MDCHARLE-L Archives

Archiver > MDCHARLE > 2000-11 > 0974244213


From: "Norma Thompson" <>
Subject: Re: [MDCHARLE-L] Edward Brawner and Anna Ball
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 15:23:33 -0800
References: <3.0.6.32.20001114104120.00801100@mail.effect.net.au>


First, let me say that I may be full of beans about all of this as I have
not seen all the records. Neither have I found records for any of the
marriages, nor documents from which these unions are taken. I am giving the
traditional pairings. Also, I have not seen the original documents or their
microfilm. All of this information is from people who supposedly saw it, or
from transcriptions of records. Also, I haven't correlated and entered all
of the data that I have. My bloody hurting hands stop me.

Your Henry (married Elizabeth Barton) would not be the son of
Edward/Elizabeth Wheeler. Edward/Anna Ball mentions by name and relationship
his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Nalley, leaving her a Bell Metal Kettle (wish
I had it!). The marriage of Aaron Nalley to Eliza, widow of Henry Brawner is
given in the Maryland State Archives taken from land and probate records.
"NALLEY Aaron, m. by 6 May 1748, Eliza, widow of Henry Brawner of CH Co.
(MDAD 25:1)". Also, I think it is this Henry who gave the deposition: "Henry
Brawner, age 23, 6 April 1733; CHLR R#2:332", but I could be wrong. This
could be son of Henry, son of Old Henry. Your Henry would not have been old
enough to be the Henry on the 1733 tax list with two titheables.

Edward Brawner, the elder, son of Old Henry, had 3 "groupings" of children,
taken from depositions and such giving their age or ages of their children.
One set born before 1710, one set about 1719-1723, and one set after 1726.
The marriage date of Edward Brawner and Anna Ball is given as 1726 in the
"Mary Turpin Layton" papers. If this is correct, Anna could not have been
the mother of Edward's elder children. If that was a confusion of Edwards
and this was the marriage date of Edward, the younger, and Elizabeth
Wheeler, then Anna could be the mother of the middle and younger set of
children, but I could find no Anna Ball, single or widow, who could have
been the mother of his eldest set of children. (I haven't determined which
Anna Ball was his wife, but I have a good candidate in the daughter of
Hileary Ball and Ann Wheeler. I have a candidate for his first wife in
Elizabeth Farnandis, daughter of Peter and Marie Farnandis.)

I have looked at the transcriptions of land records, depositions, court
records and wills, and for various reasons, determined that Edward
Brawner/Anna Ball were the "parents" of Edward Brawner who married Elizabeth
Wheeler and died in Frederick County, 1760. Edward, the elder, gave several
depositions in Charles County, placing his birth year as 1682, and he is
continuously in the records there. The fact of Edward, the younger, moving
to Frederick County in 1742/3 to the "Catholic Community" is very well
supported by documentation. Both Edwards left wills naming most of their
children. Edward, the younger, in his Frederick County 1760 will, states
that his eldest son, Richard is to "bring up ALL my children until they are
of age". I think he had at least three daughters, Priscilla, Abigail, and
Elizabeth, as he mentions that, when they are of age, "all" of his daughters
be given furniture AND that his wife's clothes be divided between his "two
youngest" except for certain items to Elizabeth. That makes 4 sons and at
least 2 daughters underage. This is a good many underage children for such
an elderly man as Edward, the elder, especially when his children of the
same name are already married and had children of their own, as Edward, the
elder, mentions several grandchildren in his will.

Next, I have "eliminated" John Brawner, the son of Edward and Elizabeth
Wheeler, because of Edward's will, leaving his property to his three eldest
sons, based on the admonition that they would care for and support (at 10
pounds per year) their brother John for the rest of his life. I think I am
fair to infer that John was disabled in some way. It is possible that he is
the John who showed up in Pittsylvania County, VA in 1782, the first year
they had property taxes in that county rather than "tithes", and received a
dispensation from the court "for reasons made known to the court is exempted
from payment of public and county levies in the future". His uncle Benjamin
was there. This is only a possibility. None of the earliest records I've
seen of John Brawner in Pittsylvania show a wife, including a sale of land
in 1786, until a John Brawner who had gone on the "dole" in February 1788
has his wife, Elizabeth, join him on the list in Sept. 1788. I infer he got
married between those two dates, but I don't know enough of the
circumstances and "rules" to say for certain. He and Elizabeth are on the
list, itemized once a quarter year, until Sept of 1797 when Elizabeth
appears as a widow. I got this next from a very questionable source--someone
who thinks they remember it from their research: There was also a John
Brawner in Pittsylvania who owned land and paid taxes during this time.
Also, in a book of the claims of British Merchants who were owed money from
before the revolutionary war: John Brawner from Fairfax County, VA went to
Pittsylvania County by 1796, with property. The "with property" statement
appears in the column usually containing information about the debtor's
ability to pay. Those claims were covered by treaty between US and Great
Britain and contained unbelievable amounts of data. I surely wish I could
make a trip to England and pursue some more research there!

The John Brawner/Elizabeth Triplett you have as the son of Edward and
Elizabeth Wheeler. I think he would be the grandson of Old Henry and Mary,
the son of John Brawner and Mary Downing. At least three of John/Mary
Downing's children are given in the St John's Parish register in Prince
George's County, MD. John, son of Henry, was executor of both Mary Brawner
Elliot and William Elliot, her husband. John died 1744 in Prince George's
County, documents in Prince George's. Mary (Downing/Dunning) Brawner left a
will in 1765 in Fairfax County, VA naming her son John and her grandson,
Thomas Hearben/Harbin. John and Mary (Downing) Brawner's eldest child,
Elizabeth Brawner married William Harbin and their daughter Eleanor Harbin,
married William Triplett, brother to Elizabeth Triplett. Two more of those
"20 years between children" type families. I believe it is John/Mary's son
John who married Elizabeth Triplett. There are more tenuous connections
between these families, including proximity in Prince George's and Fairfax
Counties and interaction between the Harbins, Tripletts, and Brawners.

The John you have as the son of Henry/Elizabeth Barton--that is my John, I
think-- except I think he was the son of Edward Brawner (usually given as
married to Anna Ball) and his first/second wife. I strongly suspect that the
old bible with the 1743 date was read incorrectly--very easy to do! I cannot
find the people who had the bible nor copies of it. A John Brawner gave
three depositions in Charles County that place his birth year as 1723, one
of which he identified himself as the son of Edward. He would be the brother
of your Henry (married Elizabeth Barton), sons of Edward/Anna Ball. John
inherited Hopewell and added to it by 41 acres, called "Brawner's Additon".
In Charles County, he signed or is listed on: Land Grant 1750, Will of
Edward Brawner 1767, Land Grant 1769, Depositions 1777, Deposition 1778,
Continental Census 1778, Land Tax list 1783, Personal property Tax 1783,
Deed 1788, 1790 Continental Census taken 1791, Will of Cloe Farnandis 1796
(he or son John), (I made a distinction between John, John Jr., and John C.
I think his son John joined the Continental Army in 1776 and sold his part
of Hopewell to Thomas Mitchell in 1803). John Sr. died leaving a will,
written in Charles County 31 Jul 1797 proved 6 Mar 1798, William Brawner
next of kin, Henry Brawner executor, naming his wife Elizabeth and his son
Henry, and saying he wanted his property divided equally between his
children, not named. At that time, I think he was living on the 41 acre
additon, and John Jr. and Henry had split Hopewell and the 50 purchased
acres between them, each having about 75 acres, but I need to see more land
records to be sure of this.

One last wrinkle. Making assumptions about old documents is chancey at best.
I've always wondered why everyone gave that Old Henry's four sons mentioned
in his will included the John born 1792 that is given as marrying Mary
Downing. Old Henry specifically mentions his under-age daughter Mary, but
doesn't say one word about his sons being under-age. What happened to son
Henry and grandson Thomas? None of the Henrys that I know were old enough to
appear on the 1733 tax list with 2 titheables. Could this be where the
Stafford/Westmoreland/Fauquier, Virginia Brawners came from?

Norma


This thread: