Notes for: Benjamin Brown
Many researchers report that this Benjamin Brown (father of Rufus and 16 others) was born on Sep 1 1713 in Canterbury, Windham County, Connecticut, a son of Deacon Thomas Brown and Rachel Leavens, and died on Nov 17 1773. But we have not found original documentation for this, and it is contradicted by (1) the birth of four of Benjamin's children after 1773, (2) Benjamin Brown's entry in the DAR Patriot Index, (3) Benjamin Brown's will (a copy of which is in our possession) dated 1791 and proved in 1792, (4) the estate of Abigail Cleveland Brown Adams, administered in 1782, which mentions her "eldest son Benjamin Brown," and (5) the will of Josiah Cleaveland identifying Benjamin Brown as his grandson.
The entry for Benjamin Brown, Patriot Ancestor #A015287, in the DAR Patriot Index reads as follows:
Benjamin Brown, born about 1734 in England, died 1792 in Connecticut, married Hannah Benjamin, Patriotic Service in Connecticut.
The England birthplace indicated by the DAR is inconsistent with all other references to this Benjamin Brown and is considered suspect. Our correspondence with the DAR revealed no basis for assigning the England birthplace, which was apparently the result of conjecture on the part of a DAR applicant. This appears to be the same Benjamin Brown mentioned in "The Benjamin Family in America," p. 113, wherein the husband of Hannah Benjamin is identified as Benjamin Brown (son of Benjamin Brown and Abigail Cleveland), born ca Apr 1732/33 at Canterbury, died Jan 1 1792 at Canterbury. Benjamin Brown was living in the house of his maternal grandfather, Josiah Cleveland, at the time of the latter's death. In 1751 Benjamin was called "the minor son of Mrs. Abigail Adams" and in her will was called "eldest son." (Abigail Cleveland Brown had remarried John Adams sometime prior to Nov 1741, birth date of their first child.) This would also be the same Benjamin Brown identified as a grandson in Josiah Cleaveland's will, extracts from which are found in "The Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families," pp. 81-82.
Adding to the confusion, there is a birth record for another Benjamin Brown, born May 30 1734 in Stonington, Connecticut, son of John Brown. This appears not to be the Benjamin Brown of interest. Based mainly on the birth records of other children, it is likely that there were two or more Benjamin Browns who were married to different Hannahs in that location and time frame.
All things considered, it appears certain that the Benjamin and Hannah of interest to us here were married in Canterbury on Feb 25 1755. Further confirmation is found in Connecticut probate records, which show that the will of Benjamin Brown, husband of Hannah and father of Rufus and others known to be in this family, was dated Nov 28 1791 and proved on Feb 7 1792 in Canterbury, Plainfield District, Windham County.
Having thus established the parents of this Benjamin Brown as Benjamin Brown and Abigail Cleveland, we must wonder whether the aforementioned Deacon Thomas Brown and Rachel Leavens might actually be his grandparents. Further investigation will be necessary to prove or disprove that possibility.