James BROWNE (1605 -1676) was Alex’s 10th Great Grandfather; one of 2,048  in this generation of the Shaw line.

We have five separate Brown lines and seven different Brown immigrant ancestors, by far the most of any surname.  When the surname is of English origin it is derived from a nickname concerning the complexion of an individual, or the colour of their hair. Brown is derived from the Old English brun, brūn; Middle English brun, broun; or Old French brun.

1. John BROWNE Sr. (Swansea). (1583 Hawkedon, Suffolk  – 1662 Swansea, Mass)
John BROWN Jr.  (1620 -1662 Rehoboth, Mass)

2. John BROWN (Hampton) (1589 London – 1677 Salem, Mass)

3.  Nicholas BROWN (1601 Inkberrow, Worcester – 1694 Reading, Mass)

4. James BROWNE (1605 Southhampton, Hampshire  -1676 Salem, Mass.)

5. Thomas BROWNE (1607 Christian Malford, Wiltshire – 1687 Newbury, Mass.)
Francis BROWN I (1633  Christian Malford, Wiltshire – 1691  Newbury, Mass.)

James Browne was born in 1605 in Southhampton, Hampshire, England. His parents were JOSEPH BROWNE and Sarah [__?__].  He married Judith CUTTING about 1637.  After Judith died, he married her sister Sarah Cutting in 1646. in Charlestown, Mass. He lived in Charlestown until about 1660, then moved to Newbury and finally Salem as early as 1672.  James died on 3 Nov 1676 in Salem, Mass.  Will dated 29 Jan 1674, probated 29 Nov 1676.

James Brown and his son were glaziers.  Work consisted  of glass-blowers, boiler men, glaziers and glass carriers.

Judith Cutting was born in 1616 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  Her parents were Capt. John CUTTING and Mary WARD.  Judith died between 1643 and 1646. Some researchers don’t believe a 17th Century man would have  married his wife’s sister and think that this must have been a different Judith.  See Walter Goodwin Davis’ analysis at the bottom of this page.

Sarah Cutting was born 1628 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  She was admitted to the Charlestown church 14 Mar 1652. After James died, Sarah married William Healy Sr of Cambridge on 29 Nov 1677. Finally she married Hugh March Sr on 3 Dec 1685 in Newbury. Sarah died 25 Oct 1699 in Scarbough, Maine. There were two James Browns about the same age in Charlestown in the 1630’s.  The genealogist Coffin calls ours James Jun to distinguish him from Mr James Browne who was one of the first settlers of Newbury and called late teacher at Portsmouth in 1656.  James Brown was born in England in 1605 or 1617-18, and when “a youth of seventeen” came to America on the ship “James,” sailing from Southampton or Hampton, England, and arriving in Boston, June 3, 1635. This record may not belong to our James Brown or the age  may have been given wrong. This James Brown was known as James Brown, the glazier; settled first in Charlestown. Massachusetts. Children of James and Judith & Sarah:

James, the glazier, was admitted a freeman May 17, 1637; hired Lovell’s Island of the town of Charlestown in 1636 and must have been of age at that time. He removed to Newbury where he was one of the proprietors in 1637 and was elected to various town offices. He removed again to Salem. He deposed December 29, 1658, that he was about fifty-three years old. That would make his year of birth 1605, and that is probably correct. He died at Salem, November 3, 1676. His will was proved November 29, 1676. bequeathing to wife Sarah; brother Nicholas Noyes; children, John, James, Samuel, Abraham, Anna, Mary, Abigail, Martha, Sarah Beasly; to eldest son John estate left by Henry Bright, of Watertown, for money lent him many years ago; estate at Newbury left to wife by her father, Captain John Cutting.

He married (first) Judith Cutting, daughter of Captain John Cutting, and (second) Sarah Cutting, sister of his first wife. She was born in 1605, according to her statement in 1658. Children: 1. John, born January 4, 1637-38. 2. James, born in 1642, died in 1643. 3. James, born August 19, 1647, mentioned below. 4. Nathaniel, born November 21,165—. 5. Samuel, born January 14, 1656-57. 6. Hannah, baptized September 2, 1658. 7. Abraham, baptized October 14, 1660. 8. Mary, born May 25, 1663. 9. Abigail, born October 24, 1665. 10. Martha, born December 22, 1667.

17 May 1637 – Admitted Freeman.  James Browne, we learn from the historian, Coffin, took great interest in Governor Winthrop’s campaign for the governorship against Sir Harry Vane, as the close of the latter’s term drew near. So Mr. Browne, with nine others including John CHENEY,  Thomas COLEMAN, Henry Sewall Jr, Nicholas Noyes [son-in-law of Capt. John CUTTING and Cheney’s future father-in-law], Robert Pike [future founder of Nantucket, liberal dissenter, witch trial critic and son-in-law of Joseph MOYCE], Archelaus Woodman [Edward WOODMAN‘s half-brother], Thomas Smith, Nicholas Holt [future son-in-law of Humphrey BRADSTREET, and John Bartlett, .walked forty miles from Newbury to Cambridge on foot to take the “freeman’s oath” and qualify themselves to vote in the election which was soon to take place.  It was by such prompt movements that Winthrop was elected and the conservative party triumphed.

Vane lost his position to the elder John Winthrop  in the 1637 election.  The contentious election was marked by a sharp disagreement over the treatment of John Wheelwright, a supporter of Anne Hutchinson [daughter of our ancestor Francis MARBURY  (1555–1611) (wikipedia)] Winthrop won in part because the location of the vote was moved to Cambridge, reducing the power of Vane’s Boston support.  In the aftermath of the election Anne Hutchinson was put on trial, and eventually banished from the colony.

Many of her followers seriously considered leaving after the election. At the urging of  Roger Williams, some of these people, including Hutchinson, founded the settlement of Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island in the Narragansett Bay (later named Rhode Island and joined to Providence to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations).

Vane decided to return to England, apparently with the notion that he would acquire a royal governorship to trump the colonial administration.  Before his departure, he published A Brief Answer to a Certain Declaration, a response to Winthrop’s defense of the Act of Exclusion; this act was passed after the election to restrict the immigration of people with views not conforming to the colony’s religious orthodoxy.

Will

I James Browne of Salem being weak of body but of p[er]fect  memory do make this my last will & testament  Imprs (Imprimis) I give & bequeath unto my beloved wife Sarah my dwelling house & outhouseing with the ground adjoining lying hear in Salem during her natural life & at her decease to be disposed of as followeth

It[em] my will is that my eldest son John Browne whoe (who) have had his portion given him formerly, and doe further will & order, of that estate left by Henry Bright of watertowne deceased which is my proper right & due in consideration of money’s lent to him or paid for him many years ago, which said estate I leave My sonne to recover, all my right of interest in that estate, or that of right doe belongs to me, he the sd John Browne shall have the[re]on half thereof to himself his heirs & assignes, he paying the one half of the charges of what he recovers, And the other half of what estate he shall recover as aforesd to be to Sarah my said wife & to her heires & assignes for Ever

It[em] whearas there are certain routings drawne betweene my said wife & my said me James Browne bearing date 10 march 1672 wherein on my records part all the houseing & land lying in newberg Given & bequeathed to my said wife by her father John Cutting deceased in his last will and testament, are mad[e] over to my said son James Browne & to his heires for ever he on his part paying p[er] anum to his mother for [as] long as she lives for much as is exprest in sd ________ ________ (too light  and cut off at the end of the sentence here) & at her decease to paye or cause to be pd thirty five pounds to be pd for those of my other children according as is heare after exprest which is my will with the mutuall agreement of my said wife It[em]I give to my son Samuell my dwelling house & outhouseing with soe much of the ground belonging thereto begining next to Samuel Pickworth ground & from therin, northerly to take in one pole beyond on the north side of the barne, & for right cross the ground from the high waye to John Gedney deceased his ground, to have & in joye the saime, to him his heirs & assignes for Ever,

next after his mothers decease he  paying fifteene pounds for the use of my daughters, to be devided as is heareafter expressed, & my will is that my Sonn Samuell shall live with his mother to be helpful to his mother untill he come to the age of one & twenty yeares It[em] I give to my Son Abraham, about thirty two pole of ground, belonging to my dwelling house to begin at one pole beyond the barne as aforesaid,  & to extend fouer pole in bredth next the high waye, & for to run right crosse the same bredth to the land of John Gedney,  aforesd,  to have & to injoye the same to him his heires & assignes, next after his mothers decease, but in case the Said Abraham depart this life before he come to the age of twenty one yeares  then the said p[ar]cell of ground to fall to my Son Samuell and further my will is that my son Abraham shall be under my care & dispose the time after he have erned his apprenticeship until he come to the age of one & twenty yeares It[em] I give unto my said wife Sarah, the use of the ground, beyond that thirty two pole of ground given to my Son Abraham, northward to the ground of John Cromwell for her to dispose of for the payment of my debt made for her necessary use [for]the time of her life, And in case she be________ ______ _____ (cut off at the end of the sentence here) nessessitated to sell the said land in her life time, for paiment of debts for her necessary use, then at her decease my Son Abraham shall injoy it,  he paying fouer fifths of the value there of for the use of his four Sisters viz: Anna mary, Abagaile & Martha, equaly to be devided amongst them or the longest livers of them,  if any dye before they come to the age eighteen yeares or married,

And further my will is that the thirty five pounds that my Sonn James is to paye & fifteene pounds that my son Samuell is to paye at there mothers decease, which is fifty pounds in all, be equally devided amongst my five daughters, viz: Sarah Beazely, Anna, mary Abigaile & martha Browne, that is to Say ten pounds each of them, to be paid at theire mothers decease at the age of eighteene yeares or marriage & my will is that in case that in case (written twice) any of them dy before they come to age or are marryed then her or theire part to sale to those of my daughters that doe survive to be equally devided amongst them Lastly I give to my Said wife, all the use of my Said estate when my debts are paid, & doe appoynt her my sole executrix of this my will & doe appoynt  my brother Nicholas Noyer , And Hilliard  Veren Sen[ior] to be overseeres, & heare unto I have Set  my [hand] & Seale, this 29 of January 1674

witnes: Hilliard Veren Sen[ior]
James Browne & a Seale Samuell Pickworth Hilliard Veren gave oath in court at Salem 9:9:76 that he was p[re]sent when the said James Browne signed, sealed, & declared the above written as his last will and testament & that there is noe later will of his that he knows of & further that he saw the said pickworth set his hand as witness: attested Hilliard Veren   Clry  (Clergy?) The Inventory of ye goods of James Browne Sen(ior) lately deceased taken by Nicholas Noyer & Nathaniell Beadle whoe deceased 8:9:1676

Sources: pg 362 – Sarah married (1) John Browne of Charlestown, later of Newbury and …

Children 

1. John BROWNE Jun (See his page)

3. James Brown

James wife Hannah House (Huse) was born about 1649 in Charlestown, Mass. Hannah died 18 Nov 1713 – Newbury, Essex, Mass.

James Jr  was also a glazier by trade. By James’  29 Jan 1674 Will son Samuel received his father’s dwelling house and ground in Salem next to lands of Samuel Pickworth and John Gedney

5. Sarah Brown

Sarah’s first husband Robert Beasly
.
Sarah’s second husband William Healy Jr was born 11 Aug 1652. His parents were William Healy and Mary Rogers. William died in 1697 – Boston, Suffolk, Mass.

11. Martha Brown

Martha’s husband John Tappan was born 24 Dec 1645 in Newbury, Essex, Mass. His parents were Abraham Tappan and Susanna Taylor. John died Dec 1717 in Newbury, Essex, Mass

From Abel Lunt 1963 by Walter Goodwin Davis

New England marriages prior to 1700 By Clarence Almon Torrey, Elizabeth Petty Bentley

http://www.bradleyfoundation.org/genealogies/Bingley/tobg04.htm#37323

The old families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts: with some related

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hwbradley/aqwg3287.htm

http://www.genpc.com/gen/files/d0013/f0000010.html#I15559

Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs …, Volume 3 edited by William Richard Cutter

http://www.genpc.com/gen/files/d0013/f0000010.html#I15559

A sketch of the history of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845 (1845) By Coffin, Joshua, 1792-1864; Bartlett, Joseph, 1686-1754