Biography

James was born about 1696. He was the son of William Brekenrig (bef.1663-).

He was baptized 22 Jul 1696 in Craigie, Ayshire, Scotland, James son of William Brekenrig. ^[1]

His mother is not named, however William Brekenrig married Margaret Neill 2 Feb 1692 in Craigie, so it's assumed he is their son.

Marriage
James married Sarah about 1720 based on the age of his oldest child, James. Some family trees give this date as 14 Oct 1719, sometimes with a location of Ayrshire, Scotland, sometimes a different location. More research is needed.

His wife's name is often given as Sarah James, although as of this update (Dec 2021) FamilySearch has her name as Sarah Russell - please see Disputed section for more info.

Immigration
Although born in Scotland, James, his wife and three older children immigrated from Northern Ireland with a group of settlers headed for the new world. "We departed from Ireland, July 16, 1727, and my child died on the 19th of Aug. (referring to third son Francis 1725-1727)" ^[2]

The quote above is cited by William Hyde during his address to the opening of the town hall in Ware, MA 1837, referring to a music book that was in the possession of the family upon which was written, "Mr. Jacobus Breakenridge, His Music Book, made and taught per me, Robt. Cairnes, at Glenreavoll, Sept. 1715." It also contained the "date of his marriage, 1720, and the births of his children, giving the day, the hour, and the time in the moon, with other memoranda." ^[3]

Glenreavoll doesn't appear to be an actual place in either Scotland or Ireland as a Google search performed Dec 2021 found only references to the music-book quote and no town names. However there is a Glenravel parish in County Antrim, now Northern Ireland, so it's possible this is where James' parents moved to after leaving Craigie. More research is needed.

The music book no longer exists as Cornelia Gould says in her Breakenridge Genealogy forty years later that "it was lost from the family more than thirty years ago". ^[4]

Children

1. James 1721-1783
2. William (1723-1807)
3. Francis 1725-1727
4. Francis 1728-1790
5. Sarah Breckenridge Lemmon 1729-1803
6. Esther Breckenridge Hamilton 1731-1803
7. George 1733-1797

Death
He passed away in 1767. "James [h. Sarah], Apr. 5, 1767, in 72d y. G.R.2" ^[5] Note: this would mean that he was 71 years old at the time of his death. If this is accurate, it would make his birth date before 5 Apr 1696.

He is buried in Palmer Center Cemetery, Palmer, MA. His gravestone reads "In Memory of Mr. James Brakenridge who Died April ye 5th 1767 in ye 72nd Year of his Age" ^[6]

Disputed Family

Marriage: No marriage record for the family has been found either in Scotland or Ireland. More research is needed.

Name: He is often referred to a "Jacobus", presumably because of the name on the music book cited by Hyde and then Gould. This often carries over in family trees, although it's worth noting that his baptismal and burial records name him only as James. The Irelend.Net website notes that in Irish records (which were in English or Latin) Jacobus is Latin for both James and Jacob. ^[7]

Wife: Many family trees list James' wife as Sarah James - but no marriage or birth record can confirm her name. As of Dec 2021, FamilySearch lists his wife as Sarah Russell daughter of John Russell born 15 Oct 1694 in Woburn, Mass - 75 miles from Palmer. She married John Peter Ross in Andover Oct 1715, so it's not clear how she could have married James in Ireland in 1720. More research is needed.

Acknowledgments

With deep gratitude to the late Roger Carroll Breckenridge who helped me make my own connection this family in the 1990s - before there was an Internet.

Sources

1. ↑ Old Parish Register OPR 584/1 p13 item 4 Scotland Parish Births & Baptisms Registers viewed Dec 2021 on FindMyPast.com.
2. ↑ Hyde, William. Address delivered at the opening of the new town hall Ware, Mass (Merriam and Cook Printers, Brookfield, Mass., 1847) citing the Music Book p49
3. ↑ Hyde: Page 49
4. ↑ Gould, Cornelia A. Genealogy of the descendants of James Breakenridge, who emigrated from Ireland, July, 1727. (CW Eddy, Ware, Mass, 1887) p5
5. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/t/11938/204/142660099
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8109284/jacobus-breakenridge : accessed 07 December 2021), memorial page for Jacobus “James” Breakenridge (1696–5 Apr 1767), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8109284, citing Palmer Center Cemetery, Palmer, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by A. M. P. M. (contributor 47790159) .
7. ↑ This entry was posted in Names on March 5, 2013 by Dr. Jane Lyons. https://www.from-ireland.net/irish-names/latin-names-in-english/

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #8109284
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LJYH-LJ6
• https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/129198-genealogy-of-the-descendants-of-james-breakenridge-who-emigrated-from-ireland-july-1727?viewer=1&offset=25#page=1&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=

• A previous Ancestral File Number 8FZW-9F now throws an error message: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/8FZW-9F