1809 - ~1849
New York - Pennsylvania
Moses Brown, the seventh of nine children of Moses and Mary Owen Brown, was born February 5, 1809 in Trumansburg, Tompkins (then Seneca), New York. [His parents, and his mother's family, lived in the town of Ulysses, which I haven't been able to find on a map. Did it change its name??] Not a lot is known about him. His parents moved to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania shortly after his birth and were there (in Pittsburgh, although they later settled in Plum Township) for the 1810 census.
Sometime in the 1820s, probably not much earlier than 1829, he married Susan Harkless. His older brother Thomas Jefferson Brown married Margaret Harkless at about the same time. Thomas named his first son Moses, and Moses named his first son Thomas Jefferson.
I haven’t been able to find Moses on the 1830 census - there is only one male of his age bracket living with his mother at that time, and I suspect it was his brother Jesse (if Moses had married in 1829, it is more likely that he was on his own). In 1840 he was still living in Allegheny County, and by this time he and Susan had 6 children. They had another 5 children in the next decade - and then Moses died. At least we assume he died because on the 1850 census Susan is alone with most of the children. It is possible that he was scouting around for another place to live, because most of his siblings had headed for greener pastures by this time. Jonathan possibly but Archibald and Julia certainly had gone to Ohio before 1840; George certainly and Andrew possibly were there (Ohio) by 1850. Thomas Jefferson had moved to Jefferson County, Pennsylvania sometime between 1840 and 1850 probably. Only Jesse, Moses (?) and possibly Mary Jane remained in Allegheny County. The same pattern was to repeat itself with his children, although most of them just moved around in western Pennsylvania, many taking jobs in the oil fields.
If Moses was still alive in 1850, I haven’t been able to find him on the census. Susan is in Allegheny County in both 1850 and 1860. There is a Moses Brown, of about the right age, in Tioga County in 1860, but that county is much further east than most of his relatives fared. That Moses was living with a Morris Metcalf and his wife Polly (aged 44 at the time, so more of an age to be a sister than a daughter). That Moses Brown was in the same household in 1870, and in that year it was noted that he was deaf and dumb. (Morris’s wife in 1870 was called Lucinda.) So he isn’t a very likely candidate. But until I find a grave or bible listing, I cannot be sure.
Moses and Susan had the following children:
Juliana - born 1830 - with parents in 1840 - nothing more known after that
Thomas Jefferson - born 1831 - moved to Venango Co by 1860 (oil),
Lawrence Co by 1870 (farmer and gardener)
Mary Catherine - born 1834 - married George Hume - moved to Lawrence Co by 1870
(always a farmer)
Emily - born 1836 - married Walter Scott - to Warren Co 1860, Venango Co 1870 (oil), Cattaraugus Co NY 1880 - family moved then to California
Elizabeth - born 1838 - probably died before 1850
Moses - born 1839 - Venango? by 1860, Butler? 1880
George - born 1842 - stayed in Allegheny? - died 1864
Andrew - born 1844 - ? Venango 1870 oil OR Allegheny farmer
Margaret Jane - born 1845? - married Lewis Waltenbaugh - to Ohio 1869
William C - born 1847 - died before 1850?
Nancy Triphena - born 1849 - married Shandle, Jacobus - ended in Chicago
Susan died in 1875 (28 August) and is buried near New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
That’s it. Sorry to be so brusque, but I don’t know any more. I need to do some research on the history of the area and so forth as well, to get a feel for what life was like for them. But this is all I’ve got right now.
Timeline/Documentation
1809 February 5 - born
1810 - with parents in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh)
1820 - with mother in Allegheny County (Indiana)
182x - married Susan Harkless
1830 - supposedly he and Jesse are in East Deer Twp, p. 87 -I have found no Browns in Deer Twp (there is no East Deer) in 1830 - They might have been living there, but not on the census??? One of them is missing from the census with mother. Since Jesse’s first child wasn’t born until 1833 (and Moses’s was born in 1830), I suspect that Jesse was the one with Mary
1830 August 7 - daughter Juliana born
1831 April 26 - son Thomas Jefferson born - d. 4 Jan 1899 - Mahoningtown, Lawrence, PA
1834 February 2 - daughter Mary Catherine born
m. George Humes
1836 October 7 - daughter Emily born
m. Walter Scott
1838 July 4 - daughter Elizabeth born (died young?)
1839 Aug 4 - son Moses jr born
living with Aunt Julia McQueen in Morgan Co, Oh in 1850?
1840 Pennsylvania, Allegheny - East Deer p. 87 - 110001 21001
1m, 2f under 5 b. 1835-40 Elizabeth 1838, Emily 1836, Moses 1839
1m, 1f 5-10 b. 1830-35 Thomas J 1839, Mary C 1834? Juliana 1830?
1f 20-30 b. 1810-20 Susan
1m 30-40 b. 1800-10 Moses b. 1809 - 31
1842 June 14 - son George McGowan born - d. 1864
living with (Aunt?) Jane Black in 1850?
1844 June - son Andrew Sprowl born - d. 29 June 1891 - buried Oil City, Venango, PA
184x March 29 - daughter Margaret Jane born - Tarentum - d. 22 July 1930 Canton, Stark, OH
m. 24 Dec 1866 - Lewis T Waltenbaugh [9 Feb 1844- 9 Apr 1893]
1847 June 23 - son William C born (died young?)
1849 June 14 - daughter Nancy Triphena born - d. 13 July 1920 Chicago
m (1) George Shandle (2) Charles Jacobus
1849 aft July - died ?
1850 Pennsylvania, Allegheny, East Deer p. 21
Susan Brown 40 f Pa
Catherine 17 / Thomas 18 salt bailer? / Moses 15 ditto / Emily 13 / George M 11 /
Andrew S 9 / Margaret J 6 / Nancy T 3
1860 Allegheny Tarentum 489 (49) 27 June
David Baker 27
Susan Brown 40? domestic $400 Pa
Nancy “ 11
1870 - Susan - living with children?
1875 - Susan dies, Lawrence Co, PA
DAR working sheet of Lulu Stoneburner - "2nd Gen. Gran (granite?) stone Susan H. Brown, south of New Castle, PA
Foward to Children of Moses and Susan
Forward to next ancestor, Emily Brown
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Questions, comments, additions, corrections? Contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
Page last updated 24 April 2006