| HUGH BROWN SENIOR:
Hugh Brown Senior was born in Virginia (according to the 1784 East Florida Spanish Census - he stated Virginia); exact date unknown. His father was Robert Brown, possibly of Virginia and of South Carolina; his mother was unknown. In the records of Camden County, Georgia, Minute Book, Court of Ordinary - on 28 October 1809 HUGH BROWN SR. and William Cone Sr., both Senior Grand Jurors, applied to be relieved of jury duty swearing that they were
upwards of 60 years of age. It was ordered that he and William Cone be discharged from serving jury duty in the future. Using this information, one could determine that Hugh Brown Senior's birth date falls sometime near or before 1749. HUGH BROWN SR. married a lady named SARAH
- date and place unknown - Sarah's maiden name unknown. By 1784, this couple had four children (1784 FL Spanish Census) and later they had one son named Hugh Brown Junior. Deed records show that both Hugh Brown Senior and his father, Robert Brown, lived in South Carolina and that they owned land in Berkeley and Craven counties. Prior to 1785 there were only four counties (Berkeley, Craven, Colleton, Granville) in South Carolina which extended from
the Atlantic coast to the mountains. Between 1768 and 1774 Hugh Brown (Senior) inherited at least 100 acres of property belonging to his father along the Saluda River in Craven County in South Carolina. As shown above, Hugh Brown sold 90 acres of this property in 1774. A description of land surveyed for Hugh Brown in 1769 in South Carolina listed under Pre-Revolutionary Land Plats at the SC State Archives: On September
5, 1769, Hugh Brown was granted 100 acres of land on the waters of the Reedy River in Berkeley County. This land was bounded by Moses Tomlin and by vacant land. Patrick Cunningham, D.S. Memorials were titles to land in South Carolina during the Royal Period (1719-1776) which were registered for the validation of prior Proprietary Land Grants and for the purpose of Quit Rent (tax) collection. These Memorials were recorded 1731-1775 by the office of His Majesty's
Auditor General. The series of volumes are found on microfilm, Record Group 0030, Series 002 at the SC State Archives. Memorials of the 17th & 18th Century South Carolina: Vol. 10, Reel 5, page 12: Hugh Brown
100 Acres
QT Rt. 3/Ster. or
4/Proc. Money
Certified by R.L. A Memorial exhibited by Hugh Brown to be registered in the Auditors Office, SC, of a Plantation or tract of land containing one hundred
Acres, Situate in Berkeley County on Reedy River, Bounding to the N.W. on lands claimed by Moses Tomlin? and to the East by said River and other sides on Vacant lands: survey certified on the 29th day of Sept. 1769 and granted on the 31st day of Oct. 1769 to the Memorialist at the Quit Rent of 3/sterling or four shillings Proc. Money [Proclamation Money=money of SC] p: 100 acres, to continue for two years from the date. In witness whereof he hath herewith Set his hand the 8th day of Dec.
1769, Pat. Cunningham, DS. Memorials of the 17th & 18th Century South Carolina: Vol. 11, Reel 6, page 68: Hugh Brown
100 Acres
Qt. Rt. 3/Stg.
or 4/Pro. B Money
Certified by DL A Memorial exhibited by Hugh Brown to be registered in the Aud.rs Office, SC, of a plantation or tract of Land containing 100 Acres Situate in Craven County between Wt. oak of Beaver Creek bounding S on Land laid out for one McCullough, NE
on Land laid out for James Kilpatrick, all other Sides on vacant land. Survey certified the 13th Sept. 1770 and Granted the 14th day of Sept. 1771 to the Mem.st at the Qt. Rt. of 3/Stg. or 4/pro. money per 100 acres to Commence two years from the date. In witness Whereof he hath hereunto Set his hand the 17th day of Oct. 1771. John Belton, DS del Dec. 1st 1772 to James McCragh. During the Revolutionary period in South Carolina, there were a great many
people living in the Ninety-Six District, where the majority of people were Scots-Irish and in the Orangeburg District, where the majority of people were German. Both districts were known as "the backcountry." Not everyone supported the colonies' feeling for independence and some believed that a Congressional government would force them into compliance with measures which would drastically reduce their freedoms. At the very beginning of the Revolutionary War
movement, a large segment in the backcountry as well as in other areas found these ideas completely unacceptable and they were unwilling to go into battle against the King of England to support such causes. In this early period of the Revolutionary War, Hugh Brown was among those who decided to remain sympathetic to the British Crown. In Judge Folks Huxford's book, "Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia," Volume IV, page 34, it is stated that Hugh Brown Senior
"opposed independence and that he collaborated with the notorious Tory, Patrick Cunningham, during the war." In the "History of Orangeburg County, South Carolina," by A.S. Salley, on pages 296 & 297: Extracts from a letter written by Mr. Drayton, "At Mr. Hammond's, near Augusta, Aug. 30, 1775: By various accounts that I received on the road yesterday afternoon, last night, and this morning, it appears to be a fact that Kirkland
(Moses Kirkland, of the fork between Broad and Saluda rivers, who had been elected captain in the Rangers, but had turned traitor) is actually in arms to attack Augusta and Fort Charlotte. The King's men as they are called were summoned to meet yesterday at a place about twenty miles from hence; they separated last night, and I am informed they will meet again in two or three days. They have been very diligent in obtaining arms. Cunningham and Brown are of the party...I have
also ordered Col. Thomson to march his Rangers, and as near three hundred militia as he can, and take post at the Ridge; and Col. Richardson, with three hundred men, to take post near the mouth of Enoree, to be a check on Fletchall's people, in case they should show any intention of assisting Kirkland." Salley's book continues on page 300: "Drayton's letter of Sept. 11th, from Ninety-Six, details fears of an attack by Fletchall. After detailing
his arrangements for resisting this expected attack he goes on: 'Fletchall, Brown and Cunningham have been, since the first alarm that I wrote you of, and still are endeavoring to assemble men, as they yet have no force embodied; it is plain their influence is declining, and that their people are terrified.'" On page 301 on 16 September 1775, "A treaty was signed at Ninety-Six, between Drayton and the Tories, whereby the Tories promised to disperse and remain
neutral, and to deliver up any one of their number who should in any way violate the treaty." Regiment officers continually submitted reports to their superiors as well as to the Council of Safety. On pages 427-428 on the 29th of September in 1775, in a letter written by Col. William Thompson who had just returned to Camp Amelia after a visit to the Ninety-Sixth District: "Col. Drayton has had a Meeting with Col. Fletchall & some of his Head Men
& that He has in a great measure quieted him & his party. they seem to be dissatisfied at first about the declaration that he had sent over to their Camp desiring them to give up their Leaders, but after a little expostulation they appeared very ready to make & sign his Treaty, which I suppose you have seen. I was informed that Cunningham & Brown were not well pleased with Fletchall for what he had done & that they had parted, not upon the best terms." In the same book on pages 317-319, upon reaching the Ninety-Six a few days after 30 November 1775, a proclamation was issued by Colonel Richardson: "Whereas, on the third day of November last past, Patrick Cunningham, Henry O'Neal, Hugh Brown, David Russe, Nathaniel Howard, Henry Green and sundry other persons, did in Ninety-six District, raise a dangerous insurrection and commotion, and did, near Mine Creek, in said District, feloniously take and carry away a
quantity of ammunition, the property of the public, and in contempt of public authority, and did also with further aid, and by force of arms, on the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first days of said month of November at Ninety-Six, in the District aforesaid, attack, besiege, kill and wound a number of the good people of this Colony...Col. Thomas Fletchall and others becoming guilty of the atrocious crimes of robbery, murder and breach of treaty of peace." The
Council of Safety in Charleston (composed of some of the greatest men of the province including Henry Laurens, Esq., its president) met to consider how to "quell the disaffection of the non-associators." Several Regiments were sent to settle this affair and the result was that the Ninety-Six surrendered. Restitution was made for "ravages" committed, their arms and ammunition taken. Several of the captured men were sent to Charleston as prisoners, some were
asked to sign a paper assuring their proper behavior in the future, then discharged. A number of the offenders were simply admonished without conditions then dispersed to their homes or plantations. Considerable diplomatic restraint by the "friends of Congress" was used on those inhabitants who were in disagreement with them. Salley, on pages 330-331 & 337-338, explained that though there were Loyalists in every part of South Carolina, their
numbers were greatest in the triangle area between the Broad and Saluda Rivers - the lesser part in the Orangeburg District and the greater part in the Ninety-Six District. Pay abstracts which list a Hugh Brown in District Ninety-Six from "Loyalists in the Southern Campaign Volume I," by Murtie June Clark: Page 254: Private Hugh Brown 96th Brigade, 183 days pay for service with Lieutenant Colonel John H. Cruger on the march to Orangeburg, SC,
14 June - 13 December 1780; in Major Patrick Cunningham's Regiment, Little River Militia. Page 259: Private Hugh Brown 96th District, 14 June - 13 December 1780, & 07 August 1780; Major Patrick Cunningham's Little River Regiment. Page 267: Private Hugh Brown 96th Brigade, Soldiers' Certification 14 June - 13 December 1780; Major Patrick Cunningham's Regiment, Little River Regiment. Page 297: Captain Hugh Brown 96th Brigade, 159
days pay 01 July - 06 December 1781; in Colonel Thomas Pearson's Regiment, Little River Militia. Page 502: Captain Hugh Brown 96th District, Refugees of the Second Class in Charlestown, SC, 61 days, 01 May - 30 June 1782. Page 503: Captain Hugh Brown 96th District, Refugees Second Class in Charlestown, SC, 62 days, 01 July - 31 August 1782. Page 503: Captain Hugh Brown 96th, Refugees of the Second Class in Charlestown, SC, 122
days, 01 September - 31 December 1782. On page 179 in the book, "The American Loyalists Or Biographical Sketches Of Adherents To The British Crown In The War Of The Revolution," by Lorenzo Sabine, Malcolm Brown and Hugh Brown held a commission under the Crown from 1780-1782. In "Family Encyclopedia of American History," by Reader's Digest, page 1130, explained that Loyalists, or Tories as they were sometimes referred, were in the
majority in both Georgia and South Carolina. They comprised about one-third of the population and were most numerous among the large land holders under the Crown. Penalties for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the new government included treble taxation, banishment and execution. The Confiscation Act was passed which recommended that Congress seize all Loyalist property. Hugh Brown, along with countless others, had his property confiscated and was banished
from South Carolina. According to Lorenzo Sabine, in his "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution," Vol. II pages 486 & 487, under the BROWN heading: "Of South Carolina: Roger, Archibald, Hugh and Malcolm...the four were banished and estates confiscated. Hugh was in arms as early as July, 1776, and his course in inciting the Indians to hostilities, and joining and leading them, caused general exasperation."
Josiah Smith's Diary 1780-1781, annotated by Mabel L. Webber in the SC Historical & Genealogical Magazine, Oct. 1933, Volume 34 page 194: "In the Act passed for Confiscation of Estates, and for Banishing certain Persons--the following Six Setts of Persons &c are particularly Specified vizt." In the same source, pages 196-197, the following set pertains to Hugh Brown and a few of his associates:
No. 5. Militia Officers and Magistrates &c Commissioned by the British Commandant of CharlesTown whose Estates are Confiscated & their Persons to be banished from the State: Andrew Cunningham, John Cunningham, Patrick Cunningham, Robert Cunningham, William Cunningham, Jonathan Belton, Henry O'Neal, Col. Thomas Fletchall, John Flemming, Moses Kirkland, William Mills, James Smyth, William Stephens, Malcolm Brown, and Hugh Brown. The following information
concerning Confiscated Estates (one for 150 acres and one for 200 acres) was obtained from the South Carolina Department of Archives & History in Columbia, SC:
State of So Carolina
Ninetysix District Pursuant By Orders to me Directed By John Ewing Calhoun, Esq., One of the Commissioners of Aforesaid State, I Have Admeasured & Laid Out for use of Said State, One Hundred & fifty Acres of Land on Ready & Saluda Rivers; formerly held by Hugh Brown;
Bounding So. & W. on Said Rivers; No. on John Willard's; E on Patrick Cunninghams. & Hath Such Shape form & marks as the above Plat Represents. Survay [sic], this 3rd Day of Decb.r, 1782.
John Rogers, D.S. So Carolina
Ninetysix DT. Pursuant By Orders to me Directed By John Ewing Calhoun Esq., One of the Commissioners of aforesaid State Appointed, I Have Admeasured & Laid Out for the use of Said State Tow
[sic] Hundred acres of Land formerly held By Hugh Brown; Bounding West on Ready River; South on Land of Said Brown; N. on Lands of Hance Hendricks. & Hath Such form & Marks as the above Plat Represents. Survay this 7th Day of Decb.r, 1782.
John Rogers, D.S. The Spanish ruled Florida for nearly 200 years but after devastating defeats during the Seven Years' War in Europe, ceded Florida to the British in return for Havana at the Treaty of
Paris in 1763. For the next twenty years the British occupied Florida (British Period 1763-1783) during which time they offered enticing land grants to encourage settlers. During the Revolutionary War, many Loyalists from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia fled to British East Florida. Some became farmers or plantation owners, others were merchants who owned businesses in St. Augustine.
Source: "Pacetti/Bonelly" Manuscript (unpublished) by Marguerite Marreé Mathews. In the first week of December 1782, Hugh Brown's lands were confiscated by the State of South Carolina. Even though his rank as a Militia Officer had not yet been stripped from him, by the end of December in the year 1782 he was a "refugee" in Charleston. When Hugh Brown left South Carolina for St. Augustine, British occupation in East Florida was about to
come to a close. Great Britain was defeated by the American colonists, peace terms were decided again in Paris in 1783, retroceding Florida back to Spain. This was the beginning of the Second Spanish Period (1783-1821) in East Florida. Spain issued an ultimatum to all residents notifying them to leave Florida or remain loyal to Spain and embrace the Catholic religion. Most of the British inhabitants rejected these terms and departed, leaving their
property behind. In this transition period, a few decided on temporary refuge while others indicated acceptance of Spain's stipulations and elected to stay. Source: "East Florida 1783-1785 A File of Documents Assembled, and Many of Them Translated," by Joseph Byrne Lockey, pages 1-10. In July and August of 1784, the Spanish officials in Florida took a census count of all residents. The Official Spanish Census of 1784 -
(transcription & translation by Marguerite Marreé Mathews) - East FL Papers - Microfilm Reel 148, Bundle 323 A: Hugo Brown . Natural de Virginia se Vale a su animo. Indeciso sobre su futuro destino tiene Mujer y quatro Hijos. Reside sobre el Rio Snt. Juan En la Boca de la ensenada de Julia Anton. Hugo Brown: Native of Virginia, it is his intent to be under [Spanish] protection; he is undecided on his future destination,
he has a wife and four children. He resides on the St. Johns River at the mouth of Julington Inlet. NOTE: The Spanish language lumps the children into one category without gender differentiation - hijos = a plural term indicating all of the children in a family. Julington Creek (Julia Anton as the Spanish called it) flows from east to west into the St. Johns River about twenty-five miles north of St. Augustine. Hugh Brown
was also listed in Lieutenant Colonel William Young's troop on the 1784 Spanish Census - (transcription from St. Augustine Historical Library files) - East FL Papers - Microfilm Reel 148, Bundle 323 A: Don William Young: Native of Pennsylvania, requests Spanish protection to retire to British Dominions, he has a wife and one son, his first profession was that of a planter but he became chief of a company of men destined to preserve public tranquility, the breaking up
of which he yet has had no orders. This troop is composed of Don William, Chief; two Lieutenants, Samuel Gray and William Lucas; two Sub-Lieutenants, Nathaniel Ashley and William Boquen; four Sergeants [William Ashley, Drury Fort, John Young, Hugh Brown] and forty Privates. He has eleven slaves and four horses, his residence lies at the mouth of the Julia Anton Inlet. When the twenty years of English authority ended, Don Vizente Manuel de Zespedes arrived in
St. Augustine to take over the Governorship from Patrick Tonyn. At this time, in 1784, there were bands of marauders or Banditti who plundered the deserted plantations, especially those between the St. Marys and St. Johns Rivers. Two of these people, described as "murderers, assassins and lawless individuals" were the infamous Daniel McGirtt/McGirth and William Cunningham. Governor Zespedes and former Governor Tonyn collaborated as to how to prevent these attacks
and stabilize the chaos. The order to continue the British patrols was issued. Lt. Colonel William Young's troops were detached to pursue the villains, to protect people and property and to restore the peace. Source: "East Florida 1783-1785 A File of Documents Assembled, and Many of Them Translated," by Joseph Byrne Lockey, pages 9-17. In St. Augustine, on 15 February 1785, thirty-eight men sent an "Address of Sundry
British Subjects resident in the said Province" to former Governor Patrick Tonyn, Esquire, requesting an extension to the eighteen-month period for disposing of their estates and "evacuating" from East Florida as stipulated by the Peace Treaty with the Spanish. Hugh Brown's name was not on this petition. Almost two weeks later, on 26 February 1785, Patrick Tonyn wrote to Governor Zespedes informing him of departure arrangements:
"Although I am preparing for a speedy departure, I apprehend from the number of passes lately issued to Individuals and the very great embarrassments in transporting them and their Effects to Saint Marys, we shall not be able to accomplish this business so early as the 19th of next month......I firmly depend on Your Excellency's ready consenting, that Individuals may have permission to pass as usual in the small Craft to the shipping in Saint Marys......I think it proper to acquaint you,
that I shall be one of the last to depart by the Opportunity of His Majesty's Transport shipping, and that Messieurs Hume, Yeats, Brown, Edwards, Captains Smith, Mowbray and their familys [sic] and Effects; Major John Ross for trust of his proprietors, will remain until I embark." Source: "East Florida 1783-1785 A File of Documents Assembled, and Many of Them Translated," by Joseph Byrne Lockey, pages 525-528. On the next Spanish
Census (Father Thomas Hassett's Census) for East Florida taken in December of 1786, Hugh Brown's name is not listed. Hugh Brown, his wife, Sarah and their family must have moved from the St. Johns River in East Florida to Camden County, Georgia, sometime during the year 1785. Hugh Brown applied for a warrant for land in Georgia in the year 1786. This is the earliest date mentioning his name found on documents in Camden County. From the
Georgia Colonial Plat Book D, 1785-1793, page 4; on microfilm 51/19 located in the Georgia Department of Archives & History in Atlanta: Camden County NO.12 Hugh Brown for 500 acres. Warrant dated November 6th, 1786 and Surveyed the 8th November 1786 by Jacob Weed, AS. Certified by Robert Montfort, S.G&C. Scale 20 Chains p Inch.
The Headright Grant for the 500 acres is found in the Georgia Colonial Headright Grants Book QQQ, 1788-1789, page 287; on microfilm 52/27 in the Georgia Department of Archives & History in Atlanta:
State of Georgia. By the Honorable George Handley, Esquire, Governor...Do give and grant unto HUGH BROWN...five hundred acres situate, lying and being in the County of
Camden in Said State...bounding Wes [sic] by Major Armstrong's Land, South by Surveyed Land, and on all other sides by Vacant Land...this 11th Day of August One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Eight...and in the thirteenth Year of American Independence. Geo. Handley
Signed by His Honor the Governor in Council the 13th Day of Augt. 1788 J. Meriwether C.C
Registered the 14th day of Augt. 1788.
Rev. George White's "Historical Collections of Georgia," contains a passage about the early settlers of Camden County, Georgia, which was formed in 1777. On page 286 he wrote, "Among the early settlers of this new county were, Henry Osborne, Talmage Hall, James Armstrong, Jacob Weed, Henry Wright, John Flemming, James Woodland, Thomas Stafford, Langley Bryant, Wm. Reddy, Hugh Brown, John King."
In the Brown file notes of Kathleen Carmichael Adams, in 1787 the Justices of the Peace who constituted the Camden County Land Court were: Nathaniel Ashley, Langley Bryant, John Flemming, Tallmage Hall, Thomas Norris, Hugh Brown Sr., Thomas Stafford, John Webb, Jacob Weed, James Woodland, Henry Wright, Alexander Young. In James T. Vocelle's "History of Camden County Georgia," p. 35, "The first Justices of
the Peace were Hugh Brown and Alexander Young." Hugh Brown Sr. was Justice of the Peace in Camden County 05 February 1789; 24 December 1791; 21 February 1796; 12 June 1801 and from 1799 until 1812. In 1784 the South Carolina General Assembly passed the Land Restoration Act providing restitution to those persons whose estates were previously confiscated. Hugh Brown must have had prior notification (not found) that he was to receive payment for
his property. At the end of August 1788, Hugh Brown transferred the remainder of his restored estate in South Carolina to his good friend and attorney, John Cunningham. The document describing this transaction was obtained from the file folder under Confiscated Estates - Lands Restored - at the SC State Archives: Gentlemen:
For a valuable consideration unto me in hand paid by Mr. John Cunningham of
Charlestown aforesaid, the Receipt where of I do hereby acknowledge thereby assign, transfer and set over unto him, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns all my Estate, Right, title, Interest, property Claim and demands of in and to the whole Amount Sales of my Estate which in Virtue of an Act of the Legislature of this State [South Carolina] hath been confiscated and Sold, but since restored unto me by an Act
of the General Assembly of the State Aforesaid..., Together With All the Interest due thereon According to the Act of Assembly afsd. And hereby request that Indents for the same may by you be made out in the name of the aforesaid John Cunningham, his Executors, Administrators and Assigns and be delivered to him or them forthwith ~ with such additions for Explanation in future as to you shall seem meet. And I thereby
nominate & Appoint him, the Said John Cunningham, my true and lawful Attorney for the purpose aforesaid ~ Hereby declaring that the Said John Cunningham's Receipt to you shall be a Sufficient clear and legal discharge in the premessis [sic]. Witness my hand and Seal this 27th August 1788
Hugh Brown (his Seal) Sealed and Delivered in the presence of:
Witness: Wm. Singleton
George Moore Through a legal monetary exchange, John Cunningham received a little over a thousand pounds for the sale of Hugh Brown's property. Below is the official reply of this transaction - obtained from the file folder of Confiscated Estates - Land Restored - at the South Carolina State Archives:
Received 10th Sept. 1788 from the Commsr. of the Treasury an Indent No. 66 Book RP for One Thousand and four Pounds 10/3 Shllg. being the Amount of the Purchase Money (with Interest thereon) of the Estate of Hugh Brown formerly confiscated but restored to him by an Act of the General Assembly, 26 March 1784 ~ I say received by virtue of an Assignment from the said Hugh Brown, to me. Signed: Jn. C. Cunningham
£ 737:10:0 Amt. Property sold
£ 267:00:3 Int. from 8 July 1783
£ 1004:10:3 NOTE: An interpretation proffered in the James T. Goodbread files: Handwriting experts affiliated with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Bank of America were engaged to discern whether or not the handwriting representative of Hugh Brown, who
wrote or signed legal documents in South Carolina and later in Georgia, was subscribed by one in the same person. These were compared and found to be identical. Throughout the many years of gathering research material on the Brown and related lines, my cousin, Kathleen Carmichael Adams and I never had any doubts that the writing, particularly the distinctive signature on these documents, was executed by the same person - our ancestor, Hugh Brown Senior.
On 02 December 1788, Hugh Brown voted in the first election on record in Camden County in the town of St. Patricks. CCG Record Book AB page 9: At a general Election held at the Town of S.Patrick in and for the said County on Tuesday the second day of December One thousand seven hundred and Eighty eight. Before the Honorable Jacob Weed and James Seagrove, Esquires. The Poll being
opened the following persons appeared and gave in their ballots in the order as below specific viz ~. Listed below are two out of the fifty-eight members who cast votes at this election:
Number 4. Robert Brown
Number 37. Hugh Brown In this same election, votes were cast for the General Assembly. It was recorded that
Hugh Brown was one of the men elected. In her book, "Camden's Challenge A History of Camden County, Georgia," on pages 6-7, Marguerite Godley Reddick explained that the first county seat was located in the town of St. Patrick's: In February 1787, St. Patrick 'on the south side of the river Great Satilla' was selected as the first official county seat of Camden County...The town of St. Patrick actually
existed for a time, for lots were sold in the town and elections were held there. In 1792 St. Marys (on the St. Marys River) became the second county seat for a period of about eight years. In 1800 yet another decision (Reddick p. 6) by the Georgia Legislature was made to "establish and make permanent the seat of the public buildings of the county of Camden at or near the center of the county."
According to Camden County historian, Eloise Bailey Thompson, the site was a place called Jeffersonton or Jefferson, shown on early maps to be located in the center of the county on the south side of the Satilla River and not far from St. Patricks. Two factors influenced the decision (Vocelle p. 50) to move the county seat to the more centralized Jefferson: Travel back and forth to St. Marys was tedious due to the fact
that at that time there were no railroads. The majority of the large rice planters lived in this section of Camden County. Hugh Brown was one of the five men commissioned by the Legislature on 29 November 1800 to buy the land and erect the courthouse at the town of Jefferson. NOTE: The county seat was at Jefferson for a little over seventy years. Another
Legislative Act was passed in 1872 to remove the county seat from Jefferson back to St. Marys. In 1923 the county seat was removed from St. Marys to Woodbine, where the Courthouse stands today. Source: "Camden's Challenge," by Marguerite Reddick, pages 6-8. On 23 April 1789, Hugh Brown submitted a list of forty-three names of "Men who were living on the north side of the Great Satilla River which is part of the 3rd District in
Camden County at Present." Among those listed were:
No. 2 Robert Brown, Senr.
No. 12 John Brown
No. 22 Robert Brown, Junr. "I Certify the foregoing is a true list of the Men liable to do duty in the 3rd Dist. & that
they reside on the No. side of the River. And that there is as many or very nearly so, Residing in the same Dist. on the So. side of the River."
Signed: Hugh Brown Source: GA Genealogical Magazine, No. 85 Summer, 1982 p. 206: County files, Telamon Cuyler Collection, Special Collections, University of Georgia Libraries. Contributed by Robert S. Davis Jr., Jasper, Georgia.
On 12 September 1789, Hugh Brown, Justice of the Peace and Robert Brown, Register of Probates, were among seven people who signed the following Oath of Allegiance. In Book AB page 17: Georgia County of Camden: We the Subscribers Do solemnly swear that we will support the Constitution of the United States agreeably to an Act of the United States Bearing date the first day of June One thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.
On Monday 07 December 1789, at a Land Court meeting held at Indian Springs, Camden County, "Before the Honorable Henry Wright Esquire, and James Woodland, Alexander Young, Talmage Hall and Hugh Brown Esquire." Presided the Honble, Henry Wright Esquire ~ ORDERED ~ No. 98 Mary McGirth applyed [sic] for Headrights, the Court being divided - The Yeas & Nays were demanded by Mr. Hall - Nays Mr. Wright, Mr. Woodland, Mr. Young &
Mr. Brown - Yeas Mr. Hall - So she was refused on acct. her being the Wife of Daniel McGirth ~ Source: Recorded on page 41 of the CCG Land Court Journal 1787-1790 - Journal is in the Bryan-Lang Library, Woodbine, GA. There are several Browns listed throughout records in Camden County. During this time frame a few of those with the same last name appeared to be contemporaries of Hugh
Brown Senior. It is conceivable that some of those who were mentioned - Robert Brown, John Brown, David Brown and William Brown - may have been related to him. ROBERT BROWN - Voted in the first CCG election in December 1788; took Oath of Office on 12 September 1789 - became Register of Probates; on 06 July 1789 was granted a tract of land containing 200 acres on the Great Satilla where White Oak
Creek empties into the river- surrounded by Michael Rudolph, Thos. White's Corner, Thos. M'Call's land, Jno. Crawford's land, Jno. Whitehead's land, pines, water oaks, bay, red bay - surveyed 10 May 1891 by William Niblack - witnessed by John Crawford & Daniel Moffet - CCG Land Plat Book C p. 8; took Oath of Allegiance in September 1789; listed on CCG Tax Digest in 1794; according to CCG Inferior Court Minutes in January 1794 list of Jurors, No.85 Hugh Brown and No.95 Robert Brown; in theColumbianMuseum and Savannah Advertiser newspaper - Jacob Mickler of St.
Marys applied for administration of the estate of Robert Brown, deceased on 28 August 1799; according to notes of Lee Russell, CCG historian, in Brown file at Bryan-Lang Library - Robert Brown married Edie Lang on 06 March 1800; Robert Brown listed on 1809 CCG Tax Digest in Capt. Grayhams District; on 05 April 1819 Edy Brown applied for a warrant for 100 acres of "pine & hammock land" & surrounded on all four sides by
Burwell Atkinson property - surveyed on 11 April 1819 by Thos. E. Hardee - witnessed by E. Weeks & Henry Beal - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 46. JOHN BROWN - CCG records show that on 09 September 1795 he was a Constable; on 13 April 1798 signed a petition asking the GA Governor for militia security against Indian insurgencies in the Burnt Fort area - "Camden's Challenge," by Reddick p. 198;
on 13 July 1799 took the Oath of Allegiance; according to CCG records on 05 January 1804 he was one of the Commissioners of Inferior Court who laid out public roads; on 06 January 1808 Minute Book of Court of Ordinary states that John Brown had lately intermarried with Mrs. Mary Ratcliff; listed on 1809 CCG Tax Digest in Capt. Grayhams District; on 02 June 1817 applied for a warrant for 300 acres of land with a "Low
Hammock," surrounded by cypress, pines, water oaks, & Elliot's land & John Brown's land - surveyed on 14 October 1817 by Wm. Niblack - witnessed by Hugh Brown & George Low - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 40; on 03 November 1817 applied for a warrant for 145 acres of pine land shaped in a triangle, containing a small pond, & surrounded by lightwood, live oaks, water oaks & pines, old station & Elliot's Corner & John
Brown's land - surveyed on 08 November 1817 by Wm. Niblack - witnessed by Hugh Brown & George Low - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 41. DAVID BROWN - in 1806 a commissioned captain in the 30th Militia District (Baileys Mill) in CCG - "Camden's Challenge" p. 30; listed in "The Brown Family" compiled by Lucile Bruce Brown - copy in the Bryan-Lang Library - she says that there were two
David Browns in CCG - "both married Elizabeths"; on 05 April 1819 applied for a warrant for 100 acres of pine land next to Burwell Atkinson, Beale & Herron? - surveyed on 10 April 1819 by Thos. E. Hardee - witnessed by Henry Beal & Ezek. Weeks - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 43; on 05 April 1819 applied for a warrant for 150 acres of "pine & Hammock Land" surrounded by pines, ash, tupelo, gums & B. Atkinson's & N.
Atkinson's land - surveyed on 10 April 1819 by Thos. E. Hardee - witnessed by Ezekiel Weeks & Henry Beal - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 44. WILLIAM BROWN - listed on 1809 CCG Tax Digest in Capt. Grayhams District; on 02 June 1817 applied for a warrant for 200 acres of land - which was described on the plat - "Black Jack Ridge" & "Road to the burnt fort" & surrounded by Basil Low's Corner,
lightwood & pines - surveyed on 13 October 1817 by Wm. Niblack - CCG Land Plat Book F p. 16; in Brown file at Huxford Library - William Brown - warrant dated 02 June 1817 - 400 acres bounded on the north by Basil Low's land - surveyed on 05 December 1829 - witnessed by Hugh Brown & George Low; on 03 December 1836 William Brown sells 200 acres of the original grant for $100.00 to Hugh Brown (dates indicate transaction was with Hugh Brown Jr.). NOTE:
JOHN BROWN, RS, labeled "The Revolutionary Sailor" in James T. Goodbread's notes - explains that this John Brown, born in Rhode Island, did not arrive in CCG until 1812, is buried in St. Marys and "had no connection to Hugh Brown." "Camden's Challenge," p. 22, says that John Brown was b. 1764 in Rhode Island; d. 1835 in St. Marys; m. Sarah Mizell. "Pioneers of Wiregrass," Vol. II p. 46, states,
"John Brown 1765-1825 was an early settler of Camden County and a native of South Carolina.....married Sarah Mizell.....four known children: 1. David b. 1800 m. Henrietta F.; 2. Robert b. 1804 m. Eliza Ann Clementine Pendergast; 3. Samuel Willard b. 1811 m. 1st Louise Harley & 2nd Elizabeth H. McCoy; 4. George Washington b. 1814 m. Eliza Copeland." Also in "Pioneers of Wiregrass," Vols. II & IV (many discrepancies in
both volumes), states that after John Brown's death, his widow, Sarah & her children moved to Jefferson County, FL. Sarah died in Thomas Co., GA in 1864 - Vol. II; she died & is buried in St. Marys, GA - Vol. IV. In PWG Vol. IV, her son, Robert Brown b. 1804 in CCG & died 1860 in Columbia Co., FL, served on the Legislative & Executive Councils in Columbia County - the same area where several of Hugh Brown Senior's adult children moved after 1843. On 14 December 1790, Hugh Brown was commissioned as:
2nd Lieutenant 1st Co. Camden County Reg. of Militia Reported in the 10 December 1791 issue of the Augusta Chronicle & Gazette of the State, a news article about the impeachment of Superior Court Judge Henry Osborne for election fraud: 2nd charge: "It is alleged that 25 votes were legally and actually cast in said election,
15 for Gen. Wayne and 10 for Jackson, and the result was certified by Henry Wright, Hugh Brown and Langley Bryant, election managers. However, through the influence and insistence of Judge Osborne it is alleged that the returns were changed to read a total of 89 votes cast, 79 for Gen. Wayne and 10 for Jackson, and such returns were signed by Judge Osborne, Armstrong, Seagrove and Wright and Bryant."
NOTE: The Augusta newspaper edition omitted linking Hugh Brown's name with the five officials who were connected to this political scam. Source: "Genealogical Material from Legal Notices in Early Georgia Newspapers," Abstracted by Judge Folks Huxford p. 173. Although, in the 28 July 1791 issue of the GeorgiaGazette, Savannah, Georgia, a conflicting story was reported which stated that Langley Bryant, Henry Wright and
Hugh Brown were indicted for neglecting to send in the election returns. Source: GA Genealogical Magazine No. 2, October 1961 p.64. In 1792 Hugh Brown requested a survey of several acres of his land in Camden County. Apparently, the surveys for two substantial tracts were never recorded in the Office of the Surveyor General. The following document was found among loose
records in the Atlanta, GA Department of Archives & History: Hugh Brown 600 acres Hugh Brown 484 Acres Camden 1792 Recorded in Book M;Q A-G page 75:
Georgia: By the Court of Justice of Camden County To William Niblack Surveyor of said County you are hereby authorized and required to admeasure, layout or cause to be admeasured & laid out unto Hugh Brown a Tract of
Land in said County which shall contain six Hundred acres, two Hundred acres on the Headright of William Howard, two Hundred and fifty acres on the additional headrights of Zachariah Haddock and one Hundred and fifty acres in lieu of an old warrant for same quantity in his own name~~taking especial care that the same hath not heretofore been laid out to any other Brown or person. And you are hereby also directed & required to
record the plat thereof in your Office & transmit a Copy of the same together with this warrant to the Office of Surveyor General within two years from this date. Given under our hands this Third day of December 1792. Daniel Miller, NK
Signed: Abner Williams
Hugh Brown
Danl. Miller On 11 June 1793 Hugh Brown was commissioned as:
Capt. 4th Co. Camden County Reg. of Militia Camden County Land Plats Book C 1791-1794 listed:
Hugh Brown - 404 acres of land, Warrant dated December 3, 1793. The Camden County Tax Digest for 1794 lists:
Hue [sic] Brown, 100 acres of second quality land (oak & hickory) and 400 acres of other lands (pine lands), value of all property 35 pounds. Between 1795-1796 a number of men had orders to be "stationed at the Burnt Fort on Satillars [sic] River the frontier of said county." They compiled a petition to Governor, His Excellency, George Mathew, Esq., stating that Jacob Curnes, "a cornet in the late
Colerain Troop of Horse, under the command of Capt. John F. Randolph," at that time had, "Certain promises made to him." Due to his "attention, vigilance, military ability, skill and knowledge, has engaged the affection and friendship of the people of this County," and they requested that he should be given the appointment (the charge of leadership which was intended for Elihu Hubbard who was out of the State) to fill the
vacancy at the Fort. Hugh Brown, John Brown, Robert Brown, Robert Brown Jr., John Crawford, Samuel Scarlet, Wm. Mills, Wm. Mills Jr., Wm. R. Reddock [sic], John Beasley, J. N. Wright, H. Wright, Richd. Gascoigne, Joseph Clark, William Cryer, Richd. Mc.DJ Elliott, R. N. McGillis, Ezekiel Smith, James M. Lindsay, James Campbell and Robert Harris were among those fifty men who signed the petition. Source: Georgia Military Affairs, Vol. 2 Part II 1793-1800 p. 283 & 284. Record Group
22 - transcript (is all that remains of the original photocopy) was obtained from the GA Department of Archives & History, Atlanta. On 30 September 1796 an article was placed in the Columbian Museumand Savannah Advertiser Newspaper - page 242 Microfilm Roll No. 78/10 at the GA Department of Archives & History - copy found in the BROWN file folder at the Bryan-Lang Library. Governors of Georgia during this time were George Mathews 1793-1796; Jared
Irwin 1796-1798; James Jackson 1798-1801 (followers were called Jacksonians). The writer of the article was Major General James Jackson, 1st Division, Georgia Militia (extracts only): For the Columbian Museum:
Messrs. Powers & Seymour, Gentlemen, An anonymous author in your last Friday's paper, signed a Freeman, has attacked the
Governor in language too indecent to have any other effect than to rouse the indignation of every friend of Georgia, against himself...Although I am far from wishing a stoppage of investigation, through the channel of the press, of his or any other officers public conduct~such investigation, I think, should be made in at least decent terms...Any other language can only tend to injure the state, and the writer; but cannot wound the
reputation of the accused...I feel too great contempt for this author, to comment on his ditty and his guile~which this writer might have intended for myself...He has attacked division orders sent to Camden county, which must be mine...He has asserted that 'accompanying the above mentioned dedimus there came division ordersdirected to a certainHugh Brown, as Captain Commandant of this county,commanding him to
organize the militia of the county and further orders to call oncertain magistrates to hold elections for that purpose'...This Freeman will permit me to inform him, that in this case especially, if the Governor, whose honesty of heart, whose zeal for the American cause, and whose exertions during the revolutionary war, were well known in Georgia, before this Freeman ever saw it, had acted otherwise than he had done, he would have
been justly censurable...I respected the commission of my country, without enquiring whether it were signed by a Mathews or an Irwin...It was not my duty to assume legislative powers to enquire into the validity of the commission, to impeach, as the executive authority~but to obey it...Captain Brown's letter to me, together with every word I wrote to the Governor, and every word he wrote to me on the subject are subjoined...As to Capt. Brown's 'lands as atory confiscated ', it is not material to the
question~it is enough that I found him in commission, and contrary to the present order of things on that unhappy spot, which will further appear by the subjoined extract, and which perhaps would justify Freeman's changing his signature to "A Despot". Four subjoined letters (complete) following Major General James Jackson's article:
Number I: Capt. Brown's Letter to Gen. Jackson SATILLA, 8th June 1796 Sir, The present deranged state of the Militia of this county, is such, as must be harming the citizens, being on a frontier, as this is, and will most certainly leave us in a dangerous situation, should matters at the present Treaty, not settled in a more amicable manner, between the State and Creek Nation, than have hitherto been: from those reasons I think it my duty as an officer of this county, to make our situation
known to you, in order that some measures may be taken for the organization of the Militia. There is at present, no field officer in the county, nor is there at this time a Captain, except myself, and only three Lieutenants and one Ensign, for the four company districts of this county; and it will be difficult to have an election of officers in the different districts, for the want of Justices, to superintend them, as there are two of the
districts that have no Justices of the Peace residing in them. There are two vacancies of Justices in the county - Alexander Young, who has moved out of the county, and Elihu Hebard, who has been near eighteen months out of the county, and in the service of a foreign nation. If those two vacancies were filled, by appointments from the Governor, we might then have it in our power to proceed to the
election of Militia Officers. And I think myself (and am convinced it would give satisfaction to most of the citizens of the county) for those two vacancies to be filled, by the appointment of William Niblack and Samuel Smith. 'Tis my wish from this communication, to acquaint you of the state of the Militia of the county, and I hope you will take such measures as you will judge most proper, for the organization of them. I am with respect, sir,
Your most obedient servant,
HUGH BROWN, Capt. Number II: General Jackson's Letter to the Governor 20th June 1796 Camden County, Coleraine, 28th June 1796 Sir, Enclosed is a letter from Hugh Brown, Esq. the eldest officer in this county, respecting the state of its Militia, by which you will perceive the bad situation it stands in, should
hostilities take place, in consequence of the failure of the Treaty, which your Excellency is already advised to prepare for. Some steps should be taken, and magistrates be appointed in the room of those now vacant, that elections may be held. I am, Sir,
Your Excellency's Obedient servant,
JAMES JACKSON Number III: From the Governor, 6th July 1796 State-House, Louisville, 6th July 1796 Sirs,
Your letter of the 28th of June by Captain Johnson, has been received, and acted on, so far as the filling up the vacancies in the magistracy of Camden County; the dedimus to qualify the persons appointed I transmit to your care, and I could wish that elections may be held as soon as possible, to fill the vacancies in the Militia of that county. I am sir,
Your most obedient servant,
JARED IRWIN Number IV: Division Orders, July 14, 1796
Captain Brown, as Commanding Officer of Camden County, is directed to cause the Militia of the said county, to be immediately organized, agreeably to general orders of the 6th instant~and for that purpose to call on the magistrates to hold elections for all vacancies, and make report thereof, as early as possible, that communications may issue. JAMES JACKSON,
Major General 1st Division,
Georgia Militia.
In 1798 Captain Hugh Brown wrote a letter to the Governor of Georgia describing disturbances against the local people committed by the Indians. A transcription of this letter was found in the Brown file folder at the Bryan-Lang Library. The original papers from the Office of the Governor - on microfilm at the GA Dept. of Archives & History in Atlanta: To His Excellency James Jackson Esq.
Governor & Commander in Chief of the State of Georgia Sir:
Permit me to inform your Excellency that the frontier of this county appear considerably alarmed at the repeated thefts and depredations committed by the Indians on our inhabitants, they having at several times lately taken horses from their neighbors, and lately on the night of the 2nd of this instant stole five horses from the settlement below Coleraine, six of our inhabitants pursued on their trail and came where the Indians had
made halt to refit, but as it is supposed discovered the whites first and got out of the way. The whites seeing only a few pack saddles and wanties discovered their horses feeding a small distance off, they took their horses without interrupting anything about their camp and returned for home. The Indians pushed ahead on the trail and waylaid them in a thick swamp where the whites were to pass an open meadow. They fired on
the whites and killed a Benjamin Sims one of the pursuers. The whites went out of the meadow and tried several times to go back to take Sims off the ground and retake the loose horses but were not able to effect either, the Indians having such advantage by being in a thicket and the whites exposed to an open meadow, had to return home in that situation. Your Excellency's most able servant,
Signed, Hugh Brown (Seal)
Capt. 4th District,
Camden County,
April 24, 1798 On the 1809 Camden County Tax Digest, Hugh Brown Sr. owned land in Camden County and in Wayne County: Capt. Grayhams District: Hugh Brown, 200 acres of pine lands adjoining tide swamp or within three miles of water carriage; 202 1/2 acres of other pine lands throughout the state. Records show that Hugh Brown Sr. owned property in several locations throughout the
west central portions and the Sand Hills of Camden County. One such parcel, on the north side of the Satilla River, was called Brown's Ferry. This land was known for its rich soil and in the lower areas was perfect for growing rice. In "Camden's Challenge," on pages 46-47, Marguerite Reddick wrote, "On one early map Brown's Ferry is shown at about the site of the present Owens Ferry; therefore, it is believed that when Hugh
Brown occupied the land it was called Brown's Ferry. Likewise, when it was acquired by George W. Owens in the 1860s, the name Owens Ferry was adopted." Today this land is known as "Ivanhoe Plantation" and is located west of I-95 and U.S. 17, south off of Refuge Road, on the north side of the Satilla River. In 1985, I toured the Sand Hills area with Jack F. Godley, whose phenomenal memory and descriptions
brought the not-too-distant past alive again. Though not a single one of these physical structures or ways of life remain, Owens Ferry was once a thriving place which supported an Episcopal Church, a store, post office, sawmill, one-room schoolhouse, steamboat landing, docks for loading and unloading timber and rice as well as other goods, ferry boat to carry people (and later cars) across the Satilla River.
In 1773, a botanist named William Bartram wrote accounts of his travels through parts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Here is his description of this area of Camden County after leaving the Alatamaha River and arriving at the Satilla River:
"Being safely landed on the opposite bank, I mounted my horse, and followed the high road to the ferry on St. Ille, about sixty miles south of the Alatamaha, passing through
an uninhabited wilderness. The sudden transition from rich cultivated settlements, to high pine forests, dark and grassy savannas, forms in my opinion no disagreeable contrasts; and the new objects of observation in the works of nature soon reconcile the surprised imagination to the change. As soon as I had lost sight of the river, ascending some sand-hills, I observed a new and most beautiful species of Annona and a diminutive but elegant Kalmia."
Source: "Travels of William Bartram," Edited by Mark Van Doren, page 42. The St. Ille, a name given to the Satilla River in the sixteenth century by French explorers, begins as a docile stream near the town of Fitzgerald, winds its way through several counties, including Camden, before emptying into the salt marshes lining the St. Andrews Sound and finally into the Atlantic (Camden County Tribune, 04 July
1968). According to Thomas L. Reddick, a Forestry Technician at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in St. Marys, whose property borders one of the sandy beaches at a bend in the river called Godley's Landing, "The Satilla is wild and scenic, abounding with wildlife and fish. The Satilla River is about 200 miles long but it is not until Waycross that river broadens, and upon entering Camden County, the Satilla becomes a deep-flowing river with a deceptively strong current."
While Camden County's coastal areas and salt marshes have always been a favored haven for fisherman and hunters, contrasts of inland areas from the low lands to the sand hills are described as places "between plantation culture to Wiregrass pioneer life." The land bordering White Oak Creek, as well as the land extending from the Satilla River to the Crooked River, was particularly rich with marshes and wetlands.
Many planters cultivated large rice plantations; cotton and vegetables, especially corn, were grown on higher ground; pine land supported hogs and cattle. Documents substantiate that Browns and their allied relations were scattered throughout these areas. Hugh Brown Senior died in Camden County, Georgia sometime between 1811 and 1812. A few sources list his date of death absolutely in 1812. The place of burial is
unknown. However, this is only conjecture, since many of the Hugh Brown progeny tended to live in the Sand Hills communities in and around Midriver and Burnt Fort in Camden County, it is probable that he is buried in that area. There is no evidence that Hugh Brown Senior provided a legal declaration of his wishes or disposition of his property. In both "Georgia Intestate Records," by Jeannette
Holland Austin, p. 48 and in Minute Book of the Court of Ordinary 1802-1822 Camden County, Georgia, St. Marys: Tuesday 08 September 1812: It is Ordered that Sarah Brown and Hugh Brown have letters of Administration On the Estate & Effects of Hugh Brown, Esq. late of Said County deceased, on their complying with the requests of the Law, by giving Bond. Witnesses: Abraham Bessent, John Ross, Stephen Mooke
Signed by: Isaac Crews, Clerk The following ad was placed in the newspaper, The Georgian, published in Savannah on 07 January 1822 page 3. This ad was repeated on January 11, January 14, January 21 and on February 6:
Georgia. Camden County: Whereas, Hugh Brown Jr. applies for letters of Administration on the Estate and Effects of Hugh Brown Senior, late of said county, deceased. These therefore to cite and
admonish all and singular the kindred and creditors of said deceased to file their objections, if any they have, in my office, on or before the first Monday in March next, otherwise Letters of Administration will be granted him. Given under my hand and Seal at Jefferson, this 29th day of December 1821. John Bailey, C.C.O.C.C. Source: Transcript of ad found in Brown file folder at Bryan-Lang Library.
NOTE: An explanation of estates from Georgia Genealogical Magazine, No. 1, July 1961 p. 46: "In Georgia, a married woman had no separate estate of her own until after the Civil War, so that when she inherited from her parents or other relatives, her husband automatically became vested with her inheritance and handled it as though it were his. A married woman could not assume any obligations or enter into any
contract, hence could not serve as administratrix or in any other legal capacity. If a woman was unmarried (having never been married, or being a widow) she could assume obligations, make contracts, etc. So that when an entry shows that Mary Jones, for example, was appointed admx. on the estate of John Jones, it may well be assumed that she was his widow." The original application for Letters of Administration in 1812 on the Estate of Hugh
Brown Senior was made by both Sarah Brown and Hugh Brown Junior. However, this application in 1821-1822 was made by Hugh Brown Junior alone. This probably means that Sarah Brown, one of the administrators for the estate of her late husband, had died sometime before or in 1821. There is nothing to verify this - her exact date of death is unknown; where she is buried unknown. |
