French Family
Association
Mara
French, P.O. Box 1109, Sutter Creek, CA 95685-1109. 209-267-0649 marafrench@mindspring.com
French House in Braintree, MA.
The houseÕs most prominent resident was Asa French (1775-1853), a trained civil
engineer who opened BraintreeÕs first post office in his house in 1825.
Chart #5, John French, 1622
Braintree, Quincy, and Dorchester, MA
This page updated by Mara
French
on 3/30/08. Please send Frank Dyer any
corrections or additions to this chart.
Frank
DyerÕs Genealogies
of Families of Braintree, Email: Dyerne@aol.com
or open the main page
and search for French, John. Source: [13]
Photos
of the French Family in Braintree, MA (to be supplied later)
John
French House in Avon, MA, 1749
Asa
French House in Braintree, MA, 1825
Genealogies
of the Families of Braintree, MA, by Waldo Chamberlain Sprague
John
French was first recorded in Dorchester on 27 Jan 1642/3 after his arrival in
Boston. He and his wife Grace (Kingsley?) had 9 children: John, Thomas, Mary,
Dependence, Temperance, William, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Samuel, all born in
Braintree. Some say John was born on 26 May 1612 in England; others say he was
born in 1622. Another says he was
born in 1619 in Suffolkshire. Others say he was born in Dorsetshire, England. Some
researchers say that JohnÕs wifeÕs name was Grace Kingsley; others say her
surname is unknown.
Mara French has many photos of their land ÒFrench CommonÓ in Braintree and of the first Braintree Post Office which they owned – these photos will be added to this website. Both John and Grace are buried at the Hancock Cemetery in Quincy, MA. A more recent stone was dedicated to them.
[1]
A
History of Old Braintree and Quincy, by William Samuel Pattee, 1879. Search for French on pages 34,
124, 174, 175, 179, 270, 271, 373, 374, 375, 403, 404, 405, 408, 409, 410, 413,
414, 416, 418, 420, 421, 422, 428, 442, 529, 544, 578, 579, 635.
[2] A Brief History of the Town of Braintree in Massachusetts, by Edmund B. Barton, 1940, French on 14 pages.
[3] Jolene DodgeÕs Descendants of John French, Email: geniemom@ptialaska.net
[4] Gerry DeRidder, gcderidder@yahoo.com
[5] Barry French, barryfrench@yahoo.com
[6] Lorri French, lorri_french@yahoo.com
[7]
A Genealogical Dictionary of the First
Settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before May
1692, on the basis of FarmerÕs Register, by James Savage, former President of
the Massachusetts Historical Society and Editor of WinthropÕs History of New
England with two supplements in four volumes. Corrected electronic version
copyright Robert Kraft, July 1994, with addition of missing pages 422-423
(vol.3) by Warren Wetmore for the file in four sections (the original four
volumes), access http://genweb.net/~books/savage/savage.htm.
Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Originally Published Boston,
1860-1862.
[8] The Vinton Memorial: See pages 317-322 for the French Family of Braintree, with an index on p. 497. Photo of B. V. French on p. 193. Biographies of Frenches starting on p. 195.
[9] "The Family, Ancestors, and Descendants of Captain John French
of Stoughton, MA" by Sidney French 1870. A
descendant of John French of Braintree, FFA Ch. 5. John (1), Dependence
(2), John (3), Dependence (4), John (5). 12 pp. 8 1/2 x 11.
FFA library F073.
[10] "Family Memorial" by Elisha Thayer, 1835. French
Sections extracted p. 54-67, 90-99. FFA Ch. 5.
[10]
John French of Braintree, MA, notes on the Frenches in connection with France,
England, Ireland, Scotland, and the U.S. by A. D. W. French, 15 pages, 1895.
Order through Ms. Iris Watson, Higginson Book Company, 148 Washington Street,
Salem, MA 01970, Tel: 508-745-7170, FAX: 508-745-8025.
[11]
French Families of New England, extracted from the Genealogy of 14 Families by
E. Thayer, 9 p. 1835. Order through Ms. Iris Watson, Higginson Book Company,
148 Washington Street, Salem, MA 01970, Tel: 508-745-7170, FAX: 508-745-8025.
[12]
Records of the Town of Braintree, 1640-1793, by Samuel A. Bates, ed. During this period Braintree encompassed the large area
that became the modern towns of Braintree, Quincy (1792), Randolph (1793), and
Holbrook (1872). This work (1886 reprint) includes information on John French,
FFA Chart #5, and verbatim transcriptions of the town meeting records and of
the births, marriages, and deaths recorded in the town books. 2 vols., 940 pp., index, paper, #B071. Order from Heritage
Books, Inc., 1540-E Pointer Ridge Pl., Suite 303,
Bowie, MD 20716.
[13] Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, MA, by Waldo Chamberlain Sprague. Chart #5 by Frank Dyer uses this source as 99% of the data received.
Hancock
Cemetery in Quincy -- It appears Daniel and Hannah Keith Haskell French
deeded the cemetery and a piece of land to be used as a town house to the
inhabitants of Quincy back in April 19, 1844. It was to remain as such forever
with the understanding that if ever the town of Quincy used it for any other
purpose than that intended, the deed would become void. Frenches buried here
are Anna Hannah Marsh French, Annie Evelyn French, Arthur French, Charles E.
French, Daniel F. French, Eleanor Tompson French, Eleline Phipps, Francis
French, Grace Kingsley French, Hannah Keith Haskell French, Henry French,
Infant French, John French (2), and Willie French. Photos of all of these
gravestones (new stones and engravings) are shown at this website; however,
when Mara French was there about 20 years ago, she took photos of the original
stones which will be added to this page as soon as they are scanned.