Moving beyond Stiles, there is a second early twentieth century source on the Brandegees: William Richard Cutter. The following is from his book New England families, genealogical and memorial; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of commonwealths and the founding of a nation, published 1913; volume 4; pp. 1574-6.

You can read it online here, and here; the complete .pdf is here.

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The surname Brandegee BRANDEGEE is spelled also Brundig, Brandig, Brandish, Brandiger, Brondigee, Brandigat, Brandisley, Brondish and Boundikee, and all these spellings are found relating to John Brandigee, who was in Wethersfield as early as 1635. He was doubtless of English birth, though the name is possibly German or Dutch originally. He died before October 27, 1639, the date of the inventory of his estate. He left a widow and five children. It is believed that he was killed by the Indians in the massacre of 1637. He was at Watertown for a short time before coming to Wethersfield and was a freeman there. His widow Rachel married Anthony Wilson.

John Brandegee, probably a son, was a settler in Rye, New York, and signed the declaration of loyalty to Charles II., July 26, 1662, spelling his name Brondish, but in January, 1663, he spelled his name Brondig. He was the first town clerk of Rye ; was deputy to the general court in 1677 and 1681 ; died in 1697. In the accounts of those days he is called “Stout Old John Brundig.” He was in 1662 one of the original proprietors of Manursing Island, Rye, and of Poringoe Neck. He left four sons, John, Joseph, David and Joshua, and they have had many descendants in Westchester county, New York.

(I) Jacob Brandegee, believed to be son of John and _____ (Brock) Brandegee, of Rye, grandson of “Stout Old John Brundig,” of Rye, settled in Stepney, in the town of Wethersfield. According to family tradition he ran away from home. He is said to have been born in 1729 and to have come from Nine Partners, New York, to Great Swamp when thirteen years old. He was by trade a weaver, and at one time kept a store in Great Swamp Village, now Berlin. He married, at Newington, Connecticut, October 11, 1752, Abigail Dunham. He owned the covenant in the Newington Church, July 27, 1755. In later life he was engaged in the West India trade, sailing vessels from Rocky Hill, and died at sea on a return voyage from Guadaloupe, March 25, 1765. His widow married (second) Major Eells, son of Rev. Edward Eells, of Upper Middletown, Connecticut, now Cromwell. She died January 25, 1825. Children, recorded at Kensington: Elishama, born April 17, 1754, mentioned below: Rhoda, October 5, 1756, died April, 1781 ; Persis, August 31, 1758: Abigail August 31, 1760, died 1820: Mary, December 18, 1763. died 1764: Jacob. January 4. 1765.

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The following are excerpts from a somewhat speculative account of the name Brandegee, its history and its possible origins, found in The Families of Ancient Wethersfield, by Stiles, available online here. Taken as a whole, the piece represents the finished version of Stiles’ research on the name, and at the end of the 19th century, he knew as much as anyone on the subject.

[A brief research note: I believe that at some point following publication of his work, Stiles must have forwarded his notes on to Edward Deshon Brandegee, for the notes that are currently held in the Brandegee Office, and which I had erroneously assumed to be the work of EDB, are in fact early versions of the essay you see excerpted below.–LSL]

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BRANDEGEE, (Brundig, Brandig, Brandish, Brandiger, Brondiger, Brandigat, Brandisley, Brondish, Boundikee)  are various spellings of a name found in old records, and all of which seem to connected with and apply to one John Brundish who was at Weth. [Wethersfield, CT —LSL] probably as early as 1635-7, and of whom only one record exists, and that incidentally, in Weth. Land Recs. as being the owner of a home‑lot which bounded another man’s property.—See Chapt. VII, Vol. I. These various spellings of the name, as given above, together with the fact that some of the earlier generations resided in the neighborhood of New York City, (Westchester and Duchess Cos.), has given rise to the very natural opinion that the family was of Dutch origin. But this opinion is controverted by Mr. Marius Brandegee, of Elizabeth, N.J., who considers it to be of English stock, in which view we also concur. It will also be noted that the terminal of the name is spelled variously—dage, digge, dyge, by members of the same stock; and that all the spellings contain the same consonants, B. R. N. D., with the first vowel O., U., or A. rather broad, and the terminal S. H. or G. E., indicating that the G. should be pronounced soft and not hard, as the G. in geese.

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