JACOB BROWN OF THE NOLICHUCKY
September 5, 1990
JACOB BROWN OF THE NOLICHUCKY
By: Jonesborough Genealogical Society
 
     In 1777 Jacob Brown, accompanies by a few families, came to the Nolichucky River area where he set up a trading post and practiced his skills as a blacksmith and gunsmith. The group apparently enjoyed good relations with the Cherokees, for soon after the lease of lands by the Wataugans, Brown was able to negotiate a lease for his lands. He was active in the affairs of the area from the beginning. He and John Carter were the two colonels under Major Jacob Wommack to insure the safety of the area. In 1776 he was one of the Committee of Thirteen, the legislative body, and, in that capacity signed the petition sent to North Carolina in 1776, which resulted in the formation of Washington District in 1777. He was a captain in the Washington District/County Militia, but was not called to active duty until 1780 when he served at the Battle of King’s Mountain, commanding his company under John Sevier.

     The earliest proven ancestor of this family was Thomas Brown, in Baltimore County, MD in 1692, whose only child, John married Elizabeth Sicklemore in 1705. They had three sons: Thomas, Augustus and Gabriel. In 1730 Gabriel married Mary Keen, who may have been the daughter of Timothy Keen. Their marriage, along with the births of their two sons, John (b. 1733) and Jacob (b. 11 Dec. 1736) were entered in the Register of St. George’s Protestant Episcopal Church of Baltimore County, MD.

     In 1752, Gabriel Brown received NC grant #10 in Anson County on the Broad River (now directly east of the town of Union, Union County, SC). In 1754 Jacob and John received Anson County, NC grants #1170 and #1164. In 1751 John Gordon and wife, Ruth,  had received a grant near Brown’s grant. The first record of John Gordon is in 1733 for a land purchase in Prince William County, VA, which he sold in 1749. John and Ruth had five sons: Thomas, John, Benjamin, William and Govin, and one daughter, Ruth.

     Jacob Brown and Ruth Gordon were probably married about 1760 in Anson County, NC (now Union County, SC); they had four known children: Jacob Jr., Thomas, Benjamin and John Gordon Brown. Although Thomas is the only one known to have been here prior to Jacob Sr.’s death in a hunting accident June 28, 1785, Ruth and the four sons settled here after his death. Both Ruth and Jacob are buried in the family cemetery on the Nolichucky. A portion of their land is still owned by a direct descendant.

     For those descendants interested in ancestral organizations, the elder Ruth Gordon, wife of John, has been approved for Daughters of the American Colonists, and the elder Jacob and his sons, Jacob and Thomas, have been proven for the American Revolution. And, of course, as a Gordon descendant.

Ruth Gordon’s last name is sometimes Garden.

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John & Ruth Gordon move to SC from VA in 1749, receiving a Royal Land Grant from King
George Il of 460 ac. on the Collins/Enoree River at Avery's Ford in Newberry & Union Counties.

They brought a family of six sons and one daughter:
1)Thomas, 2)John, 3) Benjamin, 4) Ruth, 5) William, 6) Govin, 7) George. All six sons were in the
Rev. War. Thomas a Major. Three were in the Cherokee War under Col. John Chevillette.

Builders of the Gordon Fort on the Union Co. side of the Enoree River at the current day
county line @old Avery's Ford. this was adjacent to the Gordon Cemetery location.

http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/sc-north.html#new

Also builders of the bridge over the Tyger River that is still named Gordon's Bridge, CR
36/Tuckertown Rd.

Almost all of the descendants of John & Ruth Gordon connected via Find-a-Grave were taken
from "Gordon's of the Deep South" book by Ermimie Northcutt Marshall and her many
contacts. Robert

From Find A Grave on Ancestry by scuppy1.

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Brown, Jacob, Sr.
b. 11 December 1736, S. C.
d. 28 June 1785
He moved to the Nolachucky River as a trader during 1772 and was in the Indian Wars. He founded the Watauga Association. During 1780, he was a captain under Col. Sevier and was in the battle at Kings Mountain and was on Arthur Campbell's expedition. He became a major and defeated a party of Indians during the fall of 1781. Draper, p. 424.
Page 107673

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Killed in hunting accident.

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Brown, Jacob W333
b. 3 August 1761, Columbia, S. C.
d. 21/22/28 August 1838
m. Elizabeth Bird, 9 February 1786
While residing in the Ninety Six District, he enlisted during 1778 or 1779 under Capt. Farr and Col. John Thomas. In 1780, he was under Capt. Farr and Col. Pickens and was in the engagement at Ochee. During April 1780, he went to North Carolina where he joined Col. Brandon and was in the battles at Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock. He was appointed ensign and attached to Capt. Gabriel Brown, his cousin, and Col. Williams. Thereafter, he was under Capt. Jacob Brown, his father, and Col. Sevier, of North Carolina and was in the battle at Kings Mountain. He returned to South Carolina and in April 1781 served under Capts. Samuel Otterson and George Avery and Col. Casey and was in the siege of Ninety
Six. During 1782, he returned to serve in a North Carolina unit. (Moved to Tenn.) A.A. 812; X718; X2744; X2745.
Page 107 (Not sure what’s with the date listing of 21/22/28?, Might actually be 12/22/38?)673

Brown Jacob, Sr. 1736-1785; Washington Co., TN; Soldier, NC; Ruth Gordon page 84
BROWN Jacob, Jr.; 1761-1838; Brown Family, Jonesboro, Washington Co., TN; Soldier; Elizabeth Bird page 84185

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BROWN, JACOB SR (b 12-4-1736 Botetourt Co., VA/d 6-28-1785 Washington Co.) (name on plaque in Washington Co. C.H.) Served as Capt. under Sevier at Battle of King's Mt. m 8-14- to RUTH GORDON b 7-14-1740 Juniper Creek, SC/d 10-9-1810 - Washington Co., TN. Ch.: Jacob b 8-31-1761/d 1838 m 1786 Elizabeth Bird; Benjamin m 1789 Sarah Sevier (dau. of John); Thomas m Emeline (Ann) Clark; John G. Ref.: DAR # 462152; Williams: Dawn of TN Valley; Ramsey: Annals of TN; Draper: King’s Mt. Heroes. DAR marked - oldest lettered tombstone St. Franklin. Page 53186

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Brown, Jacob b. 1736, SC; d. 1785, Washington Co., TN; m. Ruth Gordon; county settled: Nolachucky settlement, 1771; Proof: petition to NC (1776).187

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DAR information 6/21/18: BROWN, JACOB SR
Ancestor #: A015490
Service:  NORTH CAROLINA    Rank(s): COLONEL
Birth:  12-4-1736    NORTH CAROLINA
Death:  6-28-1785     WASHINGTON CO NORTH CAROLINA
Service Source:  DRAPER, KING'S MTN & ITS HEROES, P 424; PENSION S*W333 FOR JACOB BROWN JR.; CLARK, STATE RECORDS OF NC, VOL 22, P 702; RAMSEY, ANNALS OF TN, P 264
Service Description:  1) ALSO CAPT, COL SEVIER, AT KING'S MOUNTAIN; MAJ

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SAR information 6/21/18: Jacob BROWN SR
SAR Patriot #: P-123277
State of Service: NC      Rank: Soldier
Birth: 4 DEC 1736 / /SC
Death: 28 JUN 1785 The Nolachucky TN
Service Description: Served in the Indian Wars. Capt Sevier regiment at Kings Mountain
Arthur Campbell expedition. made a major, defeated a war party
Citation: Revolutionary War Graves Register. Clovis H. Brakebill, compiler. 672pp. SAR. 1993. Also SAR Revolutionary War Graves Register CD. Progeny Publishing Co: Buffalo, NY. 1998
Spouse: (1)Ruth Gordon
Cemetery: Washington / TN

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DAR information
BROWN, JACOB SR
Service: NORTH CAROLINA
Rank: COLONEL
Birth: 12-4-1736 NORTH CAROLINA
Death: 6-28-1785 WASHINGTON CO NORTH CAROLINA
Service Source: DRAPER, KING'S MTN & ITS HEROES, P 424; PENSION S*W333 FOR JACOB BROWN JR.; CLARK, STATE RECORDS OF NC, VOL 22, P 702; RAMSEY, ANNALS OF TN, P 264
Service Description: ALSO CAPT, COL SEVIER, AT KING'S MOUNTAIN; MAJ
Residence: WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
Spouse: RUTH GORDON

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JACOB BROWN OF THE NOLICHUCKY
September 5, 1990
JACOB BROWN OF THE NOLICHUCKY
By: Jonesborough Genealogical Society
 
     In 1777 Jacob Brown, accompanies by a few families, came to the Nolichucky River area where he set up a trading post and practiced his skills as a blacksmith and gunsmith. The group apparently enjoyed good relations with the Cherokees, for soon after the lease of lands by the Wataugans, Brown was able to negotiate a lease for his lands. He was active in the affairs of the area from the beginning. He and John Carter were the two colonels under Major Jacob Wommack to insure the safety of the area. In 1776 he was one of the Committee of Thirteen, the legislative body, and, in that capacity signed the petition sent to North Carolina in 1776, which resulted in the formation of Washington District in 1777. He was a captain in the Washington District/County Militia, but was not called to active duty until 1780 when he served at the Battle of King’s Mountain, commanding his company under John Sevier.

     The earliest proven ancestor of this family was Thomas Brown, in Baltimore County, MD in 1692, whose only child, John married Elizabeth Sicklemore in 1705. They had three sons: Thomas, Augustus and Gabriel. In 1730 Gabriel married Mary Keen, who may have been the daughter of Timothy Keen. Their marriage, along with the births of their two sons, John (b. 1733) and Jacob (b. 11 Dec. 1736) were entered in the Register of St. George’s Protestant Episcopal Church of Baltimore County, MD.

     In 1752, Gabriel Brown received NC grant #10 in Anson County on the Broad River (now directly east of the town of Union, Union County, SC). In 1754 Jacob and John received Anson County, NC grants #1170 and #1164. In 1751 John Gordon and wife, Ruth,  had received a grant near Brown’s grant. The first record of John Gordon is in 1733 for a land purchase in Prince William County, VA, which he sold in 1749. John and Ruth had five sons: Thomas, John, Benjamin, William and Govin, and one daughter, Ruth.

     Jacob Brown and Ruth Gordon were probably married about 1760 in Anson County, NC (now Union County, SC); they had four known children: Jacob Jr., Thomas, Benjamin and John Gordon Brown. Although Thomas is the only one known to have been here prior to Jacob Sr.’s death in a hunting accident June 28, 1785, Ruth and the four sons settled here after his death. Both Ruth and Jacob are buried in the family cemetery on the Nolichucky. A portion of their land is still owned by a direct descendant.

     For those descendants interested in ancestral organizations, the elder Ruth Gordon, wife of John, has been approved for Daughters of the American Colonists, and the elder Jacob and his sons, Jacob and Thomas, have been proven for the American Revolution. And, of course, as a Gordon descendant.

Census of Pensioners Tennessee-Eastern District page 154. Washington County. Name of Pensioners for revoutionary or military services. Jacob Brown. Age 91. Names of heads of familes with whom pensioners resided June 1, 1840. Jacob Brown.674

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Biographical Sketch of Jacob Brown (died 1785)
By Phil Norfleet
Gabriel and Jacob Brown in South Carolina\
Brown's Creek, now in Union County, South Carolina, was named after Gabriel Brown (d. 1780), the elder brother of Jacob Brown (1736-1785). The creek was originally called Ranger's Lodge. However, on 3 April 1752, Gabriel Brown acquired a patent from the Province of North Carolina (NC) for 200 acres located near the point where the creek flows into the Broad River. [See NC Patent Book 2, page 6] Soon thereafter the creek became known as Brown's Creek. Gabriel and Jacob Brown's father seems to have been a certain John Brown, [See Mecklenburg County NC Patent Book 23, page 294] but the brothers' place of birth is unknown. Most historians have speculated that they were born in VA, probably Augusta County. Jacob and Gabriel were probably the first settlers in the Brown's Creek area, arriving about 1750 or 1751. At that time, the region was thought to be part of Anson County, North Carolina, hence both Jacob and Gabriel received patents for their land in this area from the Province of North Carolina.

Jacob Brown acquired a 300-acre grant from North Carolina on 24 September 1754. [See NC Patent Book 15, page 40] The grant stated that the land was located in Anson County, North Carolina. A record of Jacob's grant [1] is on file at the North Carolina State Archives, it states:
"Jacob Brown three hundred acres Anson [County] on the So Side of Broad River on a fork of Browns Creek Below the Great Shoals of said Creek. Begins at a Chestnut Tree ... to the first Station. September 24th 1754 ... "
Gabriel Brown's land grant falls within an area that has been platted by members of the Union County Historical Society and published by that Society in 1976.

Link to Plat Map of Brown's Creek Area
Jacob Brown's land grant lies about a mile to the west of Gabriel's. I have personally located and visited the location of this 300-acre tract which once belonged to Jacob Brown and later was purchased by John Mayfield. The tract is about a mile west of Broad River at the fork of Big Brown's Creek and Little Brown's Creek, and is about three miles south of where the modern road SC 49 crosses Broad River, at the village of Lockhart. The Browns Creek - Lockhart area, as it was in the early 19th century, is shown in the Mills Atlas (first published in 1825) map for Union County.

Link to Mills Atlas Map of Brown's Creek Area
Historians such as Judge Haywood and J. M. G. Ramsey have referred to Brown as "a small merchant" [2] and Jacob probably operated a small store at this location. After he purchased this land from Jacob Brown in 1770, John Mayfield is reputed to have had a grocery store here. In my opinion, the location would have been ideal for such an enterprise in the 18th century.

Death of Gabriel Brown
Although Jacob ultimately removed to what is now Eastern Tennessee, Gabriel Brown remained in South Carolina for the rest of his life. He supported the Whig cause during the Revolution and became a Captain in the SC Militia forces commanded by General Thomas Sumter. Gabriel was killed on 20 November 1780, during the Battle of Blackstocks. He was slain by the same British musket volley that seriously wounded General Sumter. At the time, Gabriel was situated on the General's left in the front line of the advancing Whig forces. [8]
Jacob Brown in Tennessee

On 2 August 1770, Jacob Brown sold his Brown's Creek property to a certain John Mayfield. After the sale, Jacob removed to the Nolichucky River area in what is now northeastern Tennessee. Upon his arrival, Jacob leased land from the Cherokees and established a trading post. In addition, Jacob served the needs of the Indians as both a blacksmith and gunsmith. [3] In March 1775, Jacob was at the negotiations conducted at Sycamore Shoals between Judge Richard Henderson and the Cherokee Nation, whereby Henderson "bought" all the land south of the Ohio and north of the Cumberland River - essentially what is now the State of Kentucky! The Cherokee's were only too happy to sell the land since they didn't really own it! The territory was a hunting ground used by all the tribes that lived in the general area, particularly the Shawnee.

A few days after the Henderson acquisition, on 25 March 1775, Jacob Brown also acquired two sizeable tracts of land in the Limestone Creek/Nollichucky River area of what is now Unicoi, Greene and Washington Counties Tennessee - these tracts were collectively known as "Brown's Purchases."

Link to Map of Jacob Brown's Purchases in TN
Of course, all of these land acquisitions were expressly forbidden by the Royal Proclamation of 1763, condemned by the royal governors of both VA and NC, and were rejected as invalid by the successor state government of VA and NC! The rejections notwithstanding, the Henderson purchase opened the floodgates of migration to KY - Daniel Boone was acting as an agent of Henderson when he led one of the first groups of settlers into the area. The fact that Henderson dared to defy the Proclamation of 1763 is a strong indicator that royal authority along the Frontier had already ceased to exist by early 1775.

Jacob Brown's home was located on the north bank of the Nolichucky River
near the mouth of Cherokee Creek. Brown's home was about three miles west of the site of John Sevier's home, Mount Pleasant. [4] It is interesting to observe that at least three members of the Mayfield family, Micajah, Isaac and Sutherland, lived on Cherokee Creek in the 1780's. In fact, in 1784, Jacob Brown served on a jury where Micajah Mayfield was tried on a charge of adultery. [5]

Jacob held the rank of captain in the Washington County, North Carolina militia. In October 1780, Jacob led his company, under the regimental command of John Sevier, on the Kings Mountain campaign. While living under the State of Franklin government, Jacob was promoted to second major of the Washington County militia. His last active military service was on the Boyd's Creek campaign. Jacob Brown died on 28 June 1785. [6]
Ruth Gordon, Wife of Jacob Brown

While still living in SC, in 1760, Jacob Brown married Ruth Gordon (1740- 1810), daughter of John and Ruth Gordon. The Gordons had come down from Virginia in about 1751 and acquired land in that part of South Carolina which later became Union and Newberry Counties. I suspect that these Gordons may be related to the family of John Gordon (d. 1758) of Nansemond County Virginia and Chowan County North Carolina. John Gordon's branch of the Gordon Clan intermarried with the several of my Norfleet relatives in the Albermarle Region of North Carolina.

Jacob and Ruth Gordon had four known children. All four children were born in South Carolina during the 1760's, i. e., Jacob, Jr., Benjamin, Thomas and John Gordon Brown.

Jacob Brown seems to have become estranged from his wife, Ruth, prior to relocating to the Nolichucky region - she never joined him while he lived there. While living in northeastern Tennessee, Jacob formed a liaison with a certain Anne Henderson. This relationship continued throughout the remainder of Jacob's life. Brown tried to make a provision for Anne by
conveying to her a lifetime interest in a 180-acre plantation in 1781. This attempt failed. After Jacob's death, Ruth Brown brought suit contending that the conveyance to Anne Henderson was fraudulent. The suit dragged on for several years and finally, in 1802, it was decided in favor of Ruth Brown, in a decision handed down by Judges David Campbell (1750-1812), another distant kinsman of mine, and Andrew Jackson! [7] A few years later, Ruth Brown died in 1810.

Endnotes
1. See North Carolina Patent Book 15, page 40.
2. See John Haywood, The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee (1823), page 55 and J. M. G. Ramsey, The Annals of Tennessee (1853), page 110.
3. Paul M. Fink, Jacob Brown of Nolichucky, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Volume XXI, Number 3 (September 1962), page 237.
4. Ibid, page 244.
5. Ibid, page 249.
6. Ibid, pages 244-249. 7. Ibid, pages 249-250.
8. Robert D. Bass, Gamecock - The Life and Campaigns of General Thomas Sumter (published 1961), page 107.

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Patriot Paths Tennessee’s Revolutionary War Veterans

The Revolutionary War had a huge impact on the area that would become the state of Tennessee. Although settlement of the eastern part of the state had begun in earnest in the 1770s, it was the military land grants issued by the State of North Carolina that encouraged Revolutionary War veterans and their families to brave the new western frontier.

North Carolina designated a “Military District” of 100 square miles as land to give soldiers in lieu of payment for their services in the Revolution. Today, Nashville stands at the center of this district. Although many soldiers sold their rights to land speculators, others moved to the area in the years following the Revolution. As these settlers gained a foothold, the value of land in Tennessee grew, and speculators were able to sell their vast acreage to more emigrants. By 1850, over one million people lived in Tennessee.

Many Revolutionary War veterans came to Tennessee. Most came from Virginia and North Carolina, but by no means all. This project only tracks those veterans who applied for a pension from the federal government. Pensions were first available in 1818, but only for those who had served in the Continental Line (George Washington’s army). In 1832 the pension laws were changed so that men who fought in state militia could apply. In 1836, widows of veterans could apply.

By searching lists created for Congress, the 1840 census of pensioners and other sources we identified just over 1,200 Revolutionary veterans who received a pension while living in Tennessee. Because the pension applications were written out longhand, not confined to a printed form, they include many interesting details and comments. Beginning in 1832, veterans were asked to provide the dates and places of their birth and enlistment. They were also asked to list all the places they had lived since the war.

Reading through their pension application papers (available through the Fold3 and Heritage Quest online databases) we entered these various dates and places into a spreadsheet. Of course not every file was complete. Some lacked dates, some lacked locations, some were general such as “I enlisted in Virginia” instead of giving a specific place.

This data was then matched to latitude and longitude points and displayed on a map. Where soldiers gave a state but not a county, the point was mapped to the center of the state. Where they gave a county but not a town (which was most common) the point was mapped to the center of the county.

Displaying these points graphically enables the user to see the general migration paths of Tennessee patriots. We can see where most of the men came from, which counties provided the greatest number of emigrants to Tennessee, and where in Tennessee they settled. It is our hope that by using this data scholars and genealogists will discover new facts about this generation of pioneers.188

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Battle of Boyd's Creek Monument THIS SHAFT MARKS THE SITE OF THE BATTLE OF BOYD'S CREEK DEC 16, 1780 GEN JOHN SEVIER AND HIS COMMAND OF EAST TENNESSEE PIONEERS DEFEATED WITH HEAVY LOSS TO THE ENEMY A LARGE FORCE OF CHEROKEE INDIANS WHO HAD ATTACKED THE SETTLERS WHILE HE AND HIS SOLDIERS WERE AWAY ENGAGED IN THE KING'S MOUNTAIN CAMPAIGN (Jacob referred to as "Col." His son Jacob and nephew Gabriel of SC Co. also here.)

Posted on Ancestry by Crystal Sailer

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JacobBrownCemetery_2

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15112375

Jacob Brown, Sr - Jacob is the founder of Brown's Settlement. He was a Captain at Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War. There is a plaque in his honor on the Washington County Court House in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Jacob Brown appears in four different places in a book titled: "America's First Western Frontier: East Tennessee" by Brenda C. Calloway. - - Burial: Brown Cemetery Washington County Tennessee, USA Created by: SMG Record added: Aug 01, 2006 Find A Grave Memorial# 15112375 - - - - - - - - - - -

Ruth Gordon Brown - Note: unmarked grave Burial: Brown Cemetery Washington County Tennessee, USA Created by: SMG Record added: Aug 01, 2006 Find A Grave Memorial# 15112449 - - - - - - - - - - - - May 2010 ~ found cemetery sign on the ground at the entrance to private property just off Taylor Bridge Road. Added by: SMG 5/27/2010 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brown Cemetery - Take State Hwy 81 S out of Jonesborough, turn West onto Taylor Bridge Road (just before you cross the Nolichucky River). Go .8 mile (on the right is mailbox 299 in front of a two story brick house that sits back from the road) turn left through a gate, then immediately turn right onto a lane. Go past the barn and turn right, then straight through another gate, once through the gate, go left up to the top of the hill approximately 1/4 mile. The cemetery is in a stand of trees surrounded by a chain link fence and barbed wire. On one side, at the bottom of the hill is Cherokee Creek and on the other is the Nolichucky River. It has been recorded that outside the fence are fifteen unmarked slave graves.

On ancestry from jolleymom4.

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