William Browne (1608 - 1688)

Born 1 Mar 1608 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Yonges) Browne — married 26 Jun 1635 (to 1638) in St Margaret Moses, London, England

Husband of Sarah (Smith) Browne — married about 1638 in Salem, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 20 Jan 1688 at age 79 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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William Browne migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 1, p. 439) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Hon. William Browne was born in England Mar 1, 1608, and came to Salem in 1635. He married first Mary Young, who immigrated with him to Salem and died in 1638. He married second Sarah Smith of Wenham; she died Feb 10, 1668. William Browne died at Salem January 20, 1687/8. ^[1][2]

According to Perley, "he was the richest person in Salem in the early days. Harvard College received from him valuable financial assistance in its struggle to become an established institution; and his family for four generations continued to thus bestow its philanthropies."^{[citation needed]}

William Browne was a "merchant and judge of the county court,,assistant and one of the council of Governor Andros."^[3]

He had the following known children:^[4]

1. William Browne, b Apr 14, 1639
2. John Browne, b Oct 1641; d 1669
3. Joseph Browne, m Hannah Brenton; he died May 9, 1678
4. Samuel Browne, b July 31, 1644; d in 1655
5. Hannah Browne, bp June 28, 1646; d before 1687-8; probably unmarried
6. Benjamin Browne, b 1648
7. Sarah Browne, b Dec 23, 1649; m Thomas Dean of Boston in 1665
8. Mary Browne, bp Jan 4, 1651; died young
9. James Browne, bp July 3, 1653; died young
10. Mary Browne, bp Jan 28, 1656-7; m Wait Winthrop of Boston before 1687; d June 14, 1690
11. James Browne, b Dec 28, 1658; d Aug 1659

Research Notes

A previous version of this profile reported in the data field that William Browne was born Brundish, Suffolk County, England. The narrative reported he was born at England. The data field was updated to match the narrative.

In 1924, Sidney Perley reported William was born in England, saying further he was the "son of Francis Browne of Brundish, Suffolk County, England."^[5][6]

Hal Bradley (2016) apparently examined the 26 June 1645 Browne-Young marriage record^[7] finding William's residence was given as "Wrentham, Suffolk." Apparently also, Bradley could find evidence that Francis Brown was associated with Brundish, Suffolk. See Hal Bradley, "William Brown of Salem, Massachusetts, and the Youngs Family of Suffolk, England, and Southold, Long Island: Additional English Sources on Their Connection." The American Genealogist, 88 I2016):73-77.

Sources

1. ↑ Sidney Perley, ed., "Descendants of William Browne of Salem" The Essex Antiquarian, 13 vols. 1897-1909, 13 (1909):159-162, in particular, 159; digital images, Hathi Trust.
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images ( Find A Grave: Memorial #12683887 william-browne: accessed 24 January 2024), memorial page for William Browne (1 May 1608–20 Jan 1687), Find a Grave Memorial ID 12683887, citing Burying Point Cemetery, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Dan Silva (contributor 46781334). [Inscription also cited by Anderson]
3. ↑ Sidney Perley, The History of Salem, Massachusetts ... (Salem, Mass.,: S. Perley, 1924-28), 3 vols., 1:366n (William Browne); digital images, Hathi Trust.
4. ↑ Sidney Perley, The History of Salem, Massachusetts ... (Salem, Mass.,: S. Perley, 1924-28), 3 vols., 1:366, 366n-367n (William Browne); digital images, Hathi Trust.
5. ↑ Sidney Perley, The History of Salem, Massachusetts ... (Salem, Mass.,: S. Perley, 1924-28), 3 vols., 1:366n (William Browne); digital images, Hathi Trust.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images ( Find A Grave: Memorial #12683887 william-browne: accessed 24 January 2024), memorial page for William Browne (1 May 1608–20 Jan 1687), Find a Grave Memorial ID 12683887, citing Burying Point Cemetery, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Dan Silva (contributor 46781334).
7. ↑ See separately, Browne-Young 1635 marriage in "England Marriages, 1538–1973"; database (only), FamilySearch.

• Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B (1999), 439-445 (William Brown); database and digital images by subscription. AmericanAncestors.

• Hal Bradley, "William Brown of Salem, Massachusetts, and the Youngs Family of Suffolk, England, and Southold, Long Island: Additional English Sources on Their Connection." The American Genealogist, 88 I2016):73-77.

• Col. Joseph Lemuel Chester (London), "Browne Family Letters," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 25 (1871):352-355; digital images, GoogleBooks. Note: Refers to The Heraldic Journal" ... :2:23 and 3:83; did not find the entry cited as vol. 3.)

• William Henry Whitmore, ed. The Heraldic Journal ... (Boston, Mass. : J.K. Wiggin), 4 vols, 2 (1866):23-23 (Salem/Browne); digital images, Hathi Trust .

• Marriage source (shows both): New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Reference Volume 1, page 227. Subscription

• James H. Stark, The Loyalists of Massachusetts" (Boston : W. B. Clarke, c1907), 449 (Colonel William Browne); digital images, Hathi Trust.