled
September 14, and at the same time the beginning of the legal year was
changed from March 25 to January 1. Thus, according to the Gregorian
Calendar, the year of probate was 1740. Unless one considers thesefacts,
it may appear that a will was probated before it was made.