This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/oQB.2ACE/1529 Message Board Post: In my research of the Abraham Brown line, I've seen where researchers attach Mary Potter as the mother of Abraham's children. Abraham and Mary were m. in 1692, the same year Abraham Jr m. Leah Clayton. Also, there are certain records: Taken from Stillwell's Historical Miscellany of NJ, page 130: *Abraham and Cattron Brown were witnesses to the wedding of their daughter: 1686-7, 3d of 1st mo., John Hamton, of Middletown, md. to Martha Brown , of Shrews. , "at the publicke meeting house of ffriends", the first day of the week. *Abraham and Mary Brown were witnesses to the wedding of Abraham's son: 1692, 29th of 7th mo., [in margin 4th of 12th mo., 1692], Abraham Brown md. to Leah Clayton, he of Shrews., she of Middletown , on fifth day of week, at house of John Clayton *Abraham was witness to a wedding: 1689, 9th of 11th mo., [in margin 10th of 2d mo., 1690],Robert Ray md. to Jenett Hamton , both of Shrews. , at house of John Hamton. In the first entry, Abraham and Catherine (Cattron) are noted as witnesses to the wedding of THEIR daughter, Martha (in 1686/7). In the second entry, Abraham and Mary are noted as witnesses to the wedding of ABRAHAM'S son... not THEIR son, but Abraham's... (in 1692) All of Abraham's children had been b. by 1692 and considering Martha m. in 1687 and Abraham Jr in 1692, seems most (if not all) were pretty much grown by then, making it impossible for Mary Potter to be the ancestress of anyone descended from Abraham Sr. So, why do some researchers insist on making Mary the mother of Abraham's children?? Is it because Catherine is such an anonymous ancestress, being we don't know her maiden name? Is it because Mary is listed as his wife in his will and people just assume? Is it some just don't take the time to wonder or question it - I'll admit, for a long time I had Mary listed as mother to Abraham's children, but then I actually read (and absorbed) some of this information and thought about marriage dates vs. birthdates, and it occurred to me that Catherine Unknown was truly the Brown ancestress, not Mary. Gail Brown