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POSTED BY: Samurai on Jul 28, 2007
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My Deepest Roots
The Browns of Bedford County Virginia
1654-1801
Before the United States was born, our family was already in the New World Virginia Colony. Without a doubt our Browns were 1st or 2nd generation Americans. We were close enough, and just up the river, to have been inhabitants of Jamestown. If not there, we first arrived in Philadelphia and traveled by wagon train to Harpers Ferry and later settled in Bedford and Amherst Counties Virginia, and later into Kentucky and Tennessee.
Family roots research could be very boring if not for the interesting history you find during a research journey. I have had the pleasure of such a discovery in tracing our Brown family linage.
For simplicity sake I will limit the linage description just to the direct Browns.
John Brown
Our earliest known ancestor is John Brown, who was born in 1732 in Bedford County Virginia. Legend tells that the Browns in that area migrated from Philadelphia and the first Brown male arrived in 1654, returned to Scotland, and then brought his family back to America in 1656, and over time migrated to Bedford County VA.
If you rate proof of genealogical evidence 1 to 5 stars from 10 to 100% accurate, I would have to give my evidence of John Brown a 4 ½ stars or 90% certainty. The evidence trail is limited in volume, and partly based in legend and quoting sources (Mormon Church database) without seeing the family records they are based on. Like rounding the last number in a long decimal this link is the only partial guess; all of the following ancestors after John Brown are 100% certainty with multiple evidence sources.
John Brown married a Rachel Snyder and they had two sons by one known record, Moses and Samuel. Take note of the biblical names here. My next piece of evidence is from the Mormon Church database that states that a John Brown of Bedford Co. VA (a very tiny county) was the father of a Zachariah B Brown my ggg grandfather for certain; once again we see a biblical name. Add the fact that the only known white man John Brown in that county who owned substantial land (and likely made a family with sons to help with the farming) was this one John Brown-you now have all the major points for my position that this is the same John Brown who fathered Zachariah Brown but the historical records of that period are very thin, and thus stands this researcher's weakest link. This has to remain an intelligent reach with the sheer number of John Browns at the time. It is worth noting that Zachariah named his first son John as well; it was common practice to name a son for one's father in that time period.
From evidence found in the book by Barbara Brown Eakley called The Browns of Bedford County, Virginia 1748-1840, ISBN # 0-7884-0922-0, I found the Scottish legend of John Brown's ancestors. We were fortunate that this line of Browns has significant interest of researchers so I am benefited by others' professional work.
There were many Browns in Bedford County including Zachariah and our John Brown in the right age period to be father and son. Unfortunately there were too many John Brown's in Bedford County described in the book; to detail which historical points are our John Brown. I am certain he was a farmer, and may have been a clerk in the County Court and educated. His marriage with two sons (at least) with bible names are certain.
The legend of most Browns of Bedford County, coming from Scotland has a personal ring to it as well. In the summer of 2005 I was in Edinburgh Scotland and while listening to the soul raising sound of 200 bagpipes and drums, a tiny voice in a Scottish accent spoke inside my head: "You are the first of your clan to return in over 300 years."
In my heart, I know we are Scottish descendents and I still hear the bagpipes playing.
Zachariah Brown
Zachariah B Brown was born in Bedford or Albemarle (later Amherst) County in 1759. These are two small and adjacent counties of Virginia bordering the James River and east of the gentle Blue Ridge Mountains-prime farm land 100 miles up river away from the seawater bile of the Jamestown area.
Zachariah is mentioned several times in Ms. Eakley's book. Only one Brown named Zachariah was in the county at this time period. I have no evidence or conflict of data that remotely suggests this is not our Zachariah Brown of ancestry. It is normal practice in genealogy to allow claims of this nature by elimination or lack thereof.
Zachariah's former 185 acres were surveyed. The land was near Hutton and Pate. Zachariah had transferred the land to George Nathan, who had it surveyed on March 17, 1775. (Bedford SR 3:141) It appears Zachariah was given a land grant and then sold it at the age of 16. This is possible too, being that Zachariah was not mentioned in John Brown's will, but may have obtain inheritance from his father early. His father was already a prominent land owner in his own right. Or the other 10% of my theory leaves this as an older Zachariah who fathered our Zachariah (Jr.), with no evidence to support it but locations and first names in common-a weak theory at best.
Zachariah, Aaron Brown and Absalom Adams were sureties on a peace bond for Aaron Brown, in the matter of Peter Dent and Micajah McCormack v Aaron Brown over some stolen leather goods, Recorded Aug 1782 (Bedford OB 6:368), when Zachariah was about 23 years old. Twenty British Colony pounds was posted for bond. This was a significant amount of money, compared to now 2006, nearly $8,000. The case was settled against Aaron Brown in November, and the bond was forfeited.
Zachariah had 2 horses and 1 head of cattle. Personal Property Tax List of 1787, List B. (Schreiner-Yantis 1987, 200) He was visited on the same day as Peter Dent. (Ibid, p 213).
Zachariah and Betty Brown gave consent for the marriage of Betty Brown and William King. Surety was James King. Bond dated Feb 26, 1788, when Zachariah was about 29 y/o. (Dennis 1989, 38). John Brown died in 1786, and the elder son would give away a female child.
Zachariah's former 90 acres "supposed to be conveyed to Isaac James in 1800" were exonerated from erroneously assessed delinquent taxes in his name for the year 1791, when Zachariah was about 32 years old and living in another county. (Bedford OB 17:235).
I have census proof that Zachariah and his young family left Virginia around 1800-1801.
There is no record that Zachariah ever owned slaves.
John Brown may have owned 3. It was common to obtain 50 acres from the Virginia Colonial Government for each male adult in a household, slaves included. There is mention of John Brown's slaves also in the census of 1782.
Zachariah B Brown was born 1759 in VA and died in Jackson TN in 1860 living to be 101 y/o. He married Suzanna Rippetoe on July 25, 1798 in Amherst County VA. She was the daughter of Peter Rippetoe and Millie Hamilton. Suzanna was born in 1775.
Zachariah and Suzanna Brown had three children: John Brown, Catherine E. Brown (b.18 Jan 1816 KY, d. 20 July 1887 Jackson TN, and in our line Pleasant W Brown b. 1800, Amherst VA, d. 10 July 1876, Jackson TN.
Following the birth of Pleasant the Browns left Virginia and migrated by wagon train over the Blue Ridge Mountains into Kentucky. Later they moved and settled in Tennessee. There are several deeds of land being obtained and sold for farming in both states. Zachariah could sign his name, but in the later years just used his initials Z.B.
In the History of Clay County Tennessee, a historical record at the Celina Tennessee Library, it states that Zachariah Brown walked over 5 miles to a local river to be baptized at the age of 100 in 1859.
Zachariah and Suzanna are buried in the Pleasant Brown family cemetery outside of Celina Tennessee on what was the Brown family ranch land at the time. The graves are marked with upright tombstones in white marble I am told by a local historian who was of great assistance in finding these details.
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Howdy from Texas!
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