The GIBBONEY Family

 Join or Die Flag used before and during the American Revolution

Older genealogies conjecture that John Gibboney came to Pennsylvania from Ireland. Newer genealogies have him as a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, born to Alexander and Ann Giboney. Note the difference in spelling; often, names were not subject to standardized spelling. What we do know about John Gibboney is that he had a strong dislike for the British Crown and was a staunch Patriot. John was born on January 3, 1747 or 1748; no one is quite sure. In 1780, at the age of 32, he married Elizabeth Ferree, the daughter of a French Huguenot, Jacob Ferree, and a Swiss Mennonite, Barbara Carpenter [Zimmerman] of Paradise Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

John and Elizabeth must have known each other for some time, because in 1777, John joined the Pennsylvania Line of the Militia and served under George Washington. John did not marry Elizabeth until three years later. Family legend places him at Valley Forge during the Winter of 1777-1778. According to the Daughters of the American Revolution, John Gibboney was a Corporal in Captain James Power's Company, 7th Pennsylvania Continental Line, .

 

Record Card of Captain James Power (Pennsylvania Archives)

John Gibboney (1749-1831) enlisted 1777, as a corporal in Capt. James Power's company, 7th Pennsylvania Continental Line. He was born in Lancaster County; died in Bedford County, Pa.

Daughters of the American Revolution, Roll Book

The Brandywine Flag used by the 1st Pennsylvania Line

John left us no personal recollections of the Revolutionary War, so here is the unit history,

Authorized January 4, 1776 in the Continental Army as the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion.

Organized between January 8 - March 20, 1776 at Carlisle to consist of 8 companies from Cumberland and York Counties.

Assigned February 27, 1776 to the Middle Department.

Relieved March 14, 1776 from the Middle Department and assigned to the Main Continental Army.

Assigned on April 24, 1776 to Greene's Brigade, an element of the Main Army.

Relieved on April 27, 1776 from Green's Brigade and assigned to the Canadian Department.

Defense of Canada

Lake Champlain Summer, 1776

Relieved July 2, 1776 from the Canadian Department and assigned to the Northern Department.

Assigned July 20, 1776 to St. Clair's Brigade, an element of the Northern Department.

Defense of Philadelphia

Relieved November 18, 1776 from St. Clair's Brigade.

Reorganized and redesignated on January 1, 1777 as the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment, to consist of 8 companies.

Relieved February 8, 1777 from the Northern Department and assigned to  Main Continental Army.

Assigned May 22, 1777 to the 1st Pennsylvania Brigade, an element of the Main Continental Army.

Battle of Brandywine September 11, 1777, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Battle of Paoli September 20, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania

Battle of Germantown October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania

Battle of Monmouth June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Reorganized on July 1, 1778 to consist of 9 companies.

Battle of Springfield June 23, 1780, Springfield Township, Essex County (present day Union County), New Jersey

Battle of Bull's Ferry 20 and 21 July 1780, Bulls Ferry, New Jersey

Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line January 1, 1781, at Jockey Hollow, near Morristown, New Jersey

Consolidated on January 17, 1781 with the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment.

It is not known what role John played in the Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line; however, his departure from service in 1781 seems to correspond to the relief of soldiers following a Board of Review that addressed the soldiers grievances and applied a reallocation of troops within the regiments. One grievance revolved around the terms of enlistment. While Officers serve at the pleasure of the Commander-in-Chief, enlisted serve in time increments called terms. The contract was for a three-year term or the duration of the war. When the war went beyond three years, the enlisted put the emphasis on 'three years' while Officers told them the emphasis was on the 'duration of the war.' This is not self-centered, these were young, able-bodied frontiersmen who needed to get back to their families - parents, wives, children, and farm - after an extended absence.

We know that John's unit was involved in the mutiny. As a Corporal, he would have had a leadership role in his unit. While mutiny is a serious and capital offense, approximately 1,500 soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line mutinied, making this more than a mutiny. But this was a mutiny, none-the-less, and the extent of the mutiny shows the seriousness of a failure of leadership at the very highest levels. While the soldiers kept their confidence in General Anthony Wayne, the soldiers had not been paid for a year, had not received uniforms and clothing to replace those damaged in battle or through rugged use, and then, during the winter months - when the army dispersed to ease logistics - the regiment was housed in deplorable conditions. When the British heard the news, they offered the mutineers the opportunity to switch sides. This offer was rejected. The Pennsylvania Line was Patriotic and upheld their end of the bargain, pledging to fight for the American cause if attacked. The mutineers had grievances and nobody seemed to care…

Somewhere in activity, John found time to marry Elizabeth Ferree in 1780.

Is this an accurate date? Their first child was born in 1777 - before John and Elizabeth were married and while John was away. Alternatively, is Willis Gibboney John's son? After all, Elizabeth was 24 years old when this son was born. Elizabeth's second son, Benjamin, our ancestor, was born two years later, and a year before Elizabeth and John were married. There has to be more to tell about this.

Children of John and Elizabeth Gibboney

i Willis Gibboney b 1777, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; d 1804; m Mary Mawry

ii BENJAMIN GIBBONEY b About 1779; d Unknown

iii Elizabeth Gibboney b About 1781; d Unknown

iv John Gibboney b About 1783;

v Alexander G Gibboney b About 1785; m ________ Gain

vi Davis/David Gibboney b 1787, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; d. 1833; m1 Elizabeth Baum; m2 Jane Foy; m3 Mary Glasgo

vii Sarah Ann Gibboney b November 6, 1790, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; d. 1858; d August 15, 1858, Kylertown, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania

viii Emanuel Carpenter Gibboney b 1793; d 1847; m Lydia Biller

ix Joel Gibboney b 19 March 9 or 19, 1795, Lancaster or Blair County, Pennsylvania; d 19 March 19, 1846, Bedford County, Pennsylvania

After the War, John and Elizabeth moved west to Bedford County, Pennsylvania. This placed the family in closer proximity to the Cox, Lemen, and Brown ancestors.

Then, another war came along - the War of 1812. Once again, John signed up, at the age of 61, and went off to fight a war.  When John returned home, the couple were in the twilight of their days. John passed away on August 9, 1824 and Elizabeth passed six years later on February 22, 1831.

Now we focus on their son, Benjamin.

Benjamin Gibboney born in Lancaster County, Penn. September 6, 1798. Died at Muscatine, Iowa Jun 20, 1850.

Margaret Kendall, wife of Benjamin Gibboney born in Bedford County, Penn. August 26, 1796.

Gibboney Tombstone Inscription, Grandview Cemetery, Grandview, Louisa County, Iowa

With the passing of John and Elizabeth, we have a new story to tell. How did John and Elizabeth's son start in Middle Pennsylvania end up in a cemetery on the West Bank of the Mississippi? We might thank the Honorable N.T. Brown for this.

The easiest thing, in Benjamin's case, is to start with definite facts from this marker.

• Benjamin was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on September 6, 1798. But wait! Earlier you said 1779…
• Benjamin died in Muscatine County, Iowa on June 20, 1850.
• Since the grave is located in Grandview Cemetery, in Louisa County, Iowa, we can start looking in Louisa County for some ties as well.
• Benjamin married Margaret Kendall, who was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on August 26, 1796, about two years before Benjamin.
• Armed with this, we find a couple of Federal Census entries,

From the 1830 United States Census for St Clair Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania,

Benjamin Gibboney

In 1830, the Census only recorded the Head of the Household. But we can add another fact… Benjamin was about 32 when he lived in Bedford County where Margaret was born.

1850 United States Census for Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa

Household         Sex Age Birthplace.

Benjamin Gibony         M 52 Pennsylvania

Margarett Gibony         F 54 Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Brown         F 22 Pennsylvania    [Wife of N. T. Brown - TEB]

James Brown         M 21 Pennsylvania    [Brother of N. T. Brown - TEB]

Francis Gibony         M 15 Pennsylvania

Geo Schooly         M 27 New Jersey        [Possibly lodgers - TEB]

Martha Ann Schooly F 22 Ohio                   [Possibly lodgers - TEB] 

Obviously, the Census Taker spelled the name the way he thought it should be spelled. Here we have a snapshot of the family taken shortly before Benjamin's death. So far, everything matches the tombstone as well. But now we have to ask, who is Elizabeth, James, Francis, George, and Martha Ann? Why are they all living together in Muscatine?

Let's start with Elizabeth. She is 22 in 1850, so that places her birth in about 1828. In 1830, Benjamin was in Beford County… and so was Margaret. Elizabeth might be a daughter… As for the age, well, the Census Taker wasn't too good with spelling either and easily avoided an impolite question by guessing.

Fortunately, we can find her tombstone as well,

Tombstone of Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney Brown, Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa

More facts. Elizabeth was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1822. That starts to make a case that she is a child of Benjamin and Margaret. If her last name is Brown, then she is married. Looking around Louisa County for a man named Brown, we find this one,

 The Honorable N. T. Brown of Louisa County, Iowa House of Representatives, 1866

Fortunately for us, the Newark (Ohio) Advocate Press printed a book in 1912 about the Brown family. This book tells us that Bazzel Brown's oldest son, Nicholas T Brown, married Elizabeth Gibboney in Kirkersville, Licking County, Ohio on March 25, 1840. Benjamin and Margaret would have been there. Bazzel went to Missouri with his wife while Nicholas and Elizabeth, along with her family, went on to Iowa.  Francis Gibboney is Elizabeth's brother. Records of Francis abound that corraborate the story thus far.

FRANCIS E. GIBBONEY

Francis E. GIBBONEY, section 3, Riley Township, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1829. His parents, Benjamin and Margaret (KENDALL) GIBBONEY, were also natives of Pennsylvania, residing there until 1838, when they moved to Licking County, Ohio, and from there in May, 1846, to Louisa County, Iowa, where our subject attained his majority.

In 1856 he went to Kansas, and lived in that State and Missouri until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion. In June, 1861, he went to Fort Leavenworth and enlisted at the first call for three years' volunteers, and was assigned to Company C, First Kansas Infantry. He participated in the battle at Wilson's Creek, where the gallant General LYONS was killed. His regiment lost heavily, Company C having twelve men killed and thirty-six wounded. Mr. GIBBONEY was shot through the right arm, and so disabled as to necessitate his discharge. He now receives a pension of $10 a month.

After his discharge he returned to Louisa County, and in 1869 located in Ringgold County, buying his present homestead which contains eighty acres of good land, which he has brought under cultivation, it being wild land when he bought it. He also owns ten acres of valuable timber land.

Biography & Historical Record of Ringgold County, Iowa, Lewis Publishing Company of Chicago, 1887, p. 256

We can now piece together Benjamin and Margaret's life. Benjamin was born on September 6, 1798, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. After 1820, he moved to Bedford County, in St Clair Township. Benjamin appears in the 1830 Census for Bedford County, but no Gibboneys or Kendalls are found in the 1820 Census. The Gibboneys dissappear from Bedford County by 1840, although some Kendalls remain. In Bedford County in 1830, we find the household of Benjamin Gibboney: 1 male under 5, 1 male between 10 and 15, 1 male between 15 and 20, and 1 male 30 to 40 years old; 2 females under 5, 1 female between 5 and 10, and 1 female 30 to 40 years old. Benjamin would account for the older male, Margaret the older female. Elizabeth is the female between between 5 and 10, with two younger sisters. Francis is the male under 5 with older brothers and sisters.

In 1838, the family moved to Licking County, Ohio. There he lived in the Kirkersville area of southern Licking County and northern Fairfield County near the Brown family. Here, their daughter Elizabeth met Nicolas T. Brown, son of a local preacher, missionary, and lumberman. Elizabeth and Nicholas were married on March 25, 1841 according to Licking County Marriage Records.

During this time, the 'West' - Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa - was opening up land speculation and trading was common. In 1846, the Gibbonneys moved to property in northern Louisa and southern Muscatine Counties. By 1850, the extended family is found in the Muscatine County Census under one roof. Then, two months after the Census, Benjamin died. Nicholas and Elizabeth were there for the Gibboneys and apparently helped raise Francis. When Francis turned 21, he struck out on his own.

In 1866, Margaret lost her son-in-law leaving her daughter Elizabeth a widow with eight children. Margaret passed away in Louisa County on September 5, 1876 and was buried beside her husband in Grandview, Iowa.

North Main Street, Grandview, Iowa, early 1900s.

Our story continues in the Brown Family Section.

The Reverend and Mrs. Bazzel Brown

My Grandmother, repeating wisdom she had heard as a child, once remarked, 'There are two professions that are especially noteworthy, the Sword and the Cloth.' If Nicholas is a sword, then his oldest son Bazzel is the cloth. 

 

Wedding Certificate of Bazzel Brown and Abigail Turner

Bazzel, or as some standardize it, Basil, was born in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, on April 28, 1793, shortly before the move to Holliday's Cove and his Grandmother's death. Growing up, he would remember Madison County, Kentucky as his homeland. There, Bazzel met, courted, and married the 16-year-old Abigail Turner,. On the marriage certificate is another signature, that of James Sappington, Bazzel's uncle, who swore that Bazzel was old enough to marry. Bazzel was 23. Abigail was born March 23, 1800, in Burgettstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, to James Sr. and Jemima Wells Turner. By the time Abigail was born, the Browns had already moved to Kentucky. However, it would be safe to say the families knew each other.

Tates Creek Baptist Church

Despite blanket statements like, 'coming to the New World seeking religious freedom,' religious freedom often meant, '(insert name) didn't get along with the church back home.' Case in point - Virginia, in Colonial times, only allowed ministers ordained in the Anglican Church to preach.

This did not stop the Reverend Andrew Tribble, who pastored a congregation near his friend's house at Monticello - Thomas Jefferson. It is a commonly accepted, although not verifiable, that Tribble had some influence on Jefferson and Jefferson is known to have sat in Tribble's pews from time to time. Even more, Tribble was influential in Jefferson's draft resolution for religious freedom in Virginia. Further, Jefferson is reported to have commented that Baptist beliefs espouse the purest democracy. In other words, Jefferson may have had the Baptist model in mind when drafting the Declaration of Independance.

Tribble moved west and eventually came to Madison County, Kentucky. In the meantime, he lived at Boonesborough where he held services in the early 1780s. Tribble would have known many figures instrumental in the founding of Kentucky. By 1786, Tribble arrived in Madison County and organized a church at Tates Creek near Hoy's Station near Shallow Ford. Tribble remained there until death and is buried beside his original church.

This was during the time of the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening (circa1797 - 1817) was a movement that, for our purposes, took place among the farmers and frontiersmen and included the Baptist, Methodist, and to a lesser extent, the Prebyterian belief. The movement was based in part on the imminent return of Christ - the Second Coming - and exhorted people to ready their lives accordingly. In other words, preachers sermonized on ridding oneself of sin in live. Sermons against, alcoholism, slavery, and other behavior were common.

Much of what stirred the frontier may be found in this passage,

8 Who has ever heard of such things?

    Who has ever seen things like this?

Can a country be born in a day

    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

Isaiah 66:8a (NIV)

The new country, the new nation, had just passed through it's labor and delivery. Now, a new world was opening up as people spilled from the East Coast into the lush forests and fertile fields of Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and the Northwest Territory. This land could feed a nation.

But the Frontier was not without problems. There was little law enforcement, and with the Federal and State government so far away, what was to keep lawlessnes in check? Baptist and Methodist ministers, forbidden to preach back home, found new ground on the Frontier. Soon, churches and congregations sprang up throughout the new land. In this Awakening, churches accepted preachers without formal education and reaped a surplus of people who would go out and form congregations as the frontier spread westward. The movement was a Protestant Manifest Destiny.

By the 1820s, the fervor had passed its peak as its generation died away and the Third Great Awakening began.

The marriage certificate places Bazzel in Madison County, Kentucky on January 6, 1817. If James Comly Brown is accurate, his Father and Mother have already left for Ohio some four years earlier. This would also explain why James Sappington testified to Bazzel's age to marry. Perhaps the move to Ohio was not a hard move, that is, they packed up everything and left. On the other hand, there was family in Madison County, Kentucky, and Bazzel stayed behind to help on the farms there. Since Abigail's mother was a Wells, a family that had been with the Browns since at least Holliday's Cove, and who would appear in Licking County, Ohio, there is a sense that for at least a while, distance was not a factor.

On March 27, 1822, a land sale in Boone County, Missouri was recorded. Bazzel purchased 80 acres of land in the E½NE¼ of Section 36 of Township 050N - Range 13 W. Boone County was very new, having been formed on November 16, 1820, out of Howard County. Named for Daniel Boone, the county drew a lot of early pioneers from Kentucky.

In 1824, Bazzel was paid $1.40 "for bearing poll-book to Columbus." There is also mention of an Asa Brown as an early schoolteacher at Big Spring, Missouri, shortly after the first school was built between 1820 and 1825. There were also Turners there.

Bazzel and Abigail soon began a family. Their first son was named for his Grandfather, Nicholas. His middle initial "T" likely stood for Turner, as it was custom then to make the child's middle name the same as his mother's maiden name so the name would be remembered. Traditionally, Nicholas T Brown's birth is given as January 6, 1820, in Kentucky. This is clearly stated in Census Records, Eulogies, and Obituaries. This actually makes sense if you consider that at about this time, Edward Brown moved to Hopkins County, Kentucky. In other words, the Browns sold their Madison County lands before 1820.

Bazzel and Abigail found their way to Licking County sometime shortly after 1830. Other sources place their arrival in Licking County as early as 1828. This date, 1828, is confirmed when we learn that Bazzel sold his land in Missouri to James Turner in 1828. The first land in what would become Harrison Township, Licking County, Ohio, was sold in 1801 and in 1816, the township was formed. A history of Kirkersville tells us the town was platted in 1832 and Bazzel Brown soon opened a General Store, the first in Kirkersville. Family lore tells us that several things happened in Bazzel's life during this period.

Bazzel went Baptist. Up to this point, the family had followed the Episcolpalian faith from England. Bazzel's switch to the Baptist faith reflects the revival of spirit that took place through the frontier. In terms of Baptist History, Bazzel was taken in by the Second Great Awakening as evangelical pastors began riding circuits and holding camp meetings throughout Kentucky. It is quite likely that this fervor may have taken place at Tate's Creek Baptist Church. While today, this may seem too fine a point, and likewise in the fervor of the Second Great Awakening, but it is important in locating family history.

Bazzel was a missionary. In response to his new found faith, family lore tells us Bazzel went to the new Western Frontier of Missouri as a missionary. We also know that his father, Nicholas also went as far west as Missouri scouting for land. In Nicholas' case, the restlessness of a soldier is to blame. In Bazzel's case, the restlessnes of the Holy Spirit is to blame. The details of these journeys are lost to time.

Bazzel was not a farmer, but a timberman. To be sure, Bazzel kept a garden, but where his uncles and brothers made their living with farming, Bazzel harvested and sold lumber. This seemed to be Bazzel's lifelong livelyhood.

There is a Boone County in both Kentucky and Missouri. When our sources tell us Bazzel's son was born in Boone County, we must ask if it was Kentucky or Missouri. The preponderance of evidence from Nicholas T. Brown suggests Kentucky, Bazzel's missionary trip seemed to be to Boone County, Missouri. Circumstantial evidence suggests this is the case.

Bazzel and Abigail endured tragedy within their family.

1824 - Sidna Brown, the third child, dies in Boone County.

1834 - Jesse Brown, the seventh child, dies of illness.

1840 - Joseph Brown, the ninth child, died playing in a creek with his brothers.

b December 21, 1837, Licking County, Ohio; d August 21, 1840, Kirkersville, Licking County, Ohio

1840 - Rezin Brown, the tenth child is born four days after his brother's death.

1842 - Rezin Brown, the tenth child, died of illness.

1843 - Bazzel and Abigail move to Illinois.

1852 - Asa Whitacker Brown, the fourth child, dies at Fort Laramie, Wyoming.

Bazzel an Abigail were definitely in Kirkersville, Ohio, by 1840 and left for Illinois around 1843. Family lore also tells us that Bazzel ran a General Store in Kirkersville, Ohio, for a two year period before leaving for Illinois.

We learn more about Bazzel from his son Bazil. It is possible to argue dates - this account conflicts slightly with James Comly Brown's record. Generally, we see the pattern in both. Bazzel probably located his family on land that his father Nicholas had selected in Cumberland County, Illinois. Nicholas and Bazzel were not entirely on their own. One of Nick's friends was the Reverend George Callahan. George's son John married Nick's daughter Margaret. The Callahans were also early settlers in Cumberland County, Illinois. When Bazzel arrived, he already had family there.

Jewett in the 1850s was a thriving community similar to Kirkersville. Jewett straddled the Old National Road with a railroad service as well was an Illinois Kirkersville. The Old National Road opened west of the Wabash in 1835 and the St Louis, Vandalia, & Terre Haute RR sometime after the Civil War. Bazzel would not have seen the railroad in its heyday, but Abigail would have. In their initial travels, Nicholas would have also visited Palestine, Illinois, where the US Land Office was located. Indeed, the following land sales are recorded for Cumberland County, Illinois,

Name         Desc        Section Twp Range Meridian     Date

Brown Asa W         NWNW          11         09N 08E 3 07/07/1848

Brown Bazzle E2SE          15         09N 08E 3 01/07/1853

Brown Nicholas S2LOT2SWFR 06         09N 08E 3 09/01/1851

Brown Nicholas N2NE          09         09N 07E 3 08/30/1851

Brown Nicholas SW                 04         09N 07E 3 08/30/1851

Brown Nicholas N2SW          09         09N 07E 3 08/30/1851

Brown Nicholas S2NW          09         09N 07E 3 08/30/1851

Brown Nicholas N2NW          09         09N 07E 3 08/30/1851

There are more Land Sales recorded for the Browns in Cumberland County, as well as other land purchases in other parts of Illinois, some as early as 1818. We find Callahans, Bazzel's in-laws, arriving as early as 1848. More insight comes from a biography of Bazzel's son, Bazil, in the Cumberland County History,

BAZIL BROWN [the son - TEB], was born in Licking County, Ohio, on November 26, 1835. His father, B. Brown, was born in Penn., April 28, 1793, and moved to Kentucky, with his parents, and later, in 1812, to Ohio, and in 1848, to Illinois, settling in Cumberland County, where he engaged in farming. He died on May 20, 1854; his widow on March 9, 1878. They were both prominent members of the Baptist Church, having been a minister of that denomination for several years.

On November 5th, 1885, the Cumberland County, Illinois courthouse burned out of control. It was a total loss. The courthouse was completely gutted and with it, every official record was lost. No known land deeds, wills, marriage records, or birth records survived. The only family records that could survive were kept by the families themselves, and most have been lost to time.

Bazzel Brown from The Brown-Comly Family

Bazzel died on May 20, 1854, at his home in Jewett, Illinois, and was laid to rest in the Salem Cemetery near Toledo, Illinois, not far from his home. His father, Nicholas would outlive his oldest son by four more years, Nicholas' vision dimmed by cataracts. Nicholas, who must have been a frequent guest at Bazzel's home, chose this time to return to Kirkersville, never to leave.  An interesting newspaper article appears a little later,

Estate of Bazel Brown, 3rd day of June Term of The Cumberland County probate court

Dated April 10, 1855       Abigail Brown, Administrator

His widow, Abigail, had sons in the area to rely on. She continued life's journey until she passed on May 9, 1878. Abigail was laid to rest beside her husband in Toledo.

 

Headstone of Abigail Turner Brown - Salem Cemetery, Toledo, Illinois

The Children of Bazzel and Abigail Brown

i NICHOLAS T BROWN, b January 6, 1820; d April 1, 1866; m ELIZABETH FERREE GIBBONEY.

ii James Sutton Brown, b April 6, 1822; farmed in Vigo County, Indiana.

iii Sidna Brown, b February 12, 1823; d September 24, 1824, Boone County, Kentucky.

iv Asa Whitacker Brown, b July 29, 1825; d June 19, 1852, Fort Laramie, Wyoming

v Edward Brown, b March 3, 1828; lived in the St. Louis area.

vi Sally Brown, b May 18, 1832; m James H Ferguson; lived in Jewett, Illinois.

vii Jesse Brown, b February 15, 1834; d July 15, 1838.

viii Bazil Brown, b November 26, 1835; d January 5, 1920, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.

ix Joseph Brown, b December 21, 1837; d August 21, 1840.

x Rezin (Reason) Brown, b August 25, 1840; February 17, 1842.

xi Thomas Brown, b April 28, 1842; d January 11, 1862, Nashville, Tennessee.

xii Jemima Rebecca Brown, b January 12, 1844.

xiii Elizabeth Brown, b August 18, 1846; d May 30, 1903.

The DuBois Family and Their Descendants

Shield of the DuBois Family

In Florida, there is a chapter of the Huguenot Society, the Louis DuBois Chapter, named for our ancestor. Louis DuBois was the immigrant to Nieuw Netherlands whose ancestors and descendants are found in every state and every strata of America. Garret A Hobart, Vice President under William McKinley during his first term, General George S. Patton, Sam Walton, Marlon Brando, and Joan Crawford all count Louis DuBois as an ancestor. Louis DuBois's children enter the Brown Family through Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney.

The French name du Bois literally means 'from the woods.' The origins of the family lie in Ancient Gaul — Roman France. According to one genealogist, Anna Louise Thompson of Clinton, Iowa, the duBois line springs from Guelph, Prince of Scyrri in 476 AD. Fourteen generations later, we find Azo, Marquis of Liguria in 1030 AD who married Marie of the House of Este. The Estes trace their line to Lombardy, circa 500 BC. After a brief list of the Middle Ages most memorable monarchs, we arrive at,

Madame Claude de Lannoy, married Charles du Bois, Seigneur des Querder, who was a descendant of MacQuaire du Bois, Count de Roussey, A.D. 1110.

Seven more generations of du Bois pass,

I. Gen.: Eustache, Seigneur des Querder and de Fiennes, married first, Gille de Renel; married second, Jeanne de St. Ol.

II. Gen.: Gueslain des Fiennes, Count de Clarmont, married Jeanne de Longueville.

III. Gen.: Marc de Fiennes, Seigneur des Querder, married Madelaine d'Ognies.

IV. Gen.: Maxamillien de Fiennes, Seigneur des Querder, married Catherine Cecil Germand.

V. Gen.: Maximillien des Fiennes, married Louise Charlotte d'Etamps.

VI. Gen.: Charles Maximillien des Fiennes married Henrietta de Reignier de Boisleau.

VII. Gen.: Chretien Maxamillien des Fiennes, Seigneur de Beaufermez and de Bource, married ________ ?

The record of the erasure of Chretien's marriage and family, that is, the Chretien known to have been the father of Louis du Bois, makes a break in Louis' line of descent. The official record was obviously destroyed because of his Protestantism, and to prevent him--or any of his descendants--from ever after establishing a claim to the title and estates. We are informed that there were not two branches after the resumption of the title of Marquis des Fiennes. We are also advised that Louis was a second son; and that the title and arms of the des Fiennes became extinct with the death of the Marchioness de Poyanne, in 1761.

VIII. Gen.: Louis du Bois de Fiennes, born October 10, 1626, in La Basse, near Lille, in the province of Artois, France, married, October 10, 1655, at Mannheim, in the Lower Palatinate of Germany, to Catherine Blanchan, daughter of Mathese and Madelaine [Jorisse] Blanchan, who were co-refugees with the du Bois from French Flanders to Wicres, Artois, France.1 Louis du Bois died 1695. The du Bois des Fiennes appear to have been of military stock, and to have furnished France with some able soldiers.

 

Sketch of well dressed Huguenots leaving Church to a world of debauchery and petilence in London.

Enter the Reformation. The Reformation began in Germany, but religious fervor spread throughout Europe at a fiery pace. Protestantism knew no boundary, whether geographical or by class, and Louis du Bois' father became Protestant. This so angered the French monarchy that Cardinal Mazaran and Marshall Turenne, henchmen of Louis XIV, removed Louis du Bois and his ancestors from the official roles of nobility. Louis was stripped of his title and lands and sought refuge in Flanders. In fact, when Louis and his wife arrived in Nieuw Amsterdam, he was refered to as Louis 'the Walloon,' in reference to his Flemish exile. Louis then moved to Mannheim, Germany, from his Flemish exile.

 

Historical Map of Long Island

Louis arrived at Nieuw Amsterdam from Mannheim, Rheinlan-Pfalz (Germany) aboard the Saint Jean Baptiste which sailed from Amsterdam on May 9, 1661 and arrived on August 6, 1661 under the command of Captain Jan Bergen. Louis and his family settled in at Wiltwyck, or present day Kngston, New York. Louis would go on to be a founding father of the town of New Paltz as the Huguenots sought their own settlement in 1678 as well as the Reformed Church which Louis co-founded in 1685. Louis and his wife Catherine brought their third son for baptism at Wiltwyck in 1661.

Before long, Louis became one of the original 12 land patentees near Hurley, New York, somewhat distant up the Hudson River in the Catskills, for those days, and roughly across from present day Poughkeepsie. The Dutch settlement of Nieuw Dorp was used as a staging point for the Huguenots to begin their own settlement. On June 7, 1663, the warlike Munsee Indians attacked and razed Nieuw Dorp and it remained uninhabitated until acquired by the British on September 6, 1664, and renamed Hurley. The Indian raid on Nieuw Dorp was tragic for all, fatal to some, but from it comes a story of epic heroism. Louis' wife and children, along with the family of Jan Joosten van Metern were taken captive by the Munsee tribe of Esopus Indians.

The Dutch responded the next day with Captain Martin Krieger, a local leader and soldier well known in the Delaware, and who built the first tavern on Broadway, later known as Atlantic Gardens, that was used extensivly during the pre-Revolution by Patriots. Krieger and Louis DuBois headed up an expedition to retrieve the hostages and 'chastise the Indians.' After three months, they finally found the Indian encampment on September 3, 1663, defeated the Indians, and restored the families.

A description of the captivity comes from Professor Obenchain of Ogden College, Bowling Green, Kentucky,

About ten weeks after the capture the Indians decided to celibrate their escape from pursuit by burning one of their captives. For their victim, they selected Catharine d Bois and her baby, Sara, who afterward married Joost Janse Van Veteren [sic]. A cubical pile of logs was arranged and the mother and child were placed upon it; when the Indians were about to apply the torch, Catharine began to sing a Huguenot hymn [Psalm 137] she had learned in earlier days in France. The Indians withheld the fire and listened. When she finished they demanded another song and then another. Before the last hymn was finished Dutch Soldiers arrived, the captives were all rescued and the Indians terribly punished.

Louis and Catherine brought two children across the Atlantic. The oldest was Abraham, who married Margaret Deyo, daughter of one of the patentees of New Paltz.

 

The DuBois House in New Paltz, New York

As for Abraham and Margaret Deyo, Ralph Le Fevre, author of The History of New Paltz, writes,

In the old street in our village the Deyo house, the DuBois house and the houses of the two Hasbrouck brothers came down in the same family for nearly two hundred years.

And later,

Probably the last of the Patentees to cross the ocean were Christian Deyo and his son, Pierre. Pierre's wife, Agatha Nickol, and their child came with them; likewise his three ummarried sisters, Maria, Elizabeth and Margaret, who afterwards became the wives respectively of Abraham Hasbrouck, Simon Le Fever and Abraham DuBois.

We also find the original patent of Peter Deyo. Please note the original spelling has been preserved,

Kingestowne, 26th April, 1681.

I under written Peter dolliaw of ye New False doe owne to

stand indebted unto mee Thomas Dellavoll ye sum of fifty two

Sch. wheatte, wch I doe oblige my self to pay this next year

now cominge on, whereunto I have sett my hand to be de-

livered at ye water syde. Pierre doyo.

Note the name Deyo is spelled doyo. In other documents, it is spelled doioie in the feminine and doyau in the masculine. In a further note on the Deyo family, New Paltz historian, Al Marks "The Evolution of a Town," notes

[…]the DuBois and Deyo families were soon brought even closer together by the marriage of Abraham DuBois with another of the daughters of Christian Deyo, who thus became grandfather of so many of the New Paltz inhabitants that even his property became known simply as 'Grandpere' in the old deeds. The calculation of shares of that property passed down to his heirs became, after a generation or two, an exercise in high mathematics."

Abraham and Margaret had a daughter, Leah DuBois, who married into another famous French family, the Ferrees. Although the French were guests of the Dutch in Nieuw Netherlands, they tended to keep to themselves. Few children of the original patentees married with Dutch families but there were other French families about beyond New Paltz. One of these families was the Ferrees.

Leah was baptized on October 16, 1689, in New Paltz three days after her sister Rachel. Leah's godparents were Solomon DuBois and Mary LeBlanc. Abraham and Margaret moved to Somerset County, New Jersey before Leah was of age. When she had reached sufficient age, she married Philip Ferree and moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where his father had a patent for 1,000 acres. Philip was the son of Daniel Ferree and Marie de la Warenbuer.

Tombstone of Abraham Du Bois, Huguenot Cemetery, New Paltz, New York

Among the old records at Albany is an abstract of the will of Abm. DuBois, survivor of the New Paltz Patentees. The will, which was probated in 1731, mentions the wife Margaret, the sons Abraham and Joel, the daughters Sara (wife of Roelif Eltinge) Leah (wife of Philip Ferree) Rachel and Catharine. The will disposes of land on the Raritan in New Jersey, on the south side of the Paltz River (Walkill) at New Paltz, at Canistoga and house and lot at New Paltz; also personal property. The executors are the son Abraham and the son-in-law Roelif Eltinge. Daniel DuBois is one of the witnesses. 

The House of Philip and Leah Ferree in Paradise, Pennsylvania

Philip and Leah would end out their lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and were buried in Carpenter's Graveyard, Paradise, Pennsylvania. The graveyard site was selected by Leah and is located on the original Daniel Ferree farm.

Philip and Leah had a son Jacob who married Barbara Carpenter, the daughter of a Swiss Mennonite who had also immigrated to Lancaster County. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married John Gibboney and they had a son, Bejamin Gibboney.

Benjamin is the father of Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney, who will marry Nicholas T. Brown in Ohio, travel to Iowa, and become an early widow.

Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney Brown and her generations, daughter Margaret, granddaughter Elva, and great-granddaughter Gladys.

 The Honorable and Mrs. N. T. Brown of Louisa County

Thus far, we have read how, through hard work and three wars, the ancestors of N T Brown have travelled from England, to Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. Through each move, these ancestors have carved civilization from nature and created a land safe for their children. We have read of celebration and tragedy, of new life, lives well lived, and of death. N T Brown will rise to the occasion, yet he will not live the frantic lives of his father and grandfather. His seems a much more relaxed approach, yet he will take us further west and set the stage for his children to arrive at the West Coast. Our branch will take a different path.

Nicholas Turner Brown was born in Boone County on January 6, 1820. Most people, including NT himself, agree that he was born in Kentucky. O.L. Brown, who wrote a section in James Comly Brown's The Brown and Comly Families, tells us that NT was born in Missouri.  NT's next youngest sibling, James Sutton Brown, was born in Missouri.  This fact allows us to date NT's father's Missionary Mission to the then frontier of Missouri.  Further, this brother becomes important to the Brown family in coming generations.   While both Kentucky and Missouri are plausible birth-states, because NT tells us he was born in Kentucky, Kentucky it is. NT's birth in Kentucky is supported by facts.

NT was still a lad when the family settled near Kirkersville, Licking County, Ohio. This small village is near the border with Fairfield County, and before Licking County was formed, was part of Fairfield County. Even though the family owned several farms in the Licking-Fairfield area, the locus of the family was Kirkersville.

Kirkersville's Main Street is the Old National Road or, as it is also known elsewhere, the Cumberland Road. This road provided constant communication back to Maryland and forward to St Louis. Cumberland County, Illinois was named after the Cumberland Road, an older name for the Old National Road. It must have been a source of imagination for young NT at his boyhood home in Kirkersville.  During this time, NT's father and grandfather would travel the road to Illinois to speculate in land.

In Kirkersville, he meet the young Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney. Elizabeth brings a history to the family that rivals the Browns. Her heritage is told in another section. Elizabeth was the daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Kendall) Gibboney and a descendant of the Ferree, DuBois, and Montfoort families who settled near the Van Cleaves, van Couwenhovens, and Schencks in colonial Nieuw Amsterdam.  These families were Hugenot and founders of New Paltz in New York.   On March 25, 1840, NT and Elizabeth were married in Kirkersville, Ohio.

There was plenty to do in Licking County. NT's father seems to have remained in Licking County until about the same time NT left for Illinois. There was farming to do. NT's cousins were known for both their fine wheat crops as well as cattle and hog herds. The land they stewarded was rich, new farmland carved from primeval woodlands.  As with any farm, there is always work to do.

It has not been firmly established when the Gibboneys and Browns moved to Iowa. N.T. Brown appears on the 1840 Federal Census for Harrison Township, Licking County, Ohio. Family lore tells us they moved to Iowa in 1844. We know that both N.T. Brown and Benjamin Gibboney appeared on the 1847 Census for Louisa County, Iowa, but did not appear on the 1846 Census of the same. Then, in the 1850 Federal Census for Louisa County, Iowa, we find,

Household Sex Age Birthplace

Nicholas G [T] Brown M 30 Kentucky

Elizabeth Brown F 28 Pennsylvania

Bazel Brown         M 7 Iowa

Margaret Brown F 6 Iowa

William Brown         M 3 Iowa

John Brown         M 0 Iowa

If we go by the entry for Bazel Brown, the family was in Iowa as early as 1842.

We get even more information from an assessment of the militia conducted in the late Spring or early Summer of 1844 and found in the History of Louisa County,

The return from Grandview township made by Joseph Burr, assessor, shows that there were the following officers residing in that township at that time: Robert Childers, Colonel; Alex. Ross, Major; Nicholas T. Brown, Lieutenant; Morton Brown, 2nd Lieutenant.

Tragedy struck on June 20, 1850, NT's father-in-law, Benjamin Gibboney died in neighboring Muscatine County, not far from NT's home.  The family buried him in Grandview Cemetery in Louisa County, Iowa.  Benjamin was born in the old family home in Bedford, Pennsylvania. 

On January 10, 1851, The Wapello Times reports on the meeting held to organize the Circle Wolf Hunt. Boundries were set, marshalls assigned, and rules set to drive wolves and other predators of livestock - and people - to a killing zone. N. T. Brown's farm is listed as "Squire Brown's,"

"Marshals — Florence line, John Deihl; Scull's, John Wiser; Wilson's, T. Brogan: McElhanie's, F. Lee; Squire Brown's, H. C. Blake; Jarvis', Z. Jarvis; Virginia Grove, Joseph Marshall; Hope Farm, J. Tinstal and John Marshall; the ford, Joseph B. Nichols; Hill's Mills, Robert Benton; Robinson's, T. Stoddard: mouth of creek, Wiley Gregory, James Blanchard and H. Gregory; Harrison, R. B. Packard; Wapello, J. Bell, Jr., and J. M. Herrick; Squash Bend, S. S. Blackburn and James Wilson; mouth of Otter creek, Samuel Chaney.

N.T. and his father-in-law farmed together for fifteen years. For reasons not fully known, N.T. entered politics. If his eulogies are to be taken as fact - and they should be - N.T. was an honest man with good judgement. What helped N.T. in his election was another factor.

N. T. was serious about farming.  On June 10, 1862, N. T. received approval on his patent application for a rotating divider for a hay rake.  Nothing seems to have come from this patent - US35502A - and the family allowed it to lapse.  The importance here is that it speaks to the industry, intelligence, and savvy of NT.  Although he was a farmer, he was known as 'Squire Brown.'

In 1865, N.T. ran for the position of State Representative for Louisa County. Louisa County histories describe this as a tumultuous time in Lousia County politics with many people switching parties. Unlike today's elections, which seem non-stop, this was a simpler time when people actually knew their neighbors and campaigns did not last long.

Officially, the Civil War was over. General Lee of the Confederate States of America had surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, which formally ended the war. Fast forward through the Summer of 1865, and although hostilities had ended, the war and much of the sentiment behind the war, had not been resolved. On September 2, 1865, the Democatic Party held a "Soldier's Convention" for the county and invited soldiers and those who opposed equality for the freed slaves. The meeting was well advertised and well attended and it was quickly determined that the soldiers favored freed slave equality - the opposite of what the convention desired. When Lieutenant B.F. Wright opened the convention, he had to explain that the call was for soldiers opposed to freed slave equality. Someone should have explained to Lieutenant Wright that these were largely Union soldiers… For the 1865 County Election, the convention elected as candidates James S. Hurley for the Senate and O.H.P. Linn for State Representative. Hurley, who was not present at the meeting, immediately declined the candidacy upon learning he had been chosen. N. M. Letts was subsequently chosen for the "Soldiers Ticket" to replace Hurley.

The Republicans, running on the "Union Ticket," were entirely successful in the election. The Republican State Senator defeated N. M. Letts - Dr. J. M. Robertson received 1,092 votes, and N. M. Letts 860. Likewise, N. T. Brown defeated O. H. P. Linn, 1,142 to 810, a wider margin that the Senate race. N. T. then traveled to Des Moines to begin his service to his county in the Eleventh Iowa General Assemby which convened on January 8, 1866.

 Official portrait of Hon. N. T. Brown of Louisa County. Beards were fashionable then.

N. T. rented a room in a boarding house in Des Moines and left the farm in the hands of his sons and the Gibboneys. Then, in the afternoon of Thursday, March 22, 1866, Nicholas felt ill. The Honorable Mr. McNutt explains what happened next in his address to the Legislature on Monday April 2, 1866,

Mr. Speaker:—The melancholy duty devolves upon me of announcing to this House the decease of one of our number, Hon. N. T. Brown, Representative of the county of Louisa. The seat which he has occupied on this floor, until a few days ago, has been vacated by him forever. Less than two weeks have elapsed since a stranger looking at this body of men would have pointed him out as one likely to outlive the majority of us. But the ways of Providence are mysterious, and the stern messenger, death, singled him out from among us all. His spirit has returned to God who gave it, and yesteray, his remains were consigned to the cold and silent tomb.

Some ten days previous to his death, while sitting at his desk, now vacant before you, he felt so sick and chilly, of what he supposed to be only a bad cold, that he was compelled to leave this Hall and repair to his room at his boarding house; from that room he never returned. It was soon discovered that he was laboring under a severe attack of pneumonia. A telegram of the fact was dispatched to his family, and in the meantime he was carefully nursed by fellow members of this House and friends he had made here, and was attended by the best medical skill. His wife and son arrived several days before his death, and watched by his bedside till the last sad hour. A widowed wife and a large family of children now mourn his loss.

At the time of his death he was but a little over forty-six years of age. Born in Kentucky, his boyhood was spent in Ohio, he emigrated to Iowa in his twenty-second year, and during the past twenty-four years has resided alternately in Muscatine and Louisa counties, only a few miles from my own home. And I state but the simple truth in saying, that as a husband, a father, a devoted Christian, and an estimable neighbor, no man stood higher among those who knew him. He never had the faculty of gathering together much of this world's wealth; but he was known as that noblest work of God, "an honest man," and long since learned to lay up treasures for himself where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, nor thieves break through nor steal. [Paraphrase of Matthew 6:19-21]

Last year, when the people of Louisa County sought a proper man to represent them in this branch of the General assembly, they passed by the able lawyers, the ambitious politicians, the wealthy owners of princely mansions, in their rich county, and sought the humble cottage of "Squire Brown," a plain farmer who earned his bread by the sweat of his face. They loved him for his goodness, they honored him for his virtues, and they trusted him for his integrity; and their love, their honor, and their trust were well placed.

[…]

Let us who remain, learn so to live, that, when we come to die, we may look back upon a life well spent, and with an unfaltering hope in a happy immortality, meet our end in peace.

Samuel McNutt (R), Representative of Muscatine County, 11th General Assembly

The Honorable Mr McNutt was an immigrant from Ireland who was well-liked in Muscatine County. He was a newspaper editor, school principal, and husband of the niece of Robert Lucas, former Governor of Ohio (1832 to 1836) and later, Govenor of the Iowa Territory (1838 to 1841). Under President Harrison, Mr McNutt served as Consul to Venezula. It is not difficult to believe Samuel NcNutt pulled his neighbor into politics.

Funds were appropriated by the legislature to pay the funeral expenses, as well as the travel expenses, of Elizabeth and her oldest son, Bazel Gibboney Brown. A partial list of expenditures is found in the Senate record: $41.00 for train tickets; $24.30 for medicine and board; $36.00 for the coffin and hearse; $50.00 for Drs. Boomer and Robertson; and $60.00 for other expenses - shroud, coffin lining, and so on. It should be noted that Dr. Robertson was also the Senator for Louisa County and N. T.'s running-mate in the 1865 election on the "Union Ticket." Dr. Albert Boomer, also a Republican, was a Representative from Delaware County, Iowa, and served as a surgeon in the 27th Iowa Infantry during the Civil War.

According to family lore, the Honorable N. T. Brown was laid to rest on the Statehouse Grounds, although the Des Moines newspaper states he was buried in Des Moines Cemetery. The Senate record indicates a plot was purchased "in the cemetery of the State." Elizabeth and her son, Basil, returned home. In 1866, G. H. Crow was elected to replace N. T. Brown, but did not serve. Instead, a new representative was elected for the 12th General Assembly. In 1869, Elizabeth moved to Ringgold County, near Mount Ayr, where she lived out her life. Her children went with her. Her middle son, ASA WHITACKER BROWN, remained in Ringgold County at least long enough to appear on the 1870 Federal Census there before going to Vigo County, Indiana, to farm with his cousins. Elizabeth's daughter Margaret, "Maggie," was married to Z. D. Epperly and lived a couple of houses away. The youngest three sons went to California in the late 1800s, where their families remain. Joseph appears in the Mono County Voter Rolls in 1881 near Bridgeport.

The shattering of the family may have come from a lawsuit filed against the family in 1869 over a property dispute.

Although the family went their seperate ways, they stayed in touch. A picture of Asa and Laura comes from Elizabeth's descendants in Iowa, not Asa's in Indiana. The youngest sons, Oscar and Joseph remained in Ringgold County with their mother and sister until the 1880s before heading to Mono County, California. They did not stay there long before moving to Fullerton, California, today a suburb southeast of Los Angeles.

Four Generations of Brown Women: Elizabeth F Brown, daughter Maggie Skinner, granddaughter Elva Benbow, great-granddaugher Gladys Benbow

The Children of N. T. and Elizabeth Brown

i Basil Gibboney Brown, b 1843, Iowa; moved to Kellerton, Iowa

ii Margaret A. Brown, b 1844, Iowa; moved to Kellerton, Iowa

iii William H.Brown, b 1847, Iowa; moved to Hastings, Nebraska

iv John N. Brown, b 1850, Iowa; moved to Riley Township, Ringgold County, Iowa

v Asa Whitaker Brown, b 1853, Iowa; moved to Pierson Township, Vigo County, Indiana; m Laura Jane Van Cleave; d 1902, Vigo County, Indiana

vi George Brown, b 1856, Iowa; moved to Butte County, California; d March 16, 1932; bur Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

vii Oscar R Brown, b 1858, Iowa; moved to Mono County, California; dsp Fullerton, Orange County, California

viii Joseph Albert "Joe" Brown, b August 27, 1859, Iowa; moved to Mono County, California; m Laura Rachel Parmeter; d June 9, 1935, automobile accident in Tuscon, Arizona; bur Loma Vista Memorial Park, Fullerton, Orange County, California

 

The headstone of Elizabeth Ferree Gibboney Brown, M. Ayr Cemetery, Ringgold County, Iowa