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Ann (Mercer) Brown (1667 - abt. 1696)

Ann Brown formerly Mercer aka Browne
Born in Ringwood, Dorset, Hampshire, Englandmap
[sibling(s) unknown]
Wife of — married after 1 Dec 1684 in Chester, Pennsylvaniamap
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 28 in Chester, Pennsylvaniamap
Profile last modified | Created 3 Jan 2011
This page has been accessed 2,326 times.
William Penn
Ann (Mercer) Brown was a part of William Penn's Pennsylvania Settlers community.
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Contents

Biography

Ann was a Friend (Quaker)

Birth

"Ann Mercer daughter of Thomas and Ann Mercer of Ringwood [Quaker Meeting, Dorset, Hampshire,] was borne on the 24th day of the 12th month 1666[/67]".[1][2] Her mother died before Ann immigrated to Pennsylvania with her father in 1681/2.

Immigration to Pennsylvania

Ann and her father, a Quaker, immigrated to Pennsylvania. They lived in Aston Township, Chester County. They were referred to in an English Quaker document published in 1709, titled a catalogue of Public Quaker Friends who had died in Pennsylvania. It read;

"Tho: Mercer of Andover in ye County Wilts he arriued abt ye Year 1682 or 83 & died in ye Year ... 1694". (p.16) "Ann Browne daughtr of said Thoms Mercer Came in With her ffather and recd a Teste-money for truth after her Arriuall[.] She was Burried in ye Yr ... 1696".[3]

The document notes that Thomas and Ann were from Andover in Wiltshire but maps show that Andover lay on the Hampshire side of the border. The exact year of their arrival may have been as early as 1681, according to an early landowners' map.[4][5]

Marriage to William Brown

Ann married a young widower, William Brown, in 1684. The Chester Monthly Meeting acknowledged Ann Mercer's and William Brown's first intentions to marry, and then in Nov 1684, their second intentions, clearing them to do so at their liberty. [6][7]

Children

Ann and William had six children who were all born in Chester County, Pennsylvania.[8] The oldest child in the Brown household was Joseph though, William's son from his first marriage who was born in 1682.

Mercer Brown b. 27d/12mo/1685.
Ann b.1d/10mo/1687.
William Brown b. 21d/5mo/1689.
John Brown b. 3d/5mo/1691.
Richard b. 31d/3mo/1693.
Thomas b. 17d/11mo/1694.

Death

Ann died in 1696, as noted in the Publick Ffriends document.[3]

Research Notes

There were two Mercer families in Chester County who are easily mixed up but who can be differentiated with some insight. The easiest way to recognise one from the other is that Thomas Mercer and Ann Mercer, sailed to Pennsylvania before 1682. They were the only two members of their family and will only be associated with a very limited number of locations, among them Aston and Chester.

The other Thomas Mercer was from Aynho on the Hill in Northamptonshire, and travelled with his family; wife Mary, son Thomas, and daughter Ann. They are usually associated with Thornbury Township in Pennsylvania and figure in a larger number of baptisms, deaths, Wills, and marriages. They also arrived in the province at a later date than Thomas and Ann.

Sources

  1. * Birth: "England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837"
    The National Archives; Kew, England; General Register Office: Society of Friends' Registers, Notes and Certificates of Births, Marriages and Burials; Class: RG 6; Piece: 1027
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7097 #452488 (accessed 28 September 2022)
  2. "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQL5-P3J : 11 December 2014), Thomas Mercer in entry for Ann Mercer, 24 Feb 1666, Birth; citing p. 18, Hampshire, record group RG6, Public Record Office, London.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "A CATALOGUE OF EIGHTY-SEVEN PUBLICK FFRIENDS YT HAVE DYED IN PENSILVANIA SINCE YE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF FRIENDS THERE." Bulletin of Friends’ Historical Society of Philadelphia 5, no. 1 (1913): 14–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41944919.
  4. "Notes From The Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Accompanying The Exhibition Of The Item, A Map Of The Improved Part Of The Province Of Pennsilvania In America. Begun By Wil: Penn Proprietary And Governour Thereof Anno 1681.". 2022. Purl.Stanford.Edu. https://purl.stanford.edu/pd515zh1159.
  5. Holme, Thomas, -1695, Lloyd P Smith, Robert Greene, and John Thornton. Fac-simile of Holmes-map of the province of Pennsylvania: with the names of the original purchasers from William Penn, begun in. Philadelphia: Lloyd P. Smith, 1687. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/88695890/.
  6. Ancestry.com, 2014. "US Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935", Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1597-1598; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 92, [database on-line], (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2189/31906_283952-00005/99770098), "At a monthly meeting of ye 6th of 8th Mo/th /84 Willm Browne of M hooke & Anne merser did lay their intentions of marriage before ye meeting who take two months to [---]".
  7. Ancestry.com, 2014. "US Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935", Men's Minutes, 1681-1721; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 92. (https://www.ancestry.com.au/interactive/2189/31906_283952-00279/99772060),
    "Att A Monthly meeting at Chester ye 1st of ye 10th Mo 1684 [---] William Brown and Ann Mercer proposed their Marriage The second time before the Meeting who being Certified of their - Clearness do leave them to their liberty to Accomplish their Marriage According to the Good Order of Truth."
  8. Ancestry.com. "US Quaker Meeting Records", 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Pennsylvania; Births 1677; Collection: Quaker Meeting Records; Call Number: MR Ph 99, [pp: 3 & 4]. (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2189/31906_283959-00031?pid=1630287), (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2189/31906_283959-00031?pid=1630287).




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Ann by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Ann:

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Comments: 7

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Thanks for that updated reference Cynthia B, the old one was definitely unhelpful!

I've embedded the new citation into the bio and included its relevant text in quotes. I've retained the Ancestry reference to the same source just for more reader options: I'm not sure if unregistered users can open the JStor article. All bases covered, I hope.

posted by Jennifer Mortimer
Thank *you* Jenny.

Not sure about unregistered users to jstor either, but it's very simple to register for free. Not everything is available for free, but most of the older journals are (including this one).

posted by Cynthia (Billups) B
...and the url definitely works better when it's not cut in half!!!
posted by Jennifer Mortimer
I've increased the range of Ann's estimated year of birth - she may have married at 18 years.
posted by Jennifer Mortimer
Anne (Mercer) Brown is not the correct spouse for Joshua Pierce. Ann Mercer, b. around 1688, d. before 1722, is the correct person (according to the book Genealogy of the Baily Family). At WikiTree she is Mercer-1202. 173 and 123 seem to be the same person but not Joshua's spouse.
posted by Dianne Lake
Mercer-173 and Mercer-123 are not ready to be merged because: There is some conflicting information. I will research my Ann Mercer to see what I can come up with
posted by Ann (Thompson) Johnson
Mercer-173 and Mercer-123 appear to represent the same person because: they share the same parents, husband and basic data.
posted by Jennifer Mortimer