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Braddock & Lyford Ancestors

While Florida was still a Spanish possession, John David Braddock and his brother, William Braddock, migrated from Glynn County, Ga. to what is now Nassau County and married the Christopher sisters, Martha and Charlotte Ann, both on May 9, 1804. I photocopied pages from an English translation of a Spanish census taken in 1814 that shows the two families, including children, living on Talbot Island.

Going backwards, John David and William were sons of John Cutler Braddock and Lucia Cook. The appelation of "R. S." after his name is not quite accurate. He was not merely a soldier. He was commander of the Georgia Rebel galley, Lee, throughout the Revolutionary War and was so effective against the British on the waterways of SC, GA, and FL that he was named on three of their lists of traitors. He is one of the four mariner ancestors of Braddocks that WOODEN SHIPS - IRON MEN is about and he was involved in too many exploits to mention here. I will mention that he and his galley were involved in the southernmost encounter of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Thomas Creek, which is a short distance south of Nassau River, which divides Nassau and Duval Counties.

John Cutler Braddock was the son of David Cutler Braddock, a mariner of note. DCB was born on Long Island, NY in 1717. In 1740, the rice ship of which he was first mate was captured by the Spanish and taken into St. Augustine. He escaped and made his way to GA. where Gen. Oglethorpe placed him in command of a schooner protecting GA. He sailed it against the Spanish when they attempted to invade St. Simons. William Lyford Sr., commanding a SC naval vessel that had come to Ga's aid in the same encounter, was impressed with DCB and made him commander of a second SC naval vessel. DCB promptly married the boss' daughter, Mary Lyford. John Cutler Braddock was born to them in Beaufort, SC, a lovely little river town. DCB and his father-in-law and his brother-in-law, William Lyford Jr. were involved in many noteworthy exploits as mariners.

Mary Lyford's mother was Elizabeth Spatches, whose father, William Spatches Sr, was president of the Bahamas at one time.

David Cutler Braddock's father was John Braddick, a mariner of Southold, LI. His mother was Mary Cutler of Hingham, MA. Her father, a surgeon, had changed his name from Johannes DeMesmaker to its English equivilent, John Cutler. He had emigrated from Holland. Both Cutler and Braddick had served in Queen Ann's War against the French in Canada. John Cutler's wife was Mary Cowell. one of their descendants was Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC.