This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: weisslakeguy Surnames: Brown, Sewell, Morgan Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.alabama.counties.cherokee/2727/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I have been attempting to research this family for some time and keep hitting brick wall after brick wall. Here is what I know so far and I would be extremely grateful if someone could help fill in some blanks. James Brown was born sometime between 1815 and 1822 in North Carolina. I have no concrete evidence of this other than the fact that census information is fairly consistent about his birth. Sometime between his birth and 1845 he migrated to Calhoun County (formerly Benton County) Alabama. I also have no evidence of parents or siblings. The Alabama Marriage Collection (http://bit.ly/kFpzN3) contains a record that states that James Brown married Frances Alexander on 20 Jul 1845 in Calhoun County, Alabama. Though circumstantial, this record does match time, date, and location for this family. 1850 Census information (District 28, Benton, Alabama) James Brown 28 F Brown 28 (this could be "Frances") C Brown 4 (this could be "Clarissa") A Brown 3 (this could be "Albert") D Brown 2 (this could be "Derotha") The oldest child (age 4) would have been born about 1846, supporting the 1845 marriage record. I have been unable to locate the 1860 census for this family. However, I did locate the 1866 Alabama census in Cherokee County, Alabama. Although only James is listed, the numbers and genders of everyone in the household matches what is known about this family. 1870 Census information (Township 12 Range 11, Cherokee, Alabama) James Brown 53 Fanny Brown 45 Clarissa Brown 24 Albert Brown 22 Derotha Brown 20 Marshal Brown 10 Susan Brown 8 Henry Brown 6 The 1870 census represents the first concrete proof of names since some of these are known to me. Again, this census supports the marriage record located above. 1880 Census information (Blount, Alabama) James Brown 65 Francis Brown 53 Marshal L. Brown 20 Susan E. Brown 18 Henry B. Brown 15 This is where problems begin. 1) Frances is 28 on the 1850 census, 45 on the 1870 census, and 53 on the 1880 census. So she aged 17 years over a 20-year span, then she aged 8 years over a 10-year span. 2) James and Frances disappear from all records after 1880, though it is plausible that they may have both been alive in 1900. 3) Both Clarissa and Derotha drop from the census after 1870. I have not been able to locate a marriage or death record for either of these daughters. 4) Albert married Eliza Campbell about January 1880 and had the following children: Della (1882 - 1914), Edmund Marshall (1882 - 1956), James Thomas (1886 - 1947), Joseph A (1888 - ?), and Frances (1890 - ?). Albert died in 1912 and is buried at Providence Cemetery in Centre, Cherokee, Alabama; however, I am unable to locate a death certificate or news article which might provide further evidence for his wife, children, parents, and siblings. a. Della and Edmund Marshall are twins. b. Census and death records both state they were born in Dallas, Texas. This is unusual since I have not identified any records placing the family in Texas. By 1886, the year of James Thomas' birth, they were back in Alabama. 5) Henry B (actually Henry Allan) Brown married Martha Gertrude Bush on 1 April 1900 and had the following children: Frances J (1905 - 2000), Jewell Odessa (1907 - 2002), Paul James (1909 - 1987), Stonewall Jackson (1911 - 1990), Susie Levine (1913 - 1914), Susan Opal (1915 - 1996), Hazel Ruth (1917 - ?), Classie Alline (1920 - 1986), and Clara Estelle (1922 - 1991). Of interest is that Marshall L (actually James Marshall) and Susan E, brother and sister (respectively) of Henry, are living next door to Henry and wife on the 1900 census. And they are actually living with Henry and family on the 1910 and 1920 censuses. 6) Henry died in 1924. Marshall died in 1927. Again I am unable to locate a death certificate or news article for either. Presumably they both died in Cherokee County, Alabama since they both lived and are both buried there. In fact, they are buried together. Their monument can be viewed on FindAGrave at http://bit.ly/iLC6Xk. 7) I successfully located Susan living in a household with Catarina (actually Catherine) Sewell and Fletcher Sewell, in Cedar Bluff, Cherokee County, Alabama in 1930. She is listed as a "Boarder". Of special note here is that I have attempted to research Catherine and discovered that she was born in 1846 and her father was born in North Carolina (later censuses, though, put the location as Tennessee). I have been tempted to believe that Catherine and Clarissa are the same person. It would make sense that, since Susan never married and has always lived with family, she would move in with her sister after her brothers' deaths. However, I am fairly certain that Catherine's maiden name is Morgan. She is buried in Cedar Bluff, Cherokee County, Alabama. It can be viewed on FindAGrave at http://bit.ly/j2tSz4. 8) I am unable to locate any death certificate or news article on Susan after 1930. I would appreciate any help that anyone might be able to give. I don't understand why this family is so difficult to track. Each and every family member has managed to disappear from the record without so much as a news article, marriage record, or death certificate. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.