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Boston Brahmins, also called the First Families of Boston, are the class of New Englanders who claim hereditary and cultural descent from the English Protestants who founded the city of Boston, Massachusetts and settled New England. They are part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment, along with the wealthy families of New York City and Philadelphia. Characteristics The term Brahmin comes from the Indian caste system word meaning 'The Purest Person'; not only one who possesed the wisdom to speak to the gods, but also had a sharp acumen and was thus accorded an elite status in society. Similarly, The "Boston Brahmin" is not just a claim of high social class, but also of cultural and intellectual leadership. While the origins of the Indian Brahmin could be traced to the period between 1000 BCE to 200 BCE, the Boston Brahmin had most likely originated in the early part of the 18th Century. Unlike the Indian Brahmins, who laid the Foundations of Hinduism with well-documented scriptures that are practised today, the Boston Brahmins did not exert a similar influence on Christianity. The American phrase was likely coined by writer Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., as part of a January 1860 article in the Atlantic Monthly called "The Professor's Story." The nature of the Brahmins is summarized in the doggerel "Boston Toast" by John Collins Bossidy. "And this is good old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots, And the Cabots talk only to God."• Today, Brahmin families often refer to themselves as Yankees. Members of these families are generally known for being fiscally conservative, socially liberal, and well educated. These families often have deeply established traditions in the Episcopalian or Unitarian faiths. According to Yankee magazine, many Brahmin families intermarried and were perceived as marked by their distinctive elocution, the Boston Brahmin accent. Brahmin families Many of the Brahmin families trace their ancestry back to the original founders of Boston while others bought their way into society during the nineteenth century with their profits from commerce and trade or by marrying into established Brahmin families like the Emersons and Winthrops. Some prominent families are listed here. The Adamses Adams family The Cabots Cabot family The Choates Choate family The Cushings Cushing family Descendant by marriage: The Crowninshields Crowninshield family The Danas Dana family The Delanos Delano family Descendant by marriage: The Eliots Eliot family The Emersons Emerson family The Endicotts Endicott family The Forbeses Forbes family Descendant by marriage: The Holmeses Holmes family The Jacksons Jackson family The Lawrences Lawrence family Abbott Lawrence Lowell (1856–1943) The Lodges The Lowells Lowell family The Peabodys Peabody family The Phillipses Phillips family The Putnams Putnam family The Quincys Quincy family The Saltonstalls Saltonstall family The Winthrops Winthrop family See also | |||||||
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