James C Brown Sr (1746 - 1805)

Born 1746 in Rowan County, North Carolina

Husband of Sarah (Riley) Brown — married about 1765 in Rowan County, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 22 Apr 1805 at about age 59 in Elkville, Wilkes, North Carolina, United States

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He is not the son of Johan Jakob Braun (1731-1807) "the wagonmaker" and Elisabetha Margaretha (Goettgen) Braun (abt.1730-1814).

Biography

James Brown was born in 1746.^[1] His birthplace is not known with certainty. According to one source "James Brown came from Holland to Wilkes County and settled near Holman's Ford of the Yadkin — the Dutch equivalent of Brown sounding very much as the English word is pronounced."^[2] Given that James is not a Germanic name others have suggested a North Carolina birth. In any case he was already married with a large family when he began showing in the records of Wilkes County. He lived on Beaver Creek of the Yadkin River near the village of Ferguson, N.C., and died in 1805.

His ancestry has been the subject of much speculation, in particular that he is a son of Jacob "Wagonmaker" Braun. This idea satisfies the Dutch story but it is not correct.^[3]

The following story of land acquisition in modern Watauga County has not been confirmed.^[4] "James Brown the first entered 640 acres of land on Meat Camp from a description of its boundaries given by Daniel Boone and his companions while James still lived in Wilkes and before he had even seen the place. Rev. L.W. Farthing, his great grandson, surveyed the land by the original grant, which was dated in 1789 or 1790."

James is said to have married Sarah Riley.^[5] Five of the children are named in his will, James Jr. is given by tradition, and there are two unknown daughters, one of whom may be Susan. Some sources also add Thomas and Humphrey but no records have been found for them. John and Larkin are tentatively assigned based on their presence on the tax and census lists in the same district as James.^[6] The following dates are approximate but are in accord with the census record.

1. John Brown ? b. 1766, m. Susannah Allison, 1785
2. daughter, b. 1768
3. Larkin Brown, b. 1770, newly married in 1790
4. Joseph Brown, b. 1772, m. Anne Hagler, 1794
5. daughter
6. Elizabeth
7. Samuel, b. 1780
8. James Brown, b. 1780, m. Nancy Brookshire, 1801
9. Francis Brown, b. 1785, m. Nelly Foster, 1808
10. Elijah Brown, b. 1785, m. Betsy Brookshire, 1807

Timeline

20 Apr 1780 - James Brown enters (claims) 143 acres on the south side of Yadkin River in Wilkes County, N.C., joining William Ellison's entry at the mouth of Beaver Creek. The property was surveyed in 1786 and Jno. Brown and Jos. Brown are chain carriers for the survey. It is likely they are his sons. The grant is finally made in 1788.^[7]

1782 to 1797 - James Brown appears on the tax lists of Wilkes County. His acreage varied, reflecting his land on Beaver Creek and land he briefly owned in "Western Lands" and on Howard's Creek.^{[8][9][10][11]}

1787 - In the state census James has six sons and 3 daughters.^[12]

1790 - James appears in the federal census. He has a family of ten with five sons and three daughters. Three years earlier he had six sons. Larkin Brown, newly married with no children, is found in the same district.^[13]

1793 - Zebulon Baird sells 300 acres of land at the head of Howard's Creek to James Brown. The land is on Rich Mountain in what is now Watauga County. As James Brown Sr. he sells this parcel to Ebenezer Fairchild in 1796.^[14]

1800 - James is again found in the federal census, his family now down to eight with four sons and two daughters.^[15]

Jul 1805 - The nuncupative (oral) will of James Brown is presented by Joseph Brown and Francis Brown. The will was written by James on 22 Apr 1805. Wife Sarah to have his real and personal estate in Wilkes County. Son Ely to have 250 acres in Ashe County. Son Samuel to get the Wilkes County homestead at the death of Sary. Remaining property to be divided equally between daughter Elizabeth Brown and sons Ely and Samuel.^[16]

James was mentioned on a memorial with a death date of 22 Apr 1805.^[17]

Sources

1. ↑ Wilkes County, N.C., tax records show that James Brown was free of poll tax in 1797. Given that he paid poll tax in 1795 and that men were free of that tax at age 50 we conclude he was born c. 1746.
2. ↑ John Preston Arthur, A History of Watauga County, N.C., 1915, p288
3. ↑ He was born in 1746, before the marriage of Jacob the Wagonmaker Braun and Elisabetha Goetten in 1751. He is not listed as their child in The Ancestors and Descendants of Abraham (Braun) Brown, the Miller, The Ancestors and Descendants of Jacob (Braun) Brown, the Wagonmaker, 1983, compiled and edited by John Burgess Fisher, Dorothy Brown Koller, Margaret Brown Anderson
4. ↑ Arthur, p289. The grant has not been located and tax records do not show him owning this acreage.
5. ↑ Source needed
6. ↑ Other Browns in the district had sons named John: John Brown (1738-) whose son John was born 1780; William Brown (1745-) of Stony Fork whose son John married Elizabeth Risden. Neither had a son Larkin.
7. ↑ Ancestry.com, North Carolina Land Grants
8. ↑ Wilkes County Tax List, 1782
9. ↑ Wilkes County Tax List, 1784
10. ↑ Wilkes County Tax List, 1787-90
11. ↑ Wilkes County Tax Lists, images 176, 246
12. ↑ Ancestry.com, North Carolina, State Census, 1784-1787
13. ↑ "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKB-RFQ : accessed 7 September 2017), Jas Brown, Wilkes, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 158, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 7; FHL microfilm 568,147.
14. ↑ Wilkes County Deed Book B-1:292, D:5
15. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRW-8B7 : accessed 7 September 2017), James Brown Sr, Morgan, Wilkes, North Carolina, United States; citing p. 26, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 33; FHL microfilm 337,909.
16. ↑ Wilkes County Will Book 2:158
17. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (no image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #38980117 (accessed 28 April 2024)
    Memorial page for James Brown I (1750-22 Apr 1805); Maintained by Harlene Soper-Brown (contributor 46880650).

• Rootsweb article, 2008
• Roster of soldiers from N.C. in the Amer. Rev. Comp. By D.A.R. of NC. Durham, NC. 1932. (12,709p.): 5, 29, 106, 108-9, 112, 184, 262-3, 319, 463, 486, 508-9, 511, 571, 609