Alexander BROWN & Polly __?_

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Diana, Goddess of the Hunt — for Ancestors!

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Alexander BROWN
Mary "Polly" __?__

WARNING: some of the connections here are based on secondary sources or circumstantial evidence, so please pay attention to the Sources to determine which connections are well-founded and which need further documentation. This caveat includes the children's pages. The biggest question here is how secondary sources established that Alexander BROWN was the father of Spencer, Abraham, Eleanor, and Margaret. What is the source of this connection? As for Alexander, Jr., and William, I'm the one who has made the tentative connection, based only on proximity in the censuses.

Husband: Alexander BROWN, Sr.
Birth: ca. 1740

Marriage:

Wife: Mary "Polly / Polley" __?__
Birth: ca. 1745

Children:

1. Spencer BROWN, b. 1765?
2. Abraham BROWN, b. ca. 1767
— gap of ca. 13-14 years
3. Eleanor BROWN, b. 1780/1, MA
4. (Daughter A) BROWN, b. 1770s/80s
5. (Daughter B) BROWN, b. 1770s/80s
6. Margaret BROWN, b. 5 Aug 1790, Acworth, Cheshire [now Sullivan] Co., NH
7. Alexander BROWN, Jr., b. 1791/2, NH
8. (Son A) BROWN, b. 1793/4 — is this William BROWN?

Secondary sources have Eleanor born in Walpole, Cheshire Co., NH, but her 1850 census record has her born in MA.

Some say the later children are Spencer's.

If the children's birthdates do, indeed, span nearly 30 years, then either Alexander had more than one wife or not all of these children are his because the maximum span of fecundity for most women is usually about 23 years (i.e., from age 20 to age 43). If the Polly BROWN in the 1800 census is Alexander's widow, then she probably was his second wife because she certainly would have been too young to be the mother of the eldest sons. Note the 13-14 year gap between the two eldest sons and the other children strongly suggesting a gap between the death of a first wife and marriage to a second. I would suggest we are talking about two completely different Alexander BROWN families, except for the close association between Spencer and Margaret, who are listed only a line or two from each other in the 1810 and 1820 censuses. Of course, proximity in the census doesn't prove they are siblings. In fact, Margaret is young enough to be Spencer's daughter.

Keywords for search engines: genealogy; USA, US, United States, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York

Sources (n.b., Sullivan Co. was formed in 1827 from Cheshire Co.):

1. Marriage Record:

2. Census Index: Colonial America, 1607-1789 (Broderbund CD-310): not found.

3a. Census Index: U.S. Selected Counties, 1790 (Broderbund CD-311):

1790 Brown, Alexander NH Cheshire Co. p. 11 01-00-08-00-00

3b. 1790 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com; Image #1 of 8 — list was roughly alphabetized; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):NR

1790 NH Cheshire [now Sullivan] Co. Acworth Roll M637_5 p. 117 Ln. II-74 Alexander Brown 1-0-5?-0-0

These data indicate:

Gender and Type Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

1 free white males 16 or over in or bef. 1774 = Alexander

5? free white females all ages in or bef. 1790 = Wife
= Daughter A
= Daughter B
= Eleanor (b. 1780/1)
= Margaret (b. 1790)

4. 1800 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #1 of 7; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):NR

1800 NH Cheshire Co. Acworth Roll 20 p. 26 Ln. 14 Polley Brown 20000-10010-00

These data indicate:

No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

2 males 9 or under 1790-1800 = Son A
= Alexander Jr. (b. 1791/2)

1 female 9 or under 1790-1800 = Margaret (b. 1790)

1 female 26-44 1755-1774 = Polly

Polly may not be our subject's widow, but her record is a good circumstantial fit. Daughter Eleanor is apparently married to her first husband, Mr. DRURY. The only other BROWN in Acworth is Spencer BROWN.

5. WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).

6. LDS. Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: Pedigree Resource File (index to CDs, online at FamilySearch.org).

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