Cody Brown Dolan (1922-2016) did much of the early research well before the arrival of the internet. She and her cousin Marge Bates (whose mother was a Brown)(1919-2017) spent several years going to various towns in coastal Massachusetts looking for the records of long ago family members. Cody’s sister Laura May Brown Houghton often went along for the ride and she was the one who was dispatched by the other two to fetch books of records, etc., while they were at the various courthouses and libraries.
The Browns of our family go back to Salem, MA, in about 1780. The first John Brown we know was the father of the John Brown who was born in 1761 in Salem and died in 1837. He married Deborah Ellis in 1799 and they had 6 children. Our line descends from their youngest child—Thomas W. Brown who was born in Nantucket in 1815 and died there in 1892 (buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket). Thomas W. Brown (known as “Father Brown”) was married to Mary B. (Crosby) Brown in 1842 in Nantucket. He was a sea captain and sailed the Island Home, a side-wheel steamer operating as a ferry serving the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket during the second half of the nineteenth century Their eldest child, Thomas Richmond Brown (1842-1939) married Lucy Evelyn Lincoln (1840-1918) in 1866. They settled in Hanson, MA. Folks in the family worked in various capacities—some with the fire department or the police department. Lucy Lincoln Brown was one of the first stitchers in the shoe factory in Whitman—the Commonwealth Shoe Company-- which began in 1885. She would have commuted to work at some point on the trolley line which ran from Plymouth through Hanson to Brockton. Harold Brown(1890-1970), grandson of T. Richmond and Lucy Brown and son of Elton Armington Brown (1868-1954) and Ella Florence Keene (1875-1955), was an electrician and the first engineer for the Ocean Spray Cranberry Cooperative which started in 1930.
Dates and names below need changing to Brown dates.
Thomas Richmond Brown (1840-1901)-Lucy Lincoln (1851-1934)
Elton Armington Brown
b. 19 Aug 1868, Hanson, Massachusetts
d. 9 Nov 1954, Hanson, MA
& Ella Florence Keene
b. 1 Feb 1875, Hanson, MA
d. 26 Dec 1955, Hanson, MA
Harold Foster Brown
b. 30 Jul 1890, Hanson, Massachusetts
d. 20 Sep 1970, Pembroke, Massachusetts
& Ruby Emeline Benson
b. 17 Apr 1894, Plymouth, MA
d. 23 Aug 1977, Riverside, CA
Harold Richmond Brown
b. 25 May 1913, Cohasset, MA
d. 9 Mar 1922
Elsie Madeline Brown
b. 22 Jun 1914, Cohasset, MA
d. 7 Jan 1960, Boston, MA
& Ralph Waldo Wilson
b. 16 Jan 1898, Concord, NH
d. 30 Nov 1980, Concord, NH
Elton (Bud) Winslow Brown
b. 9 Dec 1915, Cohasset, MA
d. 18 Mar 1981, Waterbury, VT
& Margaret Evelyn (Peg) George
b. 4 Jan 1922, Wrentham, MA
d. 28 May 2010, Aurora, MN
Florence Ethelyn Brown*
b. 16 Dec 1916, Cohasset, MA
d. 7 Jun 2000, Providence, RI
& Nicholas Joseph Caldarone
b. 23 Jan 1916, Providence, RI
d. 24 Apr 1996, Providence, RI
Florence Ethelyn Brown*
b. 16 Dec 1916, Cohasset, MA
d. 7 Jun 2000, Providence, RI
& Andrew Sherry
Lois Lincoln Brown
b. 23 Aug 1919, Bryantville, MA
d. 2 Dec 2004, Tryon Estates, Columbus, NC
& Robert Stewart Winter Jr.
b. 30 Jul 1916, Woonsocket, RI
d. 29 Oct 2006, Tryon Estates, Columbus, NC
Doris Griffin Brown*
b. 17 Jun 1921, Hanson MA
& Holly Leo Renfro
b. 28 Mar 1906
d. 11 Apr 1987, Kerrville, TX
Doris Griffin Brown*
b. 17 Jun 1921, Hanson MA
& John Blair Gragg
b. 6 Oct 1907, Saginaw, MI
d. 20 Oct 2003, San Antonio, TX
Doris Griffin Brown*
b. 17 Jun 1921, Hanson MA
& James (Jimmy) Colton
Doris Griffin Brown*
b. 17 Jun 1921, Hanson MA
& LaMay
Fred Richmond Brown
b. 22 Apr 1892, Hanson, MA
d. 2 Oct 1973
& Alice Zoe Therrien
b. 9 Oct 1894
d. 23 Sep 1963
Robert (Bob) Frederick Brown
b. 2 Mar 1925
d. 5 Jan 1999
& Hazel Louise Murrill
b. 2 Mar 1926
d. 14 Nov 2009
Edna Frances Brown
b. 7 May 1930
& Robert Leo Donovan
b. 19 Jul 1928
Wilson Seward (Tick) Brown*
b. 20 Oct 1894, Hanson, MA
d. 29 Jun 1952
& Eleanor Bacon
George Brown
Wilson Seward (Tick) Brown*
b. 20 Oct 1894, Hanson, MA
d. 29 Jun 1952
& Marian Eliza Fitts
b. 24 May 1902, Greenbush, MA
d. 2 Jan 1998, Greenbush, MA
Cora Emeline Brown*
b. 22 Oct 1922
& Samuel Turner
b. 14 May 1922
d. 16 Jul 1944
Cora Emeline Brown*
b. 22 Oct 1922
& Philip Briggs Dolan
b. 30 Jan 1922
d. 27 Apr 1995
John Richard (Bub) Brown
b. 5 Jun 1924
& Ethel Pearly Hollis
b. 29 Sep 1926
Julia Florence (Sidy) Brown
b. 5 Jun 1924
d. 9 Jul 2011, Scituate, MA
& William R. Hoffman
b. 24 Feb 1923, Youngstown, Ohio
d. Jun 1993
Laura May Brown
b. 13 May 1926
& Frederick Houghton
b. 19 Dec 1924
d. 26 Sep 2005
Cora Mae Brown
b. 4 Jan 1900, Hanson, MA
d. 17 Mar 1983
& Thaddeus Dean (called Dean) Howard
b. 14 Jun 1900
d. 7 Nov 1976
Russell Warren Howard
b. 15 Apr 1918
& Elinor Fuller
b. 19 Nov 1922
Margery Dean Howard
b. 20 Dec 1919, Hanson, MA
& Albert Silvia Bates Jr.
b. 14 Oct 1919, Hanson, MA
d. 30 May 1995
Arthur Forrest Howard
b. 1 Mar 1932, Hanson, Ma
d. 19 Jan 2001
& Agnes V. Crowley
b. 17 Jul 1931, Proctorsville, VT
d. 14 Jun 1995
Dorothy Alice (Dot) Brown
b. 30 May 1902, Hanson, MA
d. 21 Oct 1985
& Frederick Joseph Therrien
b. 4 Dec 1898
d. 2 Oct 1952
Lucy Evelyn Brown*
b. 6 Oct 1903, Hanson, MA
d. 18 Aug 1964
& David Calix Desbiens
Lucy Evelyn Brown*
b. 6 Oct 1903, Hanson, MA
d. 18 Aug 1964
& Charles Crawford Monegan
b. 23 Sep 1904
d. 26 Nov 1967
Arthur Lincoln (Tige) Brown
b. 12 Mar 1909, Hanson, MA
d. 10 Dec 1989
& Esther Hassett
b. 3 Oct 1912
d. 4 Oct 1972
Janet Lee Brown
b. 13 Jun 1941
& George R. Barry
Richard Arthur Brown
b. 24 May 1944
& Judith E.
b. 11 May 1948
Roberta Gordon (Pitter--for Sister) or (Pit) Brown
b. 9 Sep 1910, Hanson, MA
d. 1 Feb 1994
& Geroge Harold Carter
b. 2 May 1907
d. 4 May 1978
Donald Wilfred Carter
b. 24 May 1936, Bridgewater, MA,
& Judith Elizabeth Wood
b. 27 Jan 1940, Whitman, MA
Florence Rebecca (Beck) Brown
b. 20 May 1912, Hanson, MA
d. 10 Jun 1972, Hanson, MA
& Henry Leon Thuotte
b. 1 Jun 1912
d. 10 Apr 1990
Golden Wedding Anniversary of T. Richmond and Lucy Lincoln Brown
February 28, 1916 - The Brockton Times
Surrounded by children, grandchildren, greatfgrandchildren and friends, Mr. and Mrs. T. Richmond Brown of Hanson", well known to a wide circle in this vicinity, will observe on Monday evening in Thomas Hall, Hanson, the golden anniversary of their marriage. They are the parents of six children and have 14 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Nearing this half century milestone along the road of their happy, wedded life, Mr. and Mrs. Brown are anticipating the celebration of the anniversary with all the youthful zest of their 70 odd years. Mr. Brown is 73 and Mrs. Brown two years his senior.
Mrs. Brown was Lucy Lincoln, daughter of Rufus Lincoln and Lucy (Cook) Lincoln. She was born in 1840 very near the place where she still resides. Her family is directly related to Abraham Lincoln, he being own cousin to her grandfather._
Her great-grandfather was John Cook, who came over in the Mayflower. Two silver spoons which that noted ancestor brought with.him to the
new country‘are still a treasured family heirloom, now in the form of one large spoon and owned by Mrs. Brown's eldest son.
Mrs. Brown has been unusually active in both her home and outside circles and still retains much of her early vigor. She fitted the first shoe ever made in what is now the widely known Commonwealth Shoe factory in Whitman. She is a member of the Hanson Relief Corps and of the Rebekah Lodge of Whitman.
Thomas Richmond Brown was born in Nantucket in 1842, son of Capt. Thomas Brown and Mary (Bunker-Crosby) Brown. Capt. Brown went around the world three times. The old steamer, Island Home, was built for him and for years he ran the steamer from Nantucket to New Bedfon@. This famous vessel was used in President Lincoln's dispatch boat during the Civil War.
Mr. Brown is still employed at the Commonwealth Shoe factory in Whitman where he has been for 25 years. He is a member of Webster Lodge, I.O.O.F. He has one sister, Mrs. B. F. Janes of Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have a summer home in Rocky Nook, Kingston, where they spend much of their time during the summer season. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have both been unusually well and active and until five years ago had never experienced any serious illness.
All but one of Mr. and Mrs. Brown's six children are living. The eldest, Chester Lincoln Brown, died at the age of 14 months. The others are Elton Armington Brown of South Hanson, Mrs. Addie Richmond Copp of this city, Mrs. Mary Davis Kent of this city, William Franklin Brown of Hanson and Mrs. Cora Lincoln Curtis of Whitman. Four generations will be represented at the celebration Monday evening.
Relatives, neighbors, shopmates and friends from Hanson, Whitman and Brockton will be present to tender congratulations to the popular couple. Four grandsons, Harold Brown of Cohasset, Fred Brown of South Hanson, Seward Brown of Cohasset and Richmond Brown, Jr., of Hanson, will usher, and four granddaughters, Miss Cora May Brown, Miss Dorothy Brown, and Miss Lucy Brown of South Hanson, and Miss Madeline Curtis of Whitman will assist in serving refreshments.
Mrs. Brown has no near relatives, with the exception of three cousins in this city, Mrs. M. A. Packard, Mrs. John Alden and Mrs. A. G. Tinkham. Mrs. Packard was married on the same day as Mrs. Brown, and, had Mrs. Packard survived, the coming anniversary would have been a double celebration. Mr. and Mrs. Tinkham have observed already the 50th anniversary of their marriage.
Obituary of Lucy Lincoln Brown
Mrs. Lucy L. Brown, 77, of Hanson, a direct descendant of John Cook, who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620, and also a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln, died this morning at Hanson after a brief illness of pneumonia. She was a native of Hanson, having lived there all her life. She had been
prominent in many affairs of the town.
She was the daughter of Rufus and Lucy Cook Lincoln, and married T. Richmond Brown. They recently celebrated their golden wedding.
Mrs. Brown was one of the first shoe workers in this section. For 35 years she was a stitcher in the Commonwealth Shoe Company factory at Whitman. She had the distinction of stitching the first shoe manufactured by that company. She worked in the Whitman factory until four years ago, retiring at the age of 73.
She was the mother of six children and had 14 grandchildren, two of which are in France with American forces and one being at Camp Devens, Ayer. She is survived by her husband Richmond Brown, and five children, Mrs. Addie Copp of Brockton, Mrs. Mary Kent of Brockton, Mrs. Cora Curtis of Whitman and William and Elton Brown of Hanson. The funeral will be Saturday afternoon at 2.
(January 16, 1917)
Notes about Thomas Richmond Brown by Marge Bates, cousin of Lois Brown Winter
He went by T. Richmond.
“ After sending you my childhood memories of (my) Great Grampa Fred Keene, I thought you'd like to hear my memories, as a ten-year-old, of (my) Great Grampa T. Richmond Brown. He must have lived alone in his Hanson home, not far from where we lived, after Gramma Lucy died....from 1916 until about 1930. It was then that, apparently, my Mom agreed to take care of him, because he came to live with us.
He and I got along just fine. I used to have a favorite song book containing hymns, patriotic songs, Foster songs, etc. As he sat in his favorite chair by the window, he seemed to enjoy my visits with him, and hunmed and sang from my little book. One day he joined me, singing the tune I was humming, and he also reach for my book which I was carrying. I was amazed and delighted that he knew all of the songs. From then on we sang together. He'd leaf through the pages, choose a song, and we'd sing.
However, those memorable little sessions soon came to an end. In 1931, my Mom was pregnant. My brother, Arthur, was born March 1, 1932. A few months before that Grampa went to live with one of his daughters in Brockton — don't remember which one of the three.
I lost my singing partner, but I gained a precious baby brother, and being twelve years older than he, enjoyed taking care of him. Little did I know that I'd soon be sitting in a rocker at that same window where Grampa sat, huming and singing and rocking that little guy for his nap.
Another incident happened during Grampa‘s stay with us. He was standing in the doorway of his room one day and he seemed to be swaying back and forth. Thinking he was having some sort of "spell", I summoned Mom saying "Grampa‘s acting funny!" One look and she assured me that he was merely scratching his back against the dog casing, a habit common with old folks.