I’ll begin with what I had established years ago, that my 2nd great-grandparents are John L Brown and Rebecca Rogers Anderson. They are the parents of my great grandmother, Annie Isabell Brown, who married Eli Thornton.
- John L Brown, abt. 1820-1863
- Nov 1862, enlisted in Co. H, 5th SC, Infantry Reserves at Abbeville and was stationed at Camp Griffin, near Jonesboro SC, where he died on 2 Feb 1863 from the measles.
- Rebecca Rogers Anderson, 1824-1872
- Annie Isabel Brown, 1860-1857
- Eli Thornton, 1858-1925
John L Brown has been attributed with the middle name of Lord, though I haven’t seen his name written as John Lord Brown.
What I have ascertained over the years is that John L Brown’s sister is Harriet Parsons Brown. She never married and lived at least half her life in the residence of Nixon W Willard.
Nixon W Willard, abt. 1798-1880. He is the brother of James C Willard and Samuel Willard. In the Will of Nixon, he refers to Harriet Parsons Brown as his niece.
Bits and pieces of clues came slowly. A probate record from 1812, listing John L Brown as applying for Letters of Administration for the Estate of John Parsons, late of Charleston. The lengthy court case of Harriet Devall vs. Michael Devall1, beginning about 1809 to 1822. And the random (internet) discovery of the following; Family Puzzlers, Issue 717, p.4, Jul 1981, THOMAS PARSONS BROWN of Abbeville Distict , S.C. “ to appoint guardians for my children : HARRIET P. and JOHN L. BROWN, for the…”
Harriet Devall vs. Michael Devall. The takeaway from this Abbeville Court case is that Harriet, the widow Brown, married Michael Devall in 1808. Harriet had two brothers, John and Joseph Parsons, and a sister Lucy Parsons. Harriet also had two children but only one was identified by full name, Thomas P Brown.
Using the information from “Family Puzzlers” and the Court case, my hypothesis was now, Harriet Parsons married unknown Brown and her son, Thomas Parsons Brown had two children; Harriet Parsons Brown and my 2nd great-grandfather, John L Brown.
About five years had passed since first seeing “Family Puzzlers,” but I continuously searched for “Issue 717” of this publication. Last month (Feb. 2024), I found an offer to sell a collection of “Family Puzzlers,” but alas, the asking price was more than $600.00! So, what did I do? I did more searching and found that the same collection, including “Issue 717” was offered at another site for $75.00, and immediately made the purchase.
Family Puzzlers, Issue 717, July 1981, Pg. 4
12 July 1821. Thomas Parsons Brown of Abbeville Dist. SC “to appoint guardians for my children: Harriet P and John L Brown, for the purpose to carry them to the State of Maine immediately after my death, there to be educated.” Mother: Harriet Devan2, wife Nancy Brown. Witnessed by Peter Dillon, Sr., Thomas Brown, Peter Dillon, Jr. Signed by Thomas Parsons Brown.
Turns out that what was published in “Family Puzzlers” was actually an abstract, taken from the book, Greene County, Tennessee, Wills 1783-1890, by Goldene Fillers Burgner. Since I’m all about fact-checking, I made a visit to the SoCal Genealogical Society and Family Research Library and confirmed the abstract in said book.
I’ve no clue as to why this Abbeville resident is in a Tennessee document.3
“Maine” The most likely reason for Thomas Parsons Brown to declare that his children Harriet and John be carried “to the State of Maine immediately after my death,” is that Maine was his place of origin.
Results of Records Research, Maine4
- Marriage of Harriet Parsons and John Brown, 17 Dec 1791, Pownalborough5 Maine
- Thomas Parsons Brown, born in Wiscasset Maine, 3 Sept 1798, to John and Harriet Brown.
- John Lord Brown, born in Wiscasset, Lincoln, Maine, 19 Sep 1794, to John and Harriet Brown.
- Harriet Parsons, born in Wiscasset, Lincoln, Maine, 8 Aug 1775, to Timothy and Elizabeth Parsons.
- Additional records of birth for parents Timothy and Elizabeth Parsons
- Timothy Parsons, Jr. 31 March 1778, Pownalborough, Lincoln, Maine.
- Elizabeth Parsons, 11 Sept 1780, Pownalborough, Lincoln, Maine.
- Joseph Parsons, 11 June 1782, Pownalborough, Lincoln, Maine.
- Lucy Parsons, 11 Apr 1786, Pownalborough, Lincoln, Maine.
- John Parsons, 24 Feb 1790, Pownalborough, Lincoln, Maine.
- Additional records of birth for parents Timothy and Elizabeth Parsons
Died 24 Sept 1806 in Abbeville District, Timothy Parsons,Esq. of Wiscasset Dist. Maine, aged 58 years. The Charleston Daily Courier, 19 Nov 1806.
A death notice dated 3 May 1823 that Joseph Parsons, formally of Wiscasset, age 40, died in Charleston SC6.
Joseph Parsons, on 20 May 1822, from Charleston, wrote a letter to his sister, Mrs H Duval in Abbeville, “Dear Sister…I would have been with you, but it was impossible as I have been very unwell.”
Within the records of the above-mentioned case of, Harriet Devall vs. Michael Devall, there is the 1808 sworn testimony of William Cain. Cain addresses the age of John Parsons, that he had known John for about 3 years and upward and that he came to this state from the North and was then a boy and 12-18 months ago (from 1808) John Parsons was not being 18 and could not do militia duty.
Lucy Parsons, in Devall vs. Devall, is identified as Harriet’s sister, “her sister Lucy,” as well as having been served with a subpoena to testify in court on behalf of Harriet.
My conclusions are as follows;
- Harriet, John, Joseph and Lucy Parsons are the children of Timothy and Elizabeth Parsons, of Maine.
- Harriet Parsons married John Brown and together had two sons born in Wiscasset Maine: John Lord Brown (1794) and Thomas Parsons Brown (1798).
- Timothy Parsons and children- John, Joseph and Lucy Parsons, and Harriet (Parsons) Brown with her sons John and Thomas, removed from Maine to South Carolina sometime around, say 1805.
- Whether Harriet’s husband John died in Maine, en-route to or in South Carolina is unknown, but John Brown died sometime before Harriet’s 1808 marriage to Michael Devall.
- Timothy Parsons, died in 1806 Abbeville, SC.
- John Parsons died in Charleston during 1812 and his nephew, John L (Lord) Brown, the son of Harriet Parsons Brown Devall, was granted the Letters of Administration for the Estate.
- Thomas Parsons Brown, son of Harriet Parsons Brown Devall, married Nancy LNU7, and their children are Harriet Parsons Brown and (our) John L Brown.
- Thomas died around, say 1821.
- It’s fair to infer that John L Brown, the son of Thomas Parsons Brown and Nancy, was named after/for the brother of Thomas: John Lord Brown.
The Children of John Lord Brown and Rebecca Rogers Anderson
- Thomas Samuel Brown 1845–1936
- m. Georgia Ann Satterwhite 1861-1883
- Jane Anderson Brown 1849–1916
- never married
- Harriet Tabithia Brown 1851–1907
- m. John Smith Brown 1841-1928
- Mary Elizabeth Brown 1853–1918
- m. 1st John Day, m. 2nd James P McGregor
- Frances Archer Brown 1855–1891
- m. John Thomas Cleveland
- John Lewis Brown 1856–1936
- m. Frances Nancy Elizabeth Brown 1861-1958
- Annie Isabell Brown 1860–1957
- m. Eli Thornton 1858-1925
- Elijah Legard Lee Brown 1863–1930
- m. Margaret Eva Kyle 1870-1945
Thornton Roots 
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