Matthew Brayton (1759 - abt. 1805)

Biography

Private Matthew Brayton served with 16th Regiment, Albany County Militia, New York Militia during the American Revolution.

Birth

Matthew was born to Gideon Brayton (1717-1792) and Rebecca (Nichols) Brayton (1719-1806) on 24 Jul 1759 in East Greenwich, Kent, Rhode Island ^{[1] [2]}

Marriage

Mathew married Nancey (Carey) Brayton (abt.1763-)^[3] likely near Fort Ann, Washington County, New York in about 1778.

Children

Mathew and Nancey had 9 known children.^[4]

1. Ruth Brayton (1779-1848)
2. Albert Brayton (abt.1780-)
3. William Brayton (1781-)
4. Hannah (Brayton) Wing (1782-1858)
5. Rufus Brayton (1784-1869)
6. Elijah Brayton (1787-1866)
7. Gideon born between 1790 and 1800
8. Oscar born between 1790 and 1800
9. Ann Eliza born between 1790 and 1800; married John Black

Occupation

Mathew, by the time he lived in Alburg, Vermont, was a “Freeman” meaning that he was over 18 and took the “Freeman's Oath,” which allowed him to vote. He was a fairly wealthy landowner, which he likely cleared of trees and then farmed crops and raised livestock. He may also have been involved with hunting and because his lands were near the Missisquoi Bay, he likely fished.

Residences

1759 East Greenwich, Kent, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

As a child, Mathew lived with his birth family in East Greenwich. Their property was known as Brayton Meadows farm, located along Mawney Creek, northwest of East Greenwich, which is now considered swamp land. [See Image].

• In 1677, 48 men were awarded 5,000 acres of land in recognition of services performed during King Philip's War. They included Thomas Brayton, John Albro, Joshua Coggeshall, Henry Gardiner (Gardner) and James Sweet.^[5]

1765 Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York

• By 1765 Matthew lived in Beekman Patent where his father was listed in the Tax Assessment of that year. The Brayton family lived in close-proximity to the Gardner, Sweet and Carey families.^[6]

Their property is shown on the “Town of Beekman in Dutchess County” map of 1757.^[7] [See Image]

• This family was only in Beekman for a short time and seems to have come with the Sweet family. [Sources for this family are: The Genealogy of the Braytons by George Clarence Holmes 1914 and Brayton Family History by Clifford Ross Brayton Jr. 1978]. 3. GIDEON4 BRAYTON, (Thomas3, Francis2-1), was born 1718 and m. 14 Jan. 1741 Rebecca Nichols. He lived in East Greenwich, RI and came to Beekman where he was listed on the tax list from 1765 through 1767 with an assessment of £1. He took over a lease from George Gardner in lot 8 on a farm of 166 acres. Gardner had leased it 1 May 1757. He had an account at the Merritt store on Quaker Hill in 1771 and 1772 and Daniel Allen was his security on the account. [DCSB II:C:204; D:176]. ^{[8] [9]} In addition to the Sweet family, others from East Greenwich who moved to the Beekman Patent included Albro, Coggeshall, Gardner and Nichols.

1773 Westfield (now the Village of Fort Ann), Washington County, New York

It is possible that Mathew moved with his birth family to Westfield (now the Village of Fort Ann), Washington County, New York. In Doherty's Settlers of Beekman Patent it is stated that the Brayton family arrived in 1773 and were the only permanent residents prior to the Revolutionary War.^[10] Doherty derived his narrative from Clifford Brayton's Brayton Family History. Brayton, in his narrative regarding Thomas, son of Gideon, cited the Cemetery, Church and Town records of the DAR of New York for the Brayton families arriving in Fort Ann beginning in 1773.^[11] He also provided details on his farm and adjacent cemetery near Fort Ann, New York.:

• The original farm of Thomas Brayton, Mathew's brother, and his property extended from near Needham Hill just outside of what is now the Village of Fort Ann New York along US Highway No 4 for a distance of about two miles to the south. [See image] A recent owner of the Brayton homestead property stated that the abstract of title refers to Lots No 80, 81, 82, 83 in the Town of Kingsbury and an adjoining lot of the Artillery Patent. Although no specific mention of this property is made in the will of Thomas Brayton the will of his son Sweet Brayton does mention some of the lot numbers. Also, the Brayton family was living here just before the first Battle of Saratoga (19 September 1777). ^[12]
  • In 1764, King George III granted an artillery patent of 24,000 acres to 24 British officers, known as the “Artillery Patent.” The territory of Fort Ann encompassed all of the Military Patent.^[13] Westfield was formed in 1786 from the actual military installation called Fort Ann.^[14]

Hoosick, Albany County, New York

• In 1777 Mathew lived in the area known as Hoosick in Albany County (now Rensselaer County). Other associated families that lived there are Carey, Curtis (Comfort, a cabinet maker), Gardner (Joshua), Nichols (William), Soule and Sweet.^[15]

1795 Kingsbury (Fort Ann), Washington County, New York

Mathew was stated as being from Kingsbury in his 1796 land purchase. [See below] Kingsbury was often referenced for the Brayton land in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York. [See above] Mathew's son, Rufus, was born 8 April 1784 in Sandy Hill which is located between Kingsbury and Fort Ann. From this it appears that Mathew did not accompany his father and brothers to Clarendon, Vermont.

1796 Alburg, Franklin County, Vermont

• Mathew and family moved to Alburg, Franklin County (now Alburgh, Grand Isle), Vermont.
  • Alburg, a peninsula in Lake Champlain, borders Canada and was created by a Vermont charter in 1781. Originally the town was known as Allenburg in honor of the primary charter-holder, Ira Allen. A Benjamin Brayton also received a charter. Franklin County was created 5 November 1792 from Chittenden County. On 9 November 1802, Grand Isle County was set off from Franklin..^[16]

Franklin and Grand Isle counties are near the Canadian border and research indicates that people migrated between the two areas, considered Missisquoi, with great fluidity. Mathew's Tory family members were living about 12 miles away from Alburg in the Hemmingford area of Quebec, where they fled after their Clarendon, Vermont lands were confiscated in 1778. Additionally, because of the proximity, smuggling Vermont goods into Canada and vice versa was common in Alburg and the surrounding area.^{[17] [18]}

• See Also: 1) History Town of Alburgh, Vermont: An Account of the Discovery, Settlement, and Interesting and Remarkable Events, Volume 1A. L. Stratton, 1986; Alburg, VT; Alburg, Grand Isle, Vermont, United States; p. 66. Under copyright. 2)Hemenway, Margaret. The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Volume 2 https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100332961/Home Accessed 19 March 2026.

Town Records provide evidence of his residence.^[19]

• Interestingly, on 2 May 1795, Benjamin Brayton of Kingsbury, New York now in Sherman, Washington County, sold to Samuel Chipman, his original charter in Alburg; no lot or acreage given. Benjamin had been granted this land as part of the Alburg Town Charter on 23 February 1781, along with Ira Allen and 62 others. [Image 170] The lineage of Benjamin Brayton is unknown as of 17 March 2026. But of particular significance is Sweet Brayton of Kingsbury, Washington, New York. Sweet was the son of Thomas Brayton III (1742-1810) the sixth child and the fifth son of Thomas and Jane White Brayton was born 11 June 1773 and died 31 May 1844</i> ^[20]
• On 12 November 1796 Mathew purchased Lots 10 and 15 of 2nd Conception comprising 209 acres from Samuel Brown of Caldwell Manor, Lower Canada for $360. He was listed as being from Kingsbury, Washington, New York. [Image 53]
  • Lots 10 and 15 are currently located on the Martell Road area of Littlewoods Road and Greenwoods Road, about 1 mile north of Alburg Center Cemetery and adjacent to (or part of) Mud Creek Wildlife Management Area; considered to be within the "100 Year Flood Zone"^[21] [See image]
• Mathew “Braton” was taxed $113 in 1797. [Image 102]
• On 4 July 1798, as a Freeman, he was taxed on 3 lots in the Vth Conception of Alburgh: “Matthew Braighten,” #10 @ $1.14 and “Matthew Braton” #15 and #16 @ $2.28. Since land was taxed at a penny an acre, Mathew owned 342 acres. [Image 205]
• 26 August 1798 Matthew Brayton crop off the right to eas and a strip the under be the same" [ Image 18] This land was used to build a roadway and in 1818 transferred to William Brown.
• In 1799 Mathew is listed in the Polls List at $100.25. [Image 105 ]
• In 1800 he was taxed $251.50, the 2nd greatest tax bill for that year with Elisha Reynolds at $365.50. [Image 106]
• On 8 October 1800 he purchased from Stephen Pettis for $600 (page 296 terms of sale $100 up front, notes for remaining) Lots 15 and 16 in the 2nd range west of Missisquoi Bay (conception), consisting of 113 acres. [Images 160 - 161]
• 21 Oct 1800 sold Lot # 10, containing 100 acres, in the third tier west of Missisquoi Bay to Thomas Parr for $30. [Image 239]
• In the 1800 US Federal Census, which was enumerated in 1801, he and his family are listed as: 4 males under 10, 3 aged 10 – 15 and one (Mathew) aged 26 – 45; 2 females under 10 and one female (Nancey) aged 26 – 45.^[22]
  • "Joseph Brayton" was taxed $33.00 as a resident of Alburg in 1801. [Image 276]
  • On 28 February 1801, "Gideon Brayton" received $130 from Stephen Pettis for Lots 15 and 16. [Image 314]
• On 22 August 1801, he sold to Ebenezer Wheeler, 113 acres comprising the eastern part of Lots 15 and 16, 5th range (same as 2nd range from Missisquoi Bay) for $700. [Image 277] [Mathew Brayton owned the western part of these lots and sold them Stephen Pettis for $130.]
• On 18 October 1801, he sold to Giles Swing for $200, Lot #15 containing 100 acres; bound as follows (viz) On the west by the 3rd range of the Lotts from the waters of Masisquoi bay on the south by Lot No seventeen on the East by the East part of Lotts No Fifteen & Sixteen and on the north by Lot No fourteen known and distinguished by the west Ends of Lotts No fifteen and sixteen in the second consepsion from the waters of Masisquoi bay. [Image 116]
• On 31 March 1805, Stephen Pettis received a final payment of $700 from "Mathew [sic] his heirs and assigns" for Lots 15 and 16. [Image 264] The wording suggests that Mathew is deceased. No Brayton family member signed the document. Note that Mathew was not listed in the 1801, 1802 Poll Tax list nor in the 1806 "Grand List," but his 2 sons, William and Rufus were with a combined sum total of $132.50.^[23]

Military: American Revolutionary War

• At some point as a young man, Mathew defied his father's and brothers' support of England. Official records of the State of Vermont, dated 1778, lists the names of Gideon Brayton, Thomas Brayton and Joseph Brayton as owners of "estates" at Clarendon [VT] which were ordered confiscated because of their "Notorious Treasonable Acts Committed against this and the United States of America."^[24]
• In 1775, Mathew as a private in the 16th Regiment stationed at Hoosick, Albany, New York, was listed in the official rolls.^[25]
• Mathew Brayton served as a private in both Capt. Brown's and Capt. Wells' Companies, Van Woert Regiment, New York State Troops and joined General Burgoyne at Castleton, Vermont in July 1777 for the Battle of Hubbardton.^[26] [Castleton lies about 15 miles west of Clarendon where his father and brothers were living.]
  • Joseph Brayton and David Sweet, likely his cousins, also served in Van Woert Regiment under Capt. Wells. Van Woert Regiment was also known as the 16th Albany County Militia Regiment.^[27]
• They joined Gen. Horatio Gates' Continental Army and served in Brigadier General Abraham Ten Broeck's Brigade during the Saratoga Campaign which included the Battle of Hubbardton.
• For some reason, perhaps at home for the birth of his child, Ruth, Matthew refused duty in 1779, faced a court martial, and was punished with 60 lashings.^[28]
• In 1783, he estimated his loss at £65 New York. ^[29]
• In 1784, Mathew was awarded ₤1 14 shillings 0 pence as payment for his 1779 service, with certificate # 24,640 issued.^{[30] [31]}
• DAR: Matthew: b 7-24-1759 d p. 1787 m — Carey Pvt NY” Mathew is assigned DAR Ancestor #: A013906. ^[32]

Last Will and Testament, Probate, Estate Settlement

As of 17 March 2026, no records have been located for Mathew's dispersal of his real and personal property. He may have done so without involving the court system.

Death

No death or burial documentation has been located as of 20 March 2026 for Matthew. It appears that he died between 18 October 1801 and and 31 March 1805, or possibly as late as 1 June 1813, if he died in Vermont.

• Matthew is not listed in the 1801 and 1802 Poll Tax for Alburg, Vermont.
• The last Alburg town record listing his name was on 31 March 1805. [See above]
• He was not listed in the Pensioner's List for the State of Vermont, dated 1 June 1813 as well as the following lists of 1818, 1820, 1832, 1840.^[33]
• Mathew may have moved from Vermont to Canada or with family members to Ohio. However, no death, probate, census, church, etc. records have been found to support this possibility.

Burial

One possibility for Mathew's burial is Alburg Center Cemetery, where several of his children, including Rufus and his family, are buried.^[34]

• Alburg Center Cemetery is on Ransom Bay of Lake Champlain. In 2027, the cemetery did not have a record of his burial and it is not listed in the book “Records of deaths, taken from cemeteries not reported previous to 1870, Alburg, Vermont.”^[35] It could be that it was flooded thus losing the graves of Mathew and Nancy. Flooding is a common experience in this area, especially during the months of March through May. Or his burial may have occurred on his property which was adjacent to the flood prone area of Mud Creek.
• His burial is recorded with FindAGrave Memorial 142452110, which has an undocumented year of death as 1805. ^[36]

Research Notes

Upon receiving the 24 March 2026 emailed request of Beth (Brown) Golden, Jamie Vander Clute, Records and Information Management Specialist, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), searched their files for the death and estate settlement of Mathew. He reported that he had checked the name index to the Manuscript Vermont State Papers after 1800 and could not locate any matching entries for Matthew Brayton. He checked their vital records index and could not identify any matches. He also checked the microfilm for the Grand Isle Probate District record books from 1796 - 1826, but unfortunately Volume 1 (1796 – 1808) does not have an index. Volume 2 is indexed but he could not identify any entries for Brayton. Searching Volume 1 would take more staff time than the Archives has the capacity to provide. He attached a list of proxy researchers who may be able to search for a fee.

Sources

1. ↑ Rhode Island Birth Index, 1636-1930. Accessed via Ancestry.com $ on 13 March 2026
2. ↑ Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899. p. 101. Accessed via Ancestry.com $ on 13 March 2026
3. ↑ Brayton, Clifford R. Brayton Family History, Volume 2; pp 43, 96. Accessed 12 March 2026 via personal copy owned by Beth (Brown) Golden Brayton cites Brayton, George M. Genealogy of the Braytons (1914) pp. 8, 25
4. ↑ Brayton. Brayton Family History
5. ↑ Founders and Early Settlers of East Greenwich https://eghps.org/cpage.php?pt=21 Accessed 14 February 2026
6. ↑ "Beekman, Dutchess, New York, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS87-SSW5-C?view=fullText : Feb 16, 2026), images 825 and 826 of 2280; Doherty, Frank J. Image Group Number: 007951849
7. ↑ Map of the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. By Henry Livingston, Jun. Dated February 10, 1798. Identifier: NYSA_A0273-78_191. http://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/37464#
8. ↑ Brayton Family History
9. ↑ DOHERTY. SETTLERS OF THE BEEKMAN PATENT
10. ↑ Doherty. Beekman
11. ↑ Cemetery, Church and Town Records, DAR of New York Volume 73 p. 300. Microfilm only. https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/547629Accessed 5 March 2026.
12. ↑ Brayton. Volume 1, pp. 6, 38 and following.
13. ↑ Johnson, Crisfield. The History of Washington County, New York. Everts and Ensign Philadelphia, 1878; p. 301 Accessed 6 March 2026.
14. ↑ Fort Ann Historical Society. Town Historical Timeline. https://fortannhistory.org/town-historical-timeline/ Accessed 6 March 2026.
15. ↑ Anderson, George Baker. History of Hoosick, New York; Published By D. Mason & Co. Publishers, Syracuse, NY; 1897. Anderson, George Baker. Landmarks of Rensselaer county, New York. Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & company, 1897. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/01016740/. Accessed 12 March 2026.
16. ↑ Wikipedia. Grand Isle County, Vermont https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Isle_County,_Vermont Accessed 19 March 2026.
17. ↑ Crockett, Walter Hill; Vermont, the Green Mountain State; Vol 3, pp. 9 and following; by The Century House History Company, Inc., NY; 1921. https://archive.org/details/vermontgreenmoun03croc/page/8/mode/2up Accessed 18 March 2026.
18. ↑ Marvin, Rev. David. History of the Town of Alburg. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vermont/GrandIsleAlburg.html Accessed 18 March 2026.
19. ↑ "Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005," database with images, FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89ML-XJHW?cc=1987653&wc=Q8ZY-CF3%3A324710501%2C324710502%2C324710503 : 22 May 2014), Grand Isle > Alburg > Town records 1792-1824 vol 1-3; town clerk offices, Vermont. Image #s included within the following entries. Accessed 12 March 2026.
20. ↑ Brayton. Brayton Family History, Volume 1, page 85
21. ↑ Vermont Northwest Regional Planning Commission. https://www.nrpcvt.com/municipalities/alburgh-town/ Accessed 16 March 2026.
22. ↑ "United States, Census, 1800", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRQ-RV2 : Wed Mar 06 09:17:08 UTC 2024), Entry for Mathew Brayton, 1800. Image 231 of 367. Accessed 12 March 2026.
23. ↑ "Alburg, Grand Isle, Vermont, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9MB-D4Z8?view=explore : Mar 22, 2026), image 25 of 636; Vermont. State Archives. Public Records Division. Image Group Number: 005458310
24. ↑ Court of Confiscation documents (Record Series: A-289, Vol. 1, p. 6 Record ID: 43691; Record Series: SE-118, Vol. 37, p. 51 Record ID: 8530; Record Series: A-289, Vol. 1, p. 4-8 Record ID: 43692; Record Series: A-289, Vol. 1, p. 4-8 Record ID: 43693; sent by Jamie Vander Clute, Records and Information Management Specialist, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) via email to Beth (Brown) Golden on 20 February 2026.
25. ↑ New York in the Revolution as colony and state. Albany, N.Y.: unknown, 1904. p. 130. Accessed via Ancestry.com $ 13 March 2026.
26. ↑ Fold3. US, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, New York, Van Woert's Regiment of Militia (1779-80), p. 19 Accessed via Ancestry.com $ on 6 March 2026
27. ↑ Fold3. Van Woert
28. ↑ The Vermont Watchman, Thursday, October 14, 1909; Montpelier, Vermont. https://www.newspapers.com/image/71284820 Accessed 13 March 2026.
29. ↑ Berthold Fernow, ed. History From America's Most Famous Valleys Documents Relating to The Colonial History of the State of New York; Volume XV. State Archives, Vol. I; Albany N.Y.; Wood Parsons and Company, Printers, 1887. p. 330 https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ15brod/page/n9/mode/2up Accessed 16 March 2026.
30. ↑ Fold3. Van Woert.
31. ↑ Fold3 Image of card record for “Mattee Brayton” https://www.fold3.com/image/20559578/brayton-mattee-page-2-us-revolutionary-war-service-records-1775-1783 Accessed via Ancestry.com $ on 6 March 2026
32. ↑ DAR Ancestor Record http://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A013906 Accessed 13 March 2026.
33. ↑ New Horizons Genealogy; 1813 Pension List: Vermont https://www.newhorizonsgenealogicalservices.com/1813-pension-list/1813-pension-list-vermont.htm Accessed 18 March 2026.
34. ↑ FindAGrave. Alburg Center Cemetery https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2162485 Accessed 18 March 2026.
35. ↑ Records of deaths, taken from cemeteries not reported previous to 1870, Alburg, Vermont. https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/346405 with transcription done by David Ellis for https://sites.rootsweb.com/~qceastwn/archives/alburg27773.htm Accessed 23 March 2026.
36. ↑ FindAGrave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142452110/matthew-brayton: accessed 16 April 2023), memorial page for Matthew Brayton (24 Jul 1759–1805), Find a Grave Memorial ID 142452110; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by Bob & AJ (contributor 47790994).