Brierton

The Brierton family is joined to this network of families by the marriage of Marguerite Agatha Brierton and William August Schmitt on September 2, 1928.

The family has a long history going back to 1066. Some general notes on this history are here, including some links to more specific data. Beyond general history, a review of census records shows that the family came down from Canada by way of Albany, stopping there for a time before moving to New Yor City. There were at least three males who came down from Canada at about the same time and of about the same age, John, James, and Thomas. The could have been cousins, brothers, or some other relationship. Complicating research, several of their children later moved on to New York and Brooklyn. James appears to be the only one of the "original" 3, who went to Brooklyn. Each of them had children named James and Sylvester, so tracing them through can be difficult. The earliest name we currently have in the Brierton line of our family is that of James Brierton, who was born Canada in 1830.

At one point, Marguerite Brierton stated that she believed that she was somehow related to every Brierton living in the United States. If any one of them see this and know anything, please let us know. One in particular that seems to be missing from most lists is a Richard Brierton, who is listed as a founding member of the Olympic Yacht Club of Brooklyn on June 5, 1896. This is the only time the name has come up, but if all Brierton's in the country are related, this "extra" Brierton in Brooklyn fits that definition. An Alice Brierton is mentioned as giving a recital on April 15, 1892, but she doesn't fit with any other Brierton members that we know of, and we have no other information on her, either.