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Thomas H. Branch
Town Marshal

Thomas H. Branch

Gainesville Police Dept. — Gainesville, FL
Felonious
United States flag Florida flag
End of Watch September 23, 1875
Age 38
The Vigil Panel 5 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Town Marshal Thomas Branch was shot and killed by a man armed with a double-barrel shotgun one of the town's main streets.

The subject was acquitted after a second trial.

Marshal Branch also served as a deputy sheriff for Alachua County.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-36BDF185
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

151 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Town Marshal Branch served with the Gainesville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Gainesville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Gainesville Police Dept.
Location Gainesville, FL
Platform Identity gpd.alachua.fl.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 23, 1875
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Shotgun

Town Marshal Thomas H. Branch is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At Gainesville Police Dept., 2 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

Gainesville Police Dept.
2
of 5 officers
40% Felonious
FL — Statewide
539
of 1,008 officers
53.5% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas H. Branch's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Thomas H. Branch Compares

Age at End of Watch
38
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas H. Branch is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Thomas H. Branch was killed by shotgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location