General Notes

Killed by Indians attacking their home.  Son, Henry Jr. killed the chief as
he entered the door.  Later scalped the Indian Chief and took his rifle and
ornaments and went to the fort, 4 miles below.  Received a large reward--30
or 50 pounds --offered by law for the scalp of an Indian killed by a private
citizen.  Governor Kinwiddie offered him a commission but he refused.  He
then bought a farm in Bedord County on Otter Creek.  Henry Sr lived on farm
in then Augusta Co. (now Botetourt Co.) on bank of Roanoke River.

Pritchard, in his book "Meade 'Relations", seems to think that Henry Browne who married Ann Richardson was the son of Henry Brown, Sr. of Salem, Co. M. J. who was listed as a "runaway" in the Account of the debtors of the estate of Alexander Grant, of Salem Co. N. J., dated Jan. 20, 1726.  Henry Brown, Sr. of Salem Co. M. J. moved to Augustat co. VA sometime before 1756.  Te records of the County Court of Augusta Co. VA show that on Nov. 3, 1753, process issued upon the complaint of Nicholas Gibbons, assignee of Ann Grant, against Henry Brown of Mannington, in the County of Salem, in the western division of the province of N.J., jeoman, on a bond dated June 5, 1729, and was returned executed, thereupon, Henry Brown, Jr. and Isaac Taylor entered bail for Henry Brown, Sr., his father and on Mar. 19, 1756, the following order was entered in From M. M. Butler 1722 Clarendon Drive, Greensboro, NC 27401, Aug 1, 1983

The is in existence a manuscript entitled "SKETH OF THE BROWN FAMILY", dating from 1755, Augusta, Rickbridge and Bedford counties.  It was supposedly written by John Thompson Brown, a great grandson of enry Brown, SR.  It state the traditional relationship of the famil as follows:

"The tradition of my family is that our ancestors, John and Henry Brown, came to VA at the early period under the auspices of their kinsman, Sir william Brown, one of the original Virginia Company; and that they were of some influence and distinction."

The name, Henry Brown first appears in the above sketch of "Brown Family" as living in Mannington, in the county of salem, in the eastern division of the province of New Jersey, in June of 1729.

His name appears again on Captain George Robinso 's muster list i  1742, in Augusta County, VA.

By Deed of 21st of March, 1753, in Deed Book 5, pg 90, Col. II., James Patton conveyed to Henry Brown, Sr. 54 acres of land on Lick Run of the Roanoke River.    End quote.


Order Book #5 pg 48-----Nicholas Gibbons, Esq., Assignee of Ann Grant, Plaintiff, vs. Henry Brown, Def. this day came the Plf. by his attorney and therupon came also a Jury to wit-----------who being elected tryed and well swornn----------truly to enquire of damages in this case, went out of Court to consider of their verdict------returning to Court to render same.  "The Plf. altho called, came no, neither is his suit further prosecuted.  Thereupon on motion of the Def. Henry Brown, it is considered by the Court that the Jurors from rendering their verdict aforsaid be discharged and the Plf. be nonsuited and together with his pledges, etc. be in mercy, tec and that the said Defendant go hence without delay and recover against the said Plf.  "Five Shillings according to Law and his by him about his defense in this behalf expended".

Henry Brown and his son Samuel appear on the muster of Augusta co. VA in the 1742 which seems to be the 1st time his name appears in the VA records.  See Chalkley's records of Augusta Co. VA Vol ii, pg 157-9.

Henry Brown Sr. and Henry Brown Jr. both attended the sale of the property of Daniel Monahan in Augusta co. VA on Dec 13, 1744.  They wer both listed as workers on a road in the same county on Nov. 24, 1753. 

from Herbert Lawrence Brown, Durango, CO:

Henry Sr was killed by Shawnee Indians in 1757 during an attack on their home, located between Salem and Roanoke, VA.  This was near the end of the French and Indian Wars.  Henry Jr ( son by 1st marriage) killed the Indian Chief in the doorway as he entered the home, he scalped the Chief, took his ornaments and gun;  he then took these to the fort four miles below the home and received a substantial reward.  Our grandfather, Thomas Brown, sr (172801787) was away with the VA militia at the time of the attack.  The VA militia had been formed to fight Indians because the settlers on the VA frontier were constantly under siege from one or more of the various tribes.


from a letter from H L Brown:  26-2-2001

About 3 years ago, my wife and I went to the cemetery where Henry is buried  It is actually just a collection of head and foot stones in an open farm field in Howard Co. MO.  Also buried there is Henry's brother William (1799-1863) and William's son, also named William, who died as an infant (1850-1851).  The cemetery, Pearson Cemetery, is on land previously owned by Henry and Mildred Flyt Brown in the 1820's and 1830's.  The present owners mde me a copy of an abstract showing where they sold the land in 1837.  Henry signed it and Mildrend made her mark.  They then moved to the newly formed Linn Co. MO just north of Howard Co. and the Brown decendants stayed in that county - my father, Herbert Brown (1912-1997) was born there.