KERR FAMILY CHRONICLES

© Christopher Earls Brennen

CHAPTER FOUR

THE BROWN FAMILY

This is the family history of our ancestors, William Brown, William Brown, William George Brown and Mary Matilda Brown who married William Robert Kerr.

  1. John Brown of Lisnamonaghan who was born about 1770 and died on Apr.2, 1841, at the age of 70 may have been a brother of William.

  2. James Brown of Lisnamonaghan who was born about 1786 and died on Mar.16, 1844, at the age of 57 may have been a brother of William.

  3. William Brown, a farmer in Lisnamonaghan who was born around about 1782, was our ancestor. Lisnamonaghan is a townland in the immediate vicinity of Castlecaulfield, County Tyrone. It seems possible that this is the same William Brown who was baptized the son of John and Jane Brown in the parish of Donaghmore on Apr.16, 1786. The records of the Moy Estates of the Earl of Charlemont list the rentals in the Manor of Castlecaulfield on Oct.30, 1849. Included in this list is William Brown who occupies 2 acres, 1 rood and 19 perches in Lisnamonaghan for a rent of 2 pounds, 10 shillings and six pence. He also holds 1 acre, 1 rood and 35 perches for a rent of 1 pound, 12 shillings and 8 pence. We note that a Henry Brown is also listed as holding land in Castlecaulfield. About 10 years later the Griffith Valuation of about 1860 lists William Brown as holding two parcels of land and a house in the townland of Lisnamonaghan from the Earl of Charlemont. The parcels of land measure 4 acres, 1 rood and 30 perches worth five pounds and five shillings and 1 acre, 1 rood and 20 perches worth 1 pound and 10 shillings. The house is worth fifteen shillings. William apparently married a woman named Jane according to the baptismal record of the parish of Donaghmore. William died on Apr.8 (or 2), 1867, at the age of 85. He is buried in the family plot at Castlecaulfield Parish Church as the gravestone inscription listed below states. The children of William Brown:
    1. John Brown was born about 1814 and became a shoemaker in Lisnamonaghan. He is the first-named on a gravestone on the Brown family plot in the graveyard of Castlecaulfield Parish Church; the gravestone reads: Secred to the memory of John Brown of Lisnamonaghan who departed this life Oct.27, 1886, aged 72. Also his father William who died Apr.8, 1867, and his brother William who died Feb.4, 1883, and also Thompson who died Feb.14, 1878, and also his nephew Thompson who died Jun.2, 1877, and also his neice Tillie who died Jul.8, 1880, and Elizabeth, wife of William G. Brown died May 4, 1895. Also William G. Brown died Oct.10, 1935, and his wife Mary Agnes died Dec.16, 1939. As this states John Brown died on Oct.27, 1886. His children:
      1. Sarah Browne was 21 and a spinster from Lisnamonaghan when she was married to Charles Graham on Jan.20, 1854, in St.Patrick's Parish Church in Donaghmore. Charles was 22, a bachelor and a servant from Killymaddy, the son of Charles Graham, a servant. What is of particular interest to us is that the witnesses were William Browne and Thompson Browne.
      2. Eliza Browne, born between 1834 and 1838, may also have been a daughter of this John Brown. On her marriage certificate she listed herself as born in County Tyrone, the daughter of John Brown, a shoemaker. On Jul.17, 1867, in St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Dublin, Eliza was married to Thomas Carroll, a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary. Eliza died of pleurisy in Limerick on Mar.28, 1909. The children of Thomas and Eliza Carroll:
        1. Thomas Charles Carroll was born in Tipperary in 1872. He is the great-grandfather of Siobhan McAlernon .
        2. John James Carroll was born in Tipperary in 1873 and emigrated to Australia.
        3. Joseph Nicholas Carroll was born in Tipperary in 1878 and emigrated to Australia.
        4. Eliza Carroll was born in Tipperary in 1870 and moved to the UK.
    2. Jane Maria Brown, the daughter of William and Jane Brown of Lisnamonaghan was baptized in the parish of Donaghmore by Rev. Mr. Mee on Jul.15, 1821.
    3. Anne Browne of Lisnamonaghan who was born about 1822 and died on Dec.3, 1846, at the age of 24 may also have been a daughter of William.
    4. William Brown of Lisnamonaghan, our ancestor, was the father of William George Brown. The records of the parish of Donaghmore include the baptism of William, the son of William and Jane Brown, on Nov.16, 1823. William was confirmed in the Donaghmore Church in 1846 along with his future wife Mary Jane Kelly and his brother Thompson. He is included as a 21-year-old in an 1846 list of parishioners in the parish of Donaghmore. William Brown, a 23 year old bachelor farmer from Lisnamonaghan whose father was also a farmer called William Brown was married on Dec.29, 1848, to Mary Jane Kelly in the Parish Church of Donaghmore, County Tyrone. Mary Jane Kelly was baptized in the parish on May 28, 1826; she was the daughter of George Kelly, a farmer in Dristeran, and his wife Susanna. In the Griffith Valuation of about 1860, William Brown is listed as holding about five and a half acres of land worth nearly 7 pounds and a house worth fifteen shillings in the townland of Lisnamonaghan; the landowner was the Earl of Charlemont. William is the only Brown listed in Lisnamonaghan. Mary Jane Brown died on Aug.3, 1861, at the relatively young age of 31 (?). William died on Feb.4, 1883, and is buried in the family plot at Castlecaulfield Parish Church as the above gravestone inscription attests. William and Mary Jane Brown had a number of children who are listed below. The children of William and Mary Jane Brown:
      1. John Legineer Brown was born on Oct.20, 1849, in the Parish of Donaghmore.

               
        William George Brown William George Brown Mary Matilda Brown with Sadie
        & Doreen Kerr about 1945.

      2. William George Brown, who was born on Mar.23, 1851, in the Parish of Donaghmore, was the father of Mary Matilda Brown. Note that he was given the first names of both of his grandfathers. On Mary Matilda's birth certificate William George's place of residence in 1881 is given as Lisnamonaghan and he is listed as a farmer; her mother is given as Elizabeth, nee Elliott. Family legend has it that William originally came from the Castlecaulfield area and that he went to Pennsylvania where he met and married his first wife, Elizabeth Elliott. If this was the case then they must have returned to County Tyrone before 1881 for their eldest child, Mary Matilda, was born in Lisnamonaghan as were all of their other children. Elizabeth died on May 4, 1895, at quite a young age and she is buried in the family plot at Castlecaulfield Parish Church as the above gravestone inscription attests. William George remarried shortly thereafter at the end of 1895. His second wife was Mary Agnes Rowan, known as Minnie, who was born on Mar.11, 1873, in Sloan Street, Dungannon, the daughter of Thomas Rowan and his wife Elizabeth, formerly Clegg. Thomas was a tenter in a factory who later took up residence in Castlecaulfield. This second marriage of William George Brown was childless. In the 1901 Census, William George Brown is recorded as living in Lisnamonaghan with his children and his new wife. He is listed as a 50-year-old farmer and Minnie is given as a 28-year-old housekeeper. All six children are listed as given below. Mary Matilda was married in the Castlecaulfield Church of Ireland in 1902 and was living in Lisnamonaghan just prior to her wedding. William George belonged to that Church and may have been the sexton there. In the 1911 Census, 60-year-old farmer William G Browne is recorded as living in house #9 in Lisnamonaghan with his 39-year-old wife, Mary Agnes Browne and his son, Samuel. William George Brown died on Oct.10, 1935; Mary Agnes died on Dec.16, 1939. They are both buried in the family plot at Castlecaulfield Parish Church as the above gravestone inscription attests. The children of William George and Elizabeth Brown:
        1. Matilda Brown was born on Jan.10, 1879, in Lisnamonaghan and must died young since family history does not remember her. Parenthetically we note that her mothers name is spelt Elliot rather than Elliott on Matilda's birth certificate.
        2. Mary Matilda Brown was born on Feb.24, 1881, in Lisnamonaghan, parish of Donaghmore, County Tyrone. On her birth certificate her father is listed as William George Brown of Lisnamonaghan, a farmer, and her mother as Elizabeth Brown, formerly Elliott. In the 1901 Census Mary Matilda is listed as living with her father and stepmother in their home in Lisnamonaghan. She is recorded as a 20-year-old linen weaver. Mary Matilda was still living in Lisnamonaghan just prior to her marriage to William Robert Kerr (see chapters 2 and 4). Legend has it that Mary Matilda was very ill-disposed toward her father's second wife, Minnie Rowan. This may not be very surprising since Minnie was only eight years older than Mary Matilda.
        3. Anne Jane Brown was born about 1884 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 17-year-old linen weaver living with her father in Lisnamonaghan. She was a witness to the marriage of her sister Mary Matilda to William Robert Kerr in 1902. Anne must have married a man named Wiggins and emigrated to Philadelphia some time between 1902 and 1908 for her sister Frances and her brother Samuel both followed her to Philadelphia.
        4. William George Brown was born about 1886 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 15-year-old linen lapper living with his father in Lisnamonaghan. William George emigrated to Toronto, Canada.
        5. Frances E. Brown was born about 1888 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 13-year-old schoolgirl living with her father in Lisnamonaghan. She is rumored to have lived in Lisburn. However in 1908 she emigrated to Philadelphia. She arrived in New York on May 3, 1908, aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, a 20-year-old servant, the daughter of William J. Brown of Lisnamonaghan, Castlecaulfield, bound for her sister Mrs Wiggins of 6620 Leeds St., Philadelphia. Her brother-in-law paid her fare.
        6. Thompson Brown was born about 1890 and is listed in the 1901 Census as an 11-year-old schoolboy living with his father in Lisnamonaghan. Thompson lived in Lisburn and worked in the Milne-Barber thread factory there. He married Charlotte ?, known as Aunt Chatty, and they had three children.
          1. George Brown became a travelling salesman. He married, had a family and lived in Coleraine.
          2. Maisie Brown married ? Bell from either Augher or Clogher; he died shortly after their marriage. They had one son. After her husband's death, Maisie returned to live with her sister in Lisburn.
          3. ? Brown, a second daughter.
        7. Samuel Brown was born about 1894 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 7-year-old schoolboy living with his father in Lisnamonaghan. In the 1911 Census, 18-year-old unmarried Samuel Browne is listed as a cycle repairer living in Lisnamonaghan with his father and step-mother. In 1913, as a 20-year-old mechanic, the son of William Brown of Castlecaulfield, he followed his sisters to Philadelphia, arriving in New York on Oct.26, 1913, aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Londonderry. He was bound for his sister Annie Wiggins who lived at 1475 N. 57th St., Philadelphia. Family legend has it that he later lived in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and that he died in Australia.
      3. Anne Jane Brown was born on Aug.19, 1853, in the Parish of Donaghmore.
      4. Thompson Brown was born on Aug.29, 1855, in the Parish of Donaghmore. This is probably the nephew of John Brown who died on Jun.2, 1877, at the age of 20 (actually 21) and is included in the above gravestone inscription.
      5. Robert Alex Brown was born on Jan.19, 1858, in the Parish of Donaghmore.
      6. Susanna Brown was born on May 20, 1860, in the Parish of Donaghmore.
    5. Thompson Brown, a farmer in Lisnamonaghan, was the brother of William Brown. He was born about 1827 and was confirmed in the Donaghmore Church in 1846. He is included as a 19-year-old in an 1846 list of parishioners in the parish of Donaghmore. Thompson was of full age and a bachelor when he was married to Eleanor Jane White in St. Patrick's Parish Church of Donaghmore on May 11, 1866. Eleanor was also of full age, a spinster from Lisnamonaghan whose father was Thomas White, a farmer. One of the witnesses was William Brown. Thompson Brown's father was William Brown, a farmer. Thompson died on Feb.14, 1878, and is buried in the family plot at Castlecaulfield Parish Church as the above gravestone inscription attests. The 1901 Census lists Ellen Jane Browne as a 61-year-old widow living with her 27-year-old daughter Annie and her 25-year-old son William in Lisnamonaghan. She is also listed as a farmer. We know of the following children of Thompson and Eleanor Brown:
      1. Anne Jane Brown was baptized in the parish of Donaghmore on Feb.18, 1868. She may have died young for a later child was also called Anne.
      2. Hannah Maria Brown was born on Feb.6, 1868, in Lisnamonaghan.
      3. Anne Brown was born on Nov.15, 1870, in Lisnamonaghan but probably died young for a later child was also called Anne.
      4. Anne Brown was born about 1873 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 27-year-old farmer's daughter living with her mother in Lisnamonaghan.
      5. William Brown was born about 1876 and is listed in the 1901 Census as a 25-year-old farmer's son living with his mother in Lisnamonaghan.
    6. Eliza Browne of Lisnamonaghan was born about 1834 and was confirmed in the Donaghmore Church in 1849 at the age of 15. This may be the foundling Eliz. Brown who was baptized in the parish of Donaghmore on Apr.11, 1834. If so, she was taken in by William Brown of Lisnamonaghan.

Christopher E. Brennen