Andrew Brown

     Andrew Brown was baptized in March 1619 in Holbeton, Devon, England.³ He was the son of Michael Brown.² He died after 9 March 1696 when he deeded land in Scarborough, Maine, to his son William.¹
     
     Andrew Brown and William Smith, both of Black Point village were granted by George Cleeve, agent of Alexander Rigby, proprietor of the province of Lygonia, 500 acres in that village on 29 September 1651. The land consisted of 450 acres of upland and 50 acres of marsh, described as follows: "to begin on the south-west side of that point of woodland in the marsh on the north-east side of the river of Black Point that part of the river that runneth up before and near the house of Henry Watts which point of wood land hath been formerly called Cookes point and now and forever hereafter to be called Bowrells Coome together with fifty acres of marsh ground thereunto adjoining, that is to say twenty acres of marsh at the north-west side of the said woodland … and thirty acres of marsh ground on the south-east side of the said point." Brown and Smith were to pay ground rent of two pence an acre to Rigby or his agent each year, but the rent was to be waived for two years and only one-half to be paid for the second two years."⁴

     "Bowrells coome" was probably derived from Burlescombe, co. Devon, which village may have had associations for either the grantor or the grantees, but its parish registers contain no references to Andrew Brown.

     William Smith sold his share of "Bowrells coome" to Joshua Scottow in 1662, and in 1667 Brown purchased it of Scottow, the deeds stating that there were buildings on the land, once occupied by Roger vicars, possibly before the deed to Smith and Brown or as a tenant of Smith.⁵

     Whether Andrew Brown brought a wife with him from England or married in America is not known, nor does the name of his wife appear on the records. He had five sons in 1663, however, as Jonas Baly left them ten shillings apiece in that year. He submitted to the Massachusetts government in 1658 with his fellow townsmen, was a member of the trial jury in 1665 and of the grand jury in 1667, appraised the estates of Christopher Collins in 1666 and Giles Roberts in 1666/67, and was constable in 1670.

     When King Philip's War broke out in 1675 the Brown farm, on a point extending into the marsh at the foot of Scottow's hill, was literally a frontier post and the buildings were eventually attacked and burned. On 30 October 1675, Capt. Scottow writes that Capt. John Wincoll and about sixty men went up from Black Point "to guard the house of Andrew Brown at Dunstan," and on 4 November Scottow directed Wincoll "to forthwith repair with all the town soldiers to the house of Andrew Brown, there to give war to the Indians." In the roster of the Black Point garrison, dated October 1676, Andrew Brown and three of his sons were listed as living "three musket-shot from the garrison," but soon afterward he must have moved his family, except for the two eldest boys who remained on military duty, to Boston, where he addressed the following petition, not to be taken too literally, to the General Court.

     To y^e Hon^rd Governor & Counsell now Assembled at Bostone: The Humble Petition of Andrew Browne Sin^r Sheweth That wheras yo^r Petitioner had all his houses Burned to Asses; and his Catle Destroyed by ye Barbarrous Enimys soe that yo^r poore aubplicant is in a very Low Condition having 9 Smale Children whereof 7 : of them and himselfe is not any way Capable nor able this 2 years to procure A Livlihood; neither has he been any way Chargable to Towne nor Country; But yo^r poore petition^r and his wife and 7 smale Children was Mantayned and withoulden from perishing by two Sonns of yo^r Petition^r namly Andre Andrew Browne and John Browne they both was Impressed here at Bostone in September Last to goe to Kenebecke under y^e Command of Capt Thomas Moore and y^e Capt Thomas Moore at his Returne then from Kenebecke ye abouesaid Andrew Browne and his Brother John Browne both then was Left at Black point Garrison where they ever since Continued.

     Therefore y^e poore Petition^r Humbly Intreats yo^r worships seriously to Consider of his helplesse Condition by ordreing that his two Sonns be discharged from y^e Garrison of Black point for there is 9 in yo^r Petition^rs family that hath there Dependence upon the Labours of y^e said Andrew Andrew And John Browne/ 2^d That yor Petition^r intreats yo^r worships to Consider y^t. 9: or 10 months is a Longe tim to Continue In Garrison; 3^d That few of any hath Continued soe Long in Garrison; soe yo^r petition^r hopes that these Considerations will move yo^r worships to Grant yo^r petitionr an order for y^e Discharging of his two Sonns, which wilbe a meane to preserve yo^r poore petition^r from Perishing, soe yo^r petition^r with his wife and Children shall have great Cause to pray for yo^r health and Happynesse,
                                                                                                                                                           Andrew Brown Sin^r

     This request was granted in July 1677. In 1681 the Browns were back in their Scarborough home, and Andrew Brown became one of the principal citizens during the nine short years of Indian peace. In the tax list of 1681 he was assessed for ninety acres of marsh, 410 acres of land, two oxen, three cows, two two year olds, two steers, three yearlings and one horse, which was the fourth largest estate. He was selectman in 1682, 1683 and 1686, was chosen with two others to treat with Mr. Blackman to settle in the town as its minister in 1682 and was selected with Robert Eliot to lay the taxes in 1685/86. On 26 July 1684, President Danforth, the chief executive of the province of Maine, delivered a deed of trust for the common lands in the town of Scarborugh to seven trustees to hold for the benefit of the inhabitants, of which trustees Andrew Brown was one, the others being Capt. Scottow, Mr. Walter Gendall, Richard Hunywell, William burridge, Ambrose Boaden and John Tynny.

     As the Rigby patent of Lygonia, under which Andrew Brown held title to his land, had been a creation of the Cromwell government, he was naturally not favorable to the claims of the opposition or Gorges party and supported Massachusetts rule. An anonymous informant, hostile to Massachusetts (probably Edmund Randolph) sent to London about 1680 a list of "men that are Enimies to Mr Gorges intrest, liveing in the Province of Mayne," headed by Major Bryan Pendleton and followed by "Capt Raines of York, Mr Neale of Casco bay, Arthur Auger of Black Poynt, Andrew Brown of Black Poynt, Francis Littlefield of Wells, Henry Sawyer of Yorke, Peter Wyar of Yorke—these are men of indifferent estates and are led by maj Pembleton & of the same independant way, understanding but little but what he tells them in law or gospell."⁶ In 1687, to make assurance doubly sure, Brown petitioned Governor Andros to have his 500 acre grant surveyed and laid out to him anew.⁷

     We find him, finally, in Boston, living with his son William, to whom, for love and affection, on 9 March 1695/96, he deeded the Scarborough land "where I myself did dwell before the Indian war, except fifty acres of upland and twenty of marsh to be held for John Brown, son of my son John Brown lately deceased; if John die before he come of age it is to go to his next brother Samuel." His wife was dead at the time of this deed, and he probably died soon after.

     Ignoring the claim of his cousin, John Brown of Marblehead, which seems never to have been pressed, William Brown, Andrew's grandson, sold the entire 500 acres to Samuel Penhallow of Portsmouth on 10 January 1710/11, and to Penhallow Robert Eliot assigned the martgage on 4 March 1712.

     The number and names of Andrew Brown's children are somewhat uncertain. We know that he had five sons in 1663 and in 1676 he had, in addition to two soldier sons, seven small children, the adjective being doubtless somewhat of an exaggeration. Of the following, Andrew, John, William and Elizabeth are definitely proven, while the others are highly probable.⁸