Brickwall: The Case of Oscar F. Brown; Moving Forward

Within this series, I have decided to reevaluate my evidence on Oscar Fitzallen Brown, and the theories surrounding who his father may have been. The ultimate goal is to determine the following:

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? 
2. What other resources need to be examined? 
3. Who is the most likely candidate to be Oscar's father, based on the evidence collected and the conclusions that have been drawn from said evidence?

In the process, I have discovered some holes, which I called Action Items throughout the series. These are records or searches that need to be evaluated, conducted, ordered, etc, and I've been maintaining the list here. 

Action Item!

From Part One: Abraham Brown

• Action Item: Try to obtain a copy of the original newspaper article for Oscar's political ticket. The copy currently held is a transcription. 

From Part Two: Talmon Brown

• Action Item: Try to find a death certificate for Mrs. Tolman Brown. 
• Action Item: Death certificate or other source for the death date and location of Tolman Brown.
• Action Item: Order a copy of William H. Brown's marriage certificate, Washtenaw County, Michigan. May list parents' names.
• Action Item: Membership to the Washtenaw Genealogical Society, and the ability to search through their annual publication, "Family History Capers", which is indexed online and indicates more information is available on Talmon Brown, a William Brown, and the Collins family. (Submitted membership 28 Sep 2012. Waiting for response from organization.)
• Confirm death information for Tolman, and pursue probate records. 

Headstone of Oscar F. Brown and daughter, Sarah Alice.
Private holdings of author. 

From Part Three: William Brown

• Action Item: Inquire with the Washtenaw County Clerk and/or the State of Michigan to see if the letter noted on the death record for Mary (Brown) Collins is still available; if so, request a copy. 
• Continue to research the life and family of Mary (Brown) Collins, as well as the other siblings known to Oscar, for possible information on their mutual parents.
• Gain more knowledge of the records created and preserved through both Washtenaw County and the State of Michigan to see what else may be available. 
• Newspaper research on the Brown's of Washtenaw County, Michigan.

From Part Four: Unknown Brown

• Action Item: Order copy of the marriage record between Warren Weatherby and Harriet Brown. Source currently on record is an index only.
• Action Item: Continue to try to track the probate record for Warren Weatherby and obtain a copy. 
• Burial records and grave site for (Harriet Brown) Weatherby.
• Explore the potential of more records & resources available through both Michigan and Missouri. 

Also, the comments and thoughts that came in from you, dear readers, have been extremely helpful and interesting to read through.

Response from Part Two: 

Sep 30, 2012

First thing I hypothesize. Was he a preacher? If the picture is your person of interest, this would be a good lead as the apparel would suggest it. 

No, Oscar was not a preacher. I am assuming this is who you are asking about, because this is the only photo on the post of a male. He was retired military, but spent the rest of his years as a farmer and state senator. 
Second, Their would have to be a Marriage record for Tolman Brown & Mary Morvie.

This is something I have been unable to locate. The assumption is that they were married in New York, but I do not know which county. I have a few places I have tried, but so far, nothing.
Further, the history surrounding Michigan during this time period would undoughtedly coincide with Canada. Also surname "Morvie" seems off have you ever considered "Moreau", it's French and that would be extremely prominent throughout the regions at hand. I personally would play around with spellings and browse collections as a whole. Looks like you have a lot accomplished already that marriage record may give you the location that would take you to where you want to go.

This is something I have not considered, and I very much appreciate the idea. "Morvie" came from the marriage record for Oscar Brown, and of course its very possible that it was phonetic or misspelled. Thank you for this! 

Response from Part Four: 

Oct 8, 2012

This might be a good place to apply Elizabeth Shown Mill's FAN principle (Friends, Associates, Neighbors). 

If Harriet and Warren were married in MI did Warren's family live there? Working the Weatherby line in MI might lead to a closer association with the Brown family than just this one marriage. Particularly when you consider that Warren Weatherby was also born in NY according to the census image in this post. 

While Warren's probate record will be interesting in its own right it is rather unlikely to provide you much insight into Harriet's ancestors. Are there any tax rolls in MO or MI that might help you narrow down when Warren and Harriet moved? This might lead to a newspaper item or land sales that could include Brown mentions.

What was Warren an merchant of? Was this his trade in MI? A family business maybe. Something either distinct or something common enough to leave records.

Following the Weatherby family may prove just as problematic but I have had some success with this approach. I'd at least run it through your most common research protocols for any low hanging fruit. You never know what you might find.

Well said, and I appreciate the comments. I think that after I complete the items on my "Action Items" list, this approach will be next in the search. Certainly I cannot leave this out, in order to have a reasonably exhaustive search. I may already have some of this, actually, in my notes; but will have to back track to find it. Thank you, again, for the suggestions! 

I'm going to ask those questions one last time: 

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? 
2. What other resources need to be examined? 
3. Who is the most likely candidate to be Oscar's father, based on the evidence collected and the conclusions that have been drawn from said evidence?

I think that after I finish this list, then yes, I have conducted an approrpriate search. Aside from actually traveling to New York and/or Michigan to research on site, there does not seem to be much more that I can do. Knowing as I write this, of course, that the records I continue to acquire may only create more questions, and keep the search very much alive. 

So, who was Oscar's Dad? I'm not sure I'm ready just yet to make that determination, but I still feel that Tolman is the most likely given the circumstantial evidence. Instinct, perhaps? 

What do you think? Are you ready to draw a conclusion on this case? 

Oscar F. Brown
Private holdings of author. 

Brickwall: The Case of Oscar F. Brown, Part Four

Please refer to this previous post for the summary on this multi-part series. Thank you! 

Within this series, I have decided to reevaluate my evidence on Oscar Fitzallen Brown, and the theories surrounding who his father may have been. The ultimate goal is to determine the following: 

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? 
2. What other resources need to be examined? 
3. Who is the most reasonable candidate to be Oscar's father? 

Theory Four: Unknown Brown

In Part One, I mentioned briefly that Oscar was living with his sister, Harriet, in Missouri in the 1860 Census. Her family is at the heart of Theory Four: Unknown Brown.

1860 Census, Salt River Township, Shelby County, Missouri.
Household of W.W.W. Weatherby, including Brown, Oscar F. 

In 1860, Oscar would have been about 28 years of age. Certainly old enough to be out on his own, even with his own family, and carving out a life for himself. Considering the time frame, I have to ask myself what made him move to Missouri from Michigan to live with his sister, versus staying with his parents and/or the rest of his family?  Assuming that previous mentions of his father's death occurring in the late 1850's hold true, it might be one explanation.

Let's examine Harriet Brown for just a moment. First, how do I know that Harriet is Oscar's sibling? 

• She is not listed as a part of the household in the 1850 Census. 
• She is not named in his obituary or any other "story" printed about Oscar and his life.
• She is not listed as witness to his marriage, nor is she in any other vital record currently known to exist for Oscar. 

Way back in 2003, I ordered Oscar's military pension file and any other corresponding documents. Although his military records were minimal, his wife, Frances (Lawrence) Brown had a lengthy widow's pension. Two years ago, I took some time to re-examine the documents included in that file, and found the piece that changed everything for me in this search. 

Letter from Jennie Yoe, from the Widow's Pension file
of Frances (Lawrence) Brown.
Personal holdings of author.

On 7 Oct 1907, one year after Oscar's death, the U.S. Pension Office stamped two letters written on behalf of Frances, or Frankie as the family know's her, written by Jennie E. Yoe and W.T. Yoe. The "testimony" was given in front of the Notary Public of Montgomery County, Kansas, E.S. Mears (or Means). In the letter Jennie Yoe states that she is Oscar's niece, that she had known him since "before the war, and he was guest at my father & mother's house in Shelbina, Mo, after the war, when not employed elsewhere." She also mentions that visits had been made back and forth between the Brown's and the Yoe's since the marriage of Oscar and Frances. (The objective of the letter is to ensure to the Pension Board that Frances was Oscar's widow, his only wife, and the marriage was of one in good standing, giving her rights to a widow's pension.)  The letter from W.T. Yoe, Jennie's husband, was similarly written.

This discovery, of course, stopped me dead in my tracks. Who was Jennie? How was she connected to Oscar? Who's child was she, to be his niece? It did not take me long to find the answers, as the Yoe family is actually quite well documented. 

Located on the KSGenWeb Project is a transcription of Volume 4 of A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, written and compiled by William E. Connelley, Secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka. (Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1918. Pages 1739-1740. Originally transcribed 1998, modified 2003 by Carolyn Ward. http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioi/indetrib.html.)  This text includes a biography of W.T. Yoe and his brother, Charles, who were Editor and President of The Tribune Printing Company, running The Independence Tribune newspaper, one of the "oldest papers in Kansas." From this text: 

"W.T. Yoe is a republican of the old school, a member of the Methodist Church, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights and Ladies of Security and the Sons and Daughters of Justice. A number of years ago he was appointed postmaster at Independence by President Chester A. Arthur, and served three years, resiging before the expiration of his term. Governor Humphrey also appointed him a member of the state board of charities and for a time hew as one of the board of regents of the State Agricultural College at Manhattan. He married Jennie E. Weatherby, a daughter of Warren W. and Harriet Weatherby, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was at one time postmaster at Shelbina, Missouri. Their children are seven: Harriet, living at home with her parents; Roy, on a farm in Southern Montgomery County; Edna May, wife of A.L. Bryan, who lives near Los Angeles, California, and is in the automobile supply business; Earl, foreman in the Tribune printing office at Independence; Ruth, wife of Guy Are of Independence, Mr. Arey being in the oil business; Warren W., with the Petroleum Products Company; and George, in the engineering department for the Kansas Natural Gas Company, employed in the Oklahoma fields."

I was able to locate the Yoe family pretty quickly in U.S. Census records, including 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920.  The article above led me back to a source I already had: the 1860 Census. I'd had it all along, and knew that Oscar was living with another family in Shelby County, Missouri. From this article and other sources found after the fact, I was able to confirm that he was indeed living with his sister, Harriet (Brown) Weatherby.

Harriet, born around 1819, presumably in New York, married Warren W. Weatherby (1815-1871) in 1842 in Washtenaw County, and had two children: Jennifer Elizabeth (1848 -  ) and Willard (1843 -  ).

Action Item: Order copy of the marriage record between Warren Weatherby and Harriet Brown. Source currently on record is an index only.



Now. Backtrack Harriet Brown to find her parents, and the riddle is solved, right?

Um, right.

I can't seem to find anything on Harriet prior to her marriage. I did find an index for a probate record listing Harriet and Jennie, for Warren Weatherby when he died in 1871. I am hoping to make contact with the appropriate person holding that document soon, though phone calls to date to the historical society listed have proven to be ineffective. Just for the record, though:

Action Item: Continue to try to track the probate record for Warren Weatherby and obtain a copy. 


The 1880 Census lists her as living with her son, Williard, and his wife in Appleton, St. Clair County, Missouri. It indicates that she, and both her parents, were born in New York. I know that she died in Independence  Kansas, indicating that she lived in Jennie's household, or nearby, at the time of her death. I cannot seem to locate her death certificate, however. Such a shame about the 1890 Census... *sigh*.  At this point, I have not been able to locate the cemetery she is buried in, either.

Tracking Harriet has proven to be just as challenging as everything else with the family! (At least, things don't really change much... their descendants can be just as stubborn!)  The period between her birth in 1819 in New York and her marriage in 1842 in Michigan is a large black hole. I have not found a single record indicating a relationship between Harriet and her father, mentioned by name.

Back to the beginning:

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? I have a couple of items to collect, but I really would like to be able to find her burial site, obituary, burial records, etc. It's also possible that Warren Weatherby had a pension file, and therefore Harriet may too, as a widow, so that is an avenue I need to explore. 
2. What other resources need to be examined? Although she died in Kansas, I feel I need to focus on her life in Michigan and Missouri more. So, any further resources would be found there. 
3. Who is the most reasonable candidate to be Oscar's father?  Since this man is not truly "named", it's entirely possible that he is the same as Tolman, William, or Abraham. So, I will hold with the previously made stance that Tolman has the most evidence, direct or indirect, and is still the most likely candidate. 

What's next? One more possible father, and a follow up to all these great comments I've been getting. Keep 'em coming! 

Oscar F. Brown
Personal holdings of author.

Brickwall: The Case of Oscar F. Brown, Part Three

Please refer to this previous post for the summary on this multi-part series. Thank you! 

Within this series, I have decided to reevaluate my evidence on Oscar Fitzallen Brown, and the theories surrounding who his father may have been. The ultimate goal is to determine the following: 

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? 
2. What other resources need to be examined? 
3. Who is the most reasonable candidate to be Oscar's father? 

Theory Three: William Brown

William Brown. How much more common of a name can you possibly have?  According to Wikipedia, William was the third most common male name in the United States in 2011 (source article), and Brown has always been in the top five of surnames, ranking second in 2010 (source article). So, here I am. William Brown. Should be easy, right? 

Let's start this one with the original source.  In theories one and two, I mentioned Oscar's siblings, and one of them is Mary (Brown) Collins. Mary was born in 1817 in New York and died in 1879 in Washtenaw County, Michigan. She is buried in the Collins Cemetery. On Christmas Eve, 1835, in Pittsfield, she married Josiah H. Collins, who was just three years her senior. 

"Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1935," index and images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VNLC-PJY : accessed 01 Oct 2012),
Josiah H Collins and Mary Brown, 1835.

The Brown family would have been fairly new to the area at this point, having arrived in Michigan at some time within the last two to three years. Mary and Josiah had at least five children: Henry, Charles, Mary Elizabeth, Josiah, and William B. They resided in Michigan their entire married life. When Mary died, her death record held by the county states her father's name as William Brown, and her mother as Mary. 

Interestingly, the 1870 Census lists the family, and Mary is "at home, no occupation". She is the only person in over ten years I have noted as labelled "insane" on the record. Her now adult daughter, Mary, is listed as the individual "keeping house" for the family. I do find it intriguing that Mary waited so long to get married; and although I do not know the date of her marriage to one Cyrenius H. Sadler, the first child's birth I have recorded is 1879; the year her mother died. It seems to me that there is a real possibility that Mary Brown was so incapacitated that her daughter was required to run the household for her father for a rather lengthy period of time. 

Her record of death with the County of Washtenaw, State of Michigan, is listed on two pages: 

"Michigan, Deaths, 1867-1897," index and images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N3NP-6MP :
accessed 01 Oct 2012), Mary Collins, 20 May 1879.

Transcription: 

(Line 1) 352  May 20 1879  Mary Collins  F  W  Married  63 (years)  Lyndon (residence)  Chronic (?)  N.Y. (state of birth)   Housekeeper William Brown (father)  Mich. (Parents residence) June 2, 1880 (Date of Record)

(Line 2)  Unknown (part of cause of death)  A5 P2 U (clerk notations?)  Mary Brown (mother) 

Under the entry on page 1 is a note, stating "See letter of County Clerk, filed Sept 7, 1880." At this point, I do not know if this is in regards to her death, but it may explain why the death was filed in the books more than a year after it actually occurred. 

Action Item: Inquire with the Washtenaw County Clerk and/or the State of Michigan to see if this letter is still available; if so, request a copy. 

Even after this lengthy examination of Mary (Brown) Collins' death record, her tombstone states her father's name as "Tolman Brown." 

A search of appropriate census records during Mary's lifetime provides several William Brown's in the Washtenaw County communities, however, none indicate at least a 50% match on what we know of Mr. Brown, father of Oscar and Mary. The presumed facts are that he was born in New York, sometime around 1790, had a wife named Mary, who died in 1836, moved to Pittsfield, Michigan by 1835 and remained there. 

I have been in contact with another assumed descendant of the person identified as Tolman Brown. Their notes indicate that at some time, oral history indicated the father's name as "William Tolman", but there is no source or further information in their documentation. Could Tolman and William be the same person? 

Since I have been unable to find any further evidence of the life of William Brown, other than the death record of Mary Collins, this question remains unanswered. However, after reexamining the documents I have collected on Tolman Brown, I can say that the names Tolman and William never occur in the same place as different people. Can that be any more confusing?  Where I found Tolman, I did not find William - and vice versa - so it could be considered a possibility that they are not different men with the same surname, living in the same county at the same time. 

Could they be the same man? Sure, but there is nothing to confirm NOR deny that statement. Searches conducted for William using Talmon's vitals typically result in queries posted by the descendants, who are spread across the country looking for more information. 

Allow me, once again, to ask those three initial questions: 

1. Has a reasonably exhaustive search been conducted? No, I don't think so. More could be found on Mary (Brown) Collins, that could lead to her parents, and there is a possibility of tracking the family to current day and seeking information from them. Although I have been in contact with one descendant, there could certainly be more out there that have unique artifacts or sources. This is not a line I have fully identified and I do feel that additional work can be done. Additionally, one or two action items have been identified, and more questions have been presented than answered. 
2. What other resources need to be examined?  See above. I also think that Washtenaw County and the State of Michigan probably have records on file that I need to look at, I just have to do a bit more research to determine what those are. Certainly newspapers need to be researched, as I have realized a great lack of evidence on the Brown/Collins family in that regard. 
3. Who is the most reasonable candidate to be Oscar's father?  I still feel that Talmon has the best chance, but I think the idea that William and Talmon are the same guy is one that needs more of my time and attention. 

Coming up next... We go back to Oscar and examine his young adult life for clue's. 

Oscar F. Brown
Personal Archives of Author

Who was Oscar's Dad?

For years now, I have been working on the life and family of Oscar Fitzallen Brown. We know quite a bit about him, really, but the one mystery that has plagued me is his father. If I can find his father, than I can find his mother: of that I am quite certain. But the father... who is this guy?  He's starting to get incredibly frustrating. Yesterday, I once again sent out an email plea for help from any family member that may be able to shed light on this particular issue. Here are the details...

Oscar was born in New York in 1832. Somewhere between the ages of 2 and 5 the family moved to Michigan to farm, and this is where he was raised. As a young man, he moved to Missouri and lived with his sister's family in Shelby County. Oscar joined the Union forces and fought nearly the entire length of the war, and then moved back to Shelby County, where he served for a time as Deputy Sheriff. Eventually, he claimed his homestead and settled in Colfax County, Nebraska. He married Frances E. Lawrence and had six children. He passed away in 1906 and is buried in Richland.

The candidates for father are...

1. William Brown: I am fairly certain that Oscar had a sister named Mary. She was born in 1817 in New York, and died in 1879. On Christmas Eve of 1835, she married Josiah H. Collins in Pittsfield, Washtenaw, Michigan, and they had five children; Henry, Charles, Mary Elizabeth, Josiah Jr. and William B. When Mary died, her death record states that her father was William Brown and her mother, Mary. It would make sense that she was named after her mother, and that her children carry some of the family names, also. 
2. Abraham Brown: This is the name given in Oscar's obituary as his father. No other evidence of an Abraham Brown can be found. 
3. Isaac C. Brown: He had at least two sons, Charles F. and Oscar F., and he lived in the same area of New York that we suspect the Brown family came from when they moved to Michigan. However, he never left New York (that we know of). Isaac left a will stating that his two sons (listed above) both residing in Colfax County, Nebraska, were to be left portions of his estate and Charles was the executor. I feel that this is the least likely answer at this time. Just something in my gut, I guess. 
4. Tolman (or Talmon or Talman) Brown: Born in 1791 in New York, he is listed as Oscar's father n the county books for Oscar and France's marriage. His wife was listed as Mary Morvie (1782-1836), once again supporting the idea that Mary was a family name. Talmon did own property in Washtenaw County, Michigan, beginning 1 Sep 1826. 

There is some speculation that William and Talmon are in fact the same man. There are branches of the family, through the Collins', that have notes indicating as such, and Mary (Brown) Collin's [see#1] headstone reads, "wife of Josiah, daughter of Talmon". 

Mary (Brown) Collins. Her headstone gives the best connection between William and Talmon Brown.

Headstone of Mary (Brown) Collins

Let's go back to the beginning for just a moment. I stated earlier that Oscar went to live with his sister's family in Missouri before the onset of the war. We learn about his sister through letter's in Oscar and Frances' pension file. Jennie Yoe and her husband Thomas Yoe wrote general letters to the pension board after Oscar's death in support of Frances receiving a widow's pension, stating that she was the only wife of Oscar, never remarried, and that they had known her for some time and thought her to be honest and upstanding. In the letter, Jennie states that she is the niece of Oscar, and if you back track their family, you find Jennie's mother, Harriet Brown, which you must conclude to be Oscar's sister.  One would think that I could look up her parents and be done with this whole issue... but her parents have disappeared, also. I cannot find any record of her life before her marriage. The one fact that does help in this search is that Harriet and Warren were married in Washentaw County, Michigan. All roads seem to lead us there. Washentaw County is a common factor for both William and Talmon, and I have not been able to connect the other two potential fathers, Abraham and Isaac, to Michigan at all. 

So it would seem that circumstantial evidence, or simply secondary information with indirect sources, have built a case that leans toward two assumptions: 1. William and Talmon are in fact the same person, and 2. William Talmon Brown is the father of Oscar F. Brown. How does this lead to frustration, you ask? Very simple in that it's not good enough to stand up to a systematic review in the genealogical community. I just simply don't have enough direct, first hand sources to prove or disprove any of the above. 

The search continues...