Brown Name Study

Profile managers: One Name Studies WikiTree [send private message] and Abby Glann [send private message]

This project is to sort the many, MANY Browns out there, using both research and DNA. Add your focus/family line, tasks, and progress below.

Y-DNA Brown Surname Project

Here are some links to the Brown surname project at FamilyTreeDNA:

https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/brown-dna-study/about
http://web.archive.org/web/20121201125315/brownsociety.org/browndna/dna-brown-status.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20121201125315/brownsociety.org/browndna/earliestancestorsoutsideUSA.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20121201125315/brownsociety.org/browndna/earliestancestorsGroupsOnethru25.htm
https://www.familytreedna.com/public/BrownDNAStudy/default.aspx?section=yresults

The project has 1,905 members as of July 26, 2019. Test results can be viewed by relationship group or by geographic origin, although not all the detailed schedules are up to date (and they depend on information reported by testees, in some cases incomplete or nonexistent). Several of the identified ancestors can be traced to WikiTree profiles.

There also appear to be over 1,500 Brown profiles on WikiTree with Y-DNA results attached. See G2G discussion of searching WikiTree for Y-DNA test results. These profiles are linked to 52 different testees as of late July 2019; about 14 are not (visibly) attached to relatives, others have many, including one individual linked to over 500 relatives. Most, but not all, of the testees have the surname Brown.

Yorkshire, England Browns

This study is to try to break through a brick wall in tracing the ancestry of the Benjamin George Brown family, who emigrated to Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia from Yorkshire, England. Thus far, I cannot differentiate or find anything substantial pointing to which family in Yorkshire is my Browns.

Leads/Research Progress

• I found an article several years ago from a Canadian newspaper online that I can no longer find. That article was written about or by Anna Marie Stevens Brown. It referenced John's father, who was referred to as George, and said his full name was Benjamin George Brown, Jr, and his parents, Benjamin G. and Mary Brown. From there I was able to find a marriage record for George and Anna in Yorkshire, England. It lists Anna's father as William Stevens, a Scotsman and maritime pilot. That's where I've stopped.

• Abby Glann has had autosomal tests done that may help.

Tasks

• Have Y-Dna test done by Allen Brown as well as any other direct male descendents I can reach; possibly Abby's cousin Ben? His dad, Terry? Brother Bob if he's ever in town? Bus's son? I know there should be plenty from John's son's lines.

• Start tracking and profiling all Browns in the St. Mary Parish, Lambeth, Surrey, England from that time period to see if we can sort out who is who and start working backwards as well as start finding grandmothers' surnames. This is where George and Ann were married.

• Start tracking and profiling Browns born in Yorkshire around 1822 to sort out families.

Nottingham, Pennsylvania Browns

This group is a subset of what might be called the Poddington Browns of England. Two brothers, Quakers James and William Brown, settled in Pennsylvania around 1680 and moved to Nottingham around 1700. For more information, including links and research resources, see: Nottingham Browns

Sources

• "Burke’s Family Records (Indexed)", Burke, Ashworth P. Burke’s Family Records. Baltimore, MD, USA: Clearfield Company (Genealogical Publishing Co.), 1994, Ancestry Sharing Link (free access); Ancestry Record 1860 #5547 ($).