Note: Proceedings held at a Probate Court held within and for the County of Gallia and State of Ohio on the 11th day of February A.D. 1888 before John J. Thomas Sole Judge. [Major had a will in Mason Co. WV but wanted it recorded also in Gallia Co. because he had some property in Gallia Co.]
In the name of the Benevolent father of all, I Major Brown of Mason County West Virginia, being of sound and disposing mind and memory do hereby make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills heretofore made by me. After the payment of all my just debts I devise and bequeath all my estate in manner as follows: That is to say, [I am going to list these to make them more readable.]
Item 1st I give and bequeath to my daughter Martha Brown all my household and kitchen furniture of Every description, together with all the meat and flour that I may have on hand at my death and all the poultry, and two milch cows and six Thousand dollars in cash to be paid hereby [we now skip from page 251 to 255!]
Whereas I Major Brown of Mason County in the State of West Virginia on the 20th day of July 1885 did make and publish my last will and testament of that date, do hereby every respect save and except so far as any part of it is hereby modified and is inconsistent with this Codicil.
Item First--I do hereby revoke so much of the bequest contained in the first item and clause of my said last will and testament whereby I gave and bequeathed to my said daughter Martha Brown the sum of SixThousand Dollars, and in lieu thereof I do give and bequeath to her... the sum of Five Thousand Dollars $5000,00 to be paid to her in the same manner....
Item Second: I do hereby revoke so much of the bequest contained in the Second item and clause of my said Will whereby I willed and directed that my said son Mathew D. Brown should pay or cause to be paid to my son Manley B. Brown the sum of Seven Hundred dollars, and in lieu thereof, I do hereby will and direct that...Mathew D. Brown shall pay..to Manley B. Brown the sum of Five Hundred Dollars...
Item Third: I also will and direct that my said Son Mathew D. Brown pay to my Executor for the use and benefit of my estate to better enable them to carry out the requirements of my said will the sum of Five Hundred Dollars in addition to the Five Hundred Dollars he is required to pay to my said son Manley B. Brown....
Item Fourth: I will...that my said Son Martin L. Brown shall pay to my Executors for the use and benefit of my estate...the sum of Five Hundred Dollars....
Item Fifth: It is my desire and I so will that in as much as I have paid divers sums of money in the form of taxes insurance and for repairing the house on lot no 352 as designated on the plot of the town of Gallipolis ...being the same real estate devised to my said daughter Mary E Bird wife of C.W. Bird....and occupied by Mary E Bird and her husband...and have also loaned to C.W. Bird one hundred dollars on the 10th day of March 1873 and for which he gave me his note...and I also had to pay for C.W. Bird as security a certain note for $600 which he made and signed as principal and I signed as security for C.W. Bird bearing date on the 17th day of December 1877 and made payable to Reuben Graham....Now therefore as an additional bequest I will that all of the aforesaid several and divers sums of money so paid and loaned...shall be treated...as an advancement to my...daughter Mary E Bird.
Item Sixth: I also give and bequeath to my daughter Mary E Bird and Selina M Guthrie wife of W.B. Guthrie each the sum of Four Hundred Dollars...and in case my daughter Salina M Guthrie should die before I do that said Four Hundred dollars...be equally divided amont her legal heirs at law.
Item Seventh: Having heretofore loaned to my Son-in-law Dr. W. B. Guthrie..three sums of money for which I hold his three several promisory notes [$150., $35.00, plus another]....do not collect from Dr W.B. Guthrie...treated as an advancement to my daughter Selina M Guthrie and to her husband.
Item Seventh: [again] [Asks his sons, who are his Executors, not to charge against the estate for their services]
Item Eighth: I wish to have it known that I supported my daughter Willey Ann Brown, now married to a man whose name is unknown to me for a number of years pursuant to a decree of the Circuit Court of Mason County to which reference is made and for that reason I feel I have bequeathed to her all that she entitled to of my Estate.
Item Ninth:..... My will and desire is that the Five Thousand dollars which I bequeathed to my daughter Martha Brown be so bequeathed by her among her own brothers and sisters in such proportion as she in her own judgement may desire to divide....
This day Melvin M. Brown and Mathew D. Brown who are named in & appointed by the last Will and Testament of Major Brown dec'd which was admitted to probate before the Clerk of this Court on the 20th day of December 1887, as two of the Executors thereof (Manley B Brown and Marlen E Brown the other Executors named and appointed by said Will appearing and declining to qualify) appeared in said Office and the said Testater desiring in said Will that no security be required of them for the performance of their duties, on motion they took the several oaths required by law and are hereby granted a Certificate for obtaining probate of said Will in due form.
Codicil: 16 Mar 1889. Major Brown also hopes that Martha will use $2,000. of her legacy to bequeath among her own brothers and sisters
Note: 1850 Jackson Co., Virginia: Jackson County is next to Mason County in what is now West Virginia. Before the Civil War, West Virginia did not exist; it was all Virginia. Major, 41 years , and Selina, 39 years, had travelled from somewhere in New York to Jackson County near the Ohio River. Their next move would be to the Hartford area in Mason County. Their children were as follows: Martha 17, Mathew 15 farmer, Major 13, Melvin 11, Miles 9, Marlon 7, Manly 6, Mary 4 and Selina two. Martin would later be born in West Virginia. Included in their household was John Sheppard 72, a farmer. All of Major and Selina Brown's children had names beginning with "M:" Martha, Mathew, Major, Melvin, Miles, Marlon, Manley, Martin, Mary, and Mariah.
1860 Mason Co., Virginia: Major, widowed, aged 47, was a farmer with real estate worth 12,000 and personal assets worth 1,000. His children were at home: Martha 26, Mathew 25, Melvin 21, Miles 19, Marlin 17, Manly 15, Mary 13, Salonie 11 and Martin 9. Mathew was also listed as a farmer.
1870: On this census report Major was 57 years old and had real estate to the value of $3,000 and personal assets to the value of $8,000. Interestingly, his and Martha's place of birth was New York, as expected; but Manley and Martin were reported to have been born in Virginia--not Ohio!! Of course "Virginia" was now West Virginia. I sometimes wonder if men remember where they were born! Elizabeth Burk 14 yrs was their domestic servant.
In 1878 Major Sr. bought the old Hummingbird which was in operation between Augusta, Kentucky and ? He put his sons Mathew and Martin in charge of of it.
1880: Major's birth place was given as New York state as were his parents; his daughter Martha was born in New York, but her late mother (Selina) was born in England. This was confirmed by Mathew Brown (aged 45), but contradicted by Melvin Brown (39 years), who stated that his mother was born in Ohio. Overall there is much more evidence pointing to England. By 1880 only Major 67 and Martha 44 were living on the farm; although Mathew and his large family were living either there or next door to them.
In 1898, after he had died, Major Brown's homestead in Hartford, West Virginia, burned down.
Historical Notes
Note: Mide Ginther McKnight told me that the Browns originally came from Virginia. She said that Major Brown's father came in with the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe with Maj. Waggener. Waggoner was given land by George Washington, some of which Waggoner gave to Major's father.
I know of no evidence for this.
Historical Notes
Note: Major Brown was Mason County's representative to the Wheeling Convention at which they voted for West Virginia statehood.
Letters
Note: This is a really old letter, writer unknown. She refers to Aunt Martha, dau of Major Brown. It begins with page 2. I wish I had the first page!
'Willie Brown was your Grandpa's daughter but I don't know his wife' name but think she was a Sulivan married to Greenly a widow with several children. She was good to Mother Bird [Mary Brown] and Uncle Miles as she had children their ages. Aunt Martha packed to leave was going to take the baby with her and go to Columbus to find work when her father came in said what does this mean and she told him she couldn't stand that woman. He said Martha you can't go but said he would send his wife away instead so they agreed to seperate. Aunt Martha told me she wasn't an old maid from choice. That a steamboat Captain M. Daniel wanted to marry her but she would not leave her father after he sent his wife away she felt it her duty to raise the family. We all loved Aunt Martha.
Blanche got acquainted with the Parcell girls in Charleston and would ride with them to work.She said they looked so much like and Cora. They grew up in Clendinin one ran the Curtin Store another was employed in the Liquor Store That accident happened two yrs ago."
Date of Report: Dec. 19 1887 MAJOR BROWN 74 years 9 months 13 days Widower
Birthplace: New York State Place of death: Hartford City Cause of death: Gastritis Burial: Brown's Hill Undertaker: B.F. Biggs Physician Sayre (?) M.D. Pt Pleasant
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