Bragg Family History
Brent D Bragg's research began with William Bragg, Sr.
(1809-1863), and has moved forward and backward from him
as a reference. The data on his ancestors is less well
researched than his descendants, but they indicate that
the Bragg family was here at least in the early 18th
century. The oldest reference we have is “Henry Bragg”
who died in 1736.1
He had a number of children; among them was Hugh Bragg,
Joel Bragg, and William Bragg. The next reference was a
1792 will from William Bragg (1760-1792) that left Swift
Creek Mill to his son Joseph.2
Due to the life dates of the “Williams”, we feel there
must be a missing generation between Henry’s son
“William” and the William born in 1760. More research
is needed to fully explain this relationship but a
graphical attempt to express this is included in the
family tree in this document.
Additionally, some other irregularities exist, for
example, William’s (1760-1792) first wife may be missing
from this discussion since his only son, Joseph, was
born in 1784. There is a wedding record of William
marrying Masey Furguson in 1790, but the wife listed in
his will in 1792 was Lucy Jones Bragg.
There were numerous opportunities to gain land during
those times. Service in the Revolutionary War and the
War of 1812 granted land for service. Transporting
colonists to Virginia also resulted in grants of land.
There is a reference to “John Bragg”, master of the ship
Dolphin, in 1703 that although we do not have a
validated link to Henry Bragg or any of the earlier
Braggs certainly seems to fit.3
Finally, there is also the evidence that the
acquisition came from grants from the Royal Governor of
Virginia since Petersburg was genuine frontier at that
time. For example, Royal grants were given to Hugh
Bragg in 1727 and 1730 for 135 acres and 350 acres
respectively from the Secretary of the Colony.4
Joseph Bragg (1784-1859), (Petersburg Mayor 1828-1829),
who later became “Col. Joseph” owned not only Swift
Creek Mill, but other tracts of land in Chesterfield and
Petersburg. There are numerous references of land
transactions by Joseph and all his subsequent
descendants. Land, banking, and milling established
Joseph’s wealth. He was a large slave holder, owning 20
slaves at the end of his life. By comparison, the
Friends, who were the largest land owners in the county
(802 acres), owned 36 slaves.5
During his lifetime, Joseph was also the surety for
many marriage bonds. He is buried at the family home
in Chesterfield.
As
can be seen in the family tree, Joseph had seven
children, notably William A. Bragg (Sr.) (1809-1863).
Joseph’s other children included Daniel Willson
(1812-1877), Thomas, and John (Dr. John (?-1858)). When
William Sr. purchased the High Street house and other
parcels in 1832, he paid $2,000 at the age of 23.
Doubtless Joseph must have helped him purchase the house
and to help fund the renovations that William put into
the house to make it into the Greek Revival style. The
site was plotted as early as 1762 by Peter Jones as a
part of “New Town Petersburg” making it a genuinely
pre-revolutionary site.
The family continued to be prominent in farming,
milling, banking, land, and medicine throughout the
first half of the nineteenth century. William Sr.’s
brother, John became a noted physician in Petersburg he
had a prominent home on Bragg’s Hill at the end of
Washington Street. Although the home is no longer
standing, the off ramp of Interstate 95 to Washington
Street is the location of Bragg’s Hill. Dr. Philip Ryan
notes.
The Braggs were part of the gentry of the area and they
were married into other families of other land owners –
Gilliam, Bolling, Friend, Dunn, and Mallory. William
Sr.’s other brother; Daniel married Roberta Clara
Pocahontas Gilliam in 1833. She was the grand-daughter
of Robert Bolling, who was a lieutenant in the Navy
during the Revolutionary War.6
Daniel and Roberta owned the home at Second and Lombard
Streets built about 1810.7
The parlor of this home was purchased by the
Metropolitan Museum in New York before the house was
demolished in 1916.
Dulaney Ward at the
Petersburg Siege museum thought that this house must
have been hit by Union shelling during the Siege. He
indicated that there were estimates of damages to the
structure between $1,400 and $2,000 which must have been
fairly extensive. Roberta died during the Siege in
November 1864. Whether she was killed during the
shelling or died of natural causes requires more
research. However, we have been able to determine that
Daniel later sold the house in18708 and was
living at the Commercial National Bank with a servant
when he died in 1877.9
The 1850 Federal Census listed William Sr.’s occupation
as “Druggist”. By 1860, the Federal Census showed
William Sr. as owning $56,000 in land and $90,000 in
total estate. These were huge numbers in 1860,
comparable to millions in today’s dollars.
Additionally, William Sr. was comfortable enough to list
his occupation in 1860 as “Gentleman”.
The research at the graves in
Blandford Cemetery and the Bragg Family Bible in the
collection of the Library of Virginia also revealed more
information about William, Sr.’s family group. He was
married to Ann Eliza Jones and had four sons and two
daughters by her:
Joseph: 1843-1843 but the grave is not
indicated in Blandford
Martha: 1835
John: 1838-1909
William Jr: 1840-1901
Daniel: 1844-1887
An infant daught that died at just over 1/month in
1847
An infant that died with Ann Eliza in childbirth in
1848
In
1849, William Sr. married Eliza Stith and she became a
well loved mother to the children. Her tombstone in
Blandford reads “A mother to the motherless.”
Eliza made many detailed entries into the family Bible
and even noted the fire at St. Paul’s Church on February
16, 1854. Later, Daniel’s wife, Rosa Belle Friend also
made very detailed entries into the Bible. She
meticulously put not only the date of her children’s
births in the family Bible, but the time of day.
Of
William Sr.’s children it’s interesting to note that
William Sr.’s son, Dr. John C. Bragg (1838-1909),
assisted the Confederacy with supplies and paid the
taxes on William Sr.’s estate with bushels of corn.
“Nine items consist of seven receipts to Dr.
John C. Bragg of Petersburg, Amelia County,
and Nottoway Counties, Virginia, for coal,
hogs, and bacon supplied to the Confederate
Army; receipts for payment of his taxes with
corn, wheat, molasses, potatoes, peas and
beans; and a receipt from J.R. Anderson and
Co. for delivery of iron to Dr. J.C. Bragg;
two receipts to the estate of William A.
Bragg of Nottoway County for payment of
taxes with corn.”10
John Hart, Collection of Confederate Letters and
Receipts, 1860-1868
Both William Jr. and Daniel served in the Confederacy.
William was a 2nd Lieutenant and Daniel
served in the cavalry in Capt. Robert McIlwaine’s
regiment. Daniel was taken prisoner by the Union in
1864 and was held in Richmond until the end of the war.
The Beasley home at 558 High Street was used as Gen.
Lee’s headquarters in 1864. It’s not too much to
imagine that Eliza must have seen the General as he rode
down High Street.
Following the collapse of the Confederacy and the banks,
the family experienced a reversal of fortune from the
pre-war years. William Sr. died in February of 1863.
For the rest of the War, Eliza carried the
responsibility for the house. The value of the land
Eliza owned dropped from a pre-war value of $56,000 to
$4,000 and a personal property value of $8,000 from
$90,000. William Sr.’s daughter, Martha, married
William R. Mallory in 1857; Daniel married Rosa Belle
Friend in 1867; and William Jr. married Eliza Madison
Lee in 1872. According to the 1870 Federal Census,
everyone except Eliza Madison Lee lived at the High
Street home with their families, Eliza Willson Bragg and
five servants.
By
1875, the financial strain must have been severe since
Eliza sold the High Street home for $5,816 but kept a
life tenancy for herself. Eliza continued to live in
the High Street home until she died in 1893. Because
the deed holder of the High Street house died in the
same year as Eliza did (1893), the house went to
auction. Rosa Belle bid on the home with the winning
bid of $2,516.25. She lived there until her death in
1929.
About 1875, William Jr. and his family moved to Richmond
and we suspect it was also about the time that Daniel
and Rosa Belle moved to 169 High Street. The 1880
Census lists Daniel and Rosa Belle living at 169 High
Street.11
The city directory also confirmed that they lived at
that address in 1887. Daniel died that year of Bright’s
disease, a kidney disorder that was incurable in the 19th
century. Before his death, Daniel ran a tobacco
stemmery at 135 Low Street. The city directory showed
the business as still existing in 1890.
As
previously stated, William Jr. lived in Richmond at 703
E. Franklin Street (1890 Federal Census) and later at
319 West Franklin (1901 Death notice). The 1900 Census
noted that William’s home had a large household of seven
family members, two boarders, and two servants.
Throughout his career, William Jr. was a tobacco dealer
and inspector.
William Jr. was in business with his only son, Hancock
Lee Bragg late in the 1890s. In 1900, he referred to
himself as a “Retired Capitalist” in the Census.
In
1905, Hancock moved to New York City and became a
prominent and successful businessman. The 1920 Federal
Census lists him as living in the Manhattan Assembly
District 9, as a lodger with two other household
members. He died in Richmond in 1941 and is buried in
Blandford Cemetery.
Rosa Belle was the last of Daniel’s generation to own
the Bragg house. Rosa Belle’s son, William A. Bragg
(Son of Daniel) had a daughter, Elizabeth Patterson who
married James Shepherd Russell. After 110 years, the
house left the Bragg family when it was sold to Percy
Sadler in 1942.
As
the house approaches its bicentennial, it is reassuring
to know that the house is not only appreciated for its
history, but also as a home to the families that live
there.
