SKETCH C
THE FOUR-AND-TWENTY FAMILY OF WALSINGHAM
Among the original log-cabin builders of this old Long Point country were two Samuel Browns—one of Charlotteville and the other of Walsingham. It is just one hundred years ago this very year (1897) since Samuel Brown, of Walsingham, came into the Norfolk Wilderness. He finally settled on Lot 22, and built his pioneer cabin of the lake shore just above Cope’s Landing. The deed for this land bears date May 20th, 1802, and is a Government patent.[1]
It is said this old family are of English descent. Among the old family papers which have been preserved is an old deed showing that the ancestor of Samuel Brown came to America in old colonial times, and settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The James Brown mentioned in the deed was probably the grandfather of Samuel, and possibly of Charlotteville Samuel also. There is a similarity of names in the two families, and so far as the fragmentary scraps of their family history are concerned, there is nothing in the way of assuming that such is the case. The deed is a rare old document, and is deserving of a reproduction in connection with this sketch. The following is a copy, verbatim:
“Bee it Known unto all Men by these Presents—That We, James Swinerton and Benjamin Swinerton, both of Salem, in the County of Essex, in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Husbandmen, For and in consideration of the Sume of Eighty Pounds, Province Bills of Credit to Us in hand paid, or secure to be paid, by James Brown of Salem, in the county and province aforesaid, Husbandman, wherewith we confess ourselves fully satisfied, contented and paid, Have bargained and sold, and by these Presents do Fully, cheerly and absolutely bargaine & sell enfeof and confirme unto the said James Brown aforesaid, a piece or parcel of land Situate in the Township of Salem, in a place commonly knowne by the name of the Northfield, Butted and Bounded as followeth—Easterly Forty-three Rods & half on John Higginson, Southerly Twenty Rods & half on John Loomis and John Watters, Westerly Thirty-five Rods & half on Jonathan Flint, Northerly on John Jacobs. To Have and to Hold the aforesaid piece or parcel of land which contains Eleven acres, be it more or less, with all our Right, Title and Interest therein, with all the Profits, Privileges and Appurtenances in anywise thereto belonging unto the said James Brown, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns, for his and their own proper use and behoofe forever, free and clear without any manner of Reclaime or Contradiction of Us, the said James and Benjamin Swinerton, our Heirs, Executors and Administrators, the said Eleven acres of land aforesaid unto the said James Brown, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns, against all manner of persons whatsoever shall and will Warrant, Acquit and forever Defend by vertew of these Presents.
“In Witness whereof, We have hereunto set our Hands and Seals, with our Wives, who took acquit their Right of Thirds or Dower in ye abovementioned Eleven acres of land, Saleth the fourteen Day of June, in ye Ninth year of his Majesty’s Reign George, etc. Annoquo Dommini, 1723.
“Signed, Sealed and Delivered} “The mark of
in Presence of us, } “James X Swinerton. O
“Daniel Ling, } “The mark of
“Paul Langdon } “Benjamin X Swinerton. O
“Witnesses for Sarah Swinerton. “The mark of
“Abraham Goodale, “Sarah X Swinerton. O”
“Henry Holden.
It is said Samuel Brown was a Loyalist, but the oldest living members of the family in Norfolk know nothing of the history of their Norfolk ancestor previous to his settlement here, of his pioneer experiences in Walsingham a hundred years ago. It is a pity that so many of our old pioneers are debarred forever from contributing their quota of information in the great story of pioneer life in Norfolk. “Oh, if I had noted down the stories of pioneer life so oft repeated by the old folks!” is what we hear in too many of our modern homes. But the old arm-chairs have long since become vacant. They have been stowed away in some cobwebbed recess of the garret, among the trumpery of a dead and forgotten past, and the tales of bush life which the old folks never tired of rehearsing, and which fell as discordant sounds upon ears attuned to a modern life of ease and comfort, were lost forever. The fact that we fail to appreciate a source of information until we no longer have access to it, is a law of our being. We cannot justly appreciate that which we never felt the loss of.[2]
It is said that Mr. Brown served in the commissariat department of some loyal troops during the war of the Revolution.[3] He was married three times. His third wife, Mrs. Joshua Hoy, nee Phoebe Purdick, had a family of six or seven children by a former marriage, and these children, together with his own, including himself and wife, made a family of twenty-four members. This was the largest family in Walsingham, and was known by the old pioneers as the “Four-and-twenty family.” It is said that the descendants of this family outnumber, in the Province of Ontario, those of any other pioneer family of Norfolk. They are widely scattered through-out the province, and, owing to their inherited love for the Old Flag and the institutions it represents, only a small proportion have traded off their Canada birthrights for messes of Yankee pottage.[4]
Much difficulty was encountered in learning the names of this numerous and mixed family. There were twenty-two children, it is said, but the names of only twenty-one are given; and as these were dictated from memory by Samuel‘s youngest son, who is now a feeble old man, the family genealogy as given here may not be absolutely correct.
Samuel Brown had two children by his first wife—Samuel and Rachel.[5] By his second wife he had seven sons—Joshua, George, Eli, Abraham, Moses, Tyler and William; and two daughters—Mabel and Elizabeth. By his third wife he had two sons—Isaac and Peter; and two daughters—Phoebe and Emily. Mrs. Brown the third, by her former marriage with Joshua Hoy, had one son, Joshua, and five daughters—Annie, Elizabeth, Lury, Almira and Lucy.
Samuel, eldest son of Samuel, never married. He settled on the St. Clair River in an early day and lived and died there.[6]
Rachel, only daughter of Samuel by his first wife, married a man named Fonger, and settled near Hamilton.[7]
Joshua, son of Samuel by the second wife, settled at first near Tilsonburg, but subsequently the family settled in one of the northern counties.[8]
Mabel, daughter of Samuel by his second wife, married Samuel Smith, and settled on land upon which a portion of the city of St. Thomas is built.[9]
Elizabeth, full sister of Mabel, married Joseph Darby and settled near Hamilton.[10]
George, full brother of Mabel, settled on Talbot Street, near New Sarum, where he raised a family.[11]
Eli, full brother of Mabel, married Staley Dustan, and settled in Dorchester, where he raised a family.[12]
Abraham, full brother of Mabel, married Electa Dustan, and settled in Houghton. By this union he had two sons—Enoch and George; and one daughter, Electa. Subsequently he married a second wife, by whom he had one or two daughters.[13]
Moses, twin brother of Abraham, married Sarah Treadwell, and settled near the old home. He had four sons—Josiah, Alfred, Abraham and Stephen Henry; and five daughters—Emeline, Mary Jane, Mandy, Julia Ann and Louisa. The mother is living with her daughter, Mrs. Charles Brandow, of Walsingham.[14]
Tyler, full brother of Mabel, married Sarah Fick, and settled on part of the old homestead. He had two sons—Louis and Leonard; and two daughters—Elizabeth and Nancy. Louis succeeded to the homestead.[15]
William, full brother of Mabel, settled in the States.[16]
Isaac, eldest son of Samuel by his third wife, was born in 1808, married Harriet Smith, and settled on part of the old homestead. He had nine sons—Willard, Henry, Samuel, Peter, Isaac, Emerson, Albert, George and Isaiah; and five daughters—Matilda, Lucy, Sarah, Rebecca and Harriet. There were fourteen children in this family, and –excepting Sarah—they all grew up, married and settled in Walsingham.[17]
Peter, full brother of Isaac, married Rebecca Smith, and settled in the 2nd concession of Walsingham, and is still living. He had no children.
Phoebe, full sister of Isaac, married Timothy Abbott, and settled near Port Royal. She had four sons—Robert, Daniel, Jacob and Peter; and a number of daughters.[18]
Emily, full sister of Isaac, and youngest daughter of Samuel, married Edward Bowan, and settled in Burford, where she raised a family.[19]
Joshua Hoy, only son of Mrs. Brown by her former husband, died single.
Annie Hoy married Abraham Smith, and settled on the St. Clair River.
Elizabeth Hoy married Brinton Brown, and settled in Dereham, on the site of the present village of Brownsville. When they settled here it was a wet, miry, densely-timbered section of wilderness, and when he reached the afternoon of life he used to tell his grandchildren how the bull-frogs called for old Brown and his boys from miry water-holes that now form beautiful and fertile fields and village gardens.
Lury Hoy married Edward, eldest son of Elias Foster, the old Walsingham pioneer. Her children are enumerated in the Foster genealogy.
Almira Hoy married Samuel Harper, and settled on Talbot Street, in the township of Malahide.
Lucy Hoy, the twenty-third member named in this family of “four-and-twenty,” married James Carpenter, and settled in Walsingham.
[1] Samuel Brown arrived somewhat earlier, at least by the time of the September 1795 Surveyor’s Report. He purchased from John Foryea the rights to Lot 22, Concession 1, Walsingham Township, mentioned in John Troyer’s land petition of March 3, 1797 and in Brown’s own petition of January 7, 1797. (Upper Canada Land Petitions “T” Bundle 2, Doc. No. 73 and “B” Bundle Misc. 1789-1839, Doc No. 9)
[2] Samuel Brown’s background has been researched extensively by family historians Norman Brown, Don Anger and Ben Rockney. Samuel Brown was born at Dover, Dutchess County, New York on April 3, 1756, a son of Samuel and Sarah (Gould) Brown formerly of Salem, Massachusetts. Samuel’s great-great grandparents John and Ales (Alice) Browne emigrated from England in 1637 and settled at Salem. Samuel’s grandfather, James Browne, whose deed is cited by Owen, was born at Salem on May 23, 1675 and married Elizabeth Pickering. They lived out their lives at Salem and adjoining Danvers. Samuel Brown’s parents Samuel and Sarah Brown moved from Salem to Dover, New York. In early life, Samuel Brown of this sketch lived at Dover then moved to Falmouth, Nova Scotia in 1760, and next back to Massachusetts in 1767. For more detail concerning Samuel Brown’s colonial background see The Long Point Settlers Journal, Vol. 6, No. 4.
[3] During the American Revolution, Samuel Brown served in the Continental Army, in Col. Ebenezer Learned’s Regiment, then in that of Richard Gridley followed by Colonel Wesson’s 9th Regiment. This covered the period 1775 to 1780, when he was discharged. Following the war, he lived at Sutton, Massachusetts then at Fort Niagara, near Youngstown, New York, a British possession during his residency from about 1790 to 1795. Ibid.
[4] Samuel Brown married first Hannah Marsh at Oxford, Massachusetts on January 2, 1782. His marriage record was recorded in History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. 2, p. 963. After Hannah died, Samuel remarried, but the name of his second wife is not known. His third wife was the widow Phoebe nee Burdick, a daughter of James and Phoebe (Smith) Burdick. She had six children by her first husband, Joshua Hoy. Op. Cit.
[5] Samuel Brown and his first wife had an additional daughter named Sarah who married on June 6, 1803, Philip Fonger, the marriage recorded in the London District Marriage Register. This brings the number of known children of Samuel Brown to sixteen.
[6] Samuel Jr., a bachelor, lived with the Abraham and Annie (Hoy) Smith family of Sombra Township, Lambton County, Ontario, recorded in the 1852 Census. In 1861, he was recorded with their son Andrew Smith.
[7] Rachel Brown married David Fonger and lived in East Flamborough Township, Wentworth County.
[8] Joshua Brown lived at Middleton Township, Norfolk County for a time, mentioned as their birthplace by his older children in their records. He then settled on Lot 18, Concession 9, Bayham Township, Elgin County and served in the militia company of that township, listed in the 1828-9 muster rolls. After performing the settlement duties, he petitioned for his lot in May 1836 and he patented his grant on March 13, 1848, recorded in the Township Abstracts of Deeds Register. Joshua was recorded in Bayham in the 1842, 1852 and 1861 Censuses. Late in life he went to Teeswater, Bruce County, Ontario and died there on 8 Jul 1867. His obituary appeared in the Tillsonburg Observer, issue of July 18, 1867.
[9] Samuel Smith actually lived at Talbotville Royal. In 1816, Colonel Thomas Talbot placed him on Lot 39, South of Talbot Road in Southwold Township, Elgin County. After performing the settlement duties, he petitioned for the lot in May 1819 and patented it in 1830, recorded in the Abstracts of Deeds Register. Samuel Smith built a hotel at the corner of his property and severed adjoining village lots for Talbotville.
[10] Elizabeth Brown and Joseph Darby settled for a time on Lot 27, Concession 1, Beverly Township, Wentworth County, a property given to Joseph for his service during the War of 1812. They moved to South Dumfries Township, Brant County in 1832. Next they lived in nearby Brantford Township where they were recorded in the 1842 Census.
[11] George Brown, born near Niagara Falls, New York in 1791, died at Kenockee Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. He married first to Elsie Merritt and second at St. Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario to Zada Thurston on January 19, 1830. George married third to Catharine Meddaugh Case at Yarmouth Township, Elgin County on January 1, 1843. His fourth wife was Esther Careless whom he married at Yarmouth Township on April 6, 1850. George settled on a Crown Grant in the north half of Lot 28, Concession 13, Yarmouth Township. He moved to Kenockee Township, St. Clair County, Michigan in 1855. George and Esther were buried in Ruby Cemetery, Clyde Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. Source: The Long Point Settlers Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1.
[12] Eli Brown married Estella Brown, a daughter of Benajah and Violetta (Paine) Brown. Estella’s mother married as her second husband Paul Dusten and Estella was raised in that household. In 1817, Eli Brown was settled by Colonel Thomas Talbot on Lot 33, North Branch of Talbot Road North and West, Southwold Township, Elgin County and served in the township company of the militia. After performing the settlement duties, Eli petitioned for his lot on October 8, 1832. He next moved to Lot 5, Concession 8, Malahide Township where he was recorded in the 1842 and 1852 Censuses.
[13] Abraham Brown married first to Harriet Elizabeth Brown, a sister of Estella who married Eli Brown above. Abraham had two additional children recorded with him in the 1852 Census who would have been born to his first marriage—Jane and Abram. On September 1, 1833, Abraham married second to Julia Ann Millard and had a daughter Nancy. He married third on August 4, 1839, Laura Ann (Phelps) Thompson by whom he had Elijah, Amasa, Mary Huldah, Rebecca U., Calvin Wilson, Sarah Rosanna, Ella Adelaide, and Laura Ann. He then married fourth on October 15, 1856 Mary Ann Raymond by who he had Emily Medora. Abraham’s second and third marriages were recorded in the London District Marriage Register and the last in the Talbot District Marriage Register. He settled on Lot 1, Concession 8, Houghton Township, Norfolk County recorded in the 1852, 1861 and 1831 Censuses
[14] In 1818, Moses Brown was settled by Colonel Thomas Talbot on Lots 13 and 14, Bayham Township, Elgin County, and he served in the Militia of the township in 1828-9. After performing the settlement duties he petitioned for his lot on May 21, 1844. Moses next moved to Lot 13, Concession A, Walsingham Township west of Port Rowan, recorded in the 1852 Census and the 1867 Gazetteer of Norfolk County. He had an additional daughter Sarah F., born c. 1833.
[15] Tyler Brown had additional children recorded with him in the 1852 Census of Walsingham Township. They were John D., Caroline, and Maurice C. In 1861, another daughter Sarah was recorded with him. An infant son was buried in Port Royal Cemetery, Walsingham Township.
[16] William Brown settled on Lot 2, Concession 9, Walsingham Township, recorded in the 1852 Census. He moved later to Michigan.
[17] Isaac Brown did not have a daughter named Lucy. He did have a daughter Lora who died young.
[18] Timothy and Phoebe (Brown) Abbott had the following children, all but the oldest recorded with them in the 1852 Census of Walsingham Township: Nancy Ann, born 1828; Daniel, born c. 1830; Robert, born c. 1831; Lury Ann, born c. 1833; Almira, born 1835; Isaac, born 1837; Peter, born 1838; Emily, born 1840; John H., born 1842; Hannah, born 1843; Jacob, born 1845; Phoebe, born 1846.
[19] Emily (Brown) Bowen had three children but died at age 21 according to her gravestone in Burford Cemetery.