>There are many William Brown's and James Brown's in Virginia. Believe me, I
>am a Brown researcher and I have many in my own line. Therfore,  can you
>tell us specifically which one's they are? Birth, death, marriage dates,
>etc.

Sure:

William Brown, Merchant in Richmond and Lynchburg, abt. 1765-1811 (died in
Richmond Theatre Fire). Parents were James Brown (1732-1816) and Margaret
Burnie (1740-1826) of Dildawn, Kirkcudbright, Scotland. He had a brother
John (also a merchant) (abt. 1773-1801 [Died Lynchburg, VA], a sister
Isabella who had a son named William Black, and another sister Mary
(1769-1849) who may have had a son named William Muir.

James Brown, Merchant in Richmond, 1762-1841. Partner with Robert Rives in
Brown Rives & Co. Wife Anna P. (married after 1806). Anna's first husband
was Robert Burton (1736-1806).

The Library of Virginia has a note in its catalog listing of a manuscript
collection that suggests that the above William and James were brothers, but
I have not been able to confirm this (in fact, I have one item of primary
evidence that refutes it), but they were certainly close in business
matters.

Others think that William Brown's father was James Murray Brown, who moved
from Scotland to Amherst County and died there in 1824, but monument
inscriptions at Kirkchrist, Kurkcudbright, Scotland verify the parentage of
William that I noted above. Again, however, the families were somewhat
close, as William Brown's business partner, Archibald Robertson, served as
executor of James Murray Brown's estate [Robertson was also James Murray
Brown's son in law].

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