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BROWNSVILLE PLANTATION

Granville County, North Carolina

BROWNSVILLE PLANTATION (c1800-1876)

c1800 Thomas BROWN (1776-1856) arrived in America, from his home in Lesmahagow , LKS, SCOTLAND. He joined up with his older brothers, John (1762-1832) and George BROWN (1773-1824), in Granville Co. They had arrived earlier, and were in Partnership with Thomas MUTTER, in what would appear to be a Finance Co.

Thomas Brown bought a large tract of land [1] ¼ mile SE of Grassy Creek Baptist Church , which had been in existence for some 40 years before their arrival. [2] The land was on both sides of Grassy Creek.

Brownsville NC had a Post Office [3] , store and a school of some kind. The PO store and school were housed in a 2 story building that the local people, of later generations, called the High House.

About 1829/1830 Thomas started selling up his assets in ‘ Brownsville ' to his Son-in-Law Abraham Watkins VENABLE, as the following extract shows:-

· Brown, Thomas to Abraham W. Venable.."...the following Negro slaves to wit, Joshua and his wife Pink her infant child Joshua, also her children Maria, Alfred, William, Doctor, Julia, Alexander also Jacob & his wife Eliza and their children Polly, Washington, Jane. Mingo and his wife Nancy and their children, Daniel & Booker; Ben and his wife Mary; Molly, Selly, Mary, George, Shadrack, Jane and old Jim, Frank and Micy. To have and to hold the said Negro slaves to him the said Abraham W. Venable his heirs & assigns forever..."( BOS-1829, p.171, book 12) [4]

[Hon] Abraham W. Venable, born Oct. 16, 1779, died at Brownsville Feb.19, 1876. His loving wife Isobella Alston n é e BROWN died April 14, 1871, at Brownsville. They are buried in the near by Shilo [5] Cemetery, along with their daughter Martha.

Thomas BROWN with his wife and 3 younger children, returned to take up his inheritance of the Auchlochan Estates in Lesmahagow, LKS, SCOTLAND , and both died there.

Dennis BROWN 2002

<denbrown@clear.net.nz>

[1] Possibly close to 1,000 Acres

[2] The Census returns for Granville Co. 1830-1850

[3] Post Office Opened July 1 1806 - Closed March 1 1815 - Thomas Brown Post Master - Reopened June 26 1818 - Closed Dec 6, 1866 - Mavis Fuller P.M. - Reopened Dec 18 – 1867 - Closed March 15, 1905 Caroline H. Clark P.M. [From Postal Records]

[4]  'ENSLAVED ANCESTORS ABSTRACTED FROM DEED BOOKS, GRANVILLE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA DEED BOOKS A-Z & 1-21 1746-1864'

[5] Shilo Cemetery is 100 feet from the road. There are some marked graves there although the local people say its been a hundred years since anyone has been buried there. It is fenced in and covers an area about 100 Ft. Sq. The cemetery is somewhat over grown now but some one has made some effort to keep it from growing up completely. It is located 1/2 mile from Grassy Creek Church 4 miles west of Bullock NC.