John (Browne) Brown (1631 - 1697)

Born 11 Oct 1631 in Hawkedon, Suffolk, England

Husband of Esther (Makepeace) Browne — married 24 Feb 1655 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 20 Nov 1697 at age 66 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

According to Gustine Weaver, John Browne was born in 1631, the son of John and Dorothy Browne who immigrated to British America aboard the "Lion" in 1632. On 24 Apr 1655, he married Esther Makepeace.^[1] Elsewhere is written,

"THE BROWN FAMILY OF WATERTOWN, MASS.

(See Bond's "Hist. of Watertown")

-----John Browne (son, I think, of Abram, one of the earliest settlers of Watertown) was born 1631. He resided some time at Cambridge. Is called in old records a Scotchman. He married April 24, 1655, Esther, daughter of Thomas Makepeace, and in her father's will, dated eleven years after, is called of Marlborough."^[2]

John married on 24 Feb 1654/5 at Boston to Esther Makepeace, daughter of Thomas Makepeace. ^[3]

24 Feb 1655 Entry gives ceremony by Capt Humphrey Atherton. This is the handwritten copy.^[3]

Children of John and Esther:^[4]

1. Joseph Browne, b. 8 Feb 1656; d. 24 Sep 1671
2. Elizabeth Browne, b. 26 Mar 1657
3. Sarah Browne, b. 18 Jul 1661; m. George Parkhurst
4. Marcy Browne, b. 19 Dec 1662
5. John Browne, b. 27 Nov 1664
6. Esther Browne, b. 1667, died young.
7. Thomas Browne, b. 1668
8. Daniel Browne, b. 1671
9. Deborah Browne, 1673
10. Abigail Browne, 9 Mar 1675
11. Joseph Browne, b. 1677

-----"Soon after 1662 John Browne moved to Marlboro, Mass. Among those who were "portioned out" to the different families was a Mr. Browne (1676). This may have been John Browne, as he was there at the time. He sold his farm there to Thomas rice. This was about the time of the marriage of John Gustin to his daughter Elizabeth, with whom he went to Falmouth. From there, on destruction of the town, he returned to Watertown, where he dates his will Nov. 20, 1697. In the will he mentions his wife Esther of Hester, all of his children, some of whom were born in Marlboro, his sons-in-laws Meacham, John Gustine (Augustine Jean), John Adams, John Darley or Darby, and John Hartshore."^[1]

John Browne/Brown was a "Scotsman." Otherwise, his origin is unknown. His birth date is an estimate, based on given marriage date (source unknown).

Anderson cautions that while some secondary sources claim a son of John Brown named John Brown who married to Esther Makepeace, this was disproved by Bond.^[5] Bond cites a deed in which the husband of Esther Makepeace is called "a Scotchman." In addition, land records show two acres were granted before 1644, directly to the two daughters (which would not have happened, if there had been a living son) [Bond 731].^[5][6] The John Brown in question wrote his will on 20 November 1697 (p 145).^[6]

Research Notes

It was tradition at the time to name the first born son after the father's father, which would suggest John's father was named Joseph.

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From History of Pittsburgh and Environs:

John (2) Brown, son of John (1) Brown, was born in 1631, in England, and was brought as an infant to Massachusetts. He married, April 24, 1655, Hester Makepeace, and of their twelve children the youngest was Joseph, mentioned below. John Brown resided at Boston, Falmouth and Watertown.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Weaver, Gustine Courson. The Gustine Compendium. Cincinnati, OH: Powell & White (1929). p. 29.
2. ↑ Weaver. p. 30.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
4. ↑ Bond, Henry. Genealogies of the Families of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. 2nd Edition, two volumes in one. Boston, MA: The N. E. Historic-Genealogical Society. p. 145.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Anderson, Robert C. (1995) "John Brown" Featured name. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Vol 1, Pages 255-57).
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Bond, Henry, 1860 Genealogies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, ... Boston, NEHGS, Archive.org accessed 9 May 2016, Pages 145, 731.

Also see:

• Ancestors of Andrew Chase Harding
• WikiTree profile Brown-17128 created through the import of white buck_2013-01-13.ged on Jan 13, 2013 by David Ellis-Anwyl. See the Changes page for the details of edits by David and others.
• Fleming, George T. History of Pittsburgh and Environs (The American Historical Society, New York and Chicago, 1922, Vol. 4, p. 20-21)
• Find A Grave: Memorial #177420340