William Branson, Sr. b. 29 Jun 1684 Sonning, Berkshire Co, England d. Abt 1760 Chester Co, Pennsylvania: eAncestry.org

1684 - 1760

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Suffix Sr.

Birth 29 Jun 1684 Sonning, Berkshire Co, England

Gender Male

AFN VT28-NC

Immigration 1708 Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co, Pennsylvania

Golden Fleece or Golden Lion

Residence From 1751 to 1752 Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co, Pennsylvania

Died Abt 1760 Chester Co, Pennsylvania

Person ID I1747 Nichols-Wilson

Last Modified 15 Dec 2006

Father Nathaniel Branson, Jr, b. Abt 1650, Berkshire Co, England , d. 14 Sep 1720, Artefields Reading, Berkshire Co, England

Mother Mary Bacon, b. Abt 8 Dec 1656, Blewberry, Berkshire Co, England , d. Yes, date unknown

Family ID F950 Group Sheet

Family 1 Mary Tate, b. Abt 1688, Of Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. 6 Feb 1727, Chester Co, Pennsylvania

Children

	1. William Branson, Jr., b. Abt 1709, Of Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. Yes, date unknown
>	2. Mary Branson, b. 1710, Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. 1749, Middletown, Chester Co, Pennsylvania
	3. Rebecca Branson, b. Abt 1711, Of Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. Yes, date unknown
	4. Hannah Branson, b. Abt 1717, Of Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. Yes, date unknown
	5. Elizabeth Branson, b. Abt 1720, Of Sonning, Berkshire Co, England , d. Yes, date unknown

Last Modified 13 Apr 2007

Family ID F808 Group Sheet

Family 2 Elizabeth Flower, d. 1736

Married 1730

Last Modified 13 Apr 2007

Family ID F1805 Group Sheet

Family 3 Mary Wilcox, d. Bef 1760

Married 1738

Last Modified 13 Apr 2007

Family ID F3458 Group Sheet

Photos		Redding Furnace Mansion [27 Mar 2006] Status: Located. Photo of Redding Furnace Mansion near Warwick, Pennsylvania. William Branson Sr purchased the site of the Redding Furnace by deed 28 Feb 1723. The mansion was built circa 1736. In 1744 William began breaking up his holdings among his four daughters and sons-in-law. Redding Furnace and the Mansion were given to his daughter, Elizabeth, and her…
		Redding Furnace Site Status: Located. Photo of the Redding Furnace site near Warwick, Pennsylvania. The furnace was located just behind the "STOP" sign in this image, along the south branch of French Creek. William Branson was a partner with Samuel Nutt and Mordicai Lincoln (President Abraham Lincoln's great-grandfather). William bought out Lincoln's share in 1725, becomoing the…
		Warwick [27 Mar 2006] Status: Located. Distant photo of Warwick, taken from Mansion Rd (near Redding Furnace) facing north. Warwick is in the distance, with the new St. Mary's Church white steeple visible. The south branch of the French Creek runs alongs the valley bottom. Taken by Chad G. Nichols

Notes	William Branson, one of the first iron industrialists in America, lived in Philadelphia on the east side of Second Street, across the street from Christ's Church. His father had purchased 1250 acres from William Penn and conveyed the land to William 28 Aug 1707 (William's father never emigrated). He became a wealthy investor and early pioneer in iron mining and manufacturing. He purchased the site of Reading Furnace at East Nantmeal, Pennsylvania by deed 28 Feb 1723. He was a partner with both Samuel Nutt & Mordicai Lincoln (great grandfather of President Abraham Lincoln). William bought out Mordicai Lincoln in 1725, becoming the principal owner. In 1723, William separated from the Quaker faith and reared his daughters as Baptists. In 1744, William Branson began breaking up his extensive holdings among his four daughters and sons-in-law. He made companies out of his daughters and assigned extensive property holdings to each. Before he died he granted his estate to his daughter, Elizabeth, and fifteen surviving grandchildren of his three deceased daughters.

Sources

[S847] Nichols Online Library, Digital Documents Researched and Scanned by Chad Nichols & Relatives, Nichols, Chad G., (Chad Nichols has catalogued over 40,000 relatives, with over 5,000 of them having documentation to support their place in the family tree. Recent generation surnames (great grandparents) in his tree include Anderson, Campbell, Dutson, Kump, Kylen, Nichols, O'Donnell, Roberts, Stone, and Walker. One generation further back adds Broman, Cloward, Conder, Ericksen, Farmer, Holyoak, Nielson, Richardson, and Shelley. Most ancestors are from England, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. [online] www.nicholslibrary.org (801) 280-9590 7783 S 4950 W West Jordan, UT 84081 USA).
Redding Furnace - 003461, 003462; Warwick - 003463
[S8] Vanleer (Van Leer) Family History, Burge, Peggy, ([online] www.vanleerplus.org).
William Branson was a wealthy investor and early pioneer in iron mining and manufacturing. William Branson was born June 29, 1684. He came from the parish of Sonning in Berkshire, England three miles from Reading. His father and grandfather, Nathaniel I and II were shoemakers and Quakers. His mother was Mary Bacon of Blewberry, Berkshire.
In 1683, Nathaniel Branson II purchased 1250 acres of land in the "new province" from William Penn for 25 pounds. The elder Branson never came to American but conveyed the property to William on August 28, 1707.

The next year, a young 24-year-old William Branson came to Philadelphia on the ship "Golden Lion" to seek his fortune.
The tract of land deeded him by his father made up the north central portion of what later became East and West Brandywine townships.

In 1709, Branson lived in Philadelphia on the east side of Second Street, which remained his home all the rest of his life. He married Mary Tate of Philadelphia, daughter of Robert Tate, probably well before 1715. In 1723, William Branson shed his Quaker faith; his daughters were reared as Baptists.

Branson was first listed as a "joiner" (carpenter). He must have followed this trade for at least ten years, for he is listed as a Freeman in the Minutes of the Common Council, having purchased his license to operate as an individual tradesman on May 20, 1717. Later he was called a "shopkeeper" and by 1726, a "merchant." As "William Branson, Trader," he was part of a meeting in Philadelphia in 1729 called to fix the value of European currency used in the colony. In 1744, he was designated "William Branson, Gentleman."

Through the years, Branson purchased considerable property in Philadelphia and Chester County. His holdings in Coventry and Nantmeal townships had rich iron deposits.

He bought the site of Reading Furnace by deed dated Feb. 28, 1723 and was the partner of Samuel Nutt and Mordicai Lincoln, the great-grandfather of Abraham Lincoln. Branson bought out Lincoln in 1725 becoming the principal owner.

In 1744 William Branson began breaking up his extensive holdings among his four daughters and sons-in-law. He made companies out of his daughters and assigned extensive property holdings to each.
[S453] Branson-Cook Genealogy, Young, Sandra Branson, ([Online]; [email] oregongal9 # aol.com (change # to @)).
Lists two deeds for William Branson:

Bucks and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania, 1682-1825 Land Records Date: Mar 12, 1750/1 Residence: Phila Land Record ID: 41218 Description: Grantee Book-Page: C-47 Property: 258 acres in Carnarvon. Remarks: DEED.

Bucks and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania, 1682-1825 Land Records Date: Jul 22, 1751 Residence: Phila Land Record ID: 41278 Description: Mortgagee Book-Page: C-220 Property: 39 acres in Carnarvon Township. Remarks: MORTGAGE.

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