Tracing my great-grandmother’s parentage seems as elusive as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Neither my father nor his siblings could tell me much about their paternal grandmother; before my dad was born, the family moved from Lycoming County where she lived. Most of his siblings were young when their grandmother died so they knew little about her. The older siblings never mentioned any memory of her. Some thought her maiden name was McGarvey, but they were not certain. It was not until I began researching my family tree, that I discovered any information about my great grandmother. I learned her name was Margaret McGarvey and she was most likely the daughter of James McGarvey and Rebecca Thomas. Continue reading
Brown
Census Through the Years: John Brown
In 1890 a special census for veterans that collected details about service of veterans accompanied the main enumeration for that year. This special enumeration contained my great grandfather, John Brown, who was listed as a private in Company F, 84 PA Infantry during the Civil War. He was mustered into service on Aug 18, 1862 and released on Sept 26, 1863, serving 1 year 1 month 8 days. Any ailments or injuries from serving in the war were also reported; John indicated he suffered from disease of lungs and kidneys, which from other accounts I learned was from scarlet fever he contracted while in the army. Additionally, postal address was collected, and John’s was North Mountain situated in Franklin Township, Lycoming County, PA. Continue reading
The Deeds of Mary Brown
Deeds are documents that show ownership of land and record the transfer of property from one party to another. In Pennsylvania, as well as other states, they are managed at the county level by the Recorder of Deeds office. Each one contains basic information, such as the names of the parties, date of the agreement, a description of the land—often including neighbors—and the amount for which the property was sold. When a land holder dies intestate—or without a will—the property transfer might be the only reference of the decedent’s death. This was the situation for my second great-grandmother, Mary Brown, in Lycoming County, PA.
Remembering Alvin
This January 29th marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of my Uncle Alvin, who must have inherited physical stamina and endurance. He was named Alvin Rudolph Brown, but we always called him Uncle A. Alvin was the second child and oldest son of Charles Weldie Brown and Lucy Belle Swank. He was born in Davidson Township, Sullivan County according to his birth certificate, which his father signed, indicating there was no doctor or midwife present during his delivery.
Remembering Mazzie Marreta Que
On September 19, 1918, my grandparents Charles and Lucy Brown welcomed the arrival of their sixth child, Mazzie Marreta Que. Mazzie, or Peggy as she was commonly called, was born in Ralston, Lycoming County, PA just one week after her father registered for the draft for the First World War. Fortunately the war was near its end and Charles was not selected to serve. Shortly after Peggy’s birth, Charles relocated the family to Indiana County, PA, where Peggy would spend the majority of her life. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Philip Brown
Details about the life my 2nd great grandfather, Philip Brown, are sparse. Philip, the earliest identified ancestor on my direct paternal line, appeared in North Central PA during the first half of the 1800s. For several years in the mid-1850s Phillip appeared on the tax rolls in Lycoming County PA. In addition to 2 cattle and 1 cow, he was taxed on 100 acres of land, but no recorded deeds were filed at the courthouse for his land. No other county documents have been located for Philip, leaving many questions unanswered about his life and origins. Besides these tax lists, several census enumerations for Philip are the only other resources that offer a few brief glimpses about him.
I first located Philip in the 1850 census in Franklin Township, Lycoming County, PA. According to this he was born about 1805 in Pennsylvania, the birthplace noted for all members of his household. Philip had real estate valued at $300, further emphasizing he owned land. Many land owners of that time were farmers, but Philip, surprisingly, was a laborer. Philip’s wife Mary was 42, and their household consisted of the following children: William, 20; Catharina, 16; John, 15; Isaac, 12; Elisabeth, 10; Hester, 8; Susan, 4.
Philip was last documented in the 1856 Franklin Township tax rolls, but exploring the 1860 census he was not listed. Mary was found residing in this township as the head of the household with five of their children, suggesting that Philip had died sometime between 1856 and June of 1860. No grave has been located for Philip, but it is suspected he was buried nearby in Stoneheap Cemetery.
Searching earlier census years for Philip becomes more challenging, since only heads of households were named. Using the 1850 census as a guide, Philip’s family in 1840 would have consisted of at least 1 male about 10 years of age, 1 male about 5 years of age, 1 male under 5, 1 female 5-10 years of age, and possibly a female 0-5 years old in his household. This information was useful in identifying the proper family.
The 1840 census had no Philip Brown residing in Lycoming County, but three were found in neighboring Columbia County. One in Roaring Creek Township is too old at age 70-80 years. Filip S. Brown in Briar Creek Township was between 30-40 years old—the right age—however, with only one male age 15-20 years old in his home, this disqualified him as a match. The Philip Brown household in Fishing Creek Township corresponded with the expected number and ages of his family members. With presumed names and birth years of Philip’s family members in parenthesis—the extract of the 1840 census listed: 1 male 0-5 (Isaac, 1838); 1 male 5-10 (John, 1835); 1 male 10-15 (William, 1830); 1 male 30-40 (Philip, 1805); 1 female 0-5 (Elizabeth, 1840); 1 female 5-10 (Catherine, 1834); 1 female 10-15 (Rebecca, 1832); 1 female 20-30 (Mary, 1808). Rebecca, their eldest daughter had married about 1848, which explains her absence in Philip’s house in 1850.
In the 1830 census Philip Brown was again enumerated in Fishing Creek Township with three members in the family: 1 male 0-5; 1 male 20-30; 1 female 20-30. Comparing the three enumerations, William was born about 1830 and would be the male child, probably only a few months old when the census was conducted. Philip and Mary, the two adults, most likely married around 1828, but it is uncertain if they married in Columbia County or elsewhere before they settled in that county.
Attempts to find additional documents for Philip Brown have proven difficult. Although he lived in Fishing Creek Township in 1830, finding Philip in the 1820 census is impractical without knowledge of his father’s name and residence, since at age 15, Philip would have been enumerated as only a tick mark. In Columbia County nothing has been located to help illuminate his life or origins. In addition, the common Brown surname makes discovering potential parents for Philip an arduous task.
One hypothetical lead has been suggested by a few researchers, but it requires further investigation. In the 1820 census for Fishing Creek Township, where Philip was living ten years later, Richard Brown resided with a male child between 10-15 years of age. Philip would fit into that age category and some suspect that Richard could be a relative of Philip, perhaps even his father. While it is worth considering, no evidence can be found to prove a connection between Richard and Philip. It could be a coincidence of two men who shared a common surname and lived in the same place, but who had no relationship between them. So for now, one can only continue to search for more clues about Philip in the hopes of discovering where his origins, as well as ours, lay.
The Misfortune of Angeline
When I first delved into tracing my roots for my paternal grandfather, Charles Weldie Brown, neither my father nor his siblings could provide much information. They knew my grandfather’s parents both had been married a previous time. His father’s name was John and his mother’s name might have been Margaret. As for John’s previous wife, nothing was known about her. John and Margaret had some children together, and they each had children with their previous spouse. Some of the children’s names were known, but which child belonged to whom was not certain. Sorting this all out seemed like a daunting puzzle to solve. Continue reading
Uncle Buck: The Last of a Generation
Earlier this month my Uncle Buck passed away. He was a typical Brown: fairly quiet with an “ornery” sense of humor, and often answered a question with, “I really don’t know much about that.” Named after his father, Charles Weldie Brown, it is unclear how he acquired his nickname Bucky. When I asked Buck about it, even he wasn’t sure. My sister vaguely remembers my father, Buck’s brother, telling a story about how Buck got his nickname; it was somehow related to hunting. This seems plausible as Buck was an avid hunter and would be out on the first day of deer season to get his buck.
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Cemetery Citings: Stone Heap
When I was in college—before my passion for genealogy developed—my walks to town took a shortcut through a cemetery. However, I ended up lingering to read the inscriptions on the stones, identifying who was related and imagining what these people’s lives might have been like. I remember a row of markers from the 1860s for one family: a father, a mother and several of their infant children who died within a few years of each other. I considered the sorrow this family felt and wondered whether illness or accident caused the children’s deaths. Continue reading
Cousin Connections: Blanche
One of the joys of genealogy has been connecting with cousins, close and distant, who share an interest in researching the family. Over the years, I have made a number of wonderful connections on both sides of my family, with relatives as well as non-relatives with whom I have joined forces to fill in gaps on a mutual tree. Thinking about some of the family associations I’ve made, one special person comes to mind, my cousin Blanche. Continue reading
Relatively Speaking Blog 