Godfrey
Brown
Born about in Roanoake Plantation, Charlotte, Colony of Virginia
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Jane Brown
— married
[date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants 
Father of
Samuel Brown Sr, Bebiana (Brown) Swift, Richard Brown, Godfrey Brown Jr, Elizabeth (Brown) Greene and Polly (Brown) Baker
Died
at about age 75
in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States
Profile last modified
| Created 12 Apr 2018
This page has been accessed 453 times.
Biography
Godfrey Brown is a part of US Black heritage.
The story goes that Godfrey ran away from Randolph's Roanoake Plantation and joined the American Revolution. When John Randolph learned of the story, he granted Godfrey his freedom at the close of the war.
Godfrey then made his way to Van Wert County, Ohio where, in 1780-85, he is reputed to have purchased for 25 cents per acre over one-eighth of the county. This became the Brown Settlement.
In the center of this large farm, he and his sons built a log church between two streams of water. The church was called "The Middle Run Baptist Church", which was the first colored Baptist church organized in the State of Ohio. This church was built in the fall of 1822 and was moved to Xenia, Ohio in 1889. Near where they built the church, they put in the "Brown Cemetery" which, today, is in Maple Corner, Greene County, Ohio.
Godfrey married Chaney. Among their children are:
- Samuel Brown
- Godfrey Brown
- Richard Brown
- Polly Brown
- Elizabeth Brown
- Bebiana Brown
Sources
- Know all men by those present that I Godfrey Brown of the County of Brunswick and State of Virginia, do here by emancipate and free from bondage the several slaves here after mentioned … I have here set my hand and seal the 26th day of January 1822.
- One Negro woman named Chancey Brown
- Sally Brown age 30 years on the 25th day of October, 1822 to be free from and after the first day of January 1823
- Moses Brown age 27 on 23 March 1822
- Sam Brown age 24 on 24 May 1822
- Bebiana Brown age 22 on 15 July 1822
- Dick Brown age 20 on 21 March 1822
- Godfrey Brown aged 18/16 of July 1822 to be free after 16 July 1825
- Myles Brown age 14 on 13 March 1822 to be free after 13 March 1829?
- Elizabeth Brown age 12 on 16 February 1822 to be free after 16 February 1831.
- Polly Edwards Brown age 10 on 13 August 1822 to be free after 13 August 1833
- Joseph Brown age 6 on 9 May 1822 to be free after 9 May 1837
- Julia Brown aged 5 on the fifth 15th of June 1822 to be free after 15 June 1838
- Agnes Brown aged one on 9 January 1822 to be free after 9 January 1842
- Find A Grave Memorial ID # 145301463
- 1843 WILL and Estate Papers Greene, Ohio Estate Files
- Godfrey Brown of the county of Greene and State of Ohio
- “as to debts thank God I owe no man anything but love”
- Heirs:
- Wife: Cheney Brown
- Son: Godfrey Brown
- Son: Samuel Brown
- Son: Richard Brown
- Daughter: Polly Baker
- Daughter: Elizabeth Greene
- Daughter: Bebiana Swift
- Granddaughter: Sally Brown
- Granddaughters: Agnes and Julia Brown,
- Grandchildren: July Ann, Sally Ann and Worthington Brown (Not yet of age)
- Reserve 1/2 acre of land for a graveyard to be laid off in a square form where the graveyard now is
- Executors: Aaron Lambert and John Birt
- Will written: no date
- Witnesses: Samuel T Owens, Thomas B Cummings, Joseph Boots
- Will filed: February 20, 1843 - says witnessed on the 2nd day of January, 1843
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He owned approximately 640 acres in Ohio- including Greene and Van Wert counties. He was on The Four Mile Tree Plantation in Surry County...
edited by Carmen Brown
I match families on Gedmatch that list Godfrey Brown as an ancestor and I am researching one Moses Brown (who apparently was mixed and had himself declared "white" by an Act of the State of Tennessee legislature. Moses Brown owned my 3x great grandfather James "Free Jim" Lewis, but sold him in 1809. My ancestor was eventually freed by his subsequent enslaver but it wasn't until recently that I found out about the connection to Moses Brown. I am very interested in finding out more about Godfrey Brown because I am somehow related to him. We believe that James "Free Jim" Lewis' mother may have been the daughter or granddaughter of one of the Brown's. Unfortunately I do not know her name. I would love to find out anything you know about Godrey's life in Virginia. Now that I have this information about him running away to fight in the Revolution, I am going to look up his records if I can. Moses Brown apparently did the same. He was born in 1752 in Dinwiddie Virginia and served during the Revolutionary War.
Joan Osborne