Please help with my brick wall!

Question

Hi, i am looking to find any possible information on my brick wall ancestor William Brown (b. 1821 Hants, Nova Scotia and died 1878 Hants, Nova Scotia). William married Mary Ann Burris in 1849 in North Salem, Hants, Nova Scotia. They had the following children:
John Brown (1851-1904)

Matilda Brown (1853-1899)

Caroline Brown (1855-1921)

George Brown (1861-1930)

Leonard Brown

Hiram Brown

Nelson Brown

I am desperately looking for any information on William. His parents names, where they came from, how he died or where he is buried. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Comments

do you have the marriage record, and does it give more data?  Might check to see if there is a marriage contract also, those are usually more generous with details when they exist.

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I used to have the marriage record, but unfortunately, it didn't give parents name or anything like that. I for the life of me can't find it now, but this is mentioned in their daughter's birth:

Canada, Nova Scotia Marriages, 1864-1918; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9J6-Y3B1?cc=2242886

Do you know how i would go about finding a marriage contract? 

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If a marriage contract exists (not everybody did them), then it's a long search to first determine which notaries exercised in the area they were living in, then finding those notaries' acts, often there are summaries also provided listing what they notarized.  Don't know what is available in NS for this type of record.

Answer 1

Take a look at this baptism record.   "Canada, Nova Scotia Church Records, 1720-2001", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DZCC-MVMM : 27 May 2021), William Brown, 1821.

Comments

"William Brown" seems likely to be a common name, so it would be good to have further corroboration that the William Brown baptised in 1821 in Halifax is the same William Brown of Hants County that Lauren is looking for.

Also note that the baptism is Catholic but this 1871 census entry https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M48Y-R8W indicates William was Presbyterian.

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Yes, William is listed as Presbyterian. :)

The Maritime Conference Archives also sent me this information regarding William:
 

 

According to a history we have here at the Archives, it appears as if North Salem was associated with the Presbyterian Church in Shubenacadie. Although Shubenacadie and area had Presbyterian congregations as early as 1816, our registers do not begin until the 1870s. Fortunately I was able to find a funeral record for a William Brown. All the register states is that his residence was in North Salem and the date of his funeral is listed as being on February 26, 1878. There is some ambivalence about whether this date refers to his date of death or his date of burial. The register itself is called “Funerals” and the column for the date just reads “Date.” Further on down in the register another minister has written in the dates of death beside the dates of the funeral so it seems like a better chance that William Brown was buried on February 26, 1878 instead of passing away on that day. 

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Sounds like a tough puzzle. I'd recommend creating a Wikitree profile for him with the sources you know so people can best collaborate with you.

On the theory that his parents were from Hants County specifically (which may not be certain), if you haven't already tried, you could try slogging through Hants County probate records to see if you can find a Brown who named William as a son in his will or similar clues: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/374898

You could try deeds as well: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/90549

The common surname definitely doesn't help.

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No, the common name doesn't help at all! Thank you for the links!

Answer 2

Leonard has a findagrave ID 186083102