Edward Brownfield (abt. 1734 - aft. 1808)

Born about 1734 in Apple Pie Ridge, Virginia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Celeste (Unknown) Brownfield — married [date unknown] in Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died after 16 Aug 1808 after about age 74 in Smith county, Tennessee, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Art Black [send private message]

More Primary Sources Needed

Since I adopted this profile in 2018 I have hoped that others may have come up with primary sources that I have missed over the years, sources that would more firmly document Edward's life and place in the line of ancestors. No new clues have arisen so such sources as I have collected during my research have been added and a brief biography written. I have attempted to track down free on-line locations for each reference so that all will have access to the documents. In general, it outlines his migration from birth in Virginia (probably) to Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to the Transylvania colony of what would become Kentucky, and finally, Tennessee.

Art Black, Alt. Tax Day 2023

Biography

Birth in Virginia and On to Pennsylvania

Much of the early life of Edward Brownfield is known only through general folklore, primarily archived in late 19th and early 20th century histories of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. ^{[1] [2] [3]} These narratives usually describe some version of the story that this branch of Brownfields descended from Charles Brownfield, Edward's father, who was of Scottish-Irish heritage and migrated to North America before the American Revolution when he settled near Winchester, Virginia. Here he married around 1730 and within a few years, the couple began having children throughout the 1730s amd 1740s, and as late as the mid-1750s. All of these dates appear to be estimates and no primary documentation has been found with specific dates.

Edward was one of the earlier sons, if not the first, to be born, with the event commonly listed as 1734 in the area of Apple Pie Ridge, Virginia. No primary source for this common attribution has been found, but Apple Pie Ridge is an area lying only a few miles north of Winchester, Virginia where his father Charles is said to have settled, lending some credibility to the claim. ^[4] (See map excerpt image at right)

By as early as 1760, perhaps later, father Charles was persuaded to resettle his family to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, a matter of over a hundred miles, probably much longer by wagon travel.

By one account, "In 1760 he arrived in what is now South Union township, where he located on three hundred acres of land". ^[2] All that can be documented is that Charles applied for a land Warrant in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on June 14, 1769. Similarly, his son Edward applied for a land Warrant for 300 acres on the same date. (This is the first currently known instance of a record documenting Edward's existence.) This land was listed as "About a mile from Laurel Hill on a dividing Ridge [between] redstone and Georges creek[s] including his improv[emen]'t. made in 1767 join[in]'g Thos. Head.", indicating that he had been living on the land at least 2-3 years prior to applying for a Warrant for the land.

The next record of Edward's life is believed to be his marriage to Mary (Unknown) in Pennsylvania dated 1772. ^[5] Of Mary, unfortunately nothing is known but her first name. If Edward's estimated birth date is accepted, this would make his about 38 years of age when he married Mary, a little old but not greatly uncommon. (Possibly even older given that the marriage record indicates his birth year as 1730; a reminder that many of the birth, marriage, death records for Edward's family (siblings and children) are estimates, or from documented facts that may actually relate to a different person of the same name.)

There is an odd gap of about eight years before the birth of their first son John, with son Theron born a few years later, perhaps in 1783. Possibly earlier children were born who died young or for whom records no longer exist. The latter half of the 1770s and early 1780s was a volatile period, the American Revolution, and many records may have been destroyed. It certainly must have had an effect on the family as military actions occurred in neighboring areas.

The family's time in Pennsylvania is documented primarily by various transaction relating to their land; tax lists and the like. It is not known exactly when Edward sold out his holdings and moved away from Pennsylvania. We are only told that "In 1783 Charles Brownfield sold this farm to his son, Benjamin Brownfield, and removed to the " Dark and Bloody" hunting grounds of Kentucky." ^[2] (Reference to the move to Kentucky is also made in "The History of Fayette County" ^[1], and that "Of the seven sons of Charles Brownfield, Empson, Richard, William and Edward went to Kentucky,while Robert, Benjamin and Thomas remained in Fayette county." ^[3]) So it appears that at least a few of the Brownfield family were headed to Kentucky as early as the mid 1780s.

However, there is the singular occurrence of the name of Edward Brownfield on a 1775 petition written in the Transylvania Colony ^[6], a large area of modern day Kentucky that was claimed by Virginia at the time. Transylvania Colony was a short lived land scheme that worked to establish a claim to an area west of Virginia and encourage potential colonists to migrate to the area; not to mention enriching the project investors. (See ^[7] for a history of the Colony) Unfortunately there are no documents to prove that the Edward of Fayette, Penn. is the Edward of 1775 Kentucky; but there is a trail of circumstantial evidence.

Although the petition is undated, Collin's History of Kentucky says that based on internal statements "it would seem to have been written about Dec, 1775." ^[8] It furthers states that of the 84 signers, most lived in or around Harrodsburg. Although Boonesborough was founded by Daniel Boone in 1775, ^[9], Harrodsburg was founded the year earlier, 1774, and is considered by many to be the oldest town in Kentucky.

Of Harrodsburg, Wikipedia says that "Harrodstown (sometimes Harrod's Town) was laid out and founded by James Harrod on June 16, 1774. Harrod led a company of adventurers totaling 31 men, beginning in the spring of 1774 at Fort Redstone in Pennsylvania down the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers in canoes and through a series of other rivers and creeks to the town's present-day location." ^[10]

The most salient point of this statement is "at Fort Redstone in Pennsylvania". So where and what was Fort Redstone? ^[11] Also known at Redstone Old Fort or just Redstone Fort, it was called Fort Burd for a brief period after it was built in 1759 by troops under the command of Col James Burd, in what is today Fayette County, Pennsylvania; the county from which Edward Brownfield hailed!.

Of the men that went with James Harrod to the wilds of Kentucky in 1774, about a third of their names are not known. Was Edward a part of this group, or did he arrive with a later company of men? A question as yet unanswerable. One other point of questionable but interesting folklore is the suggestion that Edward's mother, Elizabeth (Bird) Brownfield, was a sister of the Col. Burd who supervised the construction of Redstone Fort.^[1]

So we are left with the mystery of whether the Edward Brownfield of Fayette, Pennsylvania is the Edward B. of the 1775 petition in Kentucky. A number of coincidences create a body of circumstantial evidence that suggests that he was, but there is still no definite proof.

Living in Kentucky

Irrespective of the 1775 petition, Edward and his brothers presence in Kentucky are documented by another series of tax lists and land transactions dating during the 1780s into the mid 1790s. These include:

1784 Jefferson County, Kentucky - surveys and transactions ^[12]

1785 Nelson County, Kentucky Tithes list, includes listing for 1787 ^[13]

1793 Hardin County Kentucky tax list ^[14]

1796 Hardin County, Kentucky, sale of 400 acres, recorded in the March term 1796 ^[15]

At first glance, it might seem that Edward moved around Kentucky several times. However, it must be kept in mind that these were developing decades for Kentucky. It is not so much that he changed locations several times, but that his location kept changing its political boundaries; the original mega-county of Jefferson was subdivided, and the subsequent counties were themselves subdivided in later years.

It is assumed that the 1796 sale of land marks the decision to pull up roots grown during the previous decade (or two) and seek greener pastures in Tennessee.

New Horizons in Tennessee

All is quiet from this family for several years until the name Edward Brownfield appears on a document filed in the March term of the Smith County Tennessee Court in 1803. This document is often incorrectly taken to be a will and used to claim that Edward's wife had passed away by this time. However, the document seems to be rather a transferal of various animals and goods to his children. (See Will vs. Deed of Conveyance below)

Later that same year, 1803, Edward is once again a petition signer, this time to maintain the then existing boundaries for the county. ^[16] The most interesting aspect of the petition is that two of the other signers are Edward's sons John and Theron. Their last names are misspelled in the transcription of the document, but not unrecognizably so.

Will vs. Deed of Conveyance

There are a pair of images found on a few profiles found around the internet for Edward Brownfield, usually identified as his Will. The images are relatively readable; however, as they appear on other genealogical websites, there may be a question of copyright involved so only a link to the pages on a free websource will be given below. In it's place here, a rough transcription is placed under the images to the right.

Although it is commonly referred to as a "Will", the original is not found under wills for Smith County, Tennessee, but rather in Vol. B-D of the Smith County Deeds ^[17]; and the document does not refer to itself as a will but is self styled as a "Deed of Conveyance" in the last lines of the listing. Some researchers have used this document to "prove" that Edward's wife had died by this time, however if it is actually just a Deed to transfer some items as gifts to his children, there would be no particular need to mention his wife. Also, there is not mention of dividing his land or his money, just handing out a few horses, cows, beds and such.

Note: This "Will" or "Deed" is not the original document itself but a transcription written into county deed books by a court clerk in 1803. Also mild interest is the clerk's inconsistent use of an ampersand for the word "and"; additionally the spelling of son Theron's name as Tharon.

Children

As discussed above, the 1803 Deed of Conveyance mentions four of Edward's children to whom he was presenting gifts. These children are

1. John Brownfield
2. Theron Brownfield
3. Elizabeth Brownfield
4. Mary Brownfield

As these children probably would have been in at least their early 20s at the time of the document, it is possible that there were younger, as yet unidentified, siblings that were not yet old enough to legally own property. And, as mentioned earlier, there is an apparent gap of several years between Edward's marriage and the birth of his son John, so there may also be older children not mentioned in this record who did not move with him from Kentucky.

Death

Although an exact date of February 8, 1805 is found in many genealogies on the internet, no exact source has been found documenting this. This may be one of the cases where a document was signed or created on that date which mentions Edward Brownfield's name and it is assumed that he died after that date with no other documents being known after that date. However, more recent research has revealed a record for a land survey in Smith county, Tennessee which is dated August 16, 1808, ^[18] suggesting that Edward lived at least into his mid 70s. But again, an exact date is not known and it is assumed from lack of later records that he died sometime after that date in Smith county, Tennessee where he was likely buried.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Ellis, Franklin, History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, 1828-1885 Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co, 1882, Page 681-2 [1]
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Gresham, John M., Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, John Nl. Grksham & Co., CHICAGO, 1889, p. 148 [2]
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Shepherd, Henry E., Nelson's biographical dictionary and historical reference book of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : containing a condensed history of Pennsylvania, of Fayette County, and the boroughs and townships of the county, Uniontown, Pa. : S.B. Nelson, 1900, 3 Vol. p.729, [3] page numbered consecutively across volumes
4. ↑ Varle, Charles, and Benjamin Jones. Map of Frederick, Berkeley, & Jefferson counties in the state of Virginia. [Philadelphia: s.n, 1809] Map. [4]
5. ↑ Ancestry Record 7836 #164893 U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, database on Ancestry.com
6. ↑ Ranck, George Washington. Boonesborough; its founding, pioneer struggles, Indian experiences, Transylvania days, and revolutionary annals, Louisville, Ky., J. P. Morton & company, printers, 1901, p.243 (https://archive.org/details/boonesboroughits00ran) (Edward was a signer to a 1775 petition concerning Transylvania colony in what would eventually become Kentucky)
7. ↑ [5] Transylvania Colony, Kentucky
8. ↑ Collins, Lewis. History of Kentucky, Covington, Ky. : Collins & Co., 1874 P. 511 (https://archive.org/details/collinshistorica02coll/page/n7/mode/2up)
9. ↑ [6] Wikipedia article on Boonesborough, Kentucky
10. ↑ [7] Wikipedia article on Harrodsburg, Kentucky
11. ↑ [8] Wikipedia article on Fort Redstone
12. ↑ Jillson, Willard Rouse., Old Kentucky Entries and Deeds., Filson Club Publications Number 34, Louisville, Kentucky : Standard Printing Co., c1926, p180 (https://archive.org/details/3015oldkentuckye0000will/page/180/mode/2up?q=brownfield) Also found at (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/526299/?offset=0#page=3&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=) Several dealings concerning 400 acres in 1784-5, may be the same property
13. ↑ TAXLIST: Nelson County Tithes 1785-1791, Nelson Co., KY (http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/nelson/taxlists/taxes/nelson2.txt) Edward Brownfield listing for 1785 and 1787, includes listings for his father Charles and brothers William and Richard.
14. ↑ TAX LIST: 1793 KY, Hardin Co Tax List (http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/hardin/taxlist/1793tax.txt) Property listing showing Edward Brownfield owning 5 equines, 16 bovines, and 200 acres of land. Transcription, includes brother William and possibly Richard.
15. ↑ Probate: "Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989"
    Hardin > Order Books, Vol A-C, 1793-1812 > image 65 of 602
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Image (accessed 2 April 2023) Deed for transfer of 400 acres to Jeremiah Briscoe
16. ↑ "Ansearchin' News", The Tennessee Genealogical Magazine. Vol. 42 No. 2, The Tennessee Genealogical Society. Memphis, TN, p. 75, (This issue may be found at [9] as document Vol 42 No2 1995.pdf)
17. ↑ [10]Deeds (Smith County, Tennessee), 1801-1973 Scroll down the page to the listing Deeds, v. B-D 1801-1814, then click on the camera icon at the right end of the line. The document in question is shown in images 105-6.
18. ↑ Image Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927 for Edward Brownfield, on Ancestry.com

See Also:

• Ancestry Record 2350 #213718 Pennsylvania, U.S., Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952 Application for 300 acres near Laurel Hill, Fayette Co., Pennsylvania in 1769.

• Image Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801 Listing for Edward Brownfield in 1773, listing also includes Charles, Robert and Empson Brownfield.

• Ancestry Record 2409 #16198 Pennsylvania, U.S., Land Warrants, 1733-1987, Ancestry database. Listing for Edward Brownfield for 300 acres, Warrant No. 3462, on 14 Jun 1769.

• [11], Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania State Archives, webpage for Records of the Land Office, NEW PURCHASE REGISTER: NUMERIC LISTING OF APPLICATIONS, 1769, link to page listing land warrant application 3462 for Edward Brownfield [12]

• Veech, James,. The Monongahela of old, or, Historical sketches of south-western Pennsylvania to the year 1800. Pittsburgh, (estimated date of 1910), p. 200. An appendix giving a compiled list of 1772 tax payers in what was to become Fayette county, Pennsylvania; includes Edward Brownfield) See copy of book at the Internet Archive [13]

• Image Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801 for Edward Brownfield in 1773

• Ancestry Record 2073 #1106 Kentucky, U.S., Land Grants, 1782-1924, land survey for Edward Brownfield 21 Dec 1784

• Ancestry Record 3658 #184434 Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927 Survey of 100 acres in Smith County, Tennessee where Edward Brownfield then lived and had made improvements, August 16, 1808