Dorothy (Unknown) Browne (abt. 1583 - 1674)

Born about 1583 in England

Descendants

Died 27 Jan 1674 at about age 91 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts

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Dorothy (Unknown) Browne migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Surnames

A variety of unsourced/unproven last names have been proposed for this Dorothy, as well as some places of birth such as Hawkedon, Suffolk and Suffolk, England

• Beauchamp Kent ^[1]
• Beauchamp^[2] This is based on a marriage record of John Browne & Dorythie Beachamp, 22 Dec 1611 at Saint James, Clerkenwell, London, England,^[3] without any other evidence to support this.
• Unknown ^[4]
• Johnstone

Biography

John Browne's wife was named Dorothy, but her last name is unknown.

John and presumably his family arrived in Massachusetts, 1635, on the Elizabeth. The family settled first in Plymouth, moved on to Taunton by 1643 and Rehoboth by 1647.^[5]

She died on January 27, 1673/74 in her 90th year according to John Brown, Gentleman...^[6] But the transcribed Swansea records say: "Mrs Dororthy Brown the wife of Mr John Brown Senr deceased the twenty seaventh day of January 1673 being the ninety and eighth year of her age or thereabouts and was buryed uppon the 29th of January 1673."^[7] It is believed that she and John were buried at the Ancient Little Neck Burial Ground] which is now in East Providence, Rhode Island, but was once a part of Rehoboth, Massachusetts.^[8]

Her burial information indicates she was born about 1575. Her children were born roughly 1616-1627 making her older than normal at her estimated marriage and birth of children. Was her age at death exaggerated? Or is there some other error?

The death information indicates she was born about 1575, (or 1583 if she was 90.)^[5] Given Dorothy's estimated birth year, it appears that John would have been born long before Anderson's 1591 estimate, however, given the age he gave at passage, the 1591 is as early as his birth could have been, unless the ship's documents are extremely inaccurate, which is possible. Their first child, Mary, was born about 1616, and their two boys, John and James, were born before 1627. So Anderson estimates that the marriage would have taken place in England about 1615.^[5] Again, this estimate appears to be too late, as Dorothy would have been about 40 years old.Watt-266 20:49, 18 March 2014 (EDT) Was her age at death exaggerated? Is there some other error?

Dorothy's will was dated 17 Dec 1668; proved 29 March 1674. "Dorethy Browne of Swansey .. being of great age" made bequests to her daughter Mary Willett (and to her living children); Sarah Elliott (daughter of Sarah Elliot deceased); son James Browne; grandsons James Browne, John Browne, Joseph and Nathaniel brothers of John; Dorothy Browne granddaughter; Lydia Browne, daughter in law; Dorothy Brown daughter in law; Lydia and Anna Browne grandchildren; five grandchildren (children of son John Browne deceased).^[5][9]

Her inventory was exhibited to the Plymouth Court in March 1673 on the oath of Mr. James Browne.^[9]

John and Dorothy had three children:^[5]

• Mary, born about 1616, married Thomas Willet;
• James, born by 1627, married by about 1655, Lydia Howland, daughter of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, both Mayflower passengers
• John, born by 1627, married twice, but first wife is unknown; married second, by 1661, Lydia Buckland, daughter of William Buckland.

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com Family Trees
2. ↑ Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 ,Ancestry.com, Ancestry Record 7836 #16433
3. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V52S-7V1 : 10 December 2014), John Browne and Dorythie Beachamp, 22 Dec 1611; citing Saint James,Clerkenwell,London,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 942 B4HA V. 13.
4. ↑ Brown Family Genealogy, Pages 1073-1075
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. p. 420-426 link at American Ancestors
6. ↑ Brown, George Tilden. John Browne, Gentleman, of Plymouth.... Providence: Remington Press, 1919. Open Library p. 20 or Open Library.
7. ↑ Swansea, Massachusetts Vital Records. Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1621-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). [https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/13932/26/251743512 link at AmericanAncestors ($)
8. ↑ According to the information cited by the Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission, the creator of this list used early vital records from Swansea and Rehoboth. So their record was probably created from the vital records rather than an actual burial record or stone in the cemetery. See grave list and Cemetery information
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-V35R : 9 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 349 of 616; State Archives, Boston.

• Oakes, Rensselaer Allston, Genealogical and Family History of Jefferson County New York Volume II Oakes, Rensselaer Allston, Custodian of the Jefferson County Historical Society. Genealogical and Family History of Jefferson County New York Volume II. 1905. PDF. Internet Archive. http://www.archive.org/details/genealogicalfami02oake : 1996. Terry Kraft has a pdf of this book; Online URL is http://www.archive.org/details/genealogicalfami02oake
• Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s (Gale Research, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2012)
• Hart, Robert Wayne. Genealogical Material On The Willet and Saffin Families From The Notebook of John Saffin, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 2008) Vol. 162, WN 648, Page 266.

• "My Grand Mother Brown Departed this life on the 27th 1673 in the good old age of about Ninety Six years"