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Archiver > BROWN > 1999-03 > 0920405616


From: "George W. Page" <>
Subject: [BROWN-L] BROWNs of Albemarle Co., VA & TN (LONG)
Date: Tue, 02 Mar 1999 15:13:36 -0500


The following were extracted from pp 151-154 of the "The History of
Albermarle County, Virginia," edited by Rev. Edgar Woods of that county in
1901 and printed by The Michie Company, Printers in 1901. The second part
was found starting at <http://www.familytreemaker.com/_glc/1317/1317_151.html>;
EXPAND TO FULL SCREEN TO READ!

George W. Page
________________
History of Albemarle County,
Virginia

The Browns of Brown's Cove were a
Hanover family. Its head, Benjamin, and his eldest son
Benjamin, patented a large area of
land in Louisa County, both before and after its
establishment in 1742. They began to
obtain grants in Albemarle also soon after its
formation. From 1747 to 1760 they
entered more than six thousand acres on both sides of
Doyle's River. Benjamin Sr., married
Sarah Dabney, who according to Dr. Charles Brown's
will, was descended from the Jennings
that left the enormous estate in England, which
such a multitudinous posterity in
this country has coveted, and which prompted Dr. Charles
to cross the great sea twice in his
old age. Benjamin died in 1762, leaving eleven children,
Benjamin, William, Agnes, Barzillai,
Benajah, Bernard, Bern is, Bezaleel, Brightberry,
Elizabeth, the wife of John Price,
and Lucretia, the wife of Robert Harris. Passing these
names under review, one can imagine
the delight of the old gentleman in the iterating
alliteration of B. B., and how
assiduously he searc

BROWN.

The Browns of Brown's Cove were a Hanover family. Its head,
Benjamin, and his eldest son Benjamin, patented a large
area of land in Louisa County, both before and after its
establishment in 1742. They began to obtain grants in Albemarle
also soon after its formation. From 1747 to 1760 they entered
more than six thousand acres on both sides of Doyle's
River. Benjamin Sr., married Sarah Dabney, who according to Dr.
Charles Brown's will, was descended from the
Jennings that left the enormous estate in England, which such a
multitudinous posterity in this country has coveted, and
which prompted Dr. Charles to cross the great sea twice in his
old age. Benjamin died in 1762, leaving eleven children,
Benjamin, William, Agnes, Barzillai, Benajah, Bernard, Bernis,
Bezaleel, Brightberry, Elizabeth, the wife of John Price, and
Lucretia, the wife of Robert Harris. Passing these names under
review, one can imagine the delight of the old gentleman in
the iterating alliteration of B. B., and how assiduously he
searched the Scriptures and the Lives of the Saints, to attain his
pet ideal.

Benjamin and William were their father's executors, and appear
to have had their portions and residence in Hanover or
Louisa. Barzillai sold out in Albemarle, and settled in Shelby
County, Kentucky, in 1809. Benajah also disposed of his
interests, and removed to Buckingham. Bernard had his home at
the foot of Buck's Elbow, not far from Whitehall. He was
the first of the family to depart this life, dying in 1800. He
and his wife Elizabeth had twelve children, Robert, Reuben,
Bernard M., Charles, Thomas H., Ira B., Asa B., Benjamin H.,
Bezaleel, Francina, the wife of John Rodes, Lucy, the wife
of Nathaniel Thompson Sr., and Sarah. Robert and Reuben
emigrated to Sumner County, Tennessee. Bernard M. married
Miriam, daughter of David Maupin, and had nine children, among
whom were Thompson Brown, Sarah, the wife of Clifton
Brown, and Pyrena, the wife of Tilman Maupin. Charles practiced
medicine in Charlottesville in the early part of the century.
He lived where Dr. W. G. Rogers now resides till 1822, when he
removed to the farm on the waters of Ivy Creek which he
bought from Crenshaw Fretwell, and on which his son Ezra still
resides. He married his cousin Mary, daughter of Bezaleel Brown,
and had six children. He died in 1879, having attained the
remarkable age of ninety-six years. Thomas H. married first Mildred Brown,
and secondly Lucy, daughter of Horsley Goodman. By his first
marriage he had a daughter Emaline, who was the wife of
W. G. Fretwell. Ira B. married Frances Mullins, and had six
children, among them Burlington D. Brown. Benjamin H.
married Judith, daughter of Hudson Fretwell. Bezeleel married
Elizabeth, daughter of John A. Michie, and his children
were Cynthia, the wife of William H. Brown, Frances, Addison,
Williamson, Mary, the wife of George W. Kemper,
Martha, the wife of Charles H. Parrott, and John A. M. He was
cut off in the prime of his days in 1825. The family of
Bernard Brown was remarkable in one respect. He and his three
sons, Charles, Thomas H., and Ira B. were magistrates
of the county, and two of them served as Sheriff, Charles in
1841, and Thomas H. in 1849.

Bernis was one of the early Methodist preachers in the county
and country, entering the ministry some years before the
close of the last century. He married Henrietta, daughter of
John Rodes, and died in 1815, leaving eight children, Sarah,
the wife of Thomas Jones, Henrietta, the wife of John Ruff,
Ann, the wife of John Dickerson, Bernis, Tyree, Benjamin T.,
who married Lucy Richards, Elizabeth, the wife of Charles
Carthrae, and John R.

Bezaleel was an officer in the Revolutionary army at Yorktown,
was a magistrate of the county, and served as Sheriff in
1805. He died in 1829. He and his wife Mary had six children,
William T., Bezaleel, Elizabeth, the wife of Jesse Garth,
Lucy, the wife of her cousin Reuben, Bernard's son, Sarah, the
wife of Charles Parrott, and Mary, the wife of Dr. Charles.
William T. married Mary, daughter of James Jarman, and died in
1877. His children were Lucy, Sarah, the wife of John R.
Early, and Mary, the wife of Dr. William E. Bibb. Bezaleel was
appointed a magistrate in 1835, was a member of the
House of Delegates from 1844 to 1847, and died in 1878.

Brightberry and his wife Mary had five sons, Horace, Clifton,
William, Nimrod, and Brightberry. He died in 1846. Horace
lived at the head of the Cove, just beneath Brown's Gap, and
his house, on account of its bracing air, quiet seclusion and
generous fare, was a favorite resort of the Methodist clergy
during the heat of summer.

This family of Brown, from their early settlement, their
prominent part in public affairs, the high character generally
prevalent among them, and the lasting impress they have made on
the natural scenery of the county, is one of the most
noted in its history.

A numerous family of the same name began with Andrew Brown, who
in 1789 bought land in North Garden from John
Everett. He lived in a house which is still standing, about a
quarter of a mile west of North Garden Depot. He died in
1804, and the place was well known for many years after as the
residence of his wife Mary. His children numbered
thirteen, Elizabeth, the wife of Joel Yancey, John, James,
Anderson, Nancy, Lucy, the wife of Ralph Thomas, Sarah, the
wife of Absalom Johnson, Nelson, Mary, the wife of Martin
Moore, Margaret, the wife of James Kinsolving, Williamson,
Maurice and Damaris, the wife of Benjamin W. Wheeler. John
married Martha, the widow of John P. Watson, who had
devised to her his real estate, nearly five hundred acres lying
east of North Garden Depot; she however in 1816 joined
with her second husband in a deed to James Leigh, that it might
be reconveyed to him. He died in 1845, and his children
were John A., William, Catharine, the wife of Jerome B. Wood,
Sarah, the wife of John M. Carr, Ann, the wife of George
W. Rothwell, Charles, Martha, the wife of Benjamin F. Ammonett,
and Marietta, the wife of Elijah J. Bettis. Anderson and
his wife Susan had ten children, among whom were Sarah, the
wife of D. C. Rittenhouse, Mary Jane, the wife of James A.
Watson, and the late Andrew J. Brown, of Charlottesville.

A Benjamin Brown was associated with David Ross in the purchase
of a large number of lots in Charlottesville, when they
were originally sold. He died about 1799, and John Brown, of
Louisa, was his executor. It is probable Benjamin lived in
Louisa, and he may have been the eldest son of Benjamin Sr., of
Brown's Cove.

Another Benjamin Brown was a lawyer of the Albemarle bar at the
beginning of the century. He was the owner at different
times of the plantations of Meadow Creek and Mooresbrook, at
which latter place his son, Robert M., a prominent
attorney of Amherst, was born. He married Sarah E. W., daughter
of Colonel Charles Lewis, of North Garden. After
selling Mooresbrook to R. B. Streshley in 1812, he removed to
Amherst County.

Matthew Brown, who it is said was not related to the last
mentioned Benjamin, married Ann, the sister of Benjamin's wife.
For a few years subsequent to 1804, he resided on a thousand
acres which he purchased from John M. Sheppard, of
Hanover, and which were situated in North Garden on the north
side of Tom's Mountain. He also removed to Amherst. At
a later date he was a contractor for erecting the buildings of
the University. He was the grandfather of Judge Thompson
Brown, of Nelson.

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