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Braintree, Market Square 1900
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Braintree and its inhabitants.
Below you find links to a range of sources transcribed by History House. Further below under 'more family and local history sources' you will find additional links to help you.
For other locations in Essex use the 'Essex A to Z' in the navigation menu.
Pigot's Directory of Essex 1823 - list of inhabitants.
Braintree inhabitants who voted in the 1826 general election held in the Borough of Maldon.
Braintree inhabitants who voted in the 1847 general election.
BRAINTREE, a well built and improving market town, is partly in its own parish, and partly in that of Bocking, and >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants. Also includes Bocking.
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants. Also includes Bocking.
Essex Almanac of 1866 - a description of Braintree and Bocking.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants. Also see the entry for Bocking.
Court cases involving Braintree residents - ongoing project >>more.
When researching for this website we often find a little snippet of information on a location or subject which may be of interest. Here's one for Braintree.
Reports and returns on schools and education in Braintree.
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Braintree became part of the Braintree Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
For images of Braintree see our article on Essex Images for Family History.
For maps of Braintree see our article on Essex Maps for Family History.
High Street, Braintree
Low resolution copy courtesy of Footsteps' Shop on Ebay. Quality postcards of Essex.
New to researching your family tree or unsure where to find information? Take a look at our Your Ancestors section of the website. It contains tips, advice, links to resources, and stories.
Discover how to explore newspaper archives. With millions of pages now online, there is always the possibility of finding articles featuring your ancestors.
Ancestry.co.uk have now transcribed the entire collection of Essex parish registers. Search now on Ancestry for your Essex ancestors. Then on the results page click on ‘request image’ and you will be taken to the ERO website where you can purchase an image of the relevant page.
Visit our Parish Registers of Essex page for more information.
Find census returns for this location at Ancestry.co.uk.
Find census returns for this location at Findmypast.co.uk.
All types of objects relating to family history are sold on Ebay. Photographs, copies of Wills, house conveyancing, bills of sale, and much, much more. See our article Essex Ancestors on eBay
If you're looking for pictures of Braintree to add to your family tree album, then try Ebay. Link already formatted for Essex Postcards
The Essex Record Office 'ERO' is an excellent starting point for research. The ERO has an online catalogue by the name of Essex Archives Online which includes parish registers. Access to both via the ERO's homepage.
Also try FreeReg: a database of parish registers transcribed by volunteers. The Essex coverage is increasing each day.
Brief archeological history of Braintree on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
The Essex Record Office 'ERO' are custodians of the parish registers of Essex. Ancestry.co.uk have now transcribed the entire collection of Essex parish registers. Search now on Ancestry for your Essex ancestors. Then on the results page click on ‘request image’ and you will be taken to the ERO website where you can purchase an image of the relevant page.
Visit our Parish Registers of Essex page for more information.
Newspaper archives are now a very important source of information for researching your family tree.
Try our example search to help you discover if your ancestors are in the British Newspaper Archive.
Braintree - Cary's New and Correct English Atlas, 1798
Braintree - First Series Ordnance Survey Map 1805
Postcard of High Street, Braintree.
Ebay is a good source of old images of Essex towns and villages. If you're looking for pictures to add to your family tree album, then try one of the auctions, or there are several 'Buy It Now' shops offering postcards which have been touched up and improved - so if you're unsure about bidding, try these.
Link below already formatted for Essex and Postcards.