Thomas (The Immigrant) Bragg

True or not. There seems to be to much info for Thomas to not have been both real and married to Mary/Molly Newport. He worked for Capt Newport on his 2nd trip and married a daughter. As we know children are left out of records sometimes when born last. Until there is more definitive proof I am considering Thomas/Molly/Christopher my kin. Rather than argue the point I plan to keep this in my tree. JDBragg.5.24.11 Thomas Bragg 1580 m.1610 Mary/Molly Newport Bragg 1585 -25f -30m

Additional curator's notes: The information about Thomas is generally accepted as correct but the name and family of his wife is disputed by several researchers. The citations below show both sides of the dispute. Documents have not been found by any researcher yet to settle the matter.The DAR accepts that Thomas Bragg arrived in Jamestown on the ship Susan Constant, commanded by Adm. Christopher Newport.

Newport made many trips between England and Virginia over a five year period, including the voyage of the Sea Venture which wrecked in Bermuda due to storms. It would not have been unusual occurrence for a naval officer to transport his family to a colony where he made frequent trips. The belief that his daughter could have been in Virginia, met Thomas Bragg and married him is plausible but NOT proven. Maria Edmonds-Zediker, Curator, 4/22/2011

Retrieved 3-4-2009: Story of Thomas and early Bragg family in America: http://thebraggfamily.blogspot.com/2007/05/did-you-know-5.html. Objections made to any connection of marriage between Thomas Bragg and any of the Newport family. Bragg Family Genealogy Forum, Posted by: Mark Bragg, In Reply to: Re: BraggFamily About 1530 by John Shetterlyhttp://genforum.genealogy.com/bragg/messages/1037.html

Janet Tyree, Re: Bragg American Line, Bragg Family Genealogy Forum,http://genforum.genealogy.com/bragg/messages/1887.html

Immigrated to James Town settlement from England in about the early 1600's. Not clear on any record showing he was married to Mary Molly Newport--the daughter of the famed Capt. Christopher Newport. There are stories that Thomas came over with two brothers, but again this is circumstantial. Thomas was reported to do a stint in the Royal Navy even though there is no actual evidence or record of this. The only story of how he and Mary came to be husband and wife is that he was reportedly Cap't Newtons best mariner thus making their marriage a possibility. But this is just a great story without the evidence to support it. I would imagine that due to the conditions and hardships of the new settlement that record keeping would be nearly non existing in James Town. I have researched copies of the remaining records of James Town, which show no evidence of the existance of Thomas Bragg or Mary Molly Newport. If there is evidence or sources that someone has, please e-mail me at nathan.brgg@gmail.com

NOTE: Some people are calling this Thomas Bragg by the name William Thomas or William. Thomas was the husband of Molly Newport, not Willliam. Please read the following:

Thomas Bragg was born before 23 January 1579 in Lancashire, England and was baptized on that date in Hawkshead, Lancashire, ENG. The marriage date and place for Thomas and Mary is still unclear, but it is believed that they married in Jamestown, VA about 1615. One record indicates that he arrived at Jamestown, VA in 1649, at the age of 70, and died there in 1660, but this ‘arrival’ might have been after returning from a visit to England.

This is a version of the story of the English Bragg brothers, 3 of whom went north and 3 south. Thomas, William, and John went south and sailed on the Susan Constant with Captain Christopher Newport (former pirate and eventual Admiral of the RN fleet in charge of the VA expeditions. The DAR has confirmed that Thomas and John Bragg, teenagers, were on board.

Thomas served in the Royal Navy prior to being hired by Capt. Newport, his future father-in-law. Having “obtained land grants from the Crown” for his services in the Navy, Thomas and his new bride, Molly Newport, settled down to raise children, the first Braggs born in America, William (1624) and John Bragg. Little is known about John and his family, but the descendants of his brother William have been extensively researched. (Bragg Family Genealogy Forum http://genforum.genealogy.com/bragg and ancestry.com).

Having "obtained land grants from the Crown" for his services in the Navy [7], Thomas and his new bride, Molly Newport, settled down to begin raising their children, the first Braggs born in America, William (1624) and John Bragg. Little is known about John and his family, but the descendants of his brother William have been extensively researched.

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Name Thomas Bragg
Alt Birth Bef 23 Jan 1579 Lancashire, England [1] Baptism 23 Jan 1579 Hawkshead, England [1] Born Bef 1580 England [2, 3] Occupation Seaman on the "Susan Constant" [4] Died Jamestown, Virginia, A British Colony in America Find all individuals with events at this location

Father Thomas Bragg, b. 17 Nov 1551, Solihull, Warwickshire, England d. Aft 1579 (Age 28 years) Mother Agnes Braithwaite, b. 0___ 1550, (Hawkshead, England) Married 23 Jan 1579 Hawkshead, England [1] Family ID F18306 Group Sheet

Family Molly Newport, b. 25 Mar 1585, London, Middlesex, England location, d. James City County, Virginia Married ~ 1615 Jamestown, Virginia, A British Colony in America Find all individuals with events at this location [1, 2, 3, 5]

https://moultrie.illinoisgenweb.org/Families/Bragg_Thomas_descendan...