William Brown (abt. 1620 - bef. 1694)

Born about 1620 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Marie (Morecock) Brown — married 16 Jul 1649 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died before 30 Mar 1694 before about age 74 in Eastham, Barnstable, Province of Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Stuart Bloom [send private message]

Biography

Birth

The ancestry of William Brown is unknown. He was probably born in England, and 1620 is a reasonable estimate of the date based on his first appearance in Plymouth Colony and on the date of his marriage. Claims that he was a son of Peter Browne of the Mayflower are unfounded, as Peter Browne's family is well-documented. It has also been claimed that he was born in Plymouth in 1625, but there is no evidence to support this.

Immigration and Residence

William Brown was in Plymouth Colony by 1644. He lived first at Plymouth, and then sometime after his marriage in 1649 settled at Eastham.^[1]

Marriage

William Brown married Marie (Morecock) Brown (abt.1625-aft.1685) at Plymouth on 16 Jul 1649.^[2][3]

Will

William Brown made his will on 27 Jun 1685. He makes his loving wife his sole executrix. He names his sons, George, John, James, and Samuel Brown, and his daughter, Mercy. His inventory was taken on 30 March 1694 in Eastham.^[4]

The will is transcribed by Simmons, citing "Barnstable Probate Records," vol. 1, page 93 ^[1] but there is no probate file for him in the online Barnstable County probate file database at AmericanAncestors.org.

Death

A FindAGrave memorial with no photo and no sources cited says that William Brown died on 7 April,1694 and is buried in an unmarked grave in the Cove Burying Ground at Eastham.^[5] The original version of this profile said, without citing a source, that his inventory was taken on 30 Mar 1694, and his wife, Mary, made oath to the inventory the next day, and if his probate file can be located, it may be possible to verify this.

Acknowledgements

The following is from an unknown GEDCOM import.

William Brown. ^{[6][7][8][9][10]} Browne. ^[11] Found multiple versions of name. Using William Brown.

Born 1625 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. ^[12][13][14]

Died 7 April 1694. Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. ^[15][16]

Marriage Husband @P1577@. Wife @P1576@. Child: @P1087@. Marriage 16 Jul 1649. Plymouth, Massachusetts. ^[17][18]

Husband @P1727@. Wife @P1728@. Child: @P1577@. Child: @P1733@. Child: @P1732@. Marriage 1627^[19]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Frederick Johnson Simmons, A few descendants of William Brown of Eastham, Mass., Cape Cod : with connecting lines of Knowles, Hopkins, Cole, Snow, Phinney, Pierce, Miller, Allen, Richardson, Southworth and Mayflower ancestors' (n.p., n.d..), pages 3-4
2. ↑ "Mary Morecock," in Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, subscription required. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume V, M-P, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007, pages 147-148
3. ↑ Marriage record of William Browne and Mary Murcock, in The Mayflower Descendant, volume 6 (1914), page 141, citing "[P]lymouth Regester of Mariages & burialls," page 8, subscription required
4. ↑ "Probate records v. 1-3 1686-1747" database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-N9TK : 18 April 2024), Film# 00770540, Barnstable, Massachusetts, image 59, Vol 1, Page 93-94.
5. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 13 January 2016), memorial page for William Brown, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=51533866.
6. ↑ Source: #S1114168290
7. ↑ Source: #S1114171322
8. ↑ Source: #S1114168304
9. ↑ Source: #S1114257242
10. ↑ Source: #S1114163794 Birth year: 1625; Birth city: Plymouth; Birth state: MA
11. ↑ Source: #S1114167527
12. ↑ Source: #S1114171322
13. ↑ Source: #S1114168304
14. ↑ Source: #S1114163794 Birth year: 1625; Birth city: Plymouth; Birth state: MA
15. ↑ Source: #S1114171322
16. ↑ Source: #S1114163794 Birth year: 1625; Birth city: Plymouth; Birth state: MA
17. ↑ Source: #S1114257242
18. ↑ Source: #S1114163794 Birth year: 1625; Birth city: Plymouth; Birth state: MA
19. ↑ Source: #S1114246914

See also:

• Source: S1114159117 Repository: #R1100812944 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=115217896&pid=1577
• Repository: R1100812944 Ancestry.com
• Source: S1114163794 Repository: #R1100812944 Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1114167527 Repository: #R1100812944 Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1114168290 Repository: #R1100812944 The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Source: S1114168304 Repository: #R1100812944 Family Data Collection - Births Edmund West, comp. Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1114171322 Repository: #R1100812944 Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Source: S1114257242 Repository: #R1100812944 American Marriages Before 1699 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc