The Brown Family

(Isaac Brown Family)

Isaac Brown was born a slave of Alexander Somerville in Calvert County, Maryland around 1794. He married Mary Jane and fathered five children; Elizabeth, Eliza, Isaac, William, John.  In 1845, accused of assaulting his master, Isaac was sent to the slave pens - given 200 lashes and sold "south" to Louisiana. Isaac and his family fled from Louisiana to Pennsylvania where in 1847 he was arrested and charged as an escaped slave from Maryland.

In court, the defense argued that Isaac wasn't a fugitive from Maryland; he had already been punished for charges against him in Maryland and had actually been sent out of Maryland against his will. The Pennsylvania Governor decreed the charges were defective and issued a new warrant for his arrest. However, before the new warrant could be enforced, friends helped the Brown's to escape to Sandusky, Ohio (where son William was born).

Isaac relocated his family to Canada West. They settled in the Dawn Settlement.  In 1851, the Brown’s moved to Buxton, settling on the Twelfth Concession on lots 9 and 10, across from William King. His descendants still live in Buxton today.

You can learn more about Isaac Brown reading One More River to Cross, by Bryan Prince.

(Thomas Brown Family)

Thomas Brown was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1815, while Catherine was born in 1823 in New York. They both made their way up to Ohio, where they met and tied the knot. They settled down and had four children - Margaret, William, Mary Elizabeth, and George.

Thomas was a farmer in Ohio and owned a large farm worth $1,000. Despite their freedom, Thomas and Catherine felt unsafe and decided to sell their farm and move to Canada. They arrived in Buxton in 1858 and purchased Lot 9 on Concession 8, which was located just across the road from the Doo family.

Unfortunately, in 1862, their home caught fire due to a problem with the stovepipe, and their oldest daughter, Margaret, passed away in the blaze. They lost everything in the fire, and Thomas had to borrow money to rebuild their home and pay off their farm. In 1865, he was able to repay his loans and received the deed for the farm.

However, in 1865, Thomas and Catherine were divorced. In the same year, their sixteen-year-old daughter, Mary Elizabeth, got married to Franklin Hatter, and the couple settled in Buxton and had seven children. In 1875, their son George married Jemima Scott and stayed in Buxton, where they had five children.

In 1866, Thomas married Margaret Walker, and they had three children - Charles, Charlotte, and Henry. Thomas Brown passed away in Buxton in 1889, but many of his descendants still live in the area today.