❤ MARY (MASTERS) BROWN ❤

Memorial created for genealogical purposes. Even though the burial location has not been located this memorial was created so that information on Mary Brown could be gathered. Please feel free to suggest changes, additions or add any documentation in the photo section.

─══ ✿ڰۣڿ✿ Biography ✿ڰۣڿ✿ ══─

Mary Masters was born around 1634 in England. She is the daughter of William and Alice (Estcourt) Masters. She married Richard Brown on 14 August 1651, in Rodmarton, Gloucestershire, England, when she was seventeen years old. Their marriage record is the only documented proof that we can tie directly back to Mary.

Mary and Richard could have had up to eight children, but only two are known for sure. According to Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015, nine children are listed. In birth order with additional information from GenealogieOnline, they are:

• Daniel Browne - born: about 1649, Puddington, Northampton, England; d: 11 November 1719, England
• Joseph Browne - born: about 1651, Puddington, Northampton, England; died: 9 May 1731, England
• Johanna Browne - born: about 1653, Puddington, Northampton England; died: 16 July 1721
• Elizabeth Browne - born: about 1654, Puddington, Northampton, England; died: 9 May 1729, Northamptonshire, England
• James Browne - born: 27 March 1656, Northampton, England; died: 1733, Nottingham, PA; married Honour Clayton
• John Browne - born: about 1657, England; died: 5 August 1733, Puddington, Northampton, England
• William Browne - born: 29 January 1658, Puddington, Northampton, England; died: 23 June 1746, W. Nottingham PA; married: Ann Mercer
• Jeremiah Browne - born: 19 August 1660, Wellingboro, Northampton, England; d: unknown
• Margery Browne - born: 19 October 1660, Puddington, Northampton, England; died: unknown

If the children and their birth years are correct, then Mary would have been around 15 years old when her first child was born, and she wouldn't have been married. In fact she could have possibly had two children out of wedlock. That's assuming her birth year is correct, again, we have no proof of birth.

The book The History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and biographical sketches says that Mary and Richard had eight children. Below is a transcription of the Brown information from the book.

Brown - There are many different families bearing this name, of which the descendants of James and William Browne, of Nottingham, are perhaps the most numerous. According to the evidence discovered by the late Henry Armitt Brown, Esq., of Philadelphia, they were the sons of Richard and Mary Browne, of Puddington, near Wellingboro', Northamptonshire. The father died 9, 28, 1662, and of his eight children James was born 3, 27, 1656, and William, 1, 29, 1658. James was married at Burlington, N. J., 6, 8, 1679, to Honor, daughter of William Clayton, of Chinchester, where he also settled at first. His children were James, b. at Marcus Hook, 1, 17, 1681; William b: 1, 13, 1682; Clayton, b. 8, 1, 1685; Jeremiah, Margery, Daniel and Mary.

William Browne was married in England to Dorothy ?, and his eldest son, Joseph, was born there, 4, 12, 1682. In 1684 he married a second wife, Ann Mercer, in 1699 a third, Catharine Williams, and in 1711, a fourth wife, Mary Matthews. Tradition says that William Browne cut the first tree in the settlement of Nottingham, and it is known that the Friends' meeting there was held at his house. His son, Mercer (or Messer) Brown, was a justice of Common Pleas and a useful citizen.

William Brown, son of James, married Esther Yardley, of Bucks County, and had children, - William, a noted minister; Margaret, married to John Churchman; James and Daniel. Of these, James married Miriam Churchman, who was also a minister, and died in Wilmington, 3, 4, 1772. His son Elijah, born 3, 12, 1740, removed in 1757 to Philadelphia, and was one of the Friends exiled to Virginia in 1777. He married in 1761 Mary Armitt, and died 8, 27, 1810. His great-grandson, Henry Armitt Brown, the gifted writer and orator, died Aug. 21, 1878, in the prime of life, and with the prospect of a brilliant future before him.

This information appears on pages 488 & 489. Find a Grave doesn't allow link outside of Find a Grave, so copy and paste the link below:

https://archive.org/details/cu31924005813518/page/n671/mode/2up

The James and William mentioned in the book are confirmed children of Richard and Mary and further documentation can be found on Ancestry.

We believe Mary died young, roughly 24 years old, in Northamptonshire, England, about 1658. A death record has not been located at this time. I searched Birth, Marriage, & Death, England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, for any record that might match the information we have for Mary. I found nothing in Northamptonshire that would put her under 112 years old at the time of death. Searching on her name and Richard's name, I found: Mary Browne, spouse of Richard Browne, was buried on 8 September 1675 in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England - probably not her.

A side note, on Richard's memorial it says that he remarried and had a son, Jeremiah. I have found no record corroborating this.

─══ ••●•• ❤ In Memory ❤ ••●•• ══─

─══ Notes ══─

● The death year has not been sourced. It is only a guess. Mary had her last child in 1658, so we know her death happened at some point from that year.

● The death location has not be sourced with an official document. According to the book "History of Chester County, Pennsylvania" from 1881, Mary and Richard's sons, William and James, are said to be "the children of Richard and Mary Browne of Puddington, near Wellingboro', Northamptonshire." So at the very least, Northamptonshire was probably the last place she lived. This book further gives the date of Richard's death, but there's no mention of Mary's.

● On April 18, 2024, I received several suggested edits from Sheila Duplaga. The process of accepting the edits spanned a couple of days, but the details are as follows.

• Mary's parents were linked to this memorial on April 18, 2024.
• Mary's birth location was changed from Nottinghamshire, England to just England on April 20, 2024. This change was accepted because there's no authentic proof of where she was born, other than England.

Sheila also suggested that the following information be added to the memorial:

● From Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015

• Name: Mary Master
• Gender: f (Female)
• Birth Date: 1634
• Birth Place of: Northamptonshire, England
• Death Place: England
• Spouse: Richard Brown
• Children: Johanna Browne, Margery Browne, John Browne, Joseph Browne,
• Jeremiah Browne, Elizabeth Browne, Daniel Browne, James
• Browne, William Brown

● From Geneanet Community Trees Index

• Name: Mary Master
• Gender: F (Female)
• Birth Date: 1634
• Birth Place: Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom
• Marriage Date: 1656
• Marriage Place: Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom
• Death Date: 28 sept. 1662 (28 Sep 1662)
• Death Place: Paddington, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom
• Father: William Master
• Mother: Alice Estcourt
• Spouse: Richard Brown

Last Updated: 04/21/2024, biography added.