The Brown Family of York County, SC and Cleveland and Gaston Counties, NC
William Brown (1777-1854) was one of three brothers who came to York County, South Carolina from Brunswick County, Virginia. He settled first on the Broad creek and then bought a farm on Bullock's Creek, near the town of York. He married twice, first to Mary Davies (1780-1819) and second to Tabitha Floyd. With Mary he had five children, including John Brown.
John Brown (1809-1888) married Mary Magdalene (Polly) Caldwell (1807-1897). Around 1859 they bought some 460 acres on the Muddy Fork in Cleveland County, and moved with their five surviving children. (Two babies are buried at Beersheba Cemetery in York County.) Below is an unusual picture of John and Polly that hung in their grandaughters Clemmie and Emma's parlor. While we're fairly sure of the identities, it appears that John is much younger than Polly. Either it's not really John or, as I believe, it's a composite picture of the two, perhaps painted after John's death from some early photo of him.
John and Polly Brown
Here's another tintype we believe to be of John and Polly.
Both of their sons fought in the Civil War. Robert Gilbreath Brown (1839-1939) was a sergeant with Company E, 12th NC Infantry, CSA and fought at the Seven Day's Battle, at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania among others. He was wounded twice at the Battle of the Wilderness and again at Winchester. At the close of the war, he married another soldier's widow, Susan Froneberger Gamble (1841-1934) and they moved right across the Cleveland and Gaston County line to Cherryville. Two of their daughters never married and lived with them until Robert and Susan's deaths. Robert and Susan also had living with them their son John's two children and Willie's four after both men's wives died. Robert lived to be 99 years old.
Robert Gilbreath Brown and Family
Circa 1899
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