Compiled by May Louise Wright Brown July 8 1941
Submitted by Charlie McDaniel
 

David Brown b.? d.?
Spouse ?
son
Samuel Brown b. ? d. ?
Married
Lavina Bruce b. ? d.?
Son
Asaph Brown b. Jan. 21 1778 Winchendon, Mass. D. ?
Married
Martha Wilder b. Jan. 21 1780 d. ? Daughter of Hon. Abel and Anna(Butcher) Wilder of Winchendon, Mass. Children of Asaph and Martha(Wilder) Brown
1. George – died in infancy
2. Abel b. Jan. 14 1804 d. Sept.1805 (twin of Samuel)
3. Samuel b. Jan. 14 1804 Winchendon Mass. D. July 29 1872 Canton IL.
4. Albert
5. Erastus
6. George
7. Asaph N.
8. Lavina
9. William
10. Lucia M.

Note: Samuel Brown b. Jan 14 1804 Winchendon Mass. Died July 29 1872 Canton IL.
Married on Dec. 18 1828 to
Lois Buswell b. Aug 28 1801 Winchendon Mass. d. May 2 1887Canton IL.
( Lois was the daughter John and Rebbeca Buswell and was the youngest of 15 children)
Samuel and Lois Brown came to Canton in June 1837 and settled on Sec. 29 of Canton Twp.

Children of Samuel and Lois Brown:
1 Lucia Brown b. 1830 Ringe N. H. d. Aug. 1898 Prairie City Il.
(Married Henry Turpin. Children Charles, Maurice, Lucius T. “Lute”, Edward, Louis B., Anna, Bessie M.)
2 Lois Brown b. about 1831 Ringe N. H. d. Nov. 1907 Canton IL.
3 Mary A. Brown b. March 8 1834 Ringe N. H. d. Oct 25 1856 Canton, IL.
4 George S. Brown b. Oct 1837 Canton IL. d. Sept. 15 1856 Canton IL.
5 William Henry Brown b. Sept 23 1840 Canton IL. d. May 18 1929 Canton IL. (Sgt. Union Army, Civil War)
married March 7 1882 in Canton IL. to
Martha (Mattie) Jane Pierce b. Feb. 24 1854 d. Jan 26 1932( was the daughter of Joseph H. Peirce 1821-1889, and Susannah Freanor b. 1828 Hagarstown Maryland d. May 22 1912 Canton IL.
Joseph H. Peirce served three years in the Civil war.)


Children of William Henry Brown Sr. and Martha Brown:

1 Jessie Lois Brown b. Dec. 12 1882 d. June 29 1954, married Earl Long
2 William Henry Brown Jr. b. Aug 1 1884
Married May L Wright( daughter of Charles Martin Wright b. Oct 31 1846 d. April 19 1918 and Ruth Ann Harmison b. Feb 22 1845 Clear spring Maryland, d. March 17 1903 Canton, IL.)
3 Cordelia Agusta (Nell) Brown b. Nov 7 1890

Note: Thomas Buswell, brother of Lois (Buswell) Brown, owned the farm before her husband Samuel Brown bought-it-of said Thomas Buswell Who Died Feb. 19 1858. At that time only 94 ½ acres of land were purchased by Samuel Brown and was the birth place of George s. and William Henry Brown.

The house in which the 2 brothers were born stood in front of the present red brick house which was built in 1855 being well preserved still in 1941 at present writing. More land was purchased in later years by William and his father Samuel. The farm is still owned by Brown descendents.

Thomas Buswell also owned the farm just west of this one.

Wright Family Notes of May Louise Wright Brown
Ancestors of May L. (Wright) Brown as traced back to the Revolutionary War
On my Father’s side

I was born in Canton IL. April 6 1885. My father Charles Martin Wright born Oct. 31 1846 Canton IL. My mother was Ruth Ann Harmison born Feb 22 1845 Clear Spring Maryland. I will trace my father’s clanfirst and from my generation back to first known ancestor.

May L. Wright Brown b. April 6 1885 Canton IL.
Charles Martin Wright b. Oct. 31 1846 Canton IL. d. April 19 1918 Canton
John Martin Wright b. Jan 24 1816 Hanover N. H. d. Dec 27 1858 Canton Il.
Deacon Royal Wright b. Nov. 12 1778 Hanover N. H. d. Jan 3 1864 Canton Il.
Nathaniel Wright b. March 28 1747 Andover Parish Conn. D. Jan 27 1828 Hanover N. H.

Nathaniel Wright was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and served under General Gates at Ticondiroga and Saratoga.
The earliest record of Wright clan names a Sir John Wright , Lord of Kelvedon Manor of Essex England, who was born and lived in the 15th century before America was discovered.

The Coat of Arms was granted to Sir John Wright in 1509(June 20) By King Henry VIII. Sir John Wright’s birth Date given as 1488. He married and according to customs there, his three sons were all named John and all living at the same time. The oldest child of 8 children was “Eldest John” born 1510, “Middle John” born 1522 and the third “Youngest John” born 1524.

My ancestors are descendants of “Middle John” son of Sir John Wright. Records also show that the famous aviators Orville and Wilbur Wright were descendants of “Middle John” .

The first Wright to come to America of Sir John Wright’s clan was Thomas Wright in 1635.

Our Revolutionary War ancestor, Nathaniel Wright after coming to America settled in Hanover Parish Conn. Later in Oct. 1769 he gave 50 acres of land for Dr. Wheelock’s School for Indians which later became Dartmouth College. Nathaniel Wrights Service record, N.E. State papers Vol. II pp.14-44-138-373

My Grandfather Wright was John Martin Wright and his wife Cathrine (Hart) Wright lived on a farm N. West of Canton and their farm was a station for the “UnderGround Railroad” helping Negro Slaves to the north into Canada where they found freedom before the Civil War. The pages of articles about the way Grandpa them is as written by my father’s sister Julia M. Wright as recalled by her. The story is in the folder and taken from my family scrap book and I remember well of hearing Grandma and Aunt Julia tell us personally many of their experiences given on these pages. From Canton Grandpa took the Negros to Farmington IL. to another “Railroad station” or farm, who in turn took them to Toulon and so on to the U.S. Northern border. In later years the Wright farm was purchased by the Morell’s and Lee Morell lived there. The old Wright farm house is still standing but is moved to back for a tool shed and work shop. A new house was built south of it.

Note: In March 1965 I May L. Wright Brown learned that the old Wright home had to be torn down in 1963 as it had rotted away.

Nathaniel Wright b. March 228 1747 at Andover Parish Conn. D. Jan 27 1828 in Hanover New Hampshire.
Married first wife Feb. 11 1772
Jemima Bartlet b.1745 North Aughton, Mass. D. Oct. 22 1784 Hanover N. H. (supposed descendent of Wm. Bartlet of Prelfalon Warrickshire Co. Eng.)
Children of Nathaniel and Jemima Wright
1 Asher Wright b. Oct 31 1772 d. Nov. 2 1772
2 Diana Wright b. Oct. 31 1773 Hanover N. H. d Aug 31 1851
3 Asher S. Wright b. Apr. 28 1775 d. Dec 8 1801
4 Rev. Chester Wright b. Nov. 6 1776 Hanover N. H. d April 1840Canton IL.
5 Dea. Royal Wright b. 12 Nov. 1778 Hanover N. H. d. Jan. 3 1865 Canton IL. married Diantha Martin
6 James Wright b. Nov. 15 1780 d. Jan 17 1865 unmarried 85 yrs. Old
7 Abigail Wright .b. Feb 1 1783 d. Feb 1 1783
8 Eden Wright b. Aug. 16 1784 d. May 16 1814

Nathaniel Wright Married second Wife June 5 1786,
Mary Page b ? d May 19 1813
Children of Nathaniel and Mary Page Wright
9 Jemima Wright b April 5 1787 Hanover N. H. d. Oct. 23 1862 at Canton IL.
10 Nathaniel Wright b. Jan. 28 1789 E. Hanover N. H. d. May 20 1875 at Cincinnati Ohio.
11 Joel Wright b. Oct. 10 1792 Hanover N. H. d May 14 1867 Canton Il.

Nathaniel Wight married 3rd wife Martha Conant May 2 1815
No children born to this couple.

My Mother’s Ancestors also traced back to the Revolutionary War but all of the Names and Dates not known entirely. I start with my generation.

May Louise Wright Brown April 6 1885 Canton IL.
Ruth Ann Harmison Wright my mother b. Feb 22 1845 Clearspring Maryland, d. March 1903 Canton IL.
Joseph Harmison married Mary Polly Prather

Thomas Prather Sr. b 1726 is our Revolutionary War ancestor.

Robert Shipley’s earlier ancestor, had a daughter who married a “Hanks”. It was this family of Hanks whose daughter, Nancy Hanks married Thomas Lincoln and became the mother of Abraham Lincoln. My mother and her parents came to IL. in a covered wagon from Clearsprings Maryland when my mother Ruth Ann Harmison was a small child.