L.W. Brown 1849-1900

Two forms of this name have come down through families of Brown descendents. One line had the name as LIBERTADES WARE BROWN, b. Feb. 11,1849, Texas County, Missouri and died May 13, 1900.  The other line, direct descendents of this man, have the name as  LIBETHRIDES WARE BROWN OR 'BETH'. 

This Brown family had the tendency to name their children for figures from classical history, mysthology or notable geographical locations.  "Libethrides" =  Also known as 'nymphae Libethrides' was the name of the Muses in Greek mythology, one thought to have been derived from the well Libethra in Thrace.  [the other name“Libertades” also filled the bill in the name pattern since it is the plural form of the Spanish term for liberty. This would have been right after the Mexican American War of 1846. ] “Ware”= This may refer to 1) the name of his father , 2) it may also as likely be a reference to an author of a popular writing of the day, one Joseph Ware, author of The Emigrant’s Guide to New Mexico, California, and Oregon; giving the different overland and sea routes (1849), or 3) an unknown source or significance. *

According to his descendents, "Beth", as he preffered being known,  was a grandchild of Isaac and Mary Moony Brown. The Brown's oldest daughter, Juan Fernandez Brown, became pregnant while unwed, and this baby was born illegitimately.

His mother is JUAN FERNANDEZ BROWN, b. 1831, Davidson County, Tennessee; d. March 07, 1854, Texas County, Missouri. "Juan" – may refer to the explorer Juan de Categena with Magellan.* "Ferdinand" – may refer to the explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Also, an island chain made famous in the story of Robinson Crusoe.  His father is unknown.  His mother married a local widower, George Bradford,  and died in childbirth with their first child. As a result, it is believed he was then raised by his grandparents, Isaac Haire Brown and wife Mary (possibly Mooney) Brown.

He had a close, brotherly relationship with Marcus Sabine Brown aka "Bine".  Originally, Beth and Bine were said to be brothers; however, that was incorrect; instead, Beth was the nephew of Bine. 

Beth's marriage to Nancy E. Johnson took place on Oct 18, 1869, and 11 children were produced.1) William H.; 2)John Allen(m: Mary B. Eaves); 3)Samuel M.; 4)Isaac Haire (B: July 11, 1872, D: July 24, 1934); 5)Leonides; 6)Francis; 7) Lenora (m:August Wallis and m: _ Smith); 8) Sarah Jane (m: George H. Watkins); 9) Iva (m: Ed C. Kitchen); 10) Mary Malena C. Johns; and 11) Miss Louise.

A "Haire" Situation: A Tale of 2 Isaac H. Brown's **UPDATED**

This is the tale of two Isaac H. Brown's, although there are hundreds of them, this will focus on the confusion of two individuals.

 

1) My line is Isaac H. Brown, born ca 1806 in Tennessee (although a legend ties him to Scotland but more on that later) who married a "Mary" born ca. 1810 in Tennessee.  They removed to settle in Phelps and then Texas counties in Missouri by  about the 1840-1855 period.  The couple had many children of unique, classical, historical and mythological origins revealing they were more than passingly well-read. The couple dies within years of each other in Texas County, Missouri, probably buried on a private family burial ground. His Find-A-grave page is here.

 

2) The other line was an Isaac H. Brown, a man of business in Pennsylvania whose dates and wife's name were eerily similar.  This man's middle name was "Haire" and he and his wife had two daughters and were buried in Milton, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. His Find-a-Grave page is here.

 

A "Haire" Situation Emerges

In the early 1990's a "researcher" assigned that middle name to the Missouri man and it stuck.  No evidence was offered to prove that the Missouri man's name was indeed that.  It was repeated until it became set in stone.  Many of the online trees deleted many notes and questions regarding the research on this line leaving only the filled in spaces and opened the way for a persistent repetition of the information.  I know, because my original GEDcom file contained all those notes but on seeing my information online the notes I included with sources and questions are not there.

UPDATE:  The descendants of one of the Missouri Isaac Haire Brown have verified that his middle name was indeed Haire and they have Bible records proving it.  There were, for some reason, a lot of men named Isaac Brown spread through several states in the early years of the 19th century.  The fact that two men named Isaac Haire Brown were born in the same general time period and married women named Mary is a coincidence bearing closer scrutiny.  It may, in fact, point to an earlier familial relationship.

 

 

DO THE UNIQUE BROWN NAMES LEAVE A CLUE?

Notes on the names of the children of ISAAC BROWN and MARY MOONEY :


Do the names of their children give clues to origins or support the legend of the stowaway from Scotland? Legend says Isaac was born in 1806 in Scotland, ran away from an apprenticeship when he was 14 in 1820, He stowed away. He was found and worked off passage for about 7 years and finally arrived on the "Manchester" in 1827 from Liverpool He traveled in country, joined a military effort, was wounded and nursed back to health by a Native American family, and married (in NC, VA, or TN) the daughter (whose name is thought to be Mary, possibly Mooney but whose name may have also been something that sounded like "Wa'tella" or "Washtella".)

i. PTOLEMA PHILADEPHUS BROWN, b. August 30, 1829, Warren County, Tennessee; d. November 02, 1903, Soldier's Home in St. James, Phelps County, Missouri.

“Ptolema” = Greek; Many possible individuals but a probable one is the mathematician author of ‘Geographia’ (ca. 150).*

“Philadelphius” = Latinized form of the Greek word for brotherly love.

ii. JUAN FERNANDEZ BROWN, b. 1831, Davidson County, Tennessee; d. March 07, 1854, Texas County, Missouri.

“Juan” – may refer to the explorer Juan de Categena with Magellan *

“Ferdinand” – may refer to the explorer Ferdinand Magellan /also an island chain made famous in Robinson Crusoe. *

Note: Her son's name continued this naming pattern with a name from Greek mythology for one of the Muses'.   LIBETHRIDES WARE BROWNm b. 1849.

iii. ARCHIMEDES BROWN, b. March 22, 1834, Warran County, Tennessee; d. March 14, 1863, the Civil War in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

“Archimedes” = Ancient Greek mathematician *

iv. SELTICANA BROWN, b. 1834, Tennessee.

“Selticana” = No clear historic, literary references discovered. A form may be found in the term ‘Sultana’ meaning a wife of a Sultan. It could also be in reference to Celtic origins in the family (Scotland comes from the name of a tribe of people from what is now known as Ireland. These “Celts” lived across Europe sharing a common language, customs, and art. Sometimes the name was spelled and pronounced with a soft “S” rather than the harder Greek “K” (Keltoi). If this was true, the name would mean she who pertains to the “Selt”.

v. LYCURGUS BROWN, b. 1835, Warran County, Tennessee; d. May 22, 1887, Macoupin County, Illinois; m. MARTHA P. ARMOUR5, Abt. 1860, Missouri; b. 1840, Illinois.

“Lycurgus” – many possible from ancient history, but possible the lawgiver of Sparta (570-730 B.C.)

vi. METROBAR JAMES BROWN, b. 1840, Warren County, Tennessee; m. MARY BROWN; b. 1843, Tennessee.

“Metro Barjames” - could actually have been Mithro (Persian mythological figure) and “Bar’ in Barjames is Hebrew for ‘son of’ or ‘descendent of’ – could we have a clue as to the name of one of his grandparents? One source links Mary to a James Mooney.

vii. MARY A. BROWN, b. December 04, 1843; d. April 17, 1887, Texas County, Missouri.

Mary’s middle name is unknown but thought to have begun with an “A”. Her connection to the Brown’s is clear in names of one of her children…Arminda, Theodosia, Ozzia, Facelina Mobley.

viii. ELSINORA ODENSIA BROWN, b. February 21, 1845, Tennessee; d. March 1910, Piaza, Illinois; m. (1) KAYLOR; m. (2) THOMAS MCCOY, 1876, Illinois. Twin to Marcellus.

“Elsinora” may be reflection of the place in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Odensia” may be a form of the Scandinavian deity of “Oden” – as a name it has been found in Norway.

ix. MARCELLUS BROWN, b. February 21, 1845, Tennessee; d. 1933, Macoupin County, Illinois. Twin to Elsinora.  “Marcellus” =  Roman history; too many to name or list.

x. FASCILINA BROWN, b. April 05, 1847, Warren County, Tennessee; d. April 03, 1885, at home in Vernon County, Missouri; m. REUBEN HIRAM MAIN, March 05, 1866, St. Louis, Missouri; b. Aft. 1840.

“Fascilina” = It is suspected this is a Latinized word meaning graceful or agile. Similar names can be found for a few women in Ancient Rome.

xi. MARCIUS SABINUS "Bine" BROWN, b. November 05, 1849, Rolla, Phelps County, Missouri; d. August 17, 1912, Calera, Bryan county, Oklahoma.

“Marcius” and “Sabinus” are both names linked to early Roman history. Marcius a family name of a line of rulers and Sabinus a similar use, as well as the name of a 4th century historian and a 3rd century bishop from Seville.*

xii. LEONIDAS HANNIBAL BROWN, b. 1853, Texas County, Missouri.

“Leonidas” = a Spartan ruler who led the charge of the ‘300’ against Persian forces and another was a 3rd century Christian martyr.

(*) - - is it merely coincidence that many of these names link back to the lore, skills, or regions related to sea travel? If Isaac stowed away and had to work off his passage might he have been exposed to stories, history, and skills (math, astronomy, etc.) in the process by the multi-culture nature of sea faring?