The site I sent a couple of days ago about the letters of Thomas Jefferson Brooks http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/lilly/mss/html/brooks.html had a lot of interesting information to help fill out his family. Mention is made of his brother Lewis' dau. Mary Caroline Brooks marrying the Woburn artist Benjamin Champneys, (which should not have an "s" at the end according to Benjamin's bio), of Woburn. I was curious about him, and looked up his bio: http://whitemountainart.com/Biographies/bio_bc.htm There is a link to "Sixty Years' Memories of Art and Artists" by Benjamin Champney. MCM., which states his mother is Rebecca BROOKS. His wife is not mentioned in his biography, the only source I was able to find that he married Thomas' niece was the Indiana.edu website. I did find them on ancestry.com, and it would appear that his wife was 17 years younger than he, if info can be trusted. I could not find who his mother's (Rebecca Brooks) parents are, but would not immediately assume she was from Henry's line because Benjamin was a Woburn artist, since he was not born in Woburn (he was b. in New Ipswich, NH, and anc.com trees show his f. was b. Groton, MA). Benjamin's renown was as a landscape artist, portraits, and floral painter, especially associated with the White Mountains. From info provided at both of these sites I've determined: (From Chris: Thomas Jefferson Brooks parents are: Daniel Brooks 1764 (John 1723, Job, Daniel, Josh, Capt. Thomas) and Bathsheba Dakin) Daniel and Bathsheba had 2 more children mentioned in these pieces, Lewis and Rebecca. Lewis Brooks, 1802-1838, of who's estate the letters on indiana.edu from Thomas Jefferson are about (referred to as Thomas' brother Lewis), This site states the letters reference Lewis' wife Mary Caroline Merriam, and the daughters of Lewis: Eliza Brooks who married Augusta Wise, and Mary Caroline Brooks who married the Woburn artist Benjamin Champney(s). (Lewis' wife) Mary Caroline Merriam's sister is also mentioned in association with these letters, Eliza A. P. Merriam Brown-Mrs. Charles R. Brown and later Mrs. John Wise. (note: possibly Augusta Wise who married Lewis daughter Eliza is a son of Mr. John Wise). The site mentions that Lewis' daughters were being educated in Lexington, MA by Rebecca (Brooks) Trask, b.1808, sister of Thomas. From the Whitemountain site, Benjamin Champney's memoir "Sixty Years...." mentions he was born 11/20/1817 in New Ipswich, NH. He says his father was Benjamin Champney, a lawyer, and that his father worked in law with his father Ebenezer. He states his mother is Rebecca Brooks, his father was not successful, died young, left mother with 7 kids. At age 10 he went to live with his mother's sister Louisa (Brooks) Bugbee who lived in Lebanon, NH, her husband owned a cotton factory. His memoir says this Aunt Louisa had already adopted a younger sister who he refers to later as his sister Mary Jane. So, this shows that Benjamin Champney 1817 (Benjamin, Ebenezer) also had a sister Mary Jane Champney. His mother Rebecca Brooks had a sister Louisa who married a Bugbee and lived in Lebanon, NH. Maybe someone knows who the parents of these women are? Thank you for any help on this- Maura Amrich, Tyngsborough, MA

Maura Amrich wrote: > So, this shows that Benjamin Champney 1817 (Benjamin, > Ebenezer) also had a sister Mary Jane Champney. > > His mother Rebecca Brooks had a sister Louisa who married a > Bugbee and lived in Lebanon, NH. Maybe someone knows who the > parents of these women are? 7. Rebecca BROOKS + Benjamin/6 Champney Louisa Brooks + Amos Bugbee 6. Solomon Brooks + Louisa/6 Brooks (3d cousins, both in Concord line) 5. Peter Brooks + Rebecca Ball (again 3d cousins, both in Concord line) 4. Ebenezer Brooks + Sarah Fletcher 3. Noah Brooks + Dorothy Potter 2. Dea. Joshua Brooks + Hannah Mason 1. Capt. Thomas Brooks + Grace --?-- Benjamin Champney Jr., the painter, is what I call an "8a" -- 8th-generation in the Concord line. Chris