When I wrote about Thomas Brown, my 2nd great-grandfather (52 Ancestors #8, 2014), I didn’t know anything about his parents.
I’ve done more research.
Clues in the Death Certificate
Thomas’s 1927 death certificate named his parents. On the line for name of father was James
Brown, birth place unknown. Oh goodie, Thomas no-middle-initial
Brown and J-a-m-e-s no middle initial B-r-o-w-n. I’m in common name hell. On the positive side, the death certificate said Thomas was born in Highland County, Ohio.
On the line for name of mother was Sarah Van Pelt,
birthplace Highland County, Ohio. Oh
dear, Sarah, another common name with nicknames: Sally or Sadie. But a maiden name and birthplace – most
excellent! Thank you, Roy West. He was the informant on the death certificate,
the husband of Thomas’s daughter Murta from his second marriage. Was Roy accurate?
Not the Family Bible but Close
Next, I read The
Family Register of Thomas Brown and Rebecca A. Edwards, married 22 February
1880. This was a four-page handwritten
record of marriages, births and deaths of the Brown, Edwards and related
families. Did Rebecca Edwards Brown write
the entries? What or who were her
sources?
On the page for Births, someone wrote “Sarah. Vanpelt was
Born oct 9, 1798”; Thomas Borwn [Brown] was born June 3, 1943 [1843]
On the page for Deaths, someone wrote “Sarah. Brown. Died
Sept 17, 1859”; Thomas Brown died April – 1927
Are the two Sarahs the same person?
Where was James Brown? He wasn't anywhere in the family
register. Why?
Early Ohio Marriages
The FamilySearch Research Wiki helped me with my next discovery. The Wiki page for How to Find Ohio Marriage Records guided me to early Ohio marriages. I entered the names of my couple and there appeared James Brown and Sarah
Van Pelt. They were issued a marriage license on 26 Apr 1837 in Highland County, Ohio. Was the marriage ever recorded? Who performed
the ceremony? Always more questions.
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Source: Ancestry.com. Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Click on any image to enlarge.
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The year of the marriage license sparked a memory of an entry in the Brown Family Register. Written on the Births page after the entry for Sarah Van Pelt was “Susanah Brown was Born may 29, 1838.” Then on the page for Deaths after Sarah Brown, “Susanah. Brown. Died June 19, 1857.”
Could Susanah be the daughter of James and
Sarah?
Look at the five-year age gap between Susanah and
Thomas. If they were siblings, that’s long enough for the birth of another child in
between. Given the birth dates in the
family register, Sarah was about 39 years old when she married James and 45ish
when Thomas was born. Not unheard of for the time, just something to keep in
mind.
First Census Without Ticks
The 1850 U.S. federal census was the first census to
record more details about all persons in the household. Congress wanted a more accurate population count
for tax collection and congressional seat apportionment. Starting in 1850, census enumerators recorded
the names of every person in the household, their age as of the census day;
sex; color; and birthplace; occupation of males over age 15; value of real
estate; whether married within the previous year; whether deaf-mute, blind,
insane, or "idiotic"; whether able to read or write for individuals
over age 20; and whether the person attended school within the previous year.
I used several search strategies to locate the Brown-Van
Pelt family but have yet to find the family unit. I’m at least looking for James, Sarah and
Thomas. I entered minimal to many details on
vital information, only James, only Sarah, only Sally, only Thomas, only
Highland County, Ohio to all of Ohio, and various combinations of all of it.
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Source: Year: 1850; Census Place: Jackson, Highland, Ohio; Roll: M432_694; Page: 252A; Image: 417 |
Sally was the key. I found Sally, Susan and Thos Brown living in the household of Abram Horst in Jackson Township, Highland County, Ohio. Could they be my Sarah and Thomas Brown maybe Susanah? Sally was 45, female and born in Ohio; Susan was 10, female, born in Ohio and attended school within the year; and Thos was 8, male, born in Ohio and attended school with the year. Six others were in the household including Abram Horst. He was a farmer, 23, born in Ohio with $1400 as the value of real estate owned.
Where was James Brown?
The calculated years of birth of the Browns based on their ages in the
census did not coincide with the births in the Brown Family Register. Susan’s (Susanah?) age was off by two years
and Thomas’s by a year. Pretty close. Sally’s
(Sarah?) age was off by seven years! That’s a lot.
Is it possible that Sally (Sarah) was born about 1805, not 1798? Which
record is more reliable, the 1850 census or the Brown Family Register? I don’t know the informant on either. Besides, she wouldn’t be the first woman in
my family tree whose age “fluctuated”.
And who was Abram Horst and the others?
You're probably wondering if I read the page before and after the census page where I found the three Browns. Yes I did. I'm glad I did. Susan Vanpelt was on Line 38. She was 76, female, born in Virginia and $400 was the value of her real estate. Also in the household was Benj Vanpelt, age 25, male, born in Ohio and an "idiot". Was Sarah related to Susan and Benj?
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Source: Year: 1850; Census Place: Jackson, Highland, Ohio; Roll: M432_694; Page: 252A; Image: 417 |
Sorry, you’ll have to Share
I found James! In
1845, he and Sally Brown filed a
lawsuit against Susanah Vanpelt et al in Highland County Ohio Common Pleas
Court alleging they have an interest in a tract of land on the waters of Brush
Creek, the home farm of the deceased Benjamin Vanpelt. The court held that the children of Benjamin
Vanpelt were tenants in common with James and Sally, and that Susannah, the
widow, was entitled to dower rights.
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Source: Common Pleas Court Records of Highland County, Ohio 1805-1860,
compiled by David McBride, c.1959
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More questions! Is James my James Brown? Is Sally my Sarah Van Pelt? Is she a daughter of Benjamin and Susanah? If so, she had many siblings. Remember Susanah/Susan Brown in the family register and 1850 census? Naming patterns are clues. Need more records.
Summary
I presented this story in the order the five records were
found. Piece by piece, the jigsaw puzzle
of my Brown-Van Pelt family is taking shape. Naming and location patterns are emerging but
more evidence is needed to confirm relationships. Below is a chronological summary of research to
date:
- Family register naming Sarah Van Pelt (b. 1798), Sarah Brown (d. 1859), Susanah Brown (1838-1857) and Thomas Brown (1843-1927). Unknown author, unsourced, undated. No James Brown.
- 1837 marriage license for James Brown and Sarah Van Pelt in Highland County, Ohio.
- 1845 court case filed by James Brown and wife Sally against Susanah Vanpelt et al. in Highland County, Ohio.
- 1850 U.S. federal census with Susan and Benj Vanpelt in Jackson Township, Highland, Ohio.
- 1850 U.S. federal census with Sally, Susan and Thos Brown in household of Abram Horst in Jackson Township, Highland, Ohio. No James Brown.
- 1927 death certificate for Thomas Brown naming James Brown and Sarah Van Pelt as his parents. Thomas and his mother born in Highland County, Ohio.
What do you think? Your ideas and comments are welcome!
To be continued…
