George Braxton Sr. (1677 – July 1, 1748) emigrated from the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...

to the Virginia colony, where he became a merchant, planter, and politician in King and Queen County, which he represented in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

for multiple terms over 31 years. His son and principal heir

George Braxton, Jr. George Braxton Jr. (1734–1761) was a merchant, planter, and politician in King and Queen County, which he represented in the House of Burgesses for at least two terms. However, he is often confused with his grandfather and possibly also with ...

also served in the House of Burgesses, but his most notable descendant (who was 12 when this grandfather died) was

Carter Braxton Carter Braxton (September 10, 1736October 10, 1797) was a Founding Father of the United States, signer of the Declaration of Independence, merchant, and Virginia planter. A grandson of Robert "King" Carter, one of the wealthiest and most powerf ...

, who became a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

Career

Braxton owned 2825 acres in King and Queen County by 1704. His main plantation was Newington, on the bluffs above the

Mattaponi River The Mattaponi River is a tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia in the United States. History Historically, the Mattaponi River has been known by a variety of names and alternate spellings, including ''Mat-ta-pa-ment'', Matap ...

about 18 miles upstream from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, the county seat at the stream's confluence with the York River. He became one of the largest landowners in the

Northern Neck of Virginia The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula) ...

and probably one of the 100 largest in the colony. He and his namesake son also owned a ship, "Braxton", and leased others to carry on a

triangular trade Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset ...

with the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

and Britain. About once a year, the Braxtonx served as commission agents for cargoes of enslaved Blacks. Braxton accepted the governor's appointment as colonel of the King and Queen county militia, as well as coroner and one of the justices of the peace who collectively administered the county. He probably also served on the vestry of St. Stephen's parish (which also were responsible for care of the poor and disabled), although its records did not survive. King and Queen county voters first elected Braxton as one of their two representatives in the House of Burgesses in 1718, and he served (with a gap) for about three decades. Beginning in 1728, Braxton served alongside John Robinson, who would become the family's major benefactor, although a scandal erupted after his death. Braxton also served on the select committee that assisted the governor in building the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg.

Personal life

By 1702, Braxton had married Elizabeth Pallin, daughter of planter Thomas Paullin. Both husband and wife signed the loyalty assurance of 1702 to the dying king. They had a son, George Braxton Jr. (who was attending the College of William and Mary by 1720) and daughters Hannah and Elizabeth who reached adulthood. Hannah married Philemon Bird and after his death Thomas Price of nearby Middlesex County. Elizabeth married Col. Humphrey Brooke of King William County, whose surveyor brother Robert Brooke accompanied the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe on their western excursion to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their son George Brooke would become Treasurer of Virginia.

Death and legacy

Braxton died on July 1, 1748, and was probably buried at his Newington plantation. A memorial plaque at Mattaponi Church (which in his day was the Lower Church of St. Stephen's parish and rebuilt in 1730-1734) honors his service. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 6 (1899) p. 433 Although his son George Braxton Jr. was his principal heir, when his grandson George Braxton III died in 1761, most of the family properties (by then subject to significant debts) were inherited by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braxton, George Sr. House of Burgesses members 1677 births 1748 deaths People from King and Queen County, Virginia