William Browne (abt. 1630 - bef. 1705)

Born about 1630 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Mary Browne — married about 1655 in Surry County, Colony of Virginia

Husband of Elizabeth (Unknown) Meriwether — married 6 Jul 1680 in Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died before 3 Jul 1705 before about age 75 in Surry County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

William Browne is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

William Browne was a Virginia colonist.

William Browne ^[1]

William was born about 1630 in England. He passed away in 1705 in Surry County, Virginia. He was probably the nephew of Henry Browne, but definitely not his son.^[2]

William had a long political career in Virginia. He was appointed Justice of Surry County on 22 December 1668 and remained a member of the court until his death in 1705. In 1672 he was identified as Major and in 1679 as Lieutenant-coloel. He commanded the Surry militia in 1687. William was sheriff of Surry County in 1674 and 1687 and a member of the House of Burgesses in 1676, 1677, 1679, 1681, and 1682.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Marriages & Children

William married Mary Browne about 1655 in Surry County, Virginia. Known children include:

1. Mary Browne, died an infant
2. Jane Browne (m. 1st., Robert Spencer and 2nd., Thomas Jordan) 1657–1685
   
3. William Browne, Jr. (m. Jane Meriwether) 1671 – unknown
   
4. Ann Browne, md. Walter Flood
5. Priscilla Browne, md. Thomas Blunt
6. Henry Browne
7. Unnamed daughter Browne, md (Thomas ?) Jordan

William married second, in about 1682, Elizabeth Meriwether, widow of Nicholas Meriwether I. They had one known daughter, Elizabeth, mentioned in the will of Henry Hartwell, Esq.^[2] Elizabeth, the daughter, is not mentioned in the will of her father nor are any possible children, so it seems likely that she died unmarried sometime between 1699 and Dec. 1704 (the date of William Browne's will).^[5]

Henry Hartwell mentioned all of the children of Nicholas Meriwether I and his second wife, Elizabeth (surname unknown) in his will as they were nieces and nephews of his first wife, Jane, the sister of his second wife, Elizabeth Meriwether Browne. ^[6]

Will

Will of William Browne. ^[7] Digital image at Ancestry.com - https://ancstry.me/2DFWeGZ

granddaughter Jane Jordan
granddaughter Mary Sowerby, wife of (Francis ?) Sowerby
William Browne (no relationship given), the son of William and Jane Browne
daughter Ann Flood, wife of Walter Flood
daughter Priscilla Blunt, wife of Thomas Blunt
son Henry Browne
grandson John Flood
my other grandchildren to wit Walter Flood, Fortune Flood, Mary Flood, Ann Flood, Wm Browne, Henry Browne, (Fanc ?) Browne, Mary Jordan the younger, William Blunt
grandson Henry Browne - land in James Citty
daughter Jane Browne, wife of William Browne
granddaughter Jane Browne (under 18), the daughter of William and Jane Browne
grandsons Wm and Henry Browne the sons of Wm and Jane Browne
Exr: On the second page of the will, William Browne appoints his son William Browne, “now (gone?) for England,” “my sole executor.” The last paragraph of the will names as executors - “my loving friends” Walter Flood, Thomas Blunt, Nicho Maget and daughter in law Jane Brown “in _?_ for the aforesaid Wm and Henry Browne.”

Wit: Fra: Sowerby, Nick Maget, Charles White, William (Benson ?)

Four Mile Tree

"Four Mile Tree" standing opposite Jamestown on the James River was the home of the Browne family for nearly two centuries.^[8] The founder of the Browne family of "Four Mile Tree" was Col. Henry Browne, said to have been of the Browne family of Hertford and Lancaster counties in England. He was a member of the Virginia Council from 1634 to 1652 and, after the Restoration,^[9] in 1660 and 1661. The Browne family continued to live here until the last male heir died in 1799.

Research Notes

His will clearly identifies his daughters by their married names. Therefore the following child is being detached:

• Priscilla (Browne) Jordan

Sources

1. ↑ Browne, William - A1204; died 1704, Surry Co.: 1661-62, 1671-73, 1677, 1679, 1682 (Burgess).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} “Some Old Surry Families.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 16, no. 4, 1908, pp. 221–235. JSTOR, [www.jstor.org/stable/1922659]. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.
3. ↑ Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register.Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. Pages 82, 83
4. ↑ New River Notes, Colonial Virginia Register
5. ↑ The Meriwether Society's page for Elizabeth Browne at Rootsweb.
6. ↑ The Meriwether Society's page for Elizabeth Browne at Rootsweb.
7. ↑ Surry Co., VA, WB/DB 5, pp. 305-306, w. 4 Dec 1704, p. 3 Jul 1705.
8. ↑ Four Mile Tree Plantation
9. ↑ Stuart Restoration

See also:

• Some Old Surry Families Author: The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 4 (Apr., 1908), pp. 221-235. Meriwether, Browne, Clements, Flood and Jordan Families
• Wulfeck, Dorothy Ford, Marriages of Some Virginia Residents 1607–1800 (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1986) Page: 69; Quote: Jordan, Thomas, b. 1600, England, son of Samuel, who came to Va., in 1609, m. Lucy Corker, dau. of Capt. William Corker of Surry Co., sis. of Susanna. They res. in Isle of Wight Co. Proven by will of William Corker, dated 1677, Surry Co.
• The William and Mary Quarterly, v. 7, no. 1, p. 232; Quote: Footnote 5 continued from previous page: ... In the Surry records there is a deed (year 1688) of Lucy Jordan, wife of Mr. Thomas Jordan (the Isle of Wight man), conveying to Phillis Jordan that portion of land "which I hold in partnership with sister Susannah Branch and niece Eliz. Parsons, dau. and sole heir of sister Judith Clay, dece'd, which land descended unto said Susanna, Judith, and Lucy, as daus. and coheirs of Capt. William Corker, dece'd" (son of John Corker). Witness, James Jordan, Richard Washington. In 1685 Lt. Coll. Wm. Browne and Mr. James Jordan presented in Surry an inventory of goods of Mr. Thomas Jordan, dece'd. There is in Surry the nuncupative will of Capt. William Corker "made at the house of his dau. Judith Clay in y^e Isle of Wight Co." Feb. 26, 1675-6. Divides his estate between his wife and his three daus: Susanna (who m. George Branch, jr.), Judith Clay and Lucy Jordan; he confirms a gift to Elizabeth md. Capt. Robert Spencer, of Surry. ... The Jordans of Isle of Wight were leading Quakers.
• A History of Halifax County Virginia, by Wirt Johnson Carrington, 1924, p. 215. Image Quote: Jordan (2) Thomas Jordan (son of Samuel), born 1600 in England, married Lucy Corker, daughter of Captain Corker of Surry County, Va. (He was burgess in 1629–1632, was a soldier with Yardley.)
• Davis, Eliza Timberlake. Wills and Administrations of Surry County, Virginia, 1671-1750 (Google Books, page 25 picks up transcripton of will at "Wm. and Jane Browne. To daughter, Ann Flood,...").
• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/7073035/person/250095971864/facts