Branford, Florida
town in Suwannee County, Florida, United States of America
Branford is a town in Suwannee County, Florida, United States. The population was 711 at the 2020 census.
History
The Town of Branford was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1961, although it's been settled since the late 1800s, and was expanded and renamed in 1886. The original name was "Rowland’s Bluff" in the late 19th century when the settlement consisted of a sawmill and a ferry crossing across the Suwannee River into Lafayette County. The Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, which became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), was extended by its president, Henry B. Plant, from Live Oak to Branford in 1886, and the community was named "New Branford" after Branford, Connecticut, Henry Plant's hometown. Later the "New" was dropped. Branford was largely destroyed by the 1896 Cedar Keys hurricane, but was rebuilt right afterwards.
Geography
The approximate coordinates for the Town of Branford is located at 29°57′42″N 82°55′38″W (29.961803, –82.927204).
The town is located on the banks of the Suwannee River. U.S. Route 27 and U.S. Highway 129 intersect in Branford.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Branford, Florida” as town in Suwannee County, Florida, United States of America. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as town in Suwannee County, Florida, United States of America. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2092654. VIAF identifies the subject as 146592983. The Library of Congress control number is n81105940. Authority coordinates are 29.962, -82.927. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1961, 1886 and 1896.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Branford, Florida”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Branford, Florida primary sources, Branford, Florida archive and Branford research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Branford, Florida”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Branford, Florida” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.