Abraham Brown I

Abraham Brown I Abraham Brown II and Margaret

Immigration and journey to Borden's Grant

According to some genealogical records our first Scots/Irish ancestor on Colonial soil was Abraham Brown. While there is no certainity that Abraham and his family were the first of our family to emigrate, the records we have all begin with Abraham. Therefore, it is best to start with the information we have.
 
I would encourage any of the Brown family males who are named Brown to use the Brown Society Web page to link to DNA findings.  The more males who have this testing done, the more we can be sure are actually our family. 
 
I am indepted to George Brown's genealogical work concerning our first Brown ancestors. His research has been very valuable to anyone who is trying to peice together the facts about the Brown family. 
 
The following information is cited in many places in Rootsweb.com:
 
 "Our first Brown immigran, his wife, and his son, Abraham. landed at Philadelphia in 1735. That his name was Abraham is inferred by events, time sequences and family memories and tradtions. We are certain that further investigation into the records of Borden's Grant will shed some light on him."
 
I believe that Abraham might have emigrated before 1735 and perhaps on a ship that landed in Philadelphia in 1729 on which there was a passengar that died whose name was James Brown. Only the passengers that did not make it to the end of the long journey had their names recorded. My speculation is that James Brown was either Abraham's father who was elderly when they crossing happened, or Abraham's son or perhaps even his brother.  I doubt we will ever know for sure.

Borden's Grant

"Benjamin Borden,* a native of New Jersey, and agent of Lord Fairfax in the lower Valley, obtained from Governor Gooch a patent dated October 3, 1734, for a tract of land in Frederick county, which was called "Borden's Manor." At the same time he was promised 100,000 acres on the waters of James River, west of the Blue Ridge, as soon as he should locate a hundred settlers on the tract.

*His name is often erroneously written "Burden". From one of the family Bordentown, NJ, was so called."

(Source: Annals of Augusta County, Virginia, from 1726 to 1871, by Joseph Addison Waddell, pub. 1902, C.R. Caldwell)

 

 

Bordens Grant. Abraham Brown's land is plot number 183 which was surveyed in 1754.

The Scots Irish Chronicles and the Brown Family

 NOVEMBER 23, 1753

73) John Paxton to be overseer of road from Edmonston's Mill to Fork Meeting House, with these: James Trimble, Michael Finney, John Berrisford, Wm. Holdman, John Hardin, Hugh Means, Joseph Lapsley, Peter Wallace, Saml. McClure, Abram Brown, John Moore, Robert Moore, Stephen Arnold, Saml. Paxton, Jas. Edmondson."

MAY 21, 1755

(423) Abraham Brown appd. Constable below the Brusby Hills, in the Forks of James River.

AUGUST 23, 1764

(85) Viewers of road from North Branch of James River to Buffelow report in favor of turning it by one Abraham Brown's.

NOVEMBER 17, 1767

 (342) Abraham Brown, one tithable and 460 acres, added to tithables.

MAY 19, 1768

 (138) Hemp certificate; Henry Larkin, Abraham Brown.

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