William Brown

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Husband William Brown ^{1 2 3}

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           Born: 30 Jun 1720 - at sea 1
     Christened: 
           Died: 10 Oct 1787 1 4
         Buried:  - Paxtang Church Cemetery, Paxtang, Dauphin Co, PA

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         Father: John Brown (Abt 1684-Abt 1740) 5
         Mother: Hannah [Unk] (      -Abt 1742) 1

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Wife

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - William Brown

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He was well known in his time, and for many years exerted an extensive influence in both the religious and political world. As a commissioner of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in which for a long time he resided, he assisted in laying out the town of Harrisburg, later the capital of Pennsylvania. Being an intelligent, public-spirited man, he was elected to various positions of honor and trust, and served frequently in the Legislature of Pennsylvania. As a member of that body in 1776, he was the first man to propose the gradual emancipation of the slaves within the commonwealth, a measure which, though not then favorably received, was afterward adopted. He was also a member of the convention which formed the constitution of the state in 1790, and his name appears among the signers of that instrument. At one time he was sent as a commissioner to Ireland and Scotland on behalf of the Covenanters, to procure for them a supply of ministers, one of whom preached for some time in a church erected on his place. [CBRWC, 84]

A noted covenanter of the Paxtang settlement-the uncle of the Rev. Dr. Matthew Brown for forty years the president of Washington College and Jefferson College-he returned to Ireland in 1773 and brought over with him certain of his relatives and religious compatriots, among whom were Matthew Brown and the Rev. Mr. Dobbin and the Rev. Mr. Lynn. [CRFP, 737]

He was a prominent actor in Provincial and Revolutionary times, a representative man on the frontier, and was a zealous Covenanter. At his own expense he visited Ireland and Scotland on behalf of his religious brethren to procure a supply of ministers, and brought over the celebrated Rev. Messrs. Lind and Dobbin. He was a member of the Assembly in 1776, and during its sessions proposed the gradual emancipation of slaves within the Commonwealth, a measure not very favorably received at the time, but subsequently adopted. He served again in the Assembly in 1784, and was a member of the Board of Property December 5, 1785. He was afterwards, October 2, 1786, appointed one of the commissioners to superintend the drawing of the Donation Land Lottery. Mr. Brown was not only an active, earnest, and public-spirited Christian, of unquestioned piety of heart, but as a neighbor and citizen, generous and kind-hearted, which insured respect and won friendship. He left no issue. [NQ 1884, 48]

1 Wm. H. Egle, Historical Register: Notes and Queries, Historical and Genealogical (Harrisburg, PA: Lane S. Hart, Publisher, 1884), Pg 48.

2 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 84.

3 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania (New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), Pg 737.

4 —, Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (Chambersburg, PA: J. M. Runk & Company, Publishers, 1896), Pg 168.

5 Wm. H. Egle, Historical Register: Notes and Queries, Historical and Genealogical (Harrisburg, PA: Lane S. Hart, Publisher, 1884), Pg 47.