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Benjamin BROWN

Benjamin BROWN

Male APR- -1732/33 - 1792

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  • Name Benjamin BROWN 
    Born APR- -1732/33  Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  [1] 
    Gender Male 
    Military Patriotic Service in Revolutionary War in Connecticut  [2] 
    Died 1 Jan 1792  Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3, 4] 
    Notes 
    • 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. [1, 5, 6]
    Person ID I60995  Doddridge County Roots
    Last Modified 3 Jul 2013 

    Father Benjamin BROWN,   d. Bef 1741, Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Mother Abigail CLEVELAND,   b. 3 Jun 1715, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Dec 1782, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 67 years) 
    Family ID F30978  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Hannah BENJAMIN,   b. 22 May 1737, Preston, New London Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  [4] 
    Married 25 Feb 1755  Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 7] 
    • at Canterbury Congregational Church
    Children 
     1. Benjamin BROWN, Jr.,   b. 1 Jan 1756, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    +2. Jedediah BROWN,   b. 30 Mar 1757, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    +3. John BROWN,   b. 27 Aug 1758, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 May 1847, Groton, Tompkins Co, NY Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 88 years)
     4. Huchinson BROWN,   b. 16 Jan 1760, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Sep 1778, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 18 years)
     5. Anna BROWN,   b. 29 Oct 1761, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
     6. Daniel BROWN,   b. 10 Apr 1763, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
     7. Billesent BROWN,   b. 13 Sep 1764, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    +8. Aruna BROWN,   b. 21 Apr 1766, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Oct 1841, Branch Co, MI Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 75 years)
     9. Hannah BROWN,   b. 5 Nov 1767, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    +10. Bial BROWN,   b. 30 Apr 1770, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Sep 1849  (Age 79 years)
    +11. Rufus BROWN,   b. 5 Aug 1771, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 6 Jul 1832, Otsego Co, NY Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 60 years)
     12. Ebenezer BROWN,   b. 7 Feb 1773, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Bef 1819  (Age 45 years)
    +13. Thankful BROWN,   b. 21 Dec 1774, Connecticut Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Aug 1868  (Age 93 years)
     14. Patience BROWN,   b. 11 Jun 1776, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    +15. Aurelia BROWN,   b. 11 Aug 1778, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 4 Apr 1809, Shutesbury, Franklin Co, MA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 30 years)
     16. Abigail BROWN,   d. Bef 1819
    +17. Luther BROWN,   b. 29 Nov 1782, Canterbury, Windham Co, CT Find all individuals with events at this location
    Family ID F25298  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Documents
    Canterbury Connecticut Marriage Records    		Canterbury Connecticut Marriage Records
    DAR Patriotic Index    		DAR Patriotic Index

  • Sources 
    1. [S2493] The Benjamin Family in America, Gloria Wall Bicha, (1977), p. 113.

    2. [S2158] DAR Patriot Index, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, (Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD (2003)), Vol I, p. 355.
      Patriotic Service is defined to include: "An Associator; Collector of Provisions; Defender of Fort or Frontier; Delegate to a Continental Contress or to a Provincial Congress; Express Rider; Fence Viewer; Furnishing as a substitute; Gunsmith who gave his services; Inspection of provisions; Legislator; Member of the Boston Tea Party, or the Cherokee Expedition, or the Galvez Expedition, or the Kaskaskia Campaign; Member of a Committee made necessary by the War; Minister who made patriotic sermons; Munitions maker; Nurse; Taking an Oath of Allegiance; Patroller; Prisoner of War or of the Indians; Ranger; Refugee; Rendering aid to the wounded; Rendering material aid; Signer of a petition or a non-importation agreement; Surgeon; Wheelwright."

    3. [S2494] Connecticut Probate Records, Plainfield District, Windham County (1747-1880), (NEHGS microfilm collection, Boston), Record #267.
      The will of Benjamin Brown of Canterbury, husband of Hannah and father of Rufus and other children known to be in this family, was dated Nov 28 1791 and proved on Feb 7 1792 in Canterbury, Plainfield District, Windham County. Twenty-seven years later, in a court document dated Sep 14 1819, his real estate was distributed among his heirs as follows, relationships not stated: (1) Jedediah Brown, 1/8th part thereof beginning at the northwest corner adjoing land of Ebenezer Cady and Luther Brown. (2) Anna Parker, 1/16th part thereof bounded beginning at the highway at the southwest corner of Luther Brown's land. (3) Luther Brown, 1/8th part thereof beginning at the southwest corner of land set off to Anna Parker. (4) Daniel Brown, 1/8th part thereof beginning at the southwest corner of land set off to Luther Brown. (5) The heirs of Abigail Rider, 1/16th part thereof bounded beginning at the southwest corner of Benjamin Brown's land on the west side of the highway. (6) The heirs of Ebenezer Brown, 1/8th part thereof bounded beginning at the northeast corner of Benjamin Brown's land on the west side of the highway. (7) Rufus Brown, 1/8th part thereof bounded beginning at the southeast corner of land set off to the heirs of Eben [Ebenezer] Brown. (8) Bazaruna Brown, 1/8th part thereof bounded beginning at the southeast corner of land set off to Rufus Brown. (9) Thankful Peabody, 1/16th part thereof bounded beginning at the southeast corner of land set off to Bazaruna Brown. (10) The heirs of Aurilla Cleaveland, 1/16th part thereof being a lot of (illegible) land lying in the land lying in the town of Brooklyn being a lot of land Benjamin Brown bought of John Parish.

    4. [S2158] DAR Patriot Index, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, (Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD (2003)), Vol I, p. 355.

    5. [S2496] The Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families (1899), Edmund Janes Cleveland, (http://www.archive.org/details/TheGenealogyOfTheClevelandAndCleavelandFamilies), pp. 79-82.

    6. [S2500] New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Vol. XLVIII, 1894, p. 193.

    7. [S2329] Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection), Canterbury Vital Records, Vol. 1, p. 70.