William S. "Grampie" Brown 1843-1917

William S. Brown, Civil War soldier

William S. Brown is our great great grandfather.  His daughter, Caroline, married Henry NEVINS and they lived most of their lives in Olean.  The Brown family story is an interesting one, though it is not nearly finished!  

Our grandmother Paula Nevins Flynn called William "Grampie Brown", so I will do the same.  Grampie Brown was born in Cambridge (better known at Cambridgeshire) County England May 26 1843.  As far as I am aware, he is our only English ancestor.  

  The red area is Cambridgeshire county.  You will note it's fairly land-locked.  

When he was only 2 years old, he sailed from London to New York aboard the ship Quebec, arriving on May 19 with his father William W., his mother Sarah, and his older sister Druscilla.  The voyage probably took about 2 weeks.  It appears that Sarah was pregnant during this time, and I'm certain the voyage was not an easy one. When the ship arrived in New York, it wasn't the Ellis Island that we picture when we think of immigrants.  In 1845, the port of New York was located on the wharves of Manhattan.  

From New York, they apparently traveled to the Albany region, where two more children were born:  Caroline (sound familiar?) and Walter.  Since William W. was a blacksmith, it's my theory that he found work taking care of the horses and the family traveled the Erie Canal all the way to Buffalo, where they eventually settled.  Two additional children were born after they settled in Buffalo: Jane and Ida.  

In 1861, when he was about 18, he enlisted from Neenah Wisconsin in 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  One of the lasting mysteries is why he enlisted from Wisconsin.  He served only 4 months before being discharged in August after spending some time hospitalized.  He enlisted a second time (probably for the money) from Buffalo in 1863 until discharge again in 1866.  He apparently became ill with chronic conditions as a result of this service and he was later awarded a pension.  Buckets of paperwork were generated as a result of his pension application, telling us more than we're comfortable with about his digestion and respiration.  

Shortly after he returned to Buffalo, he married Mary Alvira Burrows in 1867.  Our great grandmother Caroline (Carrie) was born in 1873 in Buffalo.  Mary died when Carrie was only 7.  It appears that Grampie had Carrie placed in the Buffalo Protestant Orphans Asylum for care until he could take her back.  It haunts me that this was a necessary step and I wonder how that time influenced Carrie's later life.  

Two years later, Grampie married again to Margaret Sommers.  They stayed together in Buffalo for the rest of their lives.  Grampie was, variously, a lumber inspector, foreman for a lumber company, Erie County Pentitentiary guard, and government clerk.  By 1900, Carrie was living in Cattaraugus  County in close proximity to the handsome Henry Nevins, a brand new attorney.  

Grampie died a widow in 1917 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery with his parents.  My sister Paula and I took a research trip to Buffalo a number of years ago and one of the highlights was finding their gravesites.  

Grampie's story is very much the story of millions of immigrants, including our other ancestors. I applaud his parents for taking that long trip across the ocean to settle happily in Buffalo NY so our story could begin.