This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: bonniegaia1 Surnames: McCandless - Brown - Gilleland - Rathbun - Graham/Maharg - Young - Johnston - Fleming- Snoddy -Buzzard- Crow Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.pennsylvania.counties.butler/9107.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Kim, Glad to 'meet' a descendant of the Caleb Brown family. Perhaps you can help verify the BROWN family into which Sarah McCANDLESS married. Joshua BROWN [possible son of Caleb BROWN d1823] is alleged to have married Sarah McCANDLESS 1802 Middlesex, Butler Co, PA. This marriage appears in several online trees; I am hoping someone can verify it. *If* this marriage date is correct and *if* Joshua married as a young man -- say age 18-25, we might estimate a birthdate for Joshua in vicinity of 1777-1784. Could you verify the children of Caleb BROWN [d. 1823] of Butler Co, PA? as I have these largely from internet sources: Rachel BROWN, b ca 1771[likley married a CATHER]; Abraham BROWN, b ca 1777; Robert BROWN [1779-1853 who m. Ruth RATHBUN; Ann BROWN[1780-1857] who m. John MAHARG/ GRAHAM; Sarah BROWN who m Robert GRAHAM; Lydia BROWN [1784-1839] who m Rev John Tillinghast RATHBUN; and Mary BROWN who m John YOUNG. Are those correct? If Joshua Brown [d War of 1812] married as young man born in the vicinity of 1780, he would fit chronologically with this Caleb BROWN family. Your not having heard of Joshua BROWN [d War of 1812] is perhaps not surprising. He probably died a young man, ca 1814, not hitting too many records. In 1819 his *minor* children are known from the guardianship papers filed by Sarah Brown. [Credit to Barb Lawrence for finding the guardianship papers] 18 Jan 1819 - Sarah Brown [she is not identified as widow, but we assume she is the mother of the children] asks for guardianship for 5 minor children - Butler Co Pennsylvania Orphans' Docket Vol.1, pg 52 [item 129] "On the 18th day of January AD 1819, on petition of Sarah BROWN praying the court to appoint guardian for the minor children of Joshua BROWN, dec'd, to-wit: Mary, Robert, John, Sammuel & Caleb Brown, prayer granted and the court appoint Hugh GILLELAND guradian to take care of the persons and estate of said minors..." [item 130] "On the 18th day of January AD 1819 Mary BROWN a minor above the age of fourteen years [over 14 yrs in Jan 1819 = born before Jan 1805; so Joshua and Sarah were married 1804 or before, fitting with the unverified marriage date of 1802 found online] came into court and by her petition prayed the court to permit her to make choice of a guardian, prayer granted and she make choice of HUGH GILLELAND, which being[?] was approved..." I am not sure why Mary is named twice. Choosing Hugh GILLELAND also as her guardian would seem to place her as a daughter of Joshua. So this gives us the following *minor* children in Jan 1819 for Joshua Brown and alleged wife Sarah McCANDLESS: - Mary BROWN - Robert BROWN - John BROWN - Samuel BROWN - Caleb BROWN [1814-1854] Caleb BROWN, son of Joshua, was born 28 Dec 1814 [calculated from tombstone found by Barb Lawrence: 'Caleb Brown died 14 Aug 1854, aged 39 years, 7 months, 17 days'], was stated a 'native of Butler Co, PA' [in bio of Caleb's son-in-law Bigelow Daniel BUZZARD]. Caleb [b.1814] was likely the youngest child, and may even have been born after his father Joshua Brown died in War of 1812. This Caleb Brown (1814-1854) married in Salt Creek twp, Wayne Co, Ohio 17 Jul 1838 Elizabeth JOHNSTON [b1815 Greene Co OH]. Was Samuel BROWN [son of Joshua d. War of 1812] the Samuel Brown who was residing 1860 in Slippery Rock, Harrisburg, Butler Co. PA? Can anyone claim this Samuel Brown for another Brown family?: 1860 US Census Slippery Rock Harrisburg, Butler Co, Pennsylvania 342/304 BROWN, Samuel, age 48/1812, Farmer $2000/650, born PA ..........., Eliza, age 43/1817 ,born PA .......... , Melissa age 20/1840, born PA ............, John age 16/1844 , born PA ..........., Mary age 10/1850, born PA ............, M....?. , male, age 9/1851, born PA ............, Otis, age 7/1853, born PA ............, Rosana[?] age 5/1855, born PA Of two other of Joshua Brown's minor children from the 1819 guardianship papers, Mary BROWN and Robert BROWN, I have no further information. But then there is John [my line]. In his son's bio, John BROWN is mentioned: "[he] is a son of John BROWN, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1812, about the time that his father lost his life on the high seas during the War of 1812...." [Actually, the cemetery gives John's birthdate as 1809, but it is not terribly surprising to have the grandfather's death in 'war of 1812' color the memory of the precise date.] John BROWN, like his brother Caleb [b1814], moved to Richland Co, Ohio, where John was a blacksmith and wagon-maker, having started out manufacturing sickles. In 1840 he is already in Newville, Richland Co, OH -- as is his brother Caleb and, apparently, his brother-in-law Joseph FLEMING. So my John BROWN [b1809] story belongs more to Richland Co., Ohio than to Butler co. PA. [I'd be delighted to hear from descendants of John BROWN -- he died1888 in Richmond, Ray Co, MIssouri, leaving a detailed will clearly identifying family members.] It is of interest, however, in linking these John and Caleb as brothers, that John BROWN[b1809] is in Richland Co OH by 14 Nov 1832 where his son Perry BROWN was born. John Brown bought land in Newville, Richland Co, OH in Sep 1833. In the 1840 census, his name is only 3 names away from Caleb Brown's in Newville and in 1853 John sells land to Caleb. John Brown [b1809] married 14 Sep 1830 [Brown family Bible] Matilda Jane SNODDY [b 20 Jun 1815! Cumberland Co, PA], daughter of John SNODDY [b PA, d ca 1822 Cumberland Co PA] and Ann FLEMING [b. 9 Jun 1798 Franklin Co, PA- d 18 Mar 1853 Richland Co OH] It is also intesting that Ann FLEMING, mother-in-law of John BROWN [b1809 Butler Co PA] married, secondly, in 1823, Francis JOHNSTON [b1794, Westmoreland Co PA, son of William JOHNSTON and Mary McCANDLESS]. Francis Johnston was a sickle-maker also. The inter-relationships are enough to make one's head spin. Some of the JOHNSTON clan ended up in OH too, although I don't yet know when they left PA. Mary McCANDLESS [dau of Robert d.1813 and sister of Sarah McCANDLESS, wife of Joshua Brown (d. War of 1812)] m. William JOHNSTON. Their first child, Francis JOHNSTON was born 1 Oct 1794 Westmoreland Co, PA and is said to have come to Butler Co PA when young, with his father William. I only have a list of the other children of William Johnston and Mary McCANDLESS, no dates or birthplaces to indicate when that family left Butler Co PA for Ohio. William Johnston's descendants say he died in Knox Co. Ohio [see below]. The connection between the Butler Co, Ohio JOHNSTONs and the McCANDLESS family in Butler Co PA is spelled out in the bio of Eli Johnston [http://www.rootsweb.com/~ialinn/bios/j.htm]: "William JOHNSTON, the grandfather of our subject, was reared in Cumberland and Westmoreland Cos, PA. He lived for a short time in Stark Co, OH, but spent his last days in Knox Co, that state, where his death occurred. He wedded Mary McCANDLESS, also a native of Ireland, who came to the United States when only a year old. Her father was Robert McCANDLESS, while her mother bore the maiden name of CROW. They located in Butler Co, PA where her father followed the occupation of a farmer until called to his final rest. Unto William Johnston and his wife were born eleven children, namely: Francis, Polly, William, Susan, John, Isabel, Absalom, Adam, Robert, Sarah and James. All are now deceased." Back to Joshua BROWN's children of the 1819 Guardianship papers in Butler Co PA: The guardian chosen/appointed was Hugh GILLELAND, whom I assume is the Hugh GILLELAND (d.1841) Butler Co PA resident and husband of Elizabeth Ann (or Ann Elizabeth) McCANDLESS b ca 1770 -d 1853 Middlesex, Butler Co PA. Hugh and Elizabeth (McCandless) Gilleland's younger children were of the age of the guardianship children. It would make sense for the court to appoint an uncle to be the children's guardian. Sorry this got so involved. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to summarize it! Hope you can shed light on the BROWN - McCANDLESS connection. Bonnie Oakland, California 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.