I have a Will that was written by a John Brown in Culpeper Co., VA in 1801, and that John Brown referred to the Daniel Brown who was the executor of that Will as "friend." It had seemed likely, however, that this Daniel Brown was probably a brother of that John Brown. Based on the use of the word "friend," should I now be doubtful that those two men were truly brothers after all?

Also, a Daniel Brown and a Thomas Brown were witnesses on the above Will, and I suspect that this Daniel Brown was the same man who was also the executor. Could the executor also be a witness? The Thomas Brown who was a witness was probably the known brother of Daniel Brown. We suspect that this John, Daniel and Thomas Brown were the known sons with those names of the older John Brown in Culpeper (died early-1780s) who had married his cousin Elizabeth Brown back in the 1730s or so (this is DNA "Group 10" at the Brown Genealogy Society DNA testing project, and that Brown family "traces back" to the Francis Brown "I" who left his Will in Essex Co., VA in 1691/1692).

Thanks,

Bill Davidson

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