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Brown

The Brown Family
in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada

And their ancestors in
Tandragee, Ballymore, Armagh, Ireland

And their cousins in
Luzerne & Wyoming Counties, Pennsylvania, USA

Please go to one of my two new websites:

Ryk Brown's New Genealogy Website

The New Stewarts of Balquhidder Website

This website is now ARCHIVE-ONLY.

The information below is not current. Links below may no longer work.

Discuss this family with fellow researchers at:
 RYK BROWN'S GENEALOGY DISCUSSION FORUM

Contents

Click on any of the following to be taken to that section or page.

Contents of this page

  1. Introduction
  2. The Origin of the Name Brown
  3. The Origin of Our Brown Family
    1. DNA Genealogy Research into the Origins of our Browns
    2. Which Flag?
  4. Tandragee, Ballymore Parish, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland
    1. The Early Ulster Plantations
    2. The Settlement of Tandragee
    3. The Irish Rebellion 1641-42
    4. Resettling Ballymore and the Later Plantations
    5. Tandragee in the 18th Century
    6. The Troubles
    7. Tandragee in the 19th Century
  5. The Brown Family in Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland
    1. John BROWN
    2. Robert Brown & Ruth Brown
    3. John Brown & Sarah Cork
    4. Tom Brown & Jean Stewart
    5. Stewart Brown and Harriet Jones
  6. The Pennsylvania Browns
    1. Alexander Brown in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
    2. William Brown in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
    3. James Brown in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  7. Research Leads
  8. Other Tandragee Browns
    1. The Tandragee Browns of Guernsey County, Ohio, USA
    2. George Browns Family from Tandragee
  9. Links
  10. Fellow Researchers
  11. Index & Personal Information Pages (GEDCOM)
  12. Legend
  13. Contact

Links to other related pages on this web site

  1. My Main Page
  2. My Index and Online Database
  3. About Our Family History
  4. The Brown Family in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  5. The Stewart Family in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  6. The Jones Family in Flintshire, Wales
  7. The Liptrot Family in Bolton, Lancashire, England
  8. Angus Family in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Introduction

Welcome to my family history website.  This page covers the ancestors and descendants of John Stewart Brown and his wife, Harriet Ellen Jones of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  If you are just arriving here for the first time then you may wish to start here.

Please Note: This page is intended only as a narrative historical overview of this family.  There is additional detailed information available for almost ever person presented on this page.  To avoid the unnecessary work of double-entering such things as vital statistics, the additional information can be found in the accompanying GEDCOM database.  Please make sure you click on the INDEX button at the bottom of the page so you don't miss out on potentially valuable additional information.

Acknowledgments

The research presented on this page is not mine alone.  It contains information submitted by all the Fellow Researchers listed below.  I am indebted to them for their generous contributions.  This page is intended as a place for researchers to freely and cooperatively share our research with each other.  It would be too cumbersome a task to reference each piece of data as to which researcher it has come from.  The information shown on this page should be understood as a product of ALL of the Fellow Researchers.  I am merely the editor and not the sole author. - Ryk

My grandmother always told me that I was "as British as possible" with my four paternal ancestral branches coming from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. 

The four ancestral lines of this family are:

  1. The Brown family in Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland.  This is the family of John Stewart Brown's father, Chief Constable Thomas Albert Brown, MBE.  The Brown paternal lineage were small-town merchants from Armagh, Ulster, Ireland where their ancestry can be traced back to the mid-1700s. However present research indicates that this family was probably originally from Scotland.  Further information can be found below on this page.
  2. The Stewart family in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  This is the family of John Stewart Brown's mother, Jane Ord Stewart.  Prior to moving to Hamilton, the Stewart maternal lineage of the Brown family were pioneer farmers in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario from the early 1800s. However this family originally comes from the Highlands of Perthshire, Scotland where their ancestry can be traced with certainty to the Ardvorlich Stewarts of Loch Earn, then further to King Robert Stewart II of Scotland, grandson of Robert the Bruce, and even further still.  More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.
  3. The Jones family in Flintshire, Wales.  This is the family of Harriet Ellen Jones' father, Sgt. Richard Evan Jones.  The Jones paternal lineage were industrial working-class folks from Flintshire, Wales where their ancestry can be traced back to the late 1700s. More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.
  4. The Liptrot family in Bolton, Lancashire, England.  This is the family of Harriet Ellen Jones' mother, Sarah Anne "Annie" Liptrot.  The Liptrot maternal lineage of the Jones family were an industrial working-class family from Lancashire, England where their ancestry can be traced back to the early 1800s.  More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.

The Origin Of The Surname Brown

The name Brown is the third most common surname in the English language (behind Smith and Jones). The name Brown has three known origins:

  1. The first is a characteristic surname derived from the colour brown. It was likely used to describe an ancestor who had brown hair, brown eyes, a ruddy complexion, or possibly wore brown clothes.  This etymology is the one most likely to apply to our family.

  2. In Northern Ireland it is also commonly an Anglicization of the Scots Gaelic Mac a'Bhr�ithin, (pronounced "machk-a-broo-in" or "machk-a-vroo-in", with the "ch" sound as in loch), which means "son of the judge".  Recent DNA evidence indicates that our Browns were of Lowland Scottish origin.  Thus this etymology would not apply to our family. (http://homepage.eircom.net/~kthomas/names2.htm , http://www.irelandseye.com/irish/traditional/names/family/browne.shtm , http://talkingtombstones.blogspot.com/2009/04/lite-reading-on-browns.html )

  3. Dorward's Dictionary of Scottish Surnames says (and other sources support) that Brown was one of the two surnames (the other being Smith) commonly chosen by Gaelic speaking Highlanders who were trying to integrate into English speaking areas but whose Gaelic patronymics were either too difficult to pronounce, or, among the anti-Gaelic racist attitudes of the day, considered to be unacceptable.

Click here to learn more about surnames.

The Origin of Our Brown Family

Our Brown family originated in the Lowlands of Scotland.  During the religious clashes of the 17th century our Browns are believed to have been Scottish Covenanters.  As such they would have come under persecution from the Crown.  Likely sometime in the late 17th century our Browns migrated (or possibly fled) from Scotland to Ulster, Ireland where they settled in or near Tandragee or Loughgilly, Armagh, Ireland.  Sometime in the early 18th century, likely around 1720, one branch of our family migrated from Ulster to Pennsylvania, USA.  At the time, Pennsylvania was viewed as a place of great religious tolerance.  It became a very attractive and popular destination for many persecuted Covenanters.  Over the years this branch spread out across the United States.

Meanwhile another branch remained in Ulster.  We know nothing for certain of their early years, but by 1812 they were residing in the village of Tandragee where they were bakers.  In the late 19th century they migrated to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  By the mid-20th century we believe there were no more members of this family remaining in Tandragee.

On the darker side: during the 18th and 19th centuries County Armagh was at the centre of the religious clashes between Catholics and Protestants.  Tandragee saw its share of violence during this period (as described below) and our Browns were certainly in the midst of it.  Out of these tensions came the birth of the Orange Order, a racist, anti-Catholic fraternal organization that modelled its organizational structure on Freemasonry, and which was founded in Loughgall, Armagh, a mere 10 km from Tandragee.  Our Browns were staunch members of the Orange Order and their shameful prejudices were taught in the family until the mid-twentieth century.

DNA Genealogy Research into the Origins of our Browns

In December 2009 I had my DNA tested at Family Tree DNA.  I am a very close genetic match with several other men, surnamed Brown.  We are registered at the BrownSociety.org with their Brown Surname DNA Project as Group # 64, found here: http://brownsociety.org/browndna/groups60thru69.htm.  The other men all descend from an Alexander Brown who came from Ulster, Ireland and settled initially in Reading, Pennsylvania in the early 18th century.  (See below.)  DNA confirms that the Pennsylvania Browns and the Tandragee Browns share a common paternal ancestor.  The degree of variation between our DNA signatures suggests that common ancestor was most likely born sometime in the 17th century.

The most recent common ancestor between our two branches must have lived in Ulster, prior to the Pennsylvania Browns coming to America.  It would seem inconceivable that a descendant of Alexander Brown would have emigrated back to Ireland and had descendants who remained there until coming to Canada in the 1890s.  It is far more reasonable to suggest that both branches of the family descend from a common ancestor who lived in Ireland and that one branch moved immigrated to Pennsylvania while the other branch remained in Ireland.  Thus the most recent common ancestor must have lived in Ireland prior to birth of Alexander.  There is a remote possibility that one of Alexander's sons could have remained in Ireland and been the ancestor of the Tandragee Browns.  However, it is far more likely that the Tandragee Browns descend from a brother or close cousin of Alexander.  Thus we can establish the latest possible date for our common ancestor being approximately 1710 (the approximate birth age for Alexander Brown who came to Pennsylvania). 

It was previously believed that the earliest members of the Pennsylvania Browns who were born in America were baptised by Rev. John Cuthbertson, a Covenanter minister who served in the area of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania from about 1751-1791.  However it has subsequently been shown that the Browns he baptised do not belong to our family.  Despite the loss of this documentary proof of our Covenanter origins, the Pennsylvania Browns still bear all the signs of having been Covenanters and it seems most likely that they were, even if we can no longer prove it. Thus it is most likely that our ancestors came to Armagh during one (or both) of the two major waves of Covenanter immigration: either during the 1640s as settler-soldiers from General Monroe's Covenanter army, or, more likely, during the 1680s/1690s with the much larger migration fleeing the persecution of Covenanters during The Killing Times.  A third possibility is a combination of the two: that one branch descends from an early settler-soldier from Monroe's army and that the other branch were cousins who came over later fleeing persecution and settled in Armagh with their known relatives.  It's unlikely that these branches would have kept in touch beyond second-cousins, thus the earliest our common ancestor was likely born would be ca. 1600.  As such, historical and documentary evidence suggests that the most likely date range for our earliest common ancestor's birth would be approximately 1600-1700. 

Whether we follow the DNA evidence or the historical evidence and deductive reasoning we arrive at the same time frame for our earliest common ancestor: sometime in the 17th century.  Thus we can safely project a fairly narrow window of about four generations spanning about 100 years for our common ancestor, even without the benefit of a paper trail to show the exact match.

Not Descended from John Brown of Priesthill

We had previously built a strong circumstantial case here for our family's descent from John Brown of Priesthill.  As such, we must now take a moment to explain why that connection is no longer likely.

John Brown of Priesthill, a Scottish Covenanter, was born in 1626, lived at Priesthill, Muirkirk, Ayrshire, Scotland, and was executed at his residence on 1 MAY 1685 by Maj. Gen. John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee (also known as "Bonnie Dundee" to the Royalists or "Bloody Clavers" to the Covenanters).  John Brown of Priesthill had a widow and two sons (from his second marriage) who fled from Priesthill to "somewhere in Ulster."  In 1720, when these two sons were grown to adulthood they immigrated to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA where their descendants were baptised by the same Rev. John Cuthbertson who was previously believed to have baptised the early immigrants of our Brown family.  John Brown of Priesthill also had several sons from a previous marriage, at least one of whom is alleged to have fled to Ulster at the same time.  According to a fairly reliable family tradition dating back to the mid-18th century, this latter son, whose name is not known, also fled to Ulster where he settled in Tandragee, Armagh -- the very same village where our Browns settled.  A later branch of this family migrated in the early 19th century to Guernsey, Ohio, USA.  Given the significant coincidences between the Guernsey Browns and our Browns we had hoped DNA evidence would show a genetic link between our two families, thus establishing a common descent from John Brown of Priesthill.  Unfortunately the DNA results confirm that, despite these coincidences, our families do not share a common ancestor, and thus it is extremely unlikely that our Browns from Tandragee are descended from John Brown of Priesthill.  It is remotely possible that one or the other of these families could have an ancestry interrupted by an illegitimate birth or adoption and thus there's a very remote chance we could still be descended from John Brown of Priesthill, however, such a chance is so remote that it would not be worth pursuing without new evidence to support such a theory.

Browns, Baileys, Curds and Roses: R-U198 Super Family 'A'

According to DNA evidence, our Browns also bear a very close genetic relationship to a family of Roses who descend from a Robert Rose who resided in Massachusetts in 1638 and who worked on a whaling ship.  His pre-immigration origins are uncertain, but he is alleged to have been born about 1610 in Scotland.  More information can be found here: http://dgmweb.net/DNA/Rose/Rose-results-R1b-K_K1.html

We bear a slightly more distant relationship to a family named Curd who can be traced back to Sussex, England and a family named Bailey who can be traced back to Wiltshire, England.

Collectively these families have been categorized as "Super Family 'A'" in the R-U198 haplogroup.  Don't worry if these terms are Greek to you.  If you're interested in learning more about the R-U198 DNA Project please go here: http://meekdna.com/U198dna/S29_2.html . A more detailed presentation on the genetic relationship between our Browns and these families is presented further below on this page.

Which Flag?

Which flag does one use to represent an ancestral family who came from Ulster, Ireland in the late 19th century?  Anywhere other than Northern Ireland, this would be a simple question to answer.  However, political sensitivities in Northern Ireland make it an extremely complicated issue. 

The Tri-Colour flag has only been officially used since 1937 but has been in unofficial use since the 1840s.  It was intended to represent the two diverse historical traditions of Ireland: the green for the native Roman Catholic, Gaelic-speaking Irish; the orange for the Anglophone Protestant supporters of William of Orange; and the white to represent peace and unity between these people.  Thus, this flag was intended to convey a positive and unifying message to a bitterly divided people.  However such a peace and unity has never fully existed.  Ireland, although now experiencing peace, is still divided into two countries.  The Tri-Colour is the official flag of the (southern) Republic of Ireland and thus has become co-opted as a symbol for Irish Roman Catholic patriotism and anti-Protestant racism.  It has lost its original symbolic intent of peace and unity.  It has become the flag of one of the "sides".  In Northern Ireland the Tri-Colour is used as a symbol of protest or rebellion against the British Government and a symbol of a hoped-for political reunion between Northern Ireland and the (southern) Republic of Ireland.  Thus for many Protestants in Northern Ireland, the Tri-Colour flag has taken on the taint of anti-Protestant racism.  For many Northern Irish Protestants who have lived through The Troubles, the Tri-Colour is an offensive flag.

The "Red Hand" flag was the official flag of the civil government of the province of Northern Ireland from the time of partitioning until that government was abolished in 1973 when the United Kingdom imposed direct rule, at which point the Union Jack was clarified as the official flag of Northern Ireland.  The Red Hand flag has unquestionably been co-opted by militant Protestant groups in Northern Ireland and without doubt is viewed by Roman Catholics as a racist anti-Roman Catholic symbol.  So, although this flag would probably accurately reflect the genuine anti-Catholic racist sentiments of our Brown ancestors, I do not share those anti-Catholic views, and I would not want to be seen to be promoting such sentiments.  Furthermore this flag was not adopted until after our ancestors left Ireland (which, at the time, was still just "Ireland" and not yet divided into North and South).

The Act of Union in 1801 brought Ireland into the United Kingdom, and resulted in the final version of the Union Jack shown here, which includes the diagonal red cross of St. Patrick, representing the inclusion of Ireland in the UK.  Thus, the technically correct flag for emigrants from Ulster in the late 19th century would be the Union Jack.  However, in Northern Ireland, the Union Jack has also taken on deeper political overtones.  For many native Roman Catholic Irish, the Protestants of Northern Ireland are not Irish; they are British interlopers -- descendants of those who "stole" their land hundreds of years ago.  This is compounded by one of the strange, but enduring characteristics of Northern Irish Protestants that they themselves adamantly assert that they are indeed not Irish; they are British.  Which has raised the question for many historians of "just how long does one have to live in Ireland before one is considered Irish?"  Thus, the Union Jack, although technically the correct flag to use for all of Ireland in the late 19th century (when our Browns emigrated) is itself not free from racist political overtones.

My desire here is to make a cultural statement, not a political statement, and certainly not a racist statement.  When it comes to Northern Ireland, that is an impossible goal.  In Ireland culture and politics are inextricably and irrevocably entwined.  My challenge is further complicated by the fact that on every other page of this website, where ancestors have emigrated from the UK, I have desired to differentiate between English, Scottish and Welsh emigrants by use of their respective national flags.  So which flag is the "correct" "national" flag for a Northern Irish emigrant to distinguish that person from someone emigrating from elsewhere in the UK?  As you can see, it is nearly impossible to answer that question without being seen to be making a racist political statement one way or the other.  Such is the sad, but true, situation that was, and to a lesser extent, still is, Northern Ireland -- it is nearly impossible to remain neutral.  Political sentiments force one to take a side without even trying to do so.  Thus I have opted to use the "technically" correct flag -- the Union Jack, even though that flag fails to accomplish my goal of symbolizing the cultural origins of our ancestors.

Tandragee, Ballymore Parish, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland

Postcards of Tandragee from 1924


http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/old-irish-postcards-county-armagh-15121309.html
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/postcards
Thanks to Melanie Brown for the links.


Tandragee village panorama
viewed from the south

Tandragee with Presbyterian Church in the mist

1. Tandragee Presbyterian Church (foreground)
2. Tandragee Castle (upper left),
now used as a production plant for Tayto Potato Crisps
3. Ballymore Parish Church tower (visible top right)

Downtown Tandragee


County Armagh


Map of Tandragee
click to enlarge
 

The following history of Tandragee includes material excerpted from Tanderagee and the Presbyterian Meeting House 1829-2004, by Rev. Dr. Robin Greer, published by Tandragee Presbyterian Church.

By the late 18th century our Brown family were settled in the village of Tandragee, Armagh, Northern Ireland.  Just how long our ancestors had been in Tandragee by that time is not known for certain.  However recent genealogical DNA research now reveals that our Browns were Scottish Covenanters who likely came to Ulster in the late 17th century.

Tandragee is a small town in Ballymore parish in County Armagh in the province of Ulster, Ireland, in what is today the United Kingdom state of Northern Ireland.  The name 'Tandragee', in Irish, is T�in re Gaoith.  My best attempt at a translation is "back of the wind".

The history of Tandragee is, to a certain degree, a microcosm of the history of Ulster itself.  To understand the history of Tandragee and the Scots-Irish culture from which our family came, one really needs to understand a bit of the history of the province of Ulster and the Plantations.  Such a history is difficult to present as many sources are so politically charged that it can sometimes be hard to distinguish history from political rhetoric.  I'll do my best here. 

The Early Ulster Plantations

Ulster comprises the six counties of present-day Northern Ireland (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone) and the three bordering counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan in the southern Republic of Ireland.  From the earliest times there has always been a great deal of interactive traffic between northern Ireland and southwest Scotland as the two lands are separated by less than 20 miles of water.  In fact the Gaelic-speaking Scots themselves were originally from Ulster, as the ancient Kingdom of Dalriada, which became the Kingdom of the Scots, was founded some 1600 years ago by Ulster Irish settlers.  The language of Scots Gaelic evolved from the Irish Gaelic of these settlers.  The people appear to have remained somewhat close to each other, as, through the early history of Scotland, whenever a royal or noble person was in trouble, it seems they frequently fled to Ulster.

In the 16th century, while Protestantism swept through England and Scotland, Ireland remained largely untouched by the religious revolution and remained predominantly Roman Catholic.  At the end of the 16th century Ireland was under the control of the English Crown.  A failed uprising by many of the Ulster earls led to their replacement by English nobility.  By the early 17th century, the native Irish Catholic population of Ulster had been diminished by ongoing warring, while at the same time Lowland Scotland was over-populated.  In an effort to deal with the overcrowding and consequent lawlessness on their lands, two Scots lairds, Hugh Montgomery and James Hamilton arranged with the Irish chieftain, Conn O'Neill, to settle large numbers of Lowland Scots on O'Neill's lands, primarily in the counties of Antrim and Down (however it is noted that there was a Scottish settlement in the village of Clare in County Armagh (not to be confused with County Clare in Southern Ireland) not far from Tandragee.  The first large scale settlement of Scots began in 1605.  These settlements were known as the "Ulster Plantations".  These new Scottish settlers were primarily Protestant (Presbyterian).  In many cases the native Irish Roman Catholics were forcibly evicted from their lands in order to make room for the incoming Scottish Presbyterians.  Understandably there was great resentment among the native inhabitants.

Meanwhile the new King James I of England (who was also King James VI of Scotland) was beginning to fear both uprisings in Ireland and political unrest in Scotland.  He felt that the idea of forced plantations in Ireland might solve both his problems.  He began an intensive government program of settling Scots Presbyterians in Irish Roman Catholic Ulster.  These settlers were settled into newly designed planned towns.  These forced settlements and resettlements led to a volatile ethnic, religious and economic disparity with Scottish Presbyterian settlers living in the newly constructed town settlements, Irish Roman Catholic farmers in the surrounding lands, many of whom had been forcibly resettled, and English Anglican landlords and nobility trying to govern over these people.  Ethnic and religious tensions ought to have been expected.

The Settlement of Tandragee

In the case of Tandragee, we see this situation lived out.  Tandragee was one of these "planned towns" described above.  The Project for the Plantation of Ulster of 1609 provided for four corporate towns in County Armagh.  One of these was Tandragee, however Tandragee was never incorporated.  It was planned on the lands of the former ancient kingdom of Oirthir (Orior) which had been ruled for centuries by the U� Annluain (O'Hanlon) Clan.  Sir Oghie O'Hanlon was the last of his long line to live in the ancient O'Hanlon Castle at Tandragee.  Following the 1598 rising, he and his family and followers were banished to Sweden.  His estates were divided among various English Plantation grantees and in 1610, Sir Oliver St. John of Wiltshire was granted a substantial estate of 1000 acres of O'Hanlon land in Ballymore parish, including the former O'Hanlon Castle.  English settlers began to build houses on the estate around it.

Eventually Sir Oliver St. John was raised to Lord Deputy of Ireland and in 1617 he was created Viscount Grandison of Limerick.  By 1619, he had 17 families planted in Tandragee.  By 1621, he had rebuilt the castle, which became known as St. John's Castle, and he oversaw the building of 20-30 English-style houses and a watermill.  At this time, the settlers of Tandragee were entirely English.

Sir Oliver St. John, Lord Grandison, died in 1631 and his title passed through his niece to the present Earls of Jersey.  His property in Ballymore passed to his great-nephew, Capt. John St. John, who resided in St. John's Castle, Tandragee. 

In 1639, the 'Black Oath' was introduced and required all Protestants living in Ulster to bind themselves to obey all Royal commands. The 'Black Oath' was designed to prevent the Presbyterian Scots in Ulster from aiding their fellow Scots in the Covenanter uprisings back in Scotland.

Our Browns were likely Scottish Covenanters and were most likely still back in Scotland at the time of the Black Oath.

The Scottish Covenanters

The Covenanter movement was a religious movement in Scotland throughout much of the 17th century that favoured the Presbyterian form of church government against the Episcopal form of church government favoured by the (now joint) English/Scottish Crown.  It ultimately let to civil war in Scotland and inspired revolutions in Ireland and England too.  The original Scottish National Covenant was proclaimed in 1638 and was supplemented by another document, The Solemn League and Covenant, in 1643.  The Covenanters were fundamentalist Presbyterians and were strong believers in religious freedom and non-interference from the state.  Their movement was viciously put down by the Crown during the 1680s in a time that came to be known in Scotland as "The Killing Times".  Covenanters were hunted down and hundreds were summarily executed.  In order to escape persecution many Covenanters fled to Ulster and finally on to the American Colonies where they were attracted by the culture of religious freedom and frontier freedom from government interference.  In Scotland, their descendants eventually emerged as the Reformed Presbyterian Church, which, although small in Scotland, thrived in Ulster and in the United States.  The influence of the Covenanters on the ultimate culture of freedom that came to epitomize the formation of the United States of America is undeniable.

For a more thorough explanation of the Scottish Covenanter movement the reader is highly encouraged to read the excellent Wiki: "Covenanter."

The Irish Rebellion 1641-42

At the same time as the Scottish Covenanters were beginning to stir in Scotland, trouble in Ireland was also brewing. 

In 1641, the Irish launched a rebellion under Sir Phelim O'Neill against the Protestant population of Ireland. Religious prejudices on both sides have led to two very different accounts of this rising.  But it would seem that the Ulster-Scots were in a hopeless position, having been gradually disarmed by the English to prevent them from aiding their Covenanter kin in Scotland.  The uprising claimed thousands of lives.

As part of this rebellion, in 1641 in Tandragee, Patrick Oge O'Hanlon captured the castle and town, presumably in the name of his displaced family. 

In 1642, General Robert Monroe, Younger of Obsdale, was sent to Ulster to quell the rebellion.  Monroe was commander of a Covenanter army from Scotland already seasoned from the Bishops Wars and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.  Sir Phelim O'Neill gave instructions for the assembling of Irish troops at Tandragee in an effort to oppose the approaching Scottish army.  Monroe successfully occupied Tandragee for three days, burning the mills and several houses, in an event that came to be known as 'The Invasion of Tandragee'.  Patrick O'Hanlon fled and was eventually killed.  However this did not extinguish the desire of the O'Hanlons to reclaim their ancestral lands and lesser skirmishes between the O'Hanlons and the St. Johns continued for at least another generation.  General Munroe returned through Ballymore in 1646, but bypassed Tandragee, on his way to Benburb where he was later defeated by O'Neill.  Many of Monroe's soldiers remained and settled in Ulster following the rebellion.  The conflict between the forces of Monroe and O'Neill was characterised as being extremely brutal even for its day with horrific stories of butchering of children.  It probably did much to cement the foundations for later religious tensions in Ulster.

Meanwhile, in England, civil war was breaking out at the same time as the Protestant English Parliament clashed with the Roman Catholic King Charles, thus distracting and weakening the British presence in Ireland.

Resettling Ballymore and the Later Plantations

Ballymore is Gaelic for "great town".  Ballymore parish was re-settled after the British Civil War of 1641-42 during the restoration of the British monarchy under Charles II.  Prior to this time Armagh had been settled primarily by English.  Thus, most Scots in the area came after 1642, however the establishment of a Presbyterian Church in the nearby village of Clare in 1633 shows that there were at least some Scottish settlers in Armagh prior to the Rebellion.

During the 1680s, after political shifts and a failed uprising, the Covenanters now found themselves on the wrong side of the law in Scotland.  Covenanters were hunted down and killed on the spot.  This brutal suppression became known as 'The Killing Times'.  The most famous of the Covenanter martyrs was a man named John Brown who lived at Priesthill in Muirkirk parish, Ayrshire, Scotland, and who worked as a courier.  He was executed in 1685 by Graham of Claverhouse on his doorstep in front of his pregnant wife and young children.    His family, like ours, fled to Ulster.  The 1680-90's saw vigorous renewed migration of Scottish Covenanter Presbyterians to the north of Ireland to escape the brutal suppression of the failed Covenanter uprising.  It is most likely during this time period when our Browns came from Scotland to Ulster.

The Battle of the Boyne, in 1690, with William of Orange's Protestants defeating the Catholic Jacobites, and the peace that followed it brought a new era of prosperity to Tandragee.  Local industries like milling and turning were revived and the weaving of linen became a staple industry.  The smelting of iron appears to have died a natural death, but is still commemorated by a tract of woodland known in the locality as Forge Wood.

The final large scale movement of Scots to Ulster happened in the 1690's following the Battle of the Boyne when whole new towns and villages sprang up as Scots moved across the Irish sea to avoid famine in Scotland. There were no more wholesale plantations after this period as economic conditions in the north of Ireland were no better than Scotland, although there was still regular smaller scale movement between Ulster and Scotland.

By the end of the plantation period an estimated 80%+ of the Protestant settlers in Ulster were Scots, the rest being English along with smaller numbers of French Huguenot, Welsh, Manx, German, Dutch and Danish. These other immigrants were eventually absorbed into the Ulster-Scots ethnic mix.

The English administration persecuted the Scottish Presbyterians whom at times they regarded as more troublesome than the Irish Catholics. Marriages carried out by Presbyterian clergy were not legally binding and Presbyterians could not hold public office.  While a number of Scots converted to the Anglican Church of Ireland and a number returned to Scotland, the vast majority remained in Ulster and maintained their Presbyterian faith.  Over the next couple of generations many Covenanter families migrated to North America, most especially to Pennsylvania where they met with a culture of greater religious tolerance and acceptance.

Tandragee in the 18th Century


Ballymore Parish Church (Church of Ireland)

In the early years of the 18th century, the settlers in Tandragee decided to build a new church in Ballymore, near St. John's Castle, whose mansion had previously been used as the place of Anglican worship. 

It was likely around this time when the first branch of our family emigrated from Ulster to Pennsylvania.

It is not known exactly when the first Presbyterians began to worship in Tandragee.  The earliest records date back only to 1825, however evidence suggests that some form of Presbyterian "meeting house" existed prior to 1825, but there are no records of any gatherings.  There is a big gap between 1642 and 1825.  Nearby Clare Presbyterian Church dates back to 1633 and it is likely that prior to 1825 any Presbyterians would have worshiped either at Clare or at the Church of Ireland parish church in Ballymore.

In 1732 an English Protestant schoolmaster was installed to teach the English tongue in Ballymore parish.  This implies that many of the parishioners were familiar with the Irish language (or possibly Scots Gaelic too, in the case of Highland soldiers who may have settled in the area).

In the early 18th century tanneries were common in the woodlands around Tandragee.  By 1740, Tandragee was "a tolerably good village". 

In 1766, Ballymore parish was populated by 615 Protestant and 286 Roman Catholic families.

In 1789, a school was opened in Tandragee.  And in 1796, soap making had become another local staple industry.

"The Troubles"

With the ethnic and religious situation described above it was almost inevitable that clashes between Catholics and Protestants would break out and that these clashes would take on a religious, not just political, character.  By the late 18th century there was great agitation in the country.  In 1786, differences between the Protestant 'Peep o' Day Boys' and the Roman Catholic 'Defenders' came to a head at Tandragee and a desperate fight took place.  In 1787 another skirmish took place after which it is said that many well-to-do families "got up and left the country".  Further disturbances between Protestants and Catholics occurred in 1789, 1791, 1792, 1793.

In 1793, an Irish Militia Act required the listing, by parish, of all men between the ages of 18 and 45.  These men were conscripted for service abroad for a term of three years.  Exemption from service could be purchased.

In 1794 and 1823 Roman Catholic Defenders burned houses in the area.  In 1795, troubles again arose, resulting in the Battle of the Diamond, which gave birth to the (Protestant) Orange Order.  Tandragee became a stronghold for the Orange Order and still remains so to this day (2004).

Troubles throughout Ulster culminated in the Civil War of 1798.  Tandragee escaped direct harm in this battle, although it is said that citizens of the town could be found on both sides of the fighting.

Tandragee in the 19th Century

In 1804, Tandragee, situated in rich countryside and within one mile of the Newry Canal, was inhabited by wealthy bleachers.  Tandragee's linen market was very successful.  By 1814 there were 222 houses in Tandragee with a population of 1,081.  By 1821 the population had increased to 1158 with 217 occupied houses.

In 1815, the Presbyterian minister of nearby Clare opened a private school in Tandragee.  It seems reasonable to suggest that this may coincide with the earliest Presbyterian meetings in Tandragee.  In 1819, the parish church was rebuilt and a public school was built, housing 60 pupils.

In 1823, there was a considerable disturbance in Tandragee and surrounding districts between Protestants and Catholics and a house and byres were burned.


Tandragee Presbyterian Church,
built 1828

Tandragee Presbyterian Church interior

Schools are well documented from 1824 onwards and in 1827 a Presbyterian congregation was established as an outgrowth of the nearby Clare congregation.

In 1831, a group of men from Tandragee deliberately disrupted celebrations of St. John's Eve.  During the disturbance on man was killed.  Later that year there was an Orange Lodge demonstration in Tandragee in which 10,000 people attended.  They are said to have "exhibited not less that 1000 guns openly and a great number of pistols."  In 1833 there was a procession after an Orange meeting at the castle gates which turned into a public riot.  In 1834 there were more troubles again.

In 1836 the number of families worshipping in the Presbyterian congregation in Tandragee was 159, but only 53 actually resided in the town of Tandragee, the remainder were from adjacent lands.

By 1837 Tandragee was flourishing.  The linen industry was extensive and there were several large flax mills which employed some 6000 people in the immediate area.  There was also a meal mill on the nearby River Cusher.  However, by 1846 the linen industry was in decline.  There were also two hotels by this time.

During the years 1847-1855 there were no records kept for the Presbyterian congregation in Tandragee.  Author Robin Greer suggests that this was due to great hardships suffered by the community from the Great Potato Famine of 1845-49 and the Crimean War of 1853-56.  Later records imply that during this same period the minister of the congregation went without stipend for the equivalent of nearly six years.  His stipend at the time was �40 annually.  (In 2005 this would be equivalent to about �4000 or about $10,000 Canadian in modern currency.)

In 1861 the population of the town of Tandragee was about 2000 inhabitants.  In 1863, Tandragee was first lit by gas.  In 1888 there was also a successful spinning mill in town.  In 1874 the Presbyterian congregation comprised about 65 households.  In 1888 the census of the Presbyterian congregation was 248 adults and 206 children.  In 2004 the membership was about 260 families.

Photos

Here are some other photos from the area around Tandragee from our trip in October 2005.


Driving into Tandragee from Scarva

Downtown Scarva
(a neighbouring village)

Downtown Scarva
(a neighbouring village)

The Brown Family in Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland

As our Brown ancestors were Presbyterian, they were almost certainly Scots in origin.  DNA evidence has now virtually confirmed that our Browns descend from a family of Scottish Covenanters who came to Ulster sometime before 1710.  Our Browns were also staunch members of the Orange Order.  In 1928 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the congregation a John George Brown of Maryland left a donation of �100 to the congregation. And the congregational War Memorial for 1939-45 lists a W. Brown.  The following persons are listed in the Armagh Muster Roll of 1630: George Brown, John Brown, Alexander Browne, George Browne, John Browne, Martin Browne, Nathaniel Browne, Richard Browne, Robert Browne.  However there is no indication where in Armagh any of these people lived.  (http://www.from-ireland.net/censussubs/armaghmuster1630.htm#br

We now turn our attention to the branch of the family that remained in Tandragee through the 18th and 19th centuries.

John Brown

Recent DNA research now appears to confirm that our Browns descended from a family of Scottish Covenanters who were originally of Lowland origins (Anglo, not Celt).  They migrated from somewhere in Lowland Scotland, most likely from south-western Scotland as this is where the majority of Covenanter emigrations occurred.  They immigrated to Armagh sometime in the late 17th or very early 18th century when one branch of our family moved to Pennsylvania, USA in pursuit of the climate of religious tolerance found there.  This author is a genetic match for three men surnamed Brown whose ancestors came to Pennsylvania, USA sometime in the very late 17th or early 18th century.  The slight genetic difference between our branches suggests that our common ancestor was probably born sometime in 17th century.


Tannyoky, Armagh, N. Ireland

The earliest records of settlers in Armagh are the 1630 Armagh Muster Rolls, which list several of the surname Brown.  However, as we now know that our Browns were likely of Covenanter origins, then it's more likely they did not arrive in Ulster prior to 1642 at which time they could have come in the person of one of General Robert Monroe's Covenanter soldiers who stayed behind.  However it seems more likely that they came among the refugees from the Killing Times after 1685.

The 1865 Directory of Belfast Volume 7 lists the following Browns in Tandragee:
Brown, Robert, civil bill officer, Market Street
Brown, Robert, baker, Market Street
Brown, Robert, provision dealer, Market Street
Brown, E & J, haberdashers, Market Street (haberdasher = a seller of men's clothing accessories: shirts, socks, ties, gloves, hats, buttons, zippers, etc.)

The 1863 Griffiths Valuation of Tenements records for Tandragee list the following Browns:
Robert Brown, residing at 78a Market Street (rear gardens), as a tenant of John Burns
Robert Brown, residing at 81 Market Street, as a tenant of John Benett. This same Robert appears to be the owner of 79 & 80 Market Street, where Thomas Hackett and Daniel Maginness are listed as tenants of Robert Brown (though it doesn't indicate which Robert Brown.)
Note: The local Police Barracks was located at 85 Market Street. Could this have influenced Tom Brown's later career choice?
Robert Browne, residing at 97 Market Street as a tenant of Robert Davis
Robert Browne, residing at 98 Market Street as a tenant of Robert Davis
Robert Browne, residing at 98a (garden) Market Street, as a tenant of Richard Trotter.

Daniel Kelly's 1750 map of Tandragee shows John Brown residing on Church Street in Tandragee.

(Attachments to post)

The earliest ancestor of this line for whom we have any form of documentary evidence is the following John Brown:

Has Children John BROWN b: ABT 1740 in County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  Firmer evidence begins with this John Brown, whose identity is also unproven. He is suggested from evidence found in the Flax Growers List of 1796 as one of the four John Browns listed in County Armagh (respectively found in the following parishes: Armagh, Derrynoose, Keady, and Loughgilly).  This John Brown is asserted as the father of:
  1. Has Children John BROWN b: ABT 1775 in County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  This John Brown's identity is also unproven. He is suggested from evidence found in the Flax Growers' Bounty List of 1796, the Tithe Applotments list of 1823, and onomastics. It is suggested that he was born in County Armagh and that sometime between 1796-1830 he settled in Tandragee. The Tithe Applotments show two John Browns in 1830 in Ballymore parish. They are believed to be the only Browns in Ballymore parish. One is shown as living in Ballynaleck and the other in Tannyoky. Tannyoky is located about three miles south of Tandragee, and about one mile east of Loughgilly.  This could suggest that this John was the son of the John Brown who resided in Loughgilly, noted above.  John's place and date of death are unknown, but it seems likely that he died in Tandragee and that his stone no longer exists or his grave was never marked.  This John Brown is asserted as the father of:
    1. Has No Children John BROWN b: BET 1800 AND 1805 in or near Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  The existence of this John Brown is uncertain. He is suggested from evidence found in the 1830 Tithe Applotment list as being the second of only two John Browns listed in Ballymore Parish at that date. It is suggested that he died or moved away from Ballymore prior to 1848 as no John Brown is recorded in Griffith's Valuation list for 1848.
    2. Has Children Robert BROWN b: 1812 in or near Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  Firm evidence of our Brown ancestry begins with this Robert Brown.  His story is continued below.

Robert Brown & Ruth Brown

Firm evidence for our Brown ancestry begins with this Robert Brown.  He was born in 1812 probably in, or at least near, Tandragee.  Certainly he lived his life in Tandragee and he is buried in a very prominent location in the Tandragee Presbyterian Kirk yard along with his wife and several generations of descendants. 

Robert is listed in the 1881 Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory for Tanderagee as a Baker on Church Street. He is the only commercial business owner surnamed Brown listed as residing in Tandragee in the directory. ( http://www.bob-sinton.com/history/tgee/tgee_slater.php )

Robert Brown married ABT 1845 in likely Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland to Ruth Brown, although no record of their marriage has yet been found. (PRONI records are yet to be searched.)  It is not known what Ruth's maiden name was.  She is listed on the grave stone as Ruth Brown, but that is mostly likely only her married name.  It is extremely likely that Robert and Ruth Brown had more children than are noted here. The children listed below are only those listed on the grave stone in the Tandragee church yard (plus my own known line). The names and later whereabouts of the other children are unknown.  (See photos of Robert's grave stone at right.)

Robert and Ruth Brown had the following known children:

  1. Has Children Prissella BROWN b: 1840 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  She married John Johnson MAYES b: 1841 in County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  They had the following family:
    1. Has Children Samuel Johnson MAYES b: ABT 1870 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  Samuel married Ida Elizabeth RENNIE b: ABT 1885 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  They had the following children:
      1. Has Children William James MAYES b: 1908 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  William married Jean MALCOLMSON b: Private.  They had the following family:
        1. Has Children Samuel Johnson MAYES b: Private. Samuel married and began his family in Tandragee.  He immigrated to Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada in the mid-50s.  His marriage and descendant information is private.
        2. Has No Children William James MAYES b: ABT 1930 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland. 
        3. Has No Children Katherin MAYES b: ABT 1931 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland
      2. Has No Children Samuel Johnston MAYES b: ABT 1912 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  Samuel remained in Ireland.
      3. Has No Children Robert John MAYES b: ABT 1915 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland
    2. Has No Children William James MAYES b: 1863 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  William died young and never married.
  2. Has No Children John BROWN b: BET 1841 AND 1844 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland and probably died young.  No documentary evidence has yet been found to confirm the existence of this John Brown. He is suggested by onomastics only
  3. Has No Children Thomas BROWN b: 1844 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  He died at age 37 and is buried with the rest of the family in Tandragee.  He was presumably unmarried, however it is possible that a widow and children could have emigrated.
  4. Has No Children Robert BROWN b: 1850 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  He died at age 23 and is buried with the rest of the family in Tandragee.
  5. Has Children John BROWN b: 3 SEP 1854 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  He married Sarah COOKE and immigrated to Canada.  Their story continues below.

The Mayes family, descended from Prissella Brown, above, were the last known members of this family to have resided in Tandragee.  No members of this family were still living in Tandragee in October 2005 at the time of our visit.  In questioning the Session Clerk of the congregation, he knew of no living members of this family remaining in the parish.  Thus none could be interviewed who might know more about this family.  However, thanks to this web-site I have now made contact with a Mayes descendant of Prisella Brown.  Our combined research is ongoing.

Photos of Robert Brown's grave.

Click to enlarge.


Robert Brown's gravestone viewed from the front steps of the church

Robert Brown's gravestone

Robert Brown's gravestone close up with text visible - View 1

Robert Brown's gravestone close up with text visible - View 2

Robert Brown's stone viewed from behind with the entrance to the golf course visible in the background

Robert Brown's stone with the road beyond

John Brown & Sarah Cooke


Milltown Church, Lurgan, where John Brown and Sarak Cooke were married.

John BROWN was born 3 SEP 1854 in Tandragee, Ballymore Parish, County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland as the son of Robert Brown and Ruth Brown shown above.  John married on 26 Sep 1867 in Milltown Church of Ireland, Tartaraghan parish, Lurgan (Portadown), County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland to Sarah COOKE who was born 20 APR 1854 in Ireland as a daughter of William Cooke and Mary Fox. The fact that they were married outside of Tandragee poses an interesting situation. It could mean that Sarah Cooke's family was from Lurgan and they were married in her home parish. Or it could mean that John Brown's family was living in Lurgan at the time and only moved to Tandragee in later years. If so, then the other earlier Browns in Tandragee may be of no relation at all. Or it may mean that the parish minister in Tandragee was unavailable and so they nearby minister substituted. Given that this was an Anglican church and our Browns were staunch Presbyterians, it seems more likely that the Cooke family came from Lurgan.

(The 1901 census gives John's birth date as SEP 1852 and date of immigration as 1888, whereas the 1911 census gives the immigration date incorrectly as 1892.)


John Brown and Sarah Cooke
The only known photos of them.

John Brown was born and raised in Tandragee, County Armagh, in Ulster, Ireland.   John, like his father, was a baker by trade.  He presumably worked in his father's bakery on Church Street in Tandragee. 

John Brown and his family immigrated to Canada and settled in Hamilton, Ontario in 1888. It is not known why the family moved from Ireland to Canada, although with the level of poverty in Ireland at the time and the increasing tension between Irish patriots and British loyalists, they most likely emigrated in hopes of a more prosperous and more peaceful life.


Sarmatian Ship's Passenger List
7 MAY 1888

John Brown's family sailed on the ship Sarmatian from Londonderry (shown at right), Ireland and landed in Quebec on 7 MAY 1888.  Listed on the manifest on ticket 14148 are:

  1. John Brown, 36, farm labourer
  2. Minnie Brown, 17, spinster
  3. William J Brown, 15, farm labourer
  4. Robert Brown, 11, child

They are recorded as being bound for Quebec. 

And on ticket 23676 are:

  1. Sarah Brown, 39, matron
  2. James Brown, 7, child

They are recorded as being bound for Hamilton. 

Conspicuously absent are Anne and Tom Brown.  I would read into this that Anne and Tom remained back in Ireland and followed later.  The fact that Sarah and James are the only ones bound for Hamilton might imply that Sarah had family or connections in Hamilton and was going on ahead to make arrangements.  Or it could be that the ship's manifest is simply incorrect in recording the destination of the rest of the family as Quebec.

John is recorded as a baker in an early Hamilton Directory and in census records.  As his father was also a baker, it is strange that we find John and his son listed as "farm labourers" above.  This may suggest that they had connections to a family farm in Tandragee as well as the bakery.

John and his sons were staunch Presbyterians and members of the (anti-Catholic) Irish Protestant Benevolent Society.  John was a member of Victoria (Orange) Lodge in Hamilton.

In 1891 the family was living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, right next door to Edward W Hyde and family. (Edward Hyde is found elsewhere in this database. His daughter, Mabel, later married Archibald Stewart, first cousin of Jane Ord Stewart who married John Brown's son, Tom Brown.)  The 1901 census shows John and his family residing at 175 Wilson Street in Ward 3 in Hamilton, with John being shown as a baker.  1911 census shows the family living at 323 (or 325) Main Street in Hamilton. An old photo shows Sarah living at 175 Wilson Street, Hamilton, Ontario in 1916 after the death of John.

John died in 1914 and is buried in Hamilton Cemetery on York Street in Hamilton.  The informant at his death is "Mr Brown", presumably Tom. John's parents' names are left blank on his death registration.

John Brown and Sarah Cooke had the following children:

  1. Has No Children Mary Aileen "Minnie" BROWN b: 27 FEB 1871 (or 1877) in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland.  In later census records Minnie records her birth as 1877, however the ship's passenger list in 1888 records her as the oldest child in the family at 17 years old.  The 1891 census supports this.  It is not until 1900 and later that Minnie begins recording her age as much younger.  It is believed that the earlier census records reflect a more accurate record and that in later census records she was "less truthful" about her real age.  Minnie's marriage record gives her name as Mary Aileen Brown. In 1911 she is shown as Minnie Kells, married, but living with her parents and no sign of her husband. There is no record of Minnie and Robert having any children. Robert Kells' death informant was his wife, "Mrs. R. Kells". It's presumed that the "R" stands for "Robert" and that his wife is Minnie Brown as there is no record of Minnie having died pre-1934. It's possible that she pre-deceased him and he married secondly to a woman whose first initial was "R".  Minnie married on 8 NOV 1905 in London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada to Robert KELLS b: 1880 in Ireland, son of James or William Kells and Margaret Carters.  Minnie and Robert moved to Whitby and had no known children.
  2. Has Children William John BROWN b: 15 OCT 1875 (or 1873) in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland.  William worked as a linesman for the telephone company.  His daughters described him as a very strict father.  William married on 26 JUN 1907 (or 1909) in St. Peter's Anglican Church, Dorchester, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada to Winnifred Merril DRAKE b: 31 JAN 1881 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, daughter of William C Drake and Adda Merrils. 
    1. Has No Children Merrill Elsie BROWN b: 15 MAY 1908 in Dorchester, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.  Merril worked as a file clerk for the Toronto Bank (later the Toronto-Dominion Bank).  She was a quiet woman.  She never married and lived with her sister Winnifred for life.
    2. Has No Children Winifred Sarah BROWN b: 29 JUL 1911 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.  Winifred, like her sister Merrill, never married.  The two sisters lived together for life. Winn was a strong leader. She was captain of the girls' basketball team in high school and was an executive in the insurance industry years before it was socially acceptable for women to hold such positions. Winn was a strong caretaker who lived with and looked after her parents in their later life.
    3. Has Children Jean Adeline BROWN b: 08 AUG 1916 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.  Jean was the rebel in the family and was the only sister of the three who married. She received her gold medal and music teaching certificate in voice from the Toronto Conservatory of Music and sang with the Toronto Opera Company. She also sang with Wesley United and First United Churches (Toronto?).  She married on 22 MAY 1942 to Cyril STENNETT b: 27 OCT 1910 in Horbling, Lincolnshire, England.  They had the following children:
      1. Has No Children Living STENNETT
      2. Has No Children Living STENNETT
  3. Has Children Robert BROWN b: 24 MAY 1875 (or 1877) in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland  According to Harriet Brown (nee Jones) Robert Brown was married and moved from Hamilton to Detroit after which the Brown family lost touch with him. Harriet believed that Robert was born in 1879. Robert is listed in the passenger list for the ship Sarmatian in which Robert is recorded as being 11 years old on his arrival in 1888. This age conflicts with the ages of the other children, however few of the ages on the ship's list agree with other sources. Robert has not been found in the 1891 census in Canada.  According to the 1910 census Robert immigrated from Canada to the USA in 1898.  He has not been found in the 1900 census in the USA or the 1901 census in Canada.  Robert was married on 28 AUG 1908 in Windsor, Essex County, Ontario, Canada to sixteen year old Laura Deemer/Deemert of Avoca, Michigan, USA. Robert was 33 and is recorded as being the son of John Brown and Sarah Cook and was working as a molder and residing in Detroit, Michigan, USA at the time of his marriage. Laura lied about her age at the time of the marriage and said she was 20.  Census records confirm her age as only 16.  She was also 4-5 months pregnant at the time according to the age of her son on the 1910 census.  Her surname at her marriage is recorded as "Deemer" but earlier census records and family trees record her surname as "Deemert."  The wedding was witnessed by George Whitewill of Brantford (where Robert's brother Jim was living) and Olive Snelgrove, who appears to have been just the minister's wife. Robert is found in 1910 shown as b 1876 in Ireland, residing in Detroit with his 18 year old wife Laura and their 16 month old infant son, Robert L. Brown. Robert was drafted on 12 SEP 1918 for American military service in WWI.  At which time he was residing at 310 Baker Street, Detroit, Michigan, USA with his wife Laura Estella Brown.  His date of birth on his draft is given as 24 MAY 1875.  He was employed as a crank-shaft straightener for Northway Motor & Manufacturing Company, 524 Maybury in Detroit (the engine manufacturing division of General Motors).  In 1920 Robert and his family are still living in Detroit and Robert is working as a machinist in an auto factory. The names of his children remove any doubt as to the fact that he is the correct Robert. Robert and his family have not been found in 1930, except son Robert L Brown who was in the Michigan State Prison.

    The marriage witness, George Whitewill is found in the 1911 census in Canada as follows: "George Whitwell, b 1866 in England, res 1911, ward 4 Brantford, accountant in a bank, imm 18*7 (illeg, may say 1907).  Wife, Mary Elizabeth, b 1875 in USA of Scottish origins.  Anglican."  He appears to be no relation to the Browns and may have been just a friend of Robert's.

    Robert Brown married on 28 AUG 1908 in Windsor, Essex County, Ontario, Canada to the sixteen year old Laura Estella DEEMERT b: FEB 1892 in Avoca, Michigan, USA, daughter of Lewis Deemer and Eddy Lubu.  Robert and Laura had the following children:

    1. Has No Children Robert L. BROWN b: MAY 1909 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA.  Given that Robert's maternal grandfather was named Lewis, it seems likely that Robert's middle initial stands for Lewis.  In 1910 Robert was residing as an infant with his parents.  He is given as 16 months old. The census was taken in April 1910 making his real birth about DEC 1908 or JAN 1909, meaning he was most certainly illegitimate.  The 1920 census gives his birth as MAY 1909.  In 1920 he was residing in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA with his birth family. Robert is the only member of this family found in the 1930 census at which time he was an inmate in the Michigan State Prison.
    2. Has No Children Ruth BROWN b: 1914 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA.  Ruth was residing with her parents in Detroit in 1920. She has not been found in 1930.
    3. Has No Children Thomas J BROWN b: 1916 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA.  Thomas was residing with his parents in Detroit in 1920. He has not been found in 1930.
    4. Has No Children Minnie A BROWN b: 1919 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA.  She may be the Minnie A Brown born in Detroit who died 12 MAY 1979 in Lincoln Park, Wayne, Michigan.
  4. Has Children Anne Cardelia BROWN b: 4 MAY 1878 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland.  Annie married on 28 AUG 1907 in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Franklin Alfred SLINGERLAND b: 21 SEP 1880 in Port Dalhousie, Niagara, Ontario, son of John Alexander Slingerland and Violet E. Stevens.  Frank and Anne moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Welland, Ontario, Canada where Frank worked as a blacksmith.  They had one child:
    1. Has No Children John Frederick Price SLINGERLAND b: 5 SEP 1908 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada.  Freddie was mentally challenged and it is believed he never married.
  5. Has Children Chief Thomas Albert BROWN , M.B.E. b: 12 APR 1880 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland married on 19 OCT 1904 in Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Jane Ord STEWART of Hamilton.  This is the author's family and their story continues below.
  6. Has No Children James S. BROWN b: 16 MAY 1882 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland never married.  James was a very colourful character of whom much is told below.  He never married nor had children.

The Brown Family in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario

It's regrettable that this family history project has to begin on such a sour note as that which follows, because there are some wonderfully positive stories in this family and in the other branches.  However chronology and patrilineal ordering dictates that I must begin with an unpleasant story.

It seems that the Browns were neither a close nor healthy family. For all the public glory brought by Thomas Albert Brown in his professional achievements and his many awards as a public figure, there was an equally inglorious private shame at home, which I have tried to deal with as honestly and graciously as possible in the individual note files for the fathers and sons in this family.

John Brown was known to be a violent father and there is evidence to indicate that his father, Robert Brown, was also. In fact, evidence suggests the lineage of family violence probably extended even further back than we now know. John's sons, Tom and William Brown were described as "overly strict disciplinarians", and Tom was known to have been violent at home. Jim Brown (a.k.a. "Col. William") was disowned by his brother Tom. Their brother Robert left the country never to be heard from again.  And their sister Minnie moved to Cornwall, Ontario and lost touch with the family. Only William, Tom, and Annie remained in contact with each other as the children grew up and had families.

In the two brothers Tom and Jim Brown, this family produced two of the most interesting, different, and opposite characters to ever come from the same parents. Tom was the very proper, authoritarian, high-achieving, and highly decorated Chief of Police. Jim was the long-haired, rebellious, charismatic, swindling, and entertaining carnival snake-oil salesman. Even though they lived as close together as Brantford and Hamilton, they never spoke to each other for their entire adult lives. Tom even denied the existence of his brother, Jim, and family members were not permitted to speak about Uncle Jim in Tom's presence. Tom's disowning of Jim was so thorough that Tom's own grandchildren never even knew Jim existed until I started research on this project. It was only through contact with William's descendants that I learned of the existence of the very colourful Uncle Jim.

Thomas Albert Brown, M.B.E ~
Chief of Police

Tom Brown moved to Canada in 1888 at age 8. He was educated in Hamilton and started out as a salesman in a packing firm, but left to join the police force in 1904 (age 24). He served 12 years as a constable before beginning to climb the ranks. He served on the force during the violent Hamilton street car strike of 1906.

He was a member of Ryerson United Church, a former president of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, a 32nd degree Master Mason, and a member of the Rotary Club.

Tom Brown was a prominent public figure. He had an incredibly successful and highly decorated career as a police officer in Hamilton having risen from the lowest to the highest ranking officer during his career. At work, as Chief of the Hamilton Police Department, he was described as "always kindly and sympathetic and at all times had a fatherly understanding towards junior officers". He was also a forward thinker. Tom was the Police Chief who was responsible for introducing two-way radios into the police cars. He was also strong under pressure. He was a sergeant during the violent Hamilton Railway Strike, and later as Chief he headed the department during the opening years of WWII where he was responsible for, what today is known as, "homeland security". In this capacity Tom oversaw "civil defence problems". Tragically, these "civil defence problems" actually involved the McCarthy-esque arrest of anyone of Italian descent in Hamilton who was even suspected of having Fascist sympathies. This racially motivated campaign resulted in enmity between the Italian community in Hamilton and the city government for years -- a matter not addressed until a public apology from the city in 2001.

In 1943 Tom was honoured as a Member of the British Empire. "Twice during his long career he was honoured with the task of guarding his Sovereign, first at the coronation of King Edward VII and later during the visit of the King and Queen to Hamilton in 1939." (Hamilton Spectator biography, Mar. 31, 1952)

Tom was colour-sergeant of the 13th Royal Regiment, and was selected by his regiment to represent them at the coronation of Edward VII at Westminster in 1902.

Unfortunately at home Tom was in some ways very different than his work persona, and in other ways not different enough. He did not "at all time have a fatherly understanding" towards his family. Instead he was very much the "chief" at home. His nieces describe him as a "large and intimidating" man. He was "the law at work and at home" and his authority was unquestioned... or else.

Jim "Col. William" Brown ~
Carnival Pitchman & Snake Oil Salesman

Jim, or "Col. William" as he was known in show business, was a colourful man, "one of the last of the old time medicine show men". He was a rebel who ran away to join the circus. He became a carnival performer and a "snake oil" salesman who was known to set up his stand on street corners to sell his elixirs. He was the black sheep of the family

"As Col. Brown he was known to thousands of Canadians, and to more thousands he sold his snake oil....  Until the last, he was a showman.

"His death caused considerable excitement and the circumstances surrounding it were as unusual as some of the stories he told in his spiel when a crowd gathered.  In his bag he had a big snake but no one knew it and when he was admitted at the hospital a nurse opened the bag seeking for some identification and the snake popped its head out....  Almost the same thing happened in Col. Brown�s neat and tidy two-roomed home in Galt.  A police sergeant and constable went there to look for a hidden store of money he was, by popular opinion, supposed to have.  They started the search aware there might be a snake around but they didn�t spot it for a minute.  They found it curled up on top of a box. It apparently was allowed the freedom of the house while the Colonel was away.

"Colonel Brown, who was a striking figure in his 10-gallon hat, white goatee and moustache, was often called �a man of mystery.�  He wore his hair long and flowing.  For years he had his own medicine show that travelled all over the content.  He travelled, too, with circuses and carnivals.  The colonel, wherever he appeared, looked like a man who had just come from where the sweet magnolias blossom, every girl is a belle, a gentleman is �suh�.  But he never saw the south, except with a medicine show.  His had been a more rugged career.  He was a member of the Canadian Mounted Rifles at the coronation of King Edward VII, he liked to recall, and before that he had fought in the Boer War, serving in the entire campaign. 

"He was, he admitted, the oldest pitchman still on the road.  His snake oil liniment was guaranteed by him to help or cure corns, colds, coughs, drawn cords, sprains, asthma, catarrh, hay fever and rheumatism among other things.

"He told interviewers that he was considered �the black sheep� of his family and he declined to give any of his family background.  The colonel said he was a bachelor.  His body was taken from here to Galt today.  No one in either city seemed to know of any immediate relatives though it was reported that the colonel had a brother who was at one time chief of police in one of Canada�s largest cities." (Obituary excerpts, Brantford Free Press, March 24, 1950)

Jim "Col. William" Brown was completely cut-off by his brother Tom. Tom's descendants never even knew of Jim's existence. Their brother William's daughters remember that it was not permitted to speak of Jim in Tom's presence. Even Jim's nephew Stewart Brown never knew of his Uncle Jim's existence.

It is speculated that the rift between Jim and Tom may have begun over Jim's dubious military service. Jim claims to have been a member of the Canadian Mounted Rifles and present at the coronation of King Edward VII. He claims to have fought in the Boer War, having served the entire campaign. All of this is possible. Tom certainly served in the military, but Tom never saw any action.  One theory is that Tom was jealous because Jim saw action and Tom did not. The more likely theory is that Jim's military record is purely fictional and that he combined the identities of his brothers William and Tom to create his sideshow persona. It is known that Tom was present at the coronation of Edward VII. Was Jim present also, or did he "borrow" that story? If he did indeed "borrow" part or all of his military record from his brothers William and Tom, then this would certainly have offended his proper public figure of a brother, Tom, the Chief of Police. The real truth may never be known and may be a combination of both theories.

Jim never married, nor had children (that we know of!).

Tom Brown & Jean Stewart

Tom's career however was remarkable. He rose from a rookie constable to Chief of Police and guided the Hamilton Police Force through some of its most difficult and changing years. Meanwhile at home his violent temper far exceeded what would have been considered acceptable standards of corporal punishment even for that day.

Tom Brown & Jean Stewart

The Brown family initially attended Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton and it was there that Tom, the youngest of the Brown boys, met Jane Ord "Jean" Stewart, the daughter of a local grocery store owner, Hugh Stewart. Jean's family was descended from early pioneer settlers of Scots origin from Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario (near Guelph). Her family story can be found on the Stewarts of Hamilton Page.  They married at Central Church in Hamilton in 1904. Jean was five years older than Tom which may explain why she lied about her age at their wedding, claiming to be younger than Tom.

Tom and Jean had three daughters and one son -- two of whom remained in Hamilton, one who moved to Alberta and the other who moved to New York. Although these siblings were separated by great distances they did remain in contact with each other much more so than their father's family.

  1. Has Children John Stewart BROWN, who went by "Stewart", b: 28 JUN 1905 in 173 Walnut St. S., Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. He married on 5 APR 1930 in Ryerson United Church in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Harriett Ellen JONES.  This is the author's family.  Their story continues below.

    M. Ruth (nee Brown) and Fred Parkinson
    photo c/o Jim Kellner
  2. Has Children Margaret Ruth BROWN b: 12 APR 1907 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. Ruth was the childhood best friend of Harriet Jones. Harriet married Ruth's older brother, Stewart. Harriet was supposed to be the Maid of Honour for Ruth, but was unable to attend the wedding due to Harriet's mother's death.  Ruth married on 5 JUN 1926 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Fred Elton PARKINSON, b: 7 DEC 1901 in Haslingden, Lancashire, England, son of Francis Parkinson and Margaret Walsh.  Ruth and Fred had the following children in Hamilton and later moved to New York, USA and later to Maine, USA.
    1. Has No Children Living PARKINSON
    2. Has No Children Stewart E PARKINSON b: 27 MAY 1930 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada.  Obituary from Watertown Daily Times (New York, USA) - 14 FEB 1998.  Deceased: Stewart E Parkinson, Business Owner.  Stewart E Parkinson, 67, of 32878 Route 12E, died Thursday at his home, where he had been under the care of Hospice of Jefferson County. He had been ill with cancer since December.  He and his wife Vera owned and operated Le Petit Ciel Mobile Home Park and River Ram Wool Farm.  Born May 27, 1930 in Hamilton, Ontario, son of Fred and Ruth Brown Parkinson, he moved with his family to the Utica area, graduating from New Hartford Central School. He was an alumnus of Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont. He married Vera Mack in 1973. The couple lived for many years in Prospect. Mr. Parkinson was a purchasing agent for General Electric Company in Utica before moving to Cape Vincent in 1985. While in Prospect, Mr. Parkinson was a village trustee. He was an avid pistol shooter, a member of Trenton Fish and Game Club and a snowmobiler with the Rat Pack. After moving to Cape Vincent, he was a director and member of Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility's advisory board. he enjoyed raising sheep, horses, dogs and birds. He was a member of the Black River Valley Horseman's Association. Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, Jay, Holland Patent; three daughters, Ruth Ann Parks, California, Barbara Gardner, Vernon Center, and Tamara Mason, Cape Vincent; a stepson, Fred Robenski, Taberg, eight grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. A son, Jeffrey, died in 1985.
  3. Has Children Mary Helen BROWN b: 4 DEC 1912 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married George ROBSON and had one known child.  Their descendant information is not published for privacy reasons.
  4. Has Children Florence Jean BROWN b: 9 AUG 1917 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married about 1939 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Basil DEAN who was born 1915 in Newbury, Berkshire, England.  They moved to Calgary, Alberta and had children.  Their descendant information is not published for privacy reasons.

Basil Dean (2nd from left, husband of Florence Jean Brown) with the Honourable E.C. Manning, Premier of Alberta (3rd from left, founder of the Social Credit Party and father of Preston Manning) - 26 JUL 1957 Dignitaries at the Chamber of Commerce general meeting, Calgary Alberta.
http://ww2.glenbow.org

Though the family were staunch Presbyterians they eventually ended up at Ryerson Methodist (United) Church in Hamilton's east end, under the assumption that in 1925 all the Presbyterian Churches and Methodist Churches were going to be uniting together. It was at Ryerson United Church that Tom and Jean's son, J. Stewart Brown, met one of "the Jones girls". The Jones girls were three sisters, Edna, Harriett, and Hilda, whose industrial working-class Methodist family had emigrated from Bolton, England in 1907. The Jones sisters caught the eyes of three friends and classmates in the Senior Boys Sunday School Class at Ryerson Clay Zurbrigg, Stewart Brown, and Bill Hunter. 

J. Stewart Brown and Harriet Jones

John Stewart Brown, son of Thomas Brown, married on 5 APR 1930 in Ryerson United Church in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Harriet Ellen JONES.  Harriet Ellen Jones was born 13 OCT 1906 in Bolton, Lancashire, England as the daughter of Richard Evan Jones and Sarah Anne Liptrot.  The ancestry of Harriet Jones can be found on the Jones Family Page and on the Liptrot Family Page.  Stewart and Harriet had the following children:

  1. Has Children Beverly Anne BROWN b: 10 APR 1932 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married Norman James SOUTER and they adopted two children.  Their descendant information is not published for privacy reasons.
    1. Has Children Living SOUTER. Information withheld for privacy reasons.
    2. Has Children Living SOUTER. Information withheld for privacy reasons.
  2. Has Children Kenneth Richard BROWN b: 18 APR 1937 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. He married to Jacqueline Rose ANGUS and had children, including this author.  Jackie Angus' history can be found on the Angus Family Page.  The remainder of this family's descendant information is not published for privacy reasons.
    1. Has Children Richard Alan BROWN. This is the author and webmaster of this project. Further family information withheld for privacy reasons.
    2. Has Children Living BROWN. Information withheld for privacy reasons.

The Pennsylvania Browns

Now we turn our attention to the second branch of our family -- the Browns who left Ulster sometime in the late 17th or very early 18th century and settled in Pennsylvania, USA.

The following families of Browns have been shown by DNA research to share a common ancestor with the Browns from Tandragee presented above.  As explained above, our as yet unidentified common ancestor likely lived sometime in the 17th century.

The earliest known ancestor of the Pennsylvania Browns is claimed by family tradition to be an Alexander Brown who, in the early part of the 18th century, "came from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA."

The majority of the following material comes from research conducted by Bill Hancock and Joan Huston.

Alexander Brown in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA

Has Children Alexander BROWN (Sr) b: ABT 1710 in County Armagh, Ulster, Ireland.  According to Ruth Brown's 1973 Family Tree, the earliest immigrant ancestor of this family was an Alexander Brown who "came from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading, Pennsylvania." Research on the later generations allows us to estimate Alexander's birth as circa 1710. DNA research confirms a genetic link between these Browns and a family of Browns who are found in the mid-18th to late 19th century residing in Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland. The most recent common ancestor between these two branches is estimated as having lived sometime in the 17th century (possibly somewhat earlier). As such it is most likely that this Alexander came from the same place in Northern Ireland, so his place of birth is recorded here as probably being in County Armagh, Ireland. Little more is known about this Alexander Brown except that he had a son who moved to the Wyoming Valley (Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA) in 1786 and had a family there. Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township (Luzerne County) identifies the name of this son as Alexander Brown who married Mary Tyler. It is not known if this Alexander Brown had any other children, nor if he had any siblings who also came to America. It is possible that Alexander Jr's migration to Luzerne County in 1786 may be coincident with the death of his father, this Alexander Brown.

Alexander Brown had the following child by an unknown woman:


Alexander Brown (Sr) is said to have come from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading, Pennsylvania.  His son, Alexander Brown (Jr) moved to the Wyoming Valley (near Wilkes-Barre) in 1786.

The Wyoming Valley - showing the settlements where these Browns lived.
  1. Has Children Alexander BROWN (Jr) b: ABT 1740 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Alexander Brown was the son of another Alexander Brown who came from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading, Berks County (formerly Lancaster County), Pennsylvania, USA. This Alexander was probably born in Berks County (though at the time it was still Lancaster County) and came with his wife and children to the Wyoming Valley in 1786 where he settled in Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.

    Henry Blackman Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township (Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA) provides a five-generation family tree for this family through Alexander's son, William Brown. The full tree can be found here: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~culbert/Hanover/brown.htm  Plumb shows the first two generations as:

    Alexander Brown was born in Lancaster* County, Pa.; emigrated to Kingston, Luzerne County, with his family; married Mary Tyler. They had: --
    Alexander Brown, - went away.
    John Brown, - went away.
    George Brown, - went away.
    James Brown, - went to Wayne County, Pa. (sic)
    William Brown, m. Sarah Lewis.
    Sarah Brown, m. Gideon Underwood.
    Jane Brown, m. Jesse Lee
    .

    In 1973 Ruth Brown of Scranton, since deceased, informed Linda Brown (Homer's granddaughter and daughter of Clarence L. and Dorothy Brown) that she believed Alexander came from what is now Berks County, or that portion of Lancaster Co. now in Berks. Ruth Brown presents the family as follows:

    Alexander Brown came from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading, Penna.
    -- Brown, his son came to Wyoming Valley in 1786
    -- Brown had four sons - George, Alexander, James, and William
    William Brown Born 1770 married Sarah Lewis born 1778, about 1794. Their Children: William Brown Jr: born June 1, 1797
    Elizabeth, died in infancy
    Wm. Brown Sr. died May 1797
    Sarah Lewis-Brown married Archibald Smiley in 1805. Their Children: (2) John died 8 yrs old., (1) Samuel, (3) Archibald, (4) Lewis


    We interpret "-- Brown" in lines 2 & 3 to refer to the same person, and thus interpret the two lines to read: "-- Brown, his son, came to Wyoming Valley in 1786 [and] had four sons - George, Alexander, James, and William." We know from Plumb that "-- Brown" is this Alexander Brown who married Mary Tyler.

    On 20 JAN 1794 Alexander Brown and Thomas Wigdon jointly purchased lots 25 and 26 in Braintrim Township, known as Mounts Bottom from Joel Whitcomb for 24 pounds to be paid in the form of 20 dollars in store goods on demand, 100 of barr iron, and the residue in cash. It is not known if the Alexander Brown in question is this Alexander Brown, but no other Alexander Brown has been identified.

    On 27 MAR 1794 Alexander Brown of Wilkes-Barre, purchased a 3 acre house lot in Kingston for 60 pounds from Oliver Parrish. The legal description was Kingston house lot 35 bounded Northerly on the lands of Oliphalet Follet, deceased, Eastwardly on the River Susquehanna. It is not known if the Alexander Brown in question is this Alexander Brown, but no other Alexander Brown has been identified.

    The 1796 Tax Rolls for Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA, list Alexander Brown and his son William Brown among the 98 persons on the tax rolls for Kingston. (Bradsby's 1893 History of Luzerne County)

    A Letter of Administration for the estate of the late Alexander Brown, dated 26 AUG 1796, who died intestate, lists Elizabeth and John Brown as Administrators and William Brown as Surety.

    According to Plumb's History, Alexander Brown married to Mary TYLER.  The date and location of their marriage is unknown.  Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler had the following children:

    1. Has No Children Alexander BROWN (III) b: ABT 1765 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Alexander Brown is mentioned in Ruth Brown's family tree where he is shown as one of four sons of an unknown Brown who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA to Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA in 1786. The four sons are named as: George, Alexander, James and William. No further information is given about the sons, except William. Their father's name is not given.

      According to Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township, Alexander Brown was a son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler. He is said to have "went away", or moved away from Luzerne County. Nothing further is known of his later whereabouts or his descendants.

      Alexander's date of birth is merely estimated based on the above references in conjunction with the birth dates of those of his siblings which can be confirmed. Plumb lists Alexander as the first child, but the order of children in Plumb has been shown to disagree with confirmable birth dates, thus it cannot be reliably inferred from Plumb that Alexander was in fact the first born.
    2. Has Children William BROWN b: 1770 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Information on William Brown and his descendants is presented in detail below.
    3. Has No Children John BROWN b: ABT 1773 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  John Brown is mentioned in Ruth Brown's family tree where he is shown as one of four sons of an unknown Brown who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA to Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA in 1786. The four sons are named as: George, Alexander, James and William. No further information is given about the sons, except William. Their father's name is not given.

      According to Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township, John Brown was a son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler. He is said to have "went away", or moved away from Luzerne County.

      A Letter of Administration for the estate of the late Alexander Brown, dated 26 AUG 1796, who died intestate, lists Elizabeth and John Brown as Administrators and William Brown as Surety. He is presumed to be this John Brown. Elizabeth Brown has not been identified, but may be John's wife. William Brown is presumed to be John's brother. If this document correctly applies to this family then it may indicate that John Brown was still residing nearby at the time of his father's death.

      John's date of birth is merely estimated based on the above references in conjunction with the birth dates of those of his siblings which can be confirmed.
    4. Has No Children George BROWN b: ABT 1777 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  George Brown is mentioned in Ruth Brown's family tree where he is shown as one of four sons of an unknown Brown who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA to Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA in 1786. The four sons are named as: George, Alexander, James and William. No further information is given about the sons, except William. Their father's name is not given.

      According to Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township, George Brown was a son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler. He is said to have "went away", or moved away from Luzerne County. Nothing further is known of his later whereabouts or his descendants.

      George's date of birth is merely estimated based on the above references in conjunction with the birth dates of those of his siblings which can be confirmed.
    5. Has Children Sarah BROWN b: FEB 1780 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  According to Plumb's History of Luzerne, Sarah Brown, daughter of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler, married Gideon Underwood. Underwood sources give Sarah's place of birth as Mercer (or Mercer Township), Pennsylvania, however Mercer is clear across the other side of the state, about 400 miles west of Luzerne and seems unlikely. Sarah can be found in census records from 1810-1850 consistently residing in Forty Fort, Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA with her husband and children as shown here.  Sarah married on FEB 1798 in Pennsylvania, United States to Gideon UNDERWOOD b: 18 MAR 1773 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA, son of John Underwood and Bathsheba Rice.  Gideon Underwood is found consistently in census records from 1800-1850 residing in Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA. Underwood sources conflict over the identify of his parents. He is also shown as the son of Israel Underwood and Dorothy Benjamin. His son Gideon's biography describes Gideon as a "native of Massachusetts" who was one of the first pioneer settlers in the Wyoming Valley and in Forty Fort. Census records give Gideon's place of birth as Connecticut.  Gideon and Sarah had the following children:
      1. Has No Children William Brown UNDERWOOD b: 30 MAY 1800 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.  The descendants of William Brown Underwood are beyond the scope of this research project, however the following biography of William's son Emanuel provides additional information on the family of William Brown Underwood:
        EMANUEL LEWIS UNDERWOOD, dairyman, Wilkes-Barre, was born at Forty Fort, this county, November 17, 1833, and is a son of William and Margaret (Swetland) Underwood. His paternal grandfather, Gideon Underwood (formerly of New England) was among the pioneers of Forty Fort, where he engaged in farming, dying there. The father of our subject was a native of Forty Fort, was a carpenter by trade, and resided at his native place until his death. His children were as follows: Sarah (Mrs. Thomas Hale), Melissa (Mrs. John Hufford), Emanuel L., and Frank. Our subject was reared in Scranton from seven years of age, was educated at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, and after attaining his majority taught school fourteen consecutive years. He then embarked in the milk business at Wilkes-Barre, at which he still continues. He was twice married, his first wife being Harriet W., daughter of Alvah and Ann (Pierce) Phillips, of Wyoming, this county, and by her he had four children: Frank L., Fred, Orran and Eva (Mrs. Penn Spencer). Mr. Underwood's second wife was Mrs. Mary Becker Hay, widow of Peter H. Hay, of Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Underwood has been a resident of Wilkes-Barre since 1879. In politics, he is a Republican.
        http://www.usgwarchives.org/pa/Luzerne/1893hist/1893bios/93u.htm
      2. Has No Children Sarah Ann UNDERWOOD b: 07 AUG 1801 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      3. Has No Children Timothy UNDERWOOD b: 08 DEC 1803 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children Lyman UNDERWOOD b: 15 JAN 1806 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      5. Has No Children Israel UNDERWOOD b: 13 APR 1808 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      6. Has No Children Alexander UNDERWOOD b: 10 OCT 1810 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      7. Has No Children Jesse Z UNDERWOOD b: 10 AUG 1813 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      8. Has No Children Caroline UNDERWOOD b: 30 JUL 1815 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      9. Has No Children Dr. Gideon UNDERWOOD b: 03 FEB 1819 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.  GIDEON UNDERWOOD, the oldest practicing physician in Luzerne county, was born at Forty Fort December 3, 1819, a son of Gideon and Sarah (Brown) Underwood, natives of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, respectively, and among the pioneers of the Wyoming Valley. Of a family of ten children, our subject is the only survivor. He was reared on a farm, and educated in the public schools and a private academy at Wilkes-Barre. He began the study of medicine in 1842, under George Wurts, of Kingston, and in 1846 was graduated from Geneva Medical College, Geneva, New York. He at once began the practice of his profession in Scranton, removing to North Moreland in 1848, and thence, in the same year, to Pittston, where he has since resided. Dr. Underwood married, February 3, 1848, Martha, daughter of Elisha and Martha (Harding) Newman. Her father, born in 1791, is still living at the age of one hundred and one years, and resides in Bradford county, Pa. The issue of this marriage was the following children: Caroline (Mrs. Henry Coward), Edwin N., Helen M. (Mrs. Rev. F. A. Falkner), Walter S., George F., Charles S. and Sanford L., a student in the Medical department of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Underwood has been a member of the Broad Street M.E. Church since 1848, and through all its trials and troubles one of its stanchest supporters. He is a member of the I.O.O.F., K. of P., T. of H. and G.A.R.; during the war he was assistant surgeon of the Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers. In politics, he is a Republican and an advocate of Prohibition. http://www.usgwarchives.org/pa/Luzerne/1893hist/1893bios/93u.htm
      10. Has No Children James Brown UNDERWOOD b: 23 AUG 1823 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      11. Has No Children Jane UNDERWOOD b: 23 AUG 1823 in Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      12. Has No Children Harriett Ann UNDERWOOD b: 1837 in Kingston, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States
    6. Has Children Jane BROWN b: ABT 1783 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.  According to Plumb's History of Luzerne, Jane Brown, daughter of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler, married Jesse Lee. Plumb gives no further information on the couple. A Lee Family Tree at Ancestry gives more detailed information showing Jesse Lee's birth as shown here as well as the names of their five children. No dates are given for any of the children. The dates shown here are merely estimates based on later census records. The Lee Tree shows Jesse Lee having died 17 AUG 1839 in Eatonville, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, US, which is consistent with the Browns living in the same area. Census records show the family residing consistently in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA from 1810-1840.

      Widow Jane Lee is found in 1840 residing in Eaton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with a family consisting of one male 10-14yrs, 2 males 20-29, 1 female 50-59. She is found residing next door to Philip Lee and a few doors away from her brother James Brown.

      None of the Lee children have been successfully identified in the 1850 census.

      Jane Brown married Jesse LEE b: 10 MAR 1778 in USA, son of Jesse Lee and Sarah McDowell.  Jesse Lee is found in 1810 residing in Tunkhannock Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA with the following family: 3 males 0-9, one male 16-25, one male 26-44, 2 females 0-9, one female 10-15, one female 16-25, one female 26-44.
      Jesse Lee has not been found in the 1820 census.
      Jesse Lee is found in 1830 residing in Eaton, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA with the following family: one male 0-4, one male 10-14, two males 15-19, 1 male 20-29, 1 male 50-59, 1 female 0-4, two females 5-9, one female 15-19, one female 40-49. Jesse's brother-in-law, James Brown, is also found in Eaton in 1830, however the census for Eaton is arranged alphabetically so there is no way to judge how close they lived to each other.

      Jesse Lee and Jane Brown had the following children:

      1. Has No Children Harriet M LEE b: ABT 1800 in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, County, Pennsylvania, USA
      2. Has No Children Jennie Virgo LEE b: ABT 1803 in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, County, Pennsylvania, USA
      3. Has No Children Jesse LEE b: ABT 1806 in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, County, Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children John LEE b: ABT 1809 in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, County, Pennsylvania, USA
      5. Has No Children John O LEE b: ABT 1812 in Eaton Township, Luzerne County, County, Pennsylvania, USA
    7. Has Children James BROWN b: 12 SEP 1791 in Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Information on James Brown and his descendants is presented in detail further below.

Who is Elizabeth Brown?

A Letter of Administration for the estate of the late Alexander Brown, dated 26 AUG 1796, who died intestate, lists Elizabeth and John Brown as Administrators and William Brown as Surety.  William and John Brown are suggested above to be the sons of Alexander Brown.  However the identity of Elizabeth Brown remains a mystery.  She could be the wife of John Brown, but that's unlikely as in the late 19th century a wife would not be listed as co-Administrator with her husband.  It would be redundant.  And she certainly would not be listed ahead of her husband.  She could be an older spinster daughter of Alexander, but neither Plumb's Tree nor Ruth Brown's Tree make any mention of a daughter named Elizabeth, so, although possible, it seems unlikely that she is an elder daughter.  She could be the widow of either of Alexander's remaining sons, Alexander (III) or George.  Or she could be a younger surviving spinster sister of Alexander.  At present we have insufficient evidence to prefer any theory.


An 1893 map of the townships of Luzerne County
History of Luzerne County, H.C. Bradsby

(click thumbnail for a larger version)

William Brown in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA

(Bill Hancock's Branch)

Has Children William BROWN b: 1770 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA, shown above as a son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler.  Henry Blackman Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township (Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA) provides a five-generation family tree for William Brown, including his birth family, himself, and three generations of descendants. The full tree can be found here: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~culbert/Hanover/brown.htm

Plumb begins with William's birth family as follows:

Alexander Brown was born in Lancaster* County, Pa.; emigrated to Kingston, Luzerne County, with his family; married Mary Tyler. They had: --

Alexander Brown, - went away.
John Brown, - went away.
George Brown, - went away.
James Brown, - went to Wayne County, Pa.
William Brown, m. Sarah Lewis.
Sarah Brown, m. Gideon Underwood.
Jane Brown, m. Jesse Lee.

William Brown was born in Lancaster County; lived in Kingston, Pa; married Sarah Lewis; died young, in Kingston. They had: -

William Brown, b. 1797, d. 1880, m. 1st, Amanda Dilley, 2nd, Julia Mosier.


The tree continues with William's descendants as accounted for in this database.

Ruth Brown's Family Tree gives the following:

Alexander Brown came from Northern Ireland and settled in Reading*, Penna.
-- Brown, his son came to Wyoming Valley in 1786
-- Brown had four sons - George, Alexander, James, and William
William Brown Born 1770 in Lancaster or Berks County,* married Sarah Lewis born 1778, about 1794. Their Children: William Brown Jr: born June 1, 1797
Elizabeth, died in infancy
Wm. Brown Sr. died May 1797
Sarah Lewis-Brown married Archibald Smiley in 1805. Their Children: (2) John died 8 yrs old., (1) Samuel, (3) Archibald, (4) Lewis


A Letter of Administration for the estate of the late Alexander Brown, dated 26 AUG 1796, who died intestate, lists Elizabeth and John Brown as Administrators and William Brown as Surety. The latter is presumed to be this William Brown as no other matching Browns have been found in Kingston at the time.

*Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA was formed in 1752 and was formerly part of Lancaster County. The city of Reading is located in Berks County.

William Brown married ABT 1794 in Probably Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA to Sarah LEWIS b: 1778.  They had the following children:

  1. Has No Children Elizabeth BROWN b: ABT 1795 in Probably Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA. Elizabeth Brown is mentioned in Ruth Brown's Family Tree as being a daughter of William Brown and Sarah Lewis and as having died in infancy. Her birth and death dates shown here are estimates only.
  2. Has Children William BROWN b: 01 JUN 1797 in Wyoming or Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township gives a five generation family tree for William Brown beginning with his grandfather's generation and continuing through William's grandchildren. The earlier generations are presented in William's father's notes. William's family is presented as follows:

    William Brown was born in Kingston, Luzerne County, Pa., in 1797; lived in Hanover and Newport; married Amanda Dilley first, and second Julia Mosier. They had: -
    1st, Stephen Brown, m. Mary Wooley.
    " Alma Brown , m. 1st, Samuel Michael, 2d, Abram Walton.
    2d, Sarah Brown, m. Anson Dunn.
    " Anderson Brown, m. Melinda Coolbaugh.
    " Hendrick W. Brown, m. Sarah McCrary.
    " George A. Brown, m. __
    " Lewis C. Brown, m. Etta Luce.

    Bill Hancock notes that William probably died at the home of his son Hendrick in Nanticoke. William's son, Hendrick Brown, records on the death certificate of his brother Lewis C. Brown that William was born in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. Plumb states that William was born in Kingston. Kingston is in the Wyoming Valley.

    In 1880 Lewis was residing in Beloit, not with his parents, but boarding at the Gas Works and employed as a painter.

    William Brown married firstly ABT 1820 to Amanda DILLEY b: ABT 1800.

    1. Has No Children Emeline BROWN b: ABT 1820 in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.
    2. Has No Children Hiram BROWN b: ABT 1821 in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.
    3. Has No Children John BROWN b: ABT 1823 in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.
    4. Has Children Stephen BROWN b: 1825 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  In1850 Stephen was residing in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA with his wife and two daughters. He was working as a farmer and was living nearby to two families named Dilley and a John Brown who matches his brother's age. However Stephen's name is recorded as "Joseph Brown" in the census. It's not known if he was "Stephen Joseph Brown" or "Joseph Stephen Brown" or if the enumerator made an error. It's possible this is the wrong family, but there is no other Brown in Luzerne with two daughters and a wife who match exactly to Stephen's family. In 1860 Stephen was residing in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA with his wife and children. He was employed as a boat builder. In 1870 Stephen was residing in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA with his wife and children as well as his daughter Emma's husband and their children. In 1880 Stephen was residing in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA with his wife and children. He was employed as a carpenter.  Married Mary WOOLEY b: 1826 in Pennsylvania, USA
      1. Has Children Emma BROWN b: 1848 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  In 1870 Emma was residing in Wilkes-Barre with her husband and children in the home of her parents. In 1880 Emma is shown residing in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, with her children and residing in the home of her parents. She is shown as single and her husband is not with her. It is presumed her husband died and that she is widowed.  Married George SHAFER b: 1842 in Pennsylvania, USA
        1. Has No Children Edith M SHAFER b: 1866 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
        2. Has No Children Hattie SHAFER b: 1869 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
        3. Has No Children Harry SHAFER b: 1869 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
      2. Has No Children Mary BROWN b: 1850 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      3. Has No Children Amanda BROWN b: 1852 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children Anne BROWN b: 1853 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      5. Has No Children Jane BROWN b: 1856 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      6. Has No Children Charles BROWN b: 1861 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
    5. Has Children Alma BROWN b: ABT 1830 in Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA.  She married Samuel MICHAEL and Abram WALTON.
      1. Has No Children Amanda MICHAEL
      2. Has No Children Stephen MICHAEL
      3. Has No Children Charles MICHAEL
      4. Has No Children Lewis MICHAEL
      5. Has No Children Ellen MICHAEL
      6. Has No Children Mary MICHAEL

    William Brown married secondly about 1844 to Mrs. Julia Ann (Mosier) STIVERS b: 01 SEP 1813.

    1. Has Children Sarah BROWN b: 08 NOV 1845 in Pennsylvania, USA. Married 04 APR 1869 in Prob. Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA to Anson DUNN b: 30 MAR 1846 in Wysox, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA
      1. Has Children Myron Vaness DUNN b: 11 MAR 1870 in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      2. Has No Children Alice Vienna DUNN b: 18 DEC 1871 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      3. Has Children Lulu May DUNN b: 07 OCT 1873 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children Martha Agnes DUNN b: 06 OCT 1875 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      5. Has No Children George Menzen DUNN b: 10 SEP 1879 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      6. Has No Children Adrian Anson DUNN b: 13 JUN 1884 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      7. Has No Children Percy Emmett DUNN b: 07 JAN 1886 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
      8. Has No Children Loren Everett DUNN b: 26 SEP 1887 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA
    2. Has Children Anderson D. BROWN b: 19 MAY 1849 in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  Married 25 DEC 1870 to Melinda COOLBAUGH b: 1851 in Pennsylvania, USA
      1. Has No Children Minnie BROWN b: ABT 1872 in Pennsylvania, USA
      2. Has No Children Eliza BROWN b: ABT 1874 in Pennsylvania, USA
      3. Has No Children Bertha BROWN b: ABT 1876 in Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children Harvey BROWN b: ABT 1878 in Pennsylvania, USA
      5. Has No Children Frank BROWN b: APR 1881 in Pennsylvania, USA
    3. Has Children Hendrick Wright BROWN b: 23 DEC 1851 in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA. Married 25 DEC 1870 (note the date is the same as his brother Anderson's wedding) to Sarah MCCRARY b: ABT 1850
      1. Has Children Franklin Daniel BROWN b: 22 JUL 1874 in Pennsylvania, USA
      2. Has No Children Laura BROWN b: ABT 1877
      3. Has Children Lewis W. BROWN b: 18 AUG 1881 in Pennsylvania, USA
      4. Has No Children Susan BROWN b: ABT 1884
    4. Has No Children George A. BROWN b: 13 JUN 1854 in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA. married BET MAR 1892 AND 01 JUN 1900 in Prob. Denver, CO to Paula J. GATES b: SEP 1865 in Ohio, USA. No known children.
    5. Has Children Lewis C. BROWN b: 12 APR 1857 in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA. married 22 MAR 1883 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA to Etta Adelia LUCE b: 12 APR 1863 in Ossian, Livingston County, New York, USA
      1. Has Children George Henry BROWN b: 23 JUN 1884 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA.  married 01 JUN 1912 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA to Alta Eleanor CADMAN b: 11 FEB 1883 in Wanari, Bon Homme Co., Dakota Territory, [ now SD] (NW of Springfield)
        1. Has Children Living BROWN
        2. Has Children Living BROWN
      2. Has Children Frederick Ansen BROWN b: 1888 in Kansas, USA.  Married 18 DEC 1907 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA to Margie Eliza CADMAN b: 02 OCT 1889 in Springfield, SD
        1. Has Children Alice Alvena BROWN b: 09 APR 1908
        2. Has Children Robert Ingle BROWN b: 29 NOV 1910
          1. Has Children Living BROWN
          2. Has Children Living BROWN
      3. Has Children Homer Raymond BROWN b: 24 MAY 1891 in Yates Center, Woodson County, Kansas, USA.  Married Nellie GARRY b: 1896
        1. Has No Children Norma L. BROWN b: 16 FEB 1917 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA
        2. Has No Children Stacy Eugene BROWN b: 06 JUL 1918
        3. Has Children Clarence LeRoy BROWN b: 30 APR 1923
        4. Has Children Living BROWN
        5. Has Children Living BROWN
        6. Has No Children Living BROWN
      4. Has No Children Stacy Lewis BROWN b: 15 FEB 1896 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA
      5. Has No Children Norma K. BROWN b: 15 NOV 1897 in Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA

James Brown in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA

(Joan Huston's Branch, based on research presented at http://www.tregarthen.com/ but subsequently modified.)

Has Children James BROWN b: 12 SEP 1790 1791 in Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA, shown above as a son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler.  According to Ruth Brown's tree, the Brown family came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA to Kingston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in 1786. Thus James was most likely born in Kingston.

According to Plumb's 1885 History of Hanover Township, James Brown, son of Alexander Brown and Mary Tyler, "went to Wayne County." (sic) Census records and James death record show him consistently in Luzerne County between 1830-1861, thus Plumb seems to be in error on the matter of "Wayne County."

According to Joan Huston: "James was the first Prothonotary (principal clerk notary or probate officer) for Wyoming County. Buried in the Old Brick Cemetery, Eaton Twp., Wyoming, PA. according to the Wyoming County Historical Society. According to Alverta Brown Martin's book "Pacific Northwest Grandfathers", he was buried in the Harding Cemetery." The former is correct.

In 1830 James Brown is found residing in Eaton, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA, with the following family: one male 0-4, one male 5-9, one male 30-39, two females 0-4, one female 5-9, 3 females 10-14, one female 30-39. James is the ONLY Brown in Eaton in 1830.

In 1840 James was residing in Eaton, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA, with the following family: one male 10-14, one male 15-19, one male 40-50, two females 10-14, one female 15-19, two females 20-30, and one female 40-50. He was residing nearby to his sister Jane Lee (nee Brown).

In 1850, James was residing in Eaton, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, USA as a widowed farmer with his children Martha, James and Mary.

James death record gives his death as 29 JUN 1861, age 70 years, 9 months and 17 days. This is consistent with his gravestone in the Old Brick Cemetery, Eaton Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA. (Wyoming County Historical Society, via Bill Hancock)

According to Joan Huston, James was married three times. His first two wives died in 1837 and 1850.

Sam Gibson, custodian of The Browns of Priesthill database at Ancestry (http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4962108/person/-1517567580), shows this James Brown as son of Alexander Brown (12 JUN 1763 in Big Springs, Pennsylvania, USA - 1791 in Browns Mill, Pennsylvania, USA) and Mary Tyler with children born 1780-1791 (as per Huston). Gibson shows Alexander as a son of James Brown (1724-1780) and Mary McClelland. This latter James Brown being a grandson of John Brown of Priesthill via his posthumous son John Brown (1684-1740). There appears to be no basis in evidence to make such a connection and DNA evidence has now excluded our Browns from likely descent from Priesthill.

James m ABT 1815 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA to Martha Amelia RYDER b: 26 MAR 1796 in Tunkhannock, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, USA (parents unknown); d 31 MAR 1837 in Tunkhannock, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, USA.  James and Martha had the following children:

  1. Has No Children Jane BROWN b: 26 APR 1816 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA.
  2. Has No Children Caroline BROWN b: 18 OCT 1818 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  3. Has No Children Asa Rider BROWN b: 10 DEC 1820 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  4. Has No Children Ann BROWN b: 03 APR 1825 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  5. Has No Children Martha BROWN b: 03 APR 1825 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  6. Has Children James Washington BROWN b: 31 AUG 1828 in Eatonville, Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA.  James W Brown married firstly on 05 MAY 1859 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA to Cynthia LEWIS b: 05 MAY 1838 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA.  They had one child:
    1. Has No Children Harriet Annabelle BROWN b: 29 FEB 1860 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA

    James W Brown married secondly on 06 JAN 1863 in Weedville, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA to Jane Sophia LEWIS b: 05 MAR 1846 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA.  James and Jane had the following children:

    1. Has Children William Ellsworth BROWN b: 09 JUL 1864 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA.  d 09 JUN 1937 in Lomita, Los Angeles, California, USA. William m 07 OCT 1893 in Everett, Snohomish, Washington, USA to Alverta NAYLOR b: 01 JAN 1873 in Tumwater, Thurston, Washington, USA; d 02 JUL 1934 in Tracy, San Joaquin, California, USA.
      1. Has Children Ellis Ellsworth BROWN b: 23 OCT 1895 in Centralia, Lewis, Washington, USA. d 17 JUL 1937 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA. m 07 APR 1917 in Seattle, King, WA to Bertha Florence MCALLISTER b: 09 APR 1898 in Ballard (Seattle), King County, Washington, USA
        1. Has Children William Ellsworth BROWN b: 22 MAR 1920 in Centralia, Lewis, Washington, USA
          1. Living BROWN
    2. Has No Children James Lewis BROWN b: 18 NOV 1865 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA.  He married Flora HOLLAND b: 16 JUN 1875 in Pennsylvania, USA.  They had the following children:
      1. Has Children Freda Marie BROWN b: 13 DEC 1895 in Bradner, Wood, Ohio, USA.  She married Wright Lafayette FELT b: MAY 1893 in Texas, USA.  They had:
        1. Two living children
      2. Has No Children Evelyn Rose BROWN b: 1898 in Bradner, Wood, Ohio, USA
      3. Has No Children James Sylvester BROWN b: 1904 in Bradner, Wood, Ohio, USA.  James married Mabel MOROWSKY b: ABT 1905.
        1. Joan Huston's notes indicate that James had five children. Their names are not recorded.
      4. Has No Children Bernard Lester BROWN b: 1911 in Oklahoma, USA.  Joan Huston's notes indicate that Bernard married a woman named Lillian and had:
        1. two children whose names are not recorded.
      5. Has No Children Margaret Jane BROWN b: 1917 in Oklahoma, USA
    3. Has No Children Mary Etta BROWN b: 1871 in Pennsylvania, USA
    4. Has No Children Harry Edemayer BROWN b: MAY 1880 in Benezette, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA. m Alice GREGORY and died shortly after his marriage. No known children.
  7. Has No Children Mary BROWN b: 1830 in Eaton Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
  8. Has No Children Alexander BROWN b: 1831 in Eaton Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA. Later whereabouts unknown.
  9. Has No Children Almira BROWN b: 26 MAR 1833 in Eaton Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA.  She died in infancy.
  10. Has No Children Harriet BROWN b: 1837 in Eaton Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, USA

James Brown married secondly in 1837 to MARY b: 03 APR 1800.

James Brown married thirdly ABT 1854 to Unknown

Research Leads

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

William and Elizabeth Brown in Hamilton, 1901

The following family is found in the 1891/1901 census.  It is not known if they are related.

Robert BROWN and Sarah

  1. William J. BROWN, b 22 JUL 1849 in Ireland, m 1. to UNKNOWN, widowed by 1891.  Res 1891 Ward 7, Hamilton City, occ 1891 moulder, rel Cdn Presby, res 1901 Ward 6, Hamilton City as lodgers of Mary Garnet.  m2 1893 in Hamilton to Elizabeth LEONARD, widow, b 27 JUN 1851 in rural Ontario of Irish ethnicity, dtr of Moses and Elizabeth, witnessed by William Moore and William J Leonard. According to 1901 census he immigrated in 1866, but this conflicts with children's births -- probably immigrated 1886.  Children from first marriage:
    1. Sarah BROWN, b 1879 in Ireland (not found in 1901)
    2. Robert BROWN, b 1881 in Ireland (not found in 1901)
    3. William BROWN, b 1883 in Ireland.  Possibly residing in 1901 in Middlesex North, lodging with the Clemens family, working as a farm labourer, immig 1888.  Possibly the same William Brown: William Brown, 29, Irish, toolmaker ~~~ engineer, and wife Jean Brown 27, entered Detroit, Mich, USA, MAR 1909, from Hamilton, ON, brother of Charles Brown of 29 Stinton St, Hamilton ON, bound for ~~~ Michigan. (no marriage record found)

William and Elizabeth Brown in Hamilton, 1911, from ARMAGH!

Not the same William and Elizabeth shown above.  This family is found in the 1911 census living in Hamilton.  It is not known if they are related. 

William and Elizabeth BROWN, living at 174 Duke Street in Hamilton.  William was born SEP 1866 in Ireland and immigrated in 1890.  William was a carpenter and a Presbyterian.  He was working for a house builder. Elizabeth was born JUN 1872 in Ontario of Scottish origin.  William Brown has not been identified in the 1901 census.  Married 19 SEP 1906 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Wm John Brown age 39 at marriage, carpenter, born Co. Armagh, Ireland, son of Wm Brown and Mary Jane Kennedy, Presbyterian.  Eliza Donald, age 34, born Hamilton, dtr of Alexander Donald and Eliza Coulter.  Witnesses: Logie Donaldson and Mary Ogilvie. Eliza Donald, b 25 JUN 1872 in Hamilton, Wentworth, dtr of Alexander Donald and Eliza Jane Coulter.  William and Elizabeth had the following children:

  1. Donald BROWN, born APR 1908 in Ontario (Born 17 APR 1908, Henry Donald Brown, son of William John Brown, carpenter, and Eliza Donald, res 174 Duke St. Hamilton)
  2. Marjory? BROWN, born JUL 1909 in Ontario (Marjory Lillian Brown, b 21 JUL 1909, ditto)
  3. William BROWN, born DEC 1910 in Ontario

Can-Am Border Crossings

  1. Robert C. Brown, age 24, soldier, son of George Brown in Portadown, Armagh, Ireland (about 10 km north of Tandragee), arrived 3 JUN 1919 at Quebec, Canada, sailing from Liverpool on the Melita, bound for San Francisco, California, USA.
  2. Robert F. Brown, age 24 years 8 months, born Ireland, machinist, last residence Saskatoon, SK, son of Thomas Brown of Crossmayley, Co. Armagh, Ireland, entered at Noyes, Minnesota, bound for Detroit, Michigan.
  3. William Brown, 29, Irish, toolmaker ~~~ engineer, and wife Jean Brown 27, entered Detroit, Mich, USA, MAR 1909, from Hamilton, ON, brother of Charles Brown of 29 Stinton St, Hamilton ON, bound for ~~~ Michigan. (see William above)

Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland

Diary of Grace Brown, Tandragee!

bullet http://www.geocities.com/craigavonhs/rev/crozieroldtimes.html

Tandragee Baptist Church

IN LOVING MEMORY OF WM. BROWN WHO FELL ASLEEP IN JESUS 6TH MAY 1883

http://www.bob-sinton.com/headstones/tandragee-baptist/view.php?cid=22&id=1468&name=William%20Brown

www.thesilverbowl.com

1881 Tandragee Directory

http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/NIR-ARMAGH/2002-08/1029757315

Lists: Robert Brown, Baker, Church Street, Tandragee.
Charles Brown, Boot and Shoe Maker, Gilford.

Griffiths Valuation Record, 1848-1864

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/armagh/ballymore.htm

Lists the following Browns

Ballymore Parish:

Brown                Robert              Ballymore Tanderagee                        Ballymore     Armagh
Brown                Robert              Ballymore Tandragee                         Ballymore     Armagh
Brown                Robert              Cargans                                     Ballymore     Armagh
Brown                Robert              Derryallen                                  Ballymore     Armagh
Brown                William             Mullaghglass                                Ballymore     Armagh
Browne               Robert              Ballymore Tanderagee                        Ballymore     Armagh
Browne               Thomas              Lisraw                                      Ballymore     Armagh

Loughgilly Parish

Brown           James               Lisadian                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Brown           Mary                Drumnahoney                     Loughgilly     Armagh
Brown           Robert              Mavemacullen                    Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Carran                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Kilcon                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Margaret            Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Martha              Carran                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Mary Anne           Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Rep. Ellen          Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Rep. Ellen          Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Robert              Killycarn Lower                 Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Samuel              Lisnisk                         Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          William             Lisnisk                         Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          William, Sr.        Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh

Flax Growers List - 1796, County Armagh

Brown                 Charles              Armagh                Armagh
Brown                 George               Killevy               Armagh
Brown                 George               Mullaghbrack          Armagh
Brown                 James                Loughgilly ()            Armagh
Brown                 John                 Armagh                Armagh
Brown                 John                 Derrynoose            Armagh
Brown                 John                 Keady                 Armagh
Brown                 John                 Loughgilly            Armagh
Brown                 John, Jr.            Armagh                Armagh
Brown                 Samuel               Keady                 Armagh
Brown                 Thomas               Keady                 Armagh
Brown                 Thomas               Killevy               Armagh
Brown                 Thomas               Mullaghbrack          Armagh

1901/11 Censii for Tandragee

The following Browns are found in the 1901 and 1911 censii residing in Tanderagee.  None of them appear to be related to our Browns above.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Armagh/Tanderagee/

Ballymore - no Browns

Tandragee Village

John, BROWN, b 1900 in County Down, Ireland, shown as step-son of Samuel White, b 1848 in County Armagh and his wife Mary Jane White, b 1873 in County Down, Ireland. residing in 1911 at Market Street, Tandragee (Urban). Presumably John is a child from Mary Jane's first marriage.

Agnes BROWNE, b 1821 in County Armagh, widow, Church of Ireland. Residing in 1901 in Emerson's Entry, Tandragee (Urban). Not found in 1911.

  1. Mary Jane BROWNE, b 1866 in County Armagh, Ireland. Not married. Residing in 1901 in Emerson's Entry, Tandragee (Urban). Not found in 1911.

Cargans

Anna BROWNE, head, b 1845 (1901) or 1838 (1911) in Tullymacan, Armagh, f, widow, farmer, 7th Day Adventist. Residing in 1911 at house #10 in Cargans, Tandragee (Rural)

  1. George H BROWNE, b 1876 in Lisbane, Armagh, son, m, single, farm servant,
  2. Elizabeth Anna BROWNE, b 1878 in Lisbane, Armagh, daughter, 33,  shown in 1911 as married 10 years with 2 children born and living, b . Married in 1901 to George A MCLELLAND, b 1876 in County Cavan, Ireland, book agent. Residing in 1901 with mother-in-law. Not found in 1911.
    1. Maggie Ann MCCLELLAND, b 1904 in Donegal

Robert BROWN(E), b 1814 in County Fermanagh, died bef 1911. Residing in 1901 at house #27, Cargans, Tandragee (Rural) and in 1911 at house #18, Cargans, Tandragee (Rural). Family surname in 1901 is BROWN and in 1911 is BROWNE. Robert is shown in 1901 but not found in 1911 and is presumed to have died between 1901-1911.  His wife is not shown in either census.

  1. Elizabeth Anne BROWNE, b 1842 in County Fermanagh, Church of Ireland, single
  2. Isabella BROWNE, b 1844 in County Armagh, farmer's daughter, Church of Ireland
  3. Mary Sophia BROWNE, b 1854 in County Armagh, Church of Ireland, farmer's daughter
  4. Lousia BROWNE, b 1860 in County Armagh, Church of Ireland, farmer's daughter
  5. Son BROWN(E)
    1. Alexander Richard BROWNE, 27, m, nephew, Church of Ireland, b Co. Armagh, farmer.

Samuel BROWN, b 1848 in Armagh, Ireland, Church of Ireland, pensioner R T Arthelary (Artillery?), widower, no children. Residing in 1901 at #20 Cargans, Tandragee (Rural) and in 1911 at #30 Cargans, Tandragee (Rural). Shown in 1901 as a widowed Army pensioner.

Terryhoogan

Unknown BROWN

  1. Isaac BROWN, b 1862 in County Down, Ireland, Church of Ireland, railway labourer, married in 1892 to Mary Jane UNKNOWN, b 1863 in County Down, Ireland, Church of Ireland. In 1911 they are recorded has having had 6 children of which 3 were still living. In 1901 they were residing at house #3 Terryhoogan, Tandragee (Rural) and in 1911 they were residing at house #11 Terryhoogan, Tandragee (Rural).
    1. Lizzie BROWN, b 1892 in County Down, Ireland. Found in 1901 only. Presumed to have died before 1911.
    2. Harriet BROWN, b 1895 in County Down, Ireland
    3. Mary BROWN, b 1897 in County Armagh, Ireland. Twin.
    4. Louise BROWN, b 1897 in County Armagh, Ireland. Twin. Found in 1901 only. Presumed to have died before 1911.
    5. Isaac BROWN, b 1900 in County Armagh, Ireland.
  2. Son BROWN. Nothing is known of this son. He is not found in 1901 in Tandragee or Belfast, but his following children were residing with Isaac Brown in 1911 and shown as niece and nephew to Isaac.
    1. Emily BROWN, b 1897 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Church of Ireland.
    2. James BROWN, b 1900 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Church of Ireland.

Herbert BROWN, b 1880 in County Down, Ireland, Church of Ireland, single, residing in 1901 at house #6 Terryhoogan as a farm servant to George Clarke.

Tartaraghan

ROBERT BROWN and wife MARTHA FROM TARTARAGHAN co Armagh. Their son Robert Brown christened 25 August1833 Drumcree, Armagh, married Mary Jane Haughey from Loughans co Down 12/10/1854. This couple migrated to Australia in 1855.
Drumcree is the parish just north of Ballymore and includes Portadown.
Tartaraghan is the parish just northwest of Drumcree
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?armagh::brown::36711.html


(1"=3mi)
Loughgilly ()

Available Presbyterian Records

http://www.igp-web.com/armagh/civilparishes/BallymoreCP.htm

Congregation

Births

Marriages

Proni Call Number

Tandragee

1830-1913

1935-1916

MIC 1P/258

Clare

1824-1945

1825-1936

MIC 1P/50

Other Tandragee Leads

Pvt. Alexander Brown, born Ballyshiel, ca. 1805, resided in Tandragee, and was part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to China during the first Opium War.  He was attached to the 26th Regiment of Foot (Cameronian), listed as 5'5" in height, hazel eyes, and fair complexion.  He was enlisted at Gibralter on 21 JUL 1818, age 13, and discharged on 26 OCT 1846, age 41, due to ill health brought on by bouts of fever and dysentry sustained from serving abroad.  His service included 14 years in India and ten months in China. ( http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=294536.new;topicseen )

Browns in Loughgilly Parish, Armagh, Ireland

Loughgilly parish is located just south of Ballymore (Tandragee) parish.  Current research seems to indicate that the Browns in Loughgilly are likely related to the Browns in Tandragee.  The following information has been found on Brown families in Loughgilly and is being tracked for possible future connections to the Browns in Tandragee.

Carran

The following family maintains a tradition of having resided at Carran since the 1600s and of being Scottish Covenanters in origin. Please refer to the family of the Browns from Guernsey, Ohio, USA, further below, who also came from Carran and who allege a descent from John Brown of Priesthill, the Covenanter martyr from 1685.


Carran, Loughgilly, Armagh, Ireland, where the Brown family resided since 1600. (Approximately 8 km south of Tandragee.

Robert BROWN, age 59, b 1842 in County Armagh, Ireland, farmer, Reformed Presbyterian, reads and writes English only, residing in 1901 at House #3 Carran, Poyntzpass, Armagh, Ireland. Residing in 1911 at house #9, Carran. (The house number is believed to refer the number of houses enumerated, not an address number. Thus the family address was simply "Carran.") Family legend attests that the family had lived at Carran, Tannyoky since the 1600s when they came from Scotland as Covenanters.

Robert married on 14 OCT 1880 in High Street Reformed Presbyterian Church, Newry, Down, Ireland to Mary Elizabeth HALE, b 1863 in County Armagh, Ireland, farmer's wife, Reformed Presbyterian, reads and writes English only. (All children are Reformed Presbyterian and read and write English only)

  1. John BROWN, b 1883 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901 and 1911.
  2. James BROWN, b 1884 in County Armagh, Ireland.  Residing with parents in 1901 and 1911.  He married after 1911 to Sarah CAUGHEY and had "a large family" including:
    1. William BROWN, died in service, whose name is recorded on the Tandragee War Memorial
    2. Son BROWN
      1. Daughter BROWN
      2. Son BROWN
  3. Maggie BROWN, b 1887 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901 and 1911.
  4. Elizabeth BROWN, b 1889 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901.
  5. Mary BROWN, b 1891 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901.
  6. Agnes BROWN, b 1897 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901 and 1911.
  7. William BROWN, b 1900 in County Armagh, Ireland. Residing with parents in 1901 and 1911.

William BROWN, age 60, b 1841 in County Armagh, Ireland, farmer, Reformed Presbyterian, reads and writes English only. Not married. Residing in 1901 at house #2 Carran, Poyntzpass, Armagh, next door to Robert Brown. Residing in 1911 at house #10, Carran, next door to Robert Brown. He seems likely to be a brother to Robert Brown, above.

The following households could be related to the Browns in Carran, above.

Joseph T Samuel BROWN, age 56, b 1845 in County Armagh, Ireland, Farmer, Reformed Presbyterian, reads and writes English only, not married. Residing in 1901 at #6 Lisnisk, Poyntzpass. Residing in 1911 at house #4 Creeve, Poyntzpass, Armagh as a retired farmer. 1901 gives his name as "Joseph T Brown" and 1911 gives his name as "Joseph Samuel Brown."

Margaret BROWN, widow, age 45, b 1855 in County Armagh, Ireland, Church of Ireland, reads and writes English only. Residing in 1901 at #43 Poyntzpass, Poyntzpass, Armagh, Ireland. Not found in 1911.

The following family originates in County Tyrone and thus seems unlikely to be related to the Browns in Carran, above.

James BROWNE, 38, b 1863 in County Tyrone, Ireland, National Teacher, Presbyterian, reads and writes English only. Married to Clara UNKNOWN, b 1878 in County Armagh, Ireland, National Teacher, Presbyterian. Residing in 1901 at #13 Tannyonky, Poyntzpass, Armagh, Ireland. Residing in 1911 at house #10 Tannyoky, Poyntzpass.

  1. Margaret Emeline BROWNE, b 1901 in County Tyrone, Ireland, age not given in 1901, but shown as age 10 in 1911.
  2. James Watson BROWNE, b 1903 in County Armagh, Ireland
  3. William Henry BROWNE, b 1905 in County Armagh, Ireland
  4. Hugh Stowel BROWNE, b 1907 in County Armagh, Ireland.

Rathconvil


Rathconvil, about 2 km sw of Carran.

James BROWN married in 1871 in the Secessionist church in Rathconvill to Mary Anne QUA, b 1850.  They emigrated to California in 1893.

  1. John Qua BROWN
  2. Matilda Agnes BROWN

This family is found in 1900 in San Francisco, California, USA as follows

James BROWN, age 50, b May 1850 in Ireland, immigrated 1887, occupation "Hossler"(?). wife, Mary A Brown, b May 1850 in Ireland. married 29 years. Mary and children immigrated in 1893.

  1. John Q BROWN, b Nov 1873 in Ireland
  2. Tillie BROWN, b Nov 1884 in Ireland

Margaret BROWN, late of Rathconville, County Armagh, Spinster, deceased, who died 27 JAN 1871 at the same place. Will proved at Armagh by the oaths of John Qua of Bolton (Loughgilly Markethill) and Thomas Shields and Hugh Flack both of Brackagh (Clare, Tandragee) all in said county, the Executors. http://www.proni.gov.uk/view_Will.htm?willId=10913&strReturn=listWill.asp?nListType=1&strOrder=ID&nPage=1092

Others

In 1828 John BROWN came in 3rd place in the Loughgilly plowing match.  No indication is given as to John's age or residence. https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/th/read/NIR-ARMAGH/2003-02/1045139866

NOTE - there is a Brown Moss Road in Loughgilly, south of Tandragee.  Is it named for the colour of the moss or could it be the location of the Brown's ancestral home?

Griffiths Valuation Record, 1848-1864 (repeated from above)

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/armagh/ballymore.htm

Lists the following Browns

Loughgilly Parish

Brown           James               Lisadian                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Brown           Mary                Drumnahoney                     Loughgilly     Armagh
Brown           Robert              Mavemacullen                    Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Carran                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          James               Kilcon                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Margaret            Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Martha              Carran                          Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Mary Anne           Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Rep. Ellen          Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Rep. Ellen          Rathconvil                      Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Robert              Killycarn Lower                 Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          Samuel              Lisnisk                         Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          William             Lisnisk                         Loughgilly     Armagh
Browne          William, Sr.        Ballenan                        Loughgilly     Armagh

Browns in Pennsylvania, USA

The only Brown in Kingston, Luzerne in 1800 is: George Brown, one male 0-9, one male 10-15, one male 16-25, one male over 45, one female 16-25,

John Brown m. 18 JUN 1771 in Junken Tent area, near Kingston, Cumberland Co., PA to Mary GUILILAND

Luzerne Co Genweb: http://www.pagenweb.org/~Luzerne/index.html

http://www.usgwarchives.org/pa/pahist.htm

History of Hanover Township and Wyoming Valley by Henry Blackman Plumb, 1885, excerpt found here: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~culbert/Hanover/brown.htm

1830 Tax Assessment for Hanover, Luzerne, Pennsylvania includes: Thomas Brown, William Brown. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~culbert/Hanover/1830list.htm

Wyoming Battle Casualties, 3 JUL 1778, includes: Pvt. Thomas Brown from Wilkes-Barre, Pvt. John Brown, both killed in action.

1790 Census - Browns in Luzerne County, PA

Benjamin Brown, 1m<16, 1m>16, 5f

David Brown, 3, 1, 3

Enos Brown, 2, 2, 3

Ezekiel Brown, 0, 1, 3

James Brown, 2, 1, 2

James Brown Jr, 0, 1, 2

James F Brown, 0, 2, 2

Joseph Brown, 1, 1, 2

Nathan Brown, 4, 1, 1

Obadiah Brown, 3, 1, 3

Samuel Brown (I), 2, 3, 3

Samuel Brown (II), 4, 1, 2

Thomas Brown, 4, 3, 1

Walter Brown, 3, 2, 5

No Alexander or William Brown.

1800 Census - Browns in Luzerne, PA

John Brown in Wysox, Luzerne, 1 m0-9, 1 m10-15, 1 m26-44, 1 f0-9, 1 f16-25.  Wysox is about 20-30 km NW of Tunkhannock where Jean Brown and Jesse Lee, and James Brown lived.  A matching John Brown can be found in 1810 residing in Rush, Luzerne with 1 m16-25, 1 m 26-44, 3 f0-9, 2 f10-15, 1 f16-25, 1 f26-44.  Rush is about 20 km east of Wysox and 15 km north of Tunkhannock.  No match can be found in 1820.

 

to be added

 

Other Tandragee Browns

The following Brown families resided in or near Tandragee and were either not related to our Browns or they are of unknown origin and may or may not be related to our Browns.  They are included here for reference.

The Tandragee Browns of Guernsey County, Ohio, USA

Purportedly descended from John Brown of Priesthill

According to a reliable family tradition which can be traced back to the progenitor, John Brown, b 1759 in Tandragee (shown below), the following family of Browns are descended from John Brown of Priesthill, Muirkirk, Ayrshire, Scotland, the Scottish Covenanter martyr who was murdered by Claverhouse in 1685.  This family tradition was supported by research conducted in 1905 in Tandragee by Alexander Paterson Brown (shown below) who claimed that John Brown (b 1759, shown below) was specifically "sixth in lineal descent from John Brown of Priesthill by a son of his first marriage."  Alexander Paterson Brown claimed to have viewed the graves of the "six generations of Browns" in Loughgilly parish, (just south of Tandragee), Armagh, Ireland.  Regretfully, Alexander Paterson Brown did not record any detailed information about these graves, thus his claims cannot be verified.

Given the significant coincidences between the situation of this family and the Tandragee Browns shown above (the primary subjects of this study), it was initially suspected that this family may be related to the Browns above.  However, DNA evidence has shown that these families share no common ancestor within a genealogically significant time frame.

This family is being researched by Emily Brown.

John Brown in Carran, Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland

Has Children John BROWN b: 1759 in Tandragee or Loughgilly, Armagh, Ireland.  According to a reliable, but unverifiable, family tradition, John Brown was "sixth in lineal descent from John Brown of Priesthill by a son of his first marriage."  This son allegedly fled to Ulster with his step-mother and two half-brothers after his father was murdered in 1685 by Graham of Claverhouse.  The un-named son allegedly settled in Tandragee or Loughgilly where his descendants continued for several generations.  (This) John Brown married to ISABELLA b: 1765 in Ireland whose surname is unknown.  John and Isabella Brown had the following children:

  1. Has No Children Jane BROWN b: BET 1790 AND 1800 in Armagh, Ireland.  Jane married James MCKNIGHT b: UNKNOWN.
  2. Has No Children Sarah BROWN b: BET 1795 AND 1805 in Armagh, Ireland.  Sarah married John MCELROY b: UNKNOWN.
  3. Has Children John BROWN b: ABT 1800 in Armagh, Ireland.  According to Emily Brown's notes, John Brown resided and died in Cannonsburgh, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA. Only one John Brown can be found matching this description. In 1850 John was residing in Canonsburgh, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA, shown as born 1805 in Ireland and residing in the home and employ of Samuel Smith, a tanner. This John Brown is not found in 1860. In 1840 there is a John Brown in Cannonsburgh, Washington, Pennsylvania who is shown as being 50-60 years old with a male 10-15 residing with him. I suspect this to be the same John Brown and that his age has been entered in the wrong column and that he had a wife who died leaving him a single son who may or may not have survived, but was not residing with his father in 1850. With no name it's impossible to identify the son in later census records.  John is said to have had one son:
    1. Son BROWN b: BET 1825 AND 1830 in Pennsylvania, USA. No further information is known about him.
  4. Has Children William BROWN b: 1803 in Carron, Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland.  William Brown's information and descendants are presented below.
  5. Has Children Robert B BROWN b: 24 OCT 1806 in Armagh, Ireland.  "January 15, 1899. Robert Brown. An Old Settler Ninety-two Years of Age, Passes Away. Death Occured Yesterday Morning at His Home on Summer Street - Sketch of His Life.
    Yesterday morning at 4:30, Robert Brown, probably the oldest resident in the county, died at his home, No. 512 summer Street, after an illness of two weeks. Death was caused by the infirmities of old age and a severe attack of la grippe. He passed away peacefully and without suffering.
    Deceased was one of the pioneer farmers of Des Moines county. He was born in county Armagh, Ireland of Scotch-Irish parentage, October 24, 1806, and had reached the ripe age of ninety-two years, two months, and twenty days.
    In his young manhood, Mr. Brown, in company with his parents and family left Ireland for the United States. They first settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and later removed to Guernsey County, Ohio, where [the] deceased was married to Mary Stewart.
    In 1844 Mr. and Mrs. Brown came west to Iowa and took up land at Lind Grove, Yellow Spring township, this county, three miles west of where Mediapolis now is. But at the time the county was thinly peopled and neighbors were few and far between. There they successfully farmed for many years. Six children were born to them, three sons and three daughters. Of these, two sons, the oldest and the youngest died, the former in Ohio and the latter at Lind Grove. The surviving children are Miss Elizabeth Brown, who resided with her father, Mrs. Isabella Wilson, who lives with her husband on the old farm. Mrs. Jane Johnston, of Hopkinton, Iowa, and Mr. Wm. Brown, of South Central Avenue, city.
    Mrs. Brown died in the fall of 1871 and was buried in Lind Grove cemetery where the remains of her husband will be taken tomorrow morning to rest beside her.
    In 1876 Mr. Brown retired from active work and moved into town. He bought the home at No. 512 Summer Street, and made it his permanent residence.
    He was the youngest of his father's family of five children and survived them all. Deceased was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and a stalwart, consistent Christian, according to his convictions. He was a man of positive character, adhering firmly to the right as he saw it, but withal of a kindly heart and possessed of a rich fund of humor, which rendered him a most agreeable conversationalist. In politics he had no affiliations, but was a close observer of events, and while he saw much to criticise in the dominant political policies, his sympathies inclined to the republican party. By his neighbors and friends he will be missed, while his family have to mourn the loss of a strong leader and guide." (Source not recorded with original clipping.)
    Robert married on 1833 in Guernsey County, Ohio, USA to Mary STEWART b: 16 JAN 1812 in Pennsylvania, USA.  Her birth family has not been identified.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Elizabeth BROWN b: 1834 in Ohio, USA
    2. Has No Children Son BROWN b: ABT 1835 in Ohio, USA.  This son's name is not known. He is mentioned in his father's obituary as being the "oldest son" who died before the family moved to Iowa.
    3. Has Children William BROWN b: NOV 1837 in Ohio, USA.  William married in 1876 to Anna M WRIGHT b: FEB 1848 in Ohio, USA.  They had the following child:
      1. Frank W BROWN b: AUG 1881 in Iowa, USA
    4. Has Children Isabella BROWN b: 13 NOV 1839 in Ohio, USA.  Isabella married in 1860 in Iowa, USA to Robert Mathews WILSON b: 01 APR 1829 in Ballymoney, Antrim, Ireland.  They had the following family:
      1. Has No Children Mary Elizabeth WILSON b: 01 JAN 1862 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      2. Has No Children Robert John WILSON b: 02 SEP 1863 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      3. Has No Children Andrew WILSON b: 28 SEP 1864 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      4. Has No Children Robert Brown WILSON b: 13 FEB 1867 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      5. Has No Children William John "Will" WILSON b: 01 APR 1869 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      6. Has No Children Frances Stewart WILSON b: 07 SEP 1871 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      7. Has No Children James Matthew WILSON b: 07 MAR 1874 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      8. Has No Children Nathan Banks WILSON b: 07 AUG 1876 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
      9. Has No Children Minnie Isabella WILSON b: 14 MAR 1879 in Yellow Springs Township, Des Moines County, Iowa, USA
    5. Has No Children John BROWN b: 1842 in Ohio, USA.  John is mentioned in his father's obituary as having died young. He is found residing with his parents in 1850 but not in 1860 and is presumed to have died during the intervening years.
    6. Has No Children Jane B BROWN b: NOV 1840 in Ohio, USA.  Jane married in 1878 to Hunter Martin JOHNSTON b: MAR 1844 in Antrim, Ireland.

William Brown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA


William Brown
photo c/o Emily Brown

Has Children William BROWN (see photo at right) b: 1803 in Carron, Tandragee, Armagh, Ireland as the son of John and Isabella Brown, shown above.  William Brown married Jane PATTERSON b: 1811 in Ireland.  They had the following family:

  1. Has No Children Isabella BROWN b: 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  2. Has Children Alexander Patterson BROWN b: 03 JUN 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Brown, Alexander P., Manufacturer, Man of Affairs. (from the Encyclopaedia of Philadelphia)

    A notable figure in the business life of Philadelphia for many years was Alexander P. Brown. He was not only a leading spirit in the boot and shoe trade, but he was one of those public-spirited citizens who was not only always ready to lend himself to every cause to advance the interests of the community but whose services are constantly in demand because of his known ability to carry through to successful completion any project with which he was identified.

    Mr. Brown sprang from the sturdy stock of the Scotch-Irish, which for so many generations has been the backbone of American civilization. The paternal ancestor was John Brown, who lived at the time of the religious persecution in Scotland, and because of his opposition to the Papist tendencies of the house of Stuart was put to death at the hands of Claverhouse, May 1, 1685, in the parish of Muirkirk. William Brown, father of Alexander P. Brown, married Jane Patterson, a lineal descendant of Alexander Patterson, who during the reign of George III. became proprietor of the mills in the Manor of Acton, county Armagh, Ireland, and in the early part of the nineteenth century emigrated to the United States. The estates passed into the hands of Colonel Close, of Drumbanagher, whose eldest son, Charles Maxwell Close, was high sheriff of the county and sat in the House of Commons as one of the leaders of the Conservative party from Ulster province. William Brown settled in Philadelphia, where he died in 1887. His wife died in 1871.

    Alexander P. Brown, eldest son of William Brown, was born in Philadelphia, June 3, 1839. Prior to the age of ten years he was a pupil of Miss Laughlin's private school. After this he went through the regular routine of schooling until he graduated from the Central High School at the age of eighteen. In i860 he entered the employ of Hugh Barrett, a boot and shoe manufacturer, with whom he remained three years, thoroughly mastering every detail of the business, as well as the office methods employed. The knowledge thus acquired was supplemented in a most valuable way by the extensive business acquaintance formed throughout the West and South. In 1870, with his brother, Clement M. Brown, he began the manufacture of boots and shoes in Philadelphia. Success attended their efforts from the start. They built up a strong demand for their goods, and after thirteen years of successful business as a manufacturer, Mr. Brown retired from the firm.

    Although Mr. Brown's business life was crowded with activity, he always found time to share the burdens of civic responsibility. At the time of the Chicago fire he took an active part in raising funds and hurrying supplies to the stricken city. At the Centennial of 1876 it was Mr. Brown who formulated the plan for the boot and shoe men of the country to erect their own building, with the result that the fund was raised and the exhibit was the most unique and interesting ever before seen in the country. Moreover, it was the means of increasing the leather export trade from about $1,000,000 to $11,000,000 annually. After the close of the Centennial, Mr. Brown was chosen a director of the Permanent Exhibition Company.

    There was one notable occasion that is quite worthy of mention over which Mr. Brown presided. It marked the formation of the National Association of the Boot and Shoe Manufacturers of the United States. It was a memorable time indeed. A banquet was given which was attended by many of the most celebrated men of that day, and it might be mentioned here that the letters of acceptance and regrets of these notables, all addressed to Mr. Brown, were carefully preserved by him and are now contained in a beautifully bound volume in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

    The very successful manner in which Mr. Brown conducted the whole affair is evident from the following extract from the letter of a friend written after the day of the banquet: "Moreover, at the risk of offending your characteristic modesty, I must tell you that the tact and discretion with which you presided over that imposing assemblage contributed materially to the success of the festival. You bore yourself like an old hand. I must congratulate you and your neighbors in the craft on the creditable manner in which they have played the part of host to the shoe manufacturers of the United States, and the happy and auspicious circumstances under which the National Association has been born into the world"; and also a few words from a letter written by that noted statesman, the late Thomas F. Bayard, as follows : "Reflection has not diminished my high opinion of the occasion, embellished as it was by luxury and good taste."

    Space will not permit a record of the many achievements of Mr. Brown, whose services in the interest of many public functions were always in demand, but one more might be mentioned. It was the International Regatta held in 1876, the necessary funds for which were raised by Mr. Brown. Rowing crews from many countries came to Philadelphia for the event, and it was perhaps the most wonderful meet of its kind that was ever held. Over 300,000 people attended, and records were made at that time which have never been lowered down to the present day.

    Mr. Brown has never sought or accepted public works, but has always been active in party work and frequently presided in younger years at political meetings. He has always shrunk from publicity of any kind, but has never withheld his support from any worthy enterprise that claimed his attention and there are many charitable institutions that enjoy his interest and generosity. He is a life member of the Pennsylvania Hospital, of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a life member of the Young Men's Christian Association, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and also of a great number of other associations.

    The more recent years of his life have been devoted to extensive travel. Few men have visited as many countries of the world and made so close a study of the different conditions, nationalities and governments of men. His faith in our Republican system and institutions is abiding, and he believes that ours is the most perfect and enduring system for the government of man.

    Alexander Brown married ISABELLA b: ABT 1838 in Pennsylvania, USA.  They had one child:

    1. Has Children William Alexander BROWN b: 23 OCT 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.  William married Marie S b: ABT 1877 in Missouri, USA.  They had:

      1. Has No Children Rosalee B BROWN b: ABT 1900 in Missouri, USA
      2. Has No Children Earl N BROWN b: ABT 1903 in Minnesota, USA
  3. Has No Children Mary Jane BROWN b: 1841 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  4. Has No Children William John BROWN b: 1843 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  5. Has Children Clement McCune S E Thorn BROWN b: 25 JAN 1847 in Philadelphia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States.  Clement married in 1880 in Columbia, Lancaster Co., PA, USA to Emily Eckert MYERS b: 28 FEB 1857 in Columbia, Lancaster Co., PA, USA.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Clement McCune BROWN b: 1880 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    2. Has No Children Helen Davenport BROWN b: 02 DEC 1882 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA
    3. Has No Children Emily Norwood BROWN b: 06 OCT 1884 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA
    4. Has No Children James Myers BROWN b: ABT 1888 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    5. Has No Children William Gordon BROWN b: 01 MAR 1892 in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA
  6. Has No Children David BROWN b: 1849 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA

George Brown's Family from Tandragee

Back in the early 1990s, when I was residing in Burnaby, British Columbia, there was a small commercial builder, George Brown, who was hired to do some renovation work at our church.  I was struck by George's physical resemblance to my late grandfather.  We compared notes on our mutual origins and were surprised to learn that both our Brown families came from Tandragee!  Unfortunately, at the time, I was still a novice genealogist and, given the popularity of the surname Brown, I didn't given any real consideration to the possibility that we might be related.  Fortunately George gave me a copy of his family tree, albeit an incomplete one.  George also had photos of his family's old homestead back in Tandragee which he had visited as a child.  Unfortunately I did not make copies of the photos.  When I attempted to contact George again in 2005 I learned from his widow that he had recently passed away and that neither she nor anyone in the family was interested in George's ancestry.  I hope by posting this information here that some relative of George Brown's may find this and contact me (see contact information below) in the hope that we can exchange information.  It would also be VERY helpful if we could find a male Brown descendant from this line who was willing to have his DNA tested for genealogical origins.

The following family has not been found in the 1911 census for either Armagh, Ireland or anywhere in Canada.

Robert BROWNE, b 21 JUL 1836 in Ballymore, Armagh, Ireland, d 5 MAY 1914, age 78, m 19 OCT 1869 in Ballymore by the Rev. N Rankin to Mary Jane MCRUDDEN, b 11 APR 1849, d 14 JAN 1928

  1. William BROWNE, b 17 JUL 1870
  2. Robert James BROWNE, b 4 OCT 1873
  3. John Frederick BROWNE, b 7 JAN 1875
  4. Margaret Anne BROWNE, b 5 OCT 1877
  5. Mary Jane BROWNE, b 15 AUG 1879
  6. Samuel BROWNE, b 7 MAY 1882
  7. Charlotte Elizabeth BROWNE, b 26 MAY 1885
  8. Oliver BROWNE, b 25 JUL 1886
  9. Rebecca BROWNE, b 29 SEP 1888
  10. Sarah BROWNE, b 9 JUL 1891

Children of one of the preceding sons:

  1. Robert Allen Nesbitt BROWN, b 17 OCT 1898
    1. George BROWN, b. ca. 1930 in Canada, d 2005 in Burnaby, British Columbia, CANADA
  2. Mary Jane BROWN, b 8 MAR 1900
  3. Albert Frederick BROWN, b 29 SEP 1901
  4. Thomas Henry McNight BROWN, b 21 MAY 1903
  5. Winnifred Olive BROWN, b 21 JAN 1905
  6. Florence Martha BROWN, b 13 JUL 1906
  7. Annabell Patricia BROWN, b 17 MAR 1908
  8. William Hugh Oliver BROWN, b 21 APR 1911
  9. Samuel Edward Carson BROWN, b 15 NOV 1912

Son of one of the preceding sons:

David Irwin BROWN, b 7 MAR 1929

Links

Description Location
County Armagh Information http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donaghmore1/cover.html
County Tyrone Information http://www.members.shaw.ca/justgen/tyr.htm
Irish maps http://irelandgenealogyprojects.rootsweb.com/Maps/maps.htm
Irish Origins http://www.irishorigins.com/
Etymology of the surname "Browne" http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/scotsirish/browne.htm
Wentworth County Genealogy Inquiries http://www.hwcn.org/link/wengenweb/wntq01.htm
Armagh research information http://www.from-ireland.net/contents/armaghconts.htm
Banbridge Genealogical Research Services http://www.banbridgegenealogy.com/index.htm
Poyntzpass & District Local History Society http://www.poyntzpass.co.uk/index.htm

Fellow Researchers

People researching this family include the following.  If you wish your name added to the fellow researchers' list, please contact me.

Email From Researching

Ryk Brown

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada all branches of this family
Diane Mayes Kitchener, Ontario, Canada ancestors and descendants of Prisella Mayes (nee Brown)

Index & Personal Information Pages (GEDCOM)

For more information on any individual person featured on this page, please:
1. click on the INDEX button below,
2. then select the first letter of the surname you are looking for.

INDEX (On-line)

The index button will take you to my searchable GEDCOM database hosted by RootsWeb's World Connect Project. This allows you to download my GEDCOM in 10-generation chunks.  Then you can import my data directly into your own genealogy program without having to retype it.

Legend

Has Children = This person has known descendants.

ABT = "about" and is used in three ways:

  1. Where it precedes a precise date of birth, such as "ABT 3 DEC 1855", then it means that the person was baptized on 3 DEC 1795, but his/her exact date of birth is unknown.

  2. Where it precedes a semi-precise date of birth with the month only given, such as "ABT DEC 1855", then that means that the birth is recorded in the civil birth registrations for the quarter ending with that month.  Thus the person's birth was registered sometime between the beginning of October 1855 and the end of December 1855, but no baptism record has been found nor any more precise birth record.

  3. Where it precedes a year only, such as "ABT 1855", then it means that there is no information on the person's birth date at all and an educated guess has been made that he/she was probably born sometime around 1855.

Contact

Please post your questions, comments, corrections, or additional information to:

RYK BROWN'S GENEALOGY DISCUSSION FORUM
(click on the link to be taken to the discussion forum)

I will no longer be accepting genealogical inquiries via email.
If you wish to contact me regarding any genealogical matters
please post your inquiry on the discussion forum
and I will be pleased to respond to you there.

This page was last updated on May 01, 2011

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