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But the Brinton family has deep roots, dating back to 1684 when the William Brinton came to the then-colony of Pennsylvania with a land grant for 450 acres from William Penn.
And that, said Mark Brinton who came from Salt Lake City, Utah, for a three-day family reunion, makes a difference. The family size and longevity make the reunion special for him.
"It's fun to see how many I'm related to, [but] the longevity gives me a different perspective on history. In looking at the dates of different events and buildings [in Philadelphia], and thinking my family was here, my ancestors were here at this time. ... It makes the history of the country personal to me, makes me wonder what [an ancestor] would have been thinking, how he would have been participating."
The Brinton family celebrated 320 years in America this past weekend with a reunion in the Chadds Ford area.
Mark Brinton is a member of the genealogy committee for the family. Though nobody knows for certain how many family members exist, there are more than 1,000 addresses in the family database and more than 10,000 names dating back to the first arrivals, he said.
Close to 300 members of the family spent Friday night and Sunday at the William Brinton 1704 House in Chadds Ford Township. The house also marks its 300th anniversary this year. They spent Saturday at the Brandywine Picnic Park, where the family held its first reunion 90 years ago. At that time it was the Lenape Park.
While there are still Brintons in the immediate area, many came from all across the continental United States, Hawaii, and some from Canada.
Hanging out in what is basically his own back yard was Edward S. "Ted" Brinton, 79, a former Birmingham Township resident who now lives in Kennett Square.
He said it's unique for a family to be able to trace its history back more than 300 years.
"Today we have a very mobile society so very few people can trace their lineage back beyond two generations. They know their grandfathers but then it stops," he said
Brintons have genealogy going back to the year 1060, he said. There have been professional genealogists associated with the family and that has helped the family keep track of its lineage. They have published three editions of the genealogy, one in the 1800s, another in 1924 and now a third book has been published.
The family has been meeting annually for about 20 years, he said.
The original charter from William Penn was for 450 acres, but that grew to about 1,000 acres, Ted Brinton said. The family made its money in farming, and selling its produce and other farm goods in Philadelphia.
"Farmers were feeding all the immigrants who were arriving and all the ships had to be provisioned. So farming was a very profitable industry," he said.
Three things make the house unique, according to Ted Brinton. The first is continuity - the same family has owned it for 300 years, the same family that built the house owns, operates and maintains it today.
The house is a National Historic Landmark and is also on the National Registry of Historic Houses. Brinton said there are only about 140 houses across the state with that status.
The other unique aspect, he said, is that the family knows exactly how the house was furnished.
"Before William Brinton died, he and his wife made a room by room inventory of their possessions and the house is furnished matching that inventory with period antiques. ... The authenticity of the house is very unique."
The family dedicated a recently planted pear tree on the grounds of the 1704 House in honor of a pear tree planted on the grounds 300 years ago.
It's also an incorporated family, tax exempt with a 501(c)(3) status so people can contribute tax-free to the upkeep and maintenance of the house, he said.
