The immigrant Richard Brackett was an active citizen of early Boston and early Braintree, and has been extensively studied by Threlfall and others. Anderson has summarized what is known, but there a number of unexplained discrepancies between the dates given by Threlfall and the dates given by Anderson. In general I have followed the dates given by Anderson.

Richard Brackett was admitted to the church at Boston as member #144, shortly before 11 Nov 1632 according to Anderson.268 Threlfall269 identifies Brackett as a member of the Winthrop Fleet and claims that “he was in Massachusetts as early as 27 August 1630, when he was among the organizers of the First Church of Boston, being 144th on the list of members,” but Anderson dates his immigration from 1632. He returned to England in 1633 for his marriage, and then sailed again for New England in 1634 with his new wife. According to Anderson,270 he was made a freeman 25 May 1636, and became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1639 (23 Nov 1636 according to Threlfall, which would seem to be impossible as the AHAC was not established until 1637; see Anderson p. xli and Whitman below). Brackett held a number of military offices, serving as Boston jailkeeper from 1637-40, and later as the military commander in Braintree. He removed to Braintree in 1641, where he was a deacon in the church and held a number of civil offices as well, including selectman and clerk of writs.

Citing the work of Threlfall and others, Anderson notes271 that “Through his mother and his wife, Richard Brackett became a member of, and the first immigrant from, the largest kinship network as yet uncovered among the participants in the Great Migration....Taking into account all these persons and their children, then, there were more than forty future immigrants to New England who were related to Richard Brackett by blood or marriage before their departure from England.”

Anderson, citing NEHGR 127:17, gives the date of Richard’s marriage to Alice Blower as 6 January 1633/4; Threlfall gives 16 January 1633/4. Threlfall and Anderson provide many more details about Richard Brackett’s property holdings in New England and about the many public offices he held. Threlfall reports272 that “he is buried in the old North precinct of Braintree, now the city of Quincy. His grave is marked by a [p. 69] stone cut about 150 years after his death. However, the inscription seems to be a duplicate of what had been on the original stone.

“Here lyeth buried/ye body of/Captain Richard Brackett/Deacon/Aged 80 years/Deceased March 5/1690

“The town record says he died 3 March. [Threlfall reproduces a somethat muddy photograph of the gravestone here.]

“A silver cup inscribed B/R&A and used in the Unitarian Church in Braintree (which in early days was Congregational) at communion service, is the gift of Richard Brackett and his wife, Alice, to the church.”

Threlfall also prints a transcription of Richard Brackett’s will , dated 29 January 1689.

Whitman’s AHAC273 records Richard Brackett’s admission to the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1639 and sketches his life thus: "CAPT. RICHARD BRACKETT, Boston, freeman 1636. He was dismissed from Boston Church to Braintree, 1642, and ordained Deacon, July 21st, 1642. He was the third Captain of the militia in Braintree, and Town Clerk for many years. He died March 3d, 1691, aged 80." [Whitman 103]