Braidwood Family
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Date of arrival: In the early 1840s, three brothers, George, Mark, and Alexander Harper Braidwood, their mother Margaret, and their sister (Margaret) came to America, the boys and their mother in 1842, and Margaret in 1843. (Bowman, 1985) Margaret came with George's wife Helen (Smith) and Mark's wife, Mary (Blane), and Mark's two young boys George, and John- just born.
Settled in: Almont, Metamora, and Bruce Townships. The Braidwood family farm (Alexander's farm?) was at 8290 Bordman Road in Bruce Township, on the county line between Lapeer and Macomb. This is a centennial farm (designated such on April 25, 1967).
Pioneer Family:
Mark B. Braidwood was born in the village of Galston, Ayrshire County, Scotland, March 28, 1804. His wife, Mary (Blane) Braidwood was born March 8, 1814 in Newton upon Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, and she died in Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan, November 5, 1889. Mark died in Almont, November 18, 1893. They were married in Kilmarnock, March 27, 1840. They had nine children.
George Braidwood was born March 5, 1802. He and his wife returned to Scotland after a year or two in Michigan. They raised their children in Scotland and died there. They lived in Metamora Township, Lapeer County while in Michigan.
Alexander Harper Braidwood was born January 19, 1818, in Galston, Scotland. He died March 19, 1900 in Michigan. His wife was Mary Millikin. They were married March 5, 1847 in the town of Romeo, Macomb County, Michigan. Mary Millikin was born March 17, 1828 in Craigie Parish, Scotland. Mary died in Leonard, Michigan, March 24, 1890. Alexander and Mary lived in Bruce Township, Macomb County. They had ten children.
Married:
Mark married Mary Blane (from Newton upon Ayr, Ayrshire) in Kilmarnock, Scotland on March 23, 1840. George and Margaret (Smith) Braidwood (parents of above four pioneers) were married in Newton upon Ayr in Scotland. Children: Mark and Mary Blane Braidwood had nine children:George was born February 5, 1841 in Scotland. He married Anna Stephens, July 4, 1866. George died in Metamora Township, Lapeer County, March 20, 1934. Anna Stephens was born in 1841 in Scotland, and she died 1918 in Metamora. They had eight children.
John was born August 17, 1842 in Newton on Ayr in Ayrshire, Scotland. He married Marion Taylor, December 17, 1873 in Dryden, Michigan. John died April 8, 1924 in Dryden. Marion was the daughter of Robert Taylor and Christine Sommerville. She was born in January, 1859 in Loch Leaven, Fifeshire, Scotland and died April 29, 1924 in Dryden. They had two children.
Mark was born October 14, 1844. He married Cora Wells February 22, 1882. Mark died June 17, 1900. They had two children.
Thomas was born June 13, 1847 in Almont. He married Frances Ward, in Otter Lake February 22, 1882. Thomas died February 9, 1934 in Tampa, Florida. Frances was born in Otter lake in 1866 and she died in Flint in 1907. They had four children.
Jane Watt was born 1844 (other records say born June 12, 1849) in Almont. Jane married David Wilson Borland January 27, 1879. She died at the age of 72, January 11, 1921. David Borland was born in Buluth Gaire, Scotland, May 11, 1850. He died September 29, 1932 at the age of 82. Both are buried in the Scotch Settlement Cemetery. They lived on the Borland Homestead southeast of Almont for 50 years. They had five children.
William was born in 1851. He married after 1888, and he died in 1926. He had two marriages: First to Jennie M. Tice (one child) and later to Eva Matilda Sutton (two children).
Alexander Harper was born August 16, 1853 in Almont. He died August 26,1921 in Riley Township. He married Eva Hazelton March 30, 1888. They had three children.
Gabriel was born in 1858. He died in 1930. He married Millie Bell. They had five children.Alexander Harper Braidwood (Sandy) and Mary Millikin Braidwood had ten children:
George was born February 19, 1849. He married Hannah Muir January 20, 1869. George died in Bruce Township, October 19, 1929. They had seven sons and two daughters. Hannah was born November 19, 1846. She died in 1926. Both are buried in the Scotch Settlement Cemetery.
Jeannette (Jennie) was born May 31, 1851 in Bruce Township. She married twice: First to Andrew Machie and then to Byron M. Wicks. She died in Almont, July 30, 1932.
John Millikin was born February 5, 1854. He married Cassie A. Gould October 26, 1880. John died April 30, 1887.
Margaret was born March 17, 1856. She married Reuben C. Mosser on February 9, 1881. She died July 15, 1915.
Martha was born August 13, 1858. She married in Imlay City February 7, 1884 to John A. Muir. She died July 22, 1938.
Alexander Harper was born September 30, 1860 in the Scotch Settlement. He married Celia Killam, May 12, 1886. Alexander died in Almont January 29, 1926.
James was born February 17, 1863. He died November 29, 1889.
Andrew was born February 17, 1865. He married Nellie A. Wicks. Andrew died February 2, 1946.
Mary was born March 13, 1867. She died April 18, 1885.
Robert M. was born May 6, 1870. He died March 26, 1947 in Almont. Robert married twice: first, Maude Washer, and then Emma Currey Lang.
Surname spelling variations: There are many variations of this surname. The most common is Broadwood. Men who worked in the forest were called "Broadwoods". Historically, the name has been spelled "Bradwod", "Braidwod", "Braidwoth", "Braydwoyd", "Braidwode"; Breadwood", and "Braiduode". Some feel that the surname "Braid" is a root and so "Brade" and similiar spellings are also related. Some census records for Bruce Township refer to Alexander and his family as Bradwoods.
Occupations: Mark Braidwood was "employed as a Brussels carpet weaver in Kilmarnock until 1842." (Bowman, 1985). They were mostly farmers in the Scottish Settlement.
"A young couple, George Braidwood (born July, 1765, and died about 1838) and Margaret Smith (born in 1769 in England, and died about 1856 in Scotland), were married at Newton upon Ayr in Scotland (1791), and lived out their lives there, having 12 children. Five of those children immigrated to the Scottish Settlement." (Bowman, 1985) They had 12 children:
George and Margaret's fifth child was Margaret. She came to America in 1843 with the wives of two of her brothers. She lived in the Scottish Settlement near Almont. She did not marry. She was born June, 1799 and died November 26, 1856. (this section was taken primarily from Mark Braidwood's memoirs).
George and Margaret's sixth child was George, born March 5, 1802. George came to America with two of his brothers, Mark and Alexander. He did not like the conditions in Michigan (or for reasons we cannot know) and so returned to Scotland with his wife after a year or two. Back in Scotland he raised his children; he and his wife died in their native land.
The seventh child of George and Margaret was Mark (1804 to 1893). In Scotland, Mark was a foreman in "Brown's Carpet Factory" in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. He settled in Almont and eventually farmed 800 acres with his six sons and one daughter. Mark married Mary Blane in Scotland.
The tenth child was Andrew. He came to America, to Connecticut in 1844. He worked in a carpet factory in Connecticut, a job similar to his occupation in Scotland. Andrew and his wife both died young of tuberculosis; he was 37, she was 33. They left four children:
The three youngest kids were taken in by Andrew's brother Alexander Harper Braidwood, who lived in Bruce Township, Macomb County. George S. served in the Civil war, lived in Michigan all his life, and had ten children. He was married three times.
The last child of George Braidwood and Margaret Smith was Alexander Harper Braidwood (1818-1900). He came to America in 1842 with his two brothers George and Mark. He farmed land in Bruce Township. He had ten children by his wife Mary Millikin.
The following is from Mark Braidwood's diary which contains excerpts of letters written to his wife Mary (Blane) who stayed in Scotland with their young children until Mark got settled in Michigan. She came later with George's wife Helen and her sister-in-law Margaret Braidwood.
"We are in good health and 1000 miles from home. I will weary very much to see my we Bodie and you, Mary. Pray for me and yourself, and if we are spared to meet, we will yet spend many happy days. I sleep soundly at sea, far beyond my expectations. Have you left yet? We will go to Albany and that's only a few shillings to take me there. Purchase no pots and pans, but bring the ones you have not sold. Be sure and bring castor oil, salts, oatmeal, and flourmeal to make a few scones on the way for little Bodie. Toast them in the frying pan, or you can bake them on the water.
"Monday the 1st of August and we are well today -- Blowing a good stiff breeze. The oatmeal cookies eat fine. We have no biscuits yet, but the eggs do well. We passed a vessel, Lady of the Lake, going to England. They said they would report us well. A heavy gale last night, lasted about 7 hours. Still not sick. George is poorly, and Sandy (Alexander) is squeamish.""August 6: George is some better. We had another heavy gale of wind. Dear Mary, I am still on the water. You are often in my mind, and my dear wee boy, be kind to him. I do not think the trip will require so much provisions. Some nice things are red herrings, white herrings, Jim bread cake-- you need milk bottled for my wee boy. Do not come away too early in the spring for fear of ice.
Sunday, August 7, 1842: "The pastor held forth today. Have you got an addition yet? I hope all is well. I have never had an hour of sickness. My prospects are good, and I hope I will never have any cause to reflect in leaving my native land. Were you to see the children in this ship, Mary, it would astonish you that they are so lively. Some of them about my wee boy's age. We have a great many rats on this ship. Germ killed four last night. My best respect to your mother, my own mother and my sister, and let George's wife know that he is in good condition."
"August 22: We are about 800 miles from N.Y. You may ask William, Gabriel, and Thomas to send me a letter when you come, and give particulars, and I will give them in return (Note: these must be relatives. His boys with the same names were not born yet). If you get as good a passage as we have here, there is not much trial in it. If we now succeed in getting a comfortable place, I hope it will pay us for our adventure. Post a letter before you sail stating the day you are to sail and the name of the vessel. Our cakes served us until a few days ago from landing."
"This is a fine country. We have 400 acres of land, 100 cleared and 50 acres of wheat. The timber is all full of game; wild deer, turkeys, hares, and rabbits quite plentiful. Tell High Reed to come out and have a month of shooting. Plenty of work and plenty of meat, but money is scant. We trade laborers. There is but little government land for sale about this part, but a few miles away plenty and plenty of improved land for sale. An excellent farm of 80 acres can be bought for $100 -- 20 of it cleared with a log house on it.
"We are in a settlement of about 200 Scotchmen, all within a few miles of us. Others, some from Gap Brae, a number of them carpet weavers, are first rate farmers. I will be very well to see Hugh Reed here, for I think he would do well. A man is required to be Jack of all trades here. Give my respects and tell him I have a farm for him with a house on it, and a fine stream runs through it. The 160 acres could be purchased for $100 near to where I am. Mary, if you could bring a few green cabbage and turnip seeds, it would be good."Naturalization Records: Research Problems: Charles D. Braidwood wrote a column in the Lapeer County Press (in the 1970s?) called "Looking Back".