Brand Dairy?

The history of the Brahn family can be traced in the Spring Lake area all the way back to 1812. Oddly enough, our origins begin with the similarly sounding Brand Family. Not to be confused with Brahn, the Brand side of our lineage traces back to David Brand who inherited 12 acres from his father William and settled near Pitney and Ocean Avenue.

In 1813 Brand's Road was approved by Monmouth County and traversed present day Pitney, Church, and Allaire Roads. The road terminated at the ocean near Brand’s tavern. Via this route, fishermen would haul their catch to market at New Bedford. Tavern petitions submitted to Howell Township in 1829 and 1830 indicate that David operated a tavern for pound fishermen near Lake Como and the Atlantic Ocean. Evidence points to the tavern being a part of the family home as the petition states “David Brand….is provided with two good feather beds over and above what is required for the use of his family and also has sufficient house room for men and stabling”. In 1842 David Brand was listed as an overseer of highways, likely because he was responsible for maintaining “his” road. 

James Lloyd Brand, son of David, continued to reside in the local area. He and wife Sarah had 14 children. According to Civil War draft registries, JLB was a waterman meaning that he crabbed, fished, and generally worked on local waterways. Similarly, an 1860 census listed his occupation as fisherman. Residences listed throughout his life include Wall, Squan Village, Como, and Sea Plain. James and Sarah are one of the few burials in Como Cemetery next to the Masonic Lodge on Church Street. 

The daughter of James and Sarah was also Sarah “Sadie” Brand. She would marry Charles Russell Brahn with whom she settled and started Brahn's Dairy in Spring Lake. Among Sarah's many siblings were Elwood who was a member of the US Lifesaving Station. This was an early version of the US Coast Guard and had stations up and down the NJ Coast. He was also proprietor of Riverside Hotel on the north side of the Main Street bridge between Belmar and Avon. The building which houses the hotel is now Diver’s Two and still has old fishing shack vibes on the inside. The walls were at one time insulated with seashells.

Brands continue to reside in the Spring Lake area. Don Sr went to school in the 1970s with a Donald Brand. When the intercom would announce “Donald Brahn/Brand to the principals office” neither kid would know who the summons was intended for. In Lake Como near 18th and the RR is Brand Parkway. The story goes that our Brands sold property to the railroad on the condition that a road be named after them. 

Present day descendents, myself included, work together via Monmouth County Brands Facebook group to research and compile our interconnected history. Shout out to Mike Foy, Christina Terjesen, and Linda Brand Shea (rest in peace) for connecting us and breaking down walls in our ancestry. Keep up the good work!