Hi:
 
Does anyone have any information on John S. Brown from Culpeper Co. VA who  
married Mary Popham in Rockingham Co. VA on 31 Dec. 1840. Their daughter 
Lavinia  C, Brown is my great  great  grandmother.
 
Any information would be appreciated.
 
Bernie Bland in Virginia
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 7/8/2014 4:09:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:
 
This is  in response to an earlier question about various Brown families in 
VA.  Y  chromosome DNA testing on living male Browns....whose Brown 
families "trace  back" to Culpeper Co., VA....shows that there were at least FIVE 
unrelated  Brown families in that county in the 1700s-1800s.  These families 
were  members of DNA Groups 10, 33, 47, 55 and 107 at the Brown Genealogy 
Society  DNA testing project website.  DNA Group 10 "traces back" to the 
Francis  Brown "I" who left his Will in Essex Co., VA in 1691/1692 (and who 
appeared on  records by at least the 1650s in Old Rappahannock Co., VA),.  We 
have a  very large number of male Browns in Group 10 who have taken the Y DNA  
test.  Other ancestors in Group 10 included a) the Abraham Brown (died  
about 1735 in Caroline Co., VA) who married Mary Tribble, b) Abraham's father,  
who was the Daniel Brown "I" (died early-1700s in Essex Co., VA; he was a 
son  of Francis Brown "I") who married Jane Copeland, c) Daniel Brown "II" 
(died  about 1747 in Culpeper Co., VA) who married Elizabeth Coleman, and 
finally, d)  the father of that Daniel Brown "II," who we call Francis Brown "II" 
(married  Elizabeth Allen; died about 1708 in Essex Co., VA; Francis "II" 
was another  son of Francis Brown "I").

Both Group 10 and Group 33 used the given  name of "Coleman," so one has to 
be careful not to incorrectly intermix those  two unrelated Brown families. 
 We now SUSPECT that Group 33 "traces back"  to the George Brown 
(supposedly married a Miss Rowland, as I recall) and his  son Thomas Brown (who 
married a Miss Thornton) whose families lived in  Westmoreland, Fauquier, Loudoun 
and Culpeper Co., VA, but that "connection"  has not been proven 
conclusively.  DNA Group 10 married into the Robert  Coleman, Senior and Elizabeth 
Grizzell family (whose son Robert Coleman,  Junior married Ann Spilsby), while 
it appears that a Thomas Brown, Junior in  Group 33 married a Miss 
Reid/Reed/Read who was apparently a descendant of a  Richard Coleman (PROBABLY/PERHAPS 
related to the above two Richard  Colemans....who were part of the "Coleman 
family of Mobjack Bay of  VA").

DNA Group 47 included the Garfield Brown who was on the Culpeper  tax list 
in the early-1780s.  Garfield apparently came into Culpeper from  Louisa 
Co., VA.  Another member of DNA Group 47 shows his lineage back to  the William 
Brown who married a Sarah "Sally" Sisk (and their son George Brown  who 
married a Miss Woodard).  We had thought that the father of that  William Brown 
was the John Brown of Culpeper (left his Will in 1801) who  married first 
to Sarah "Sally" Gibbs and second to Phoebe Brown, but that now  appears to 
be incorrect.  It strongly appears instead that the referenced  John Brown 
who married both Sarah and Phoebe was the known son of the older  John Brown 
who had married his cousin Elizabeth Brown.  The cousins John  and Elizabeth 
(Brown) Brown were both members of DNA Group 10 (and the  referenced Phoebe 
Brown was also a known member of Group 10, since two of her  brothers have 
living male Brown descendants whose DNA also matches Group  10).

I don't recall much about DNA Group 55, but DNA Group 107 included  a 
Daniel Brown who married Lettice Watts and a John Brown who married Lucy  Doggett 
(all were in Culpeper Co., VA).  Other ancestors in Group 107  included a 
Paschal Brown and an Epps Brown (Epps was apparently a son of the  Burwell 
Brown who died in Charlotte Co., VA in the early-1800s) who moved to  GA 
and/or AL, as I recall (but neither Paschal nor Epps was apparently ever  been in 
Culpeper Co., VA).

It was obviously common to have multiple  unrelated Brown families in any 
one area in the 1700s and 1800s, and DNA  testing shows that this was the 
case in many other counties in VA.  The  Amelia/Prince Edward Co., VA area, as 
well as the Bedford/Campbell Co., VA  area....just to name two....each had 
several unrelated Brown families in  residence.  Without DNA testing, 
research on these Brown families would  be almost hopeless.  With DNA testing, 
great strides have been  made....but with a common name like "Brown," many 
challenges certainly  remain.  More male Brown DNA donors from the various 
families in VA would  help.

Note: My own maternal gg-grandfather was named Smith W. Brown  (born about 
1817).  DNA testing, coupled with a lot of research, however,  show that he 
was actually a Smith infant who was taken-in, named and reared by  a Brown 
family in Middlesex Co., VA.  Smith W. "Brown" was actually a "Y  DNA Smith 
descendant" of the Alexander Smith who came into Lancaster Co., VA  by at 
least the 1650s....and I continue to research that Smith line.   So....the next 
time that you think that you "have it tough" with your  research, just 
remember me and my Brown and Smith families (and  Davidson/Davison/Davisson is 
no "walk in the park"  either)!

Comments/questions?

Bill Davidson

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