Person:Chad Brown (4)

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Reverend Chad Brown I (also known as Chaddus Browne) (c. 1600–1650) was one of the first ministers of the First Baptist Church in America and one of the earliest proprietors of Providence Plantations. He was also the progenitor of the Brown family of Rhode Island, known for its association with Brown University.

“Rev. CHAD BROWN, not related so far as known to the three Brown Brothers of Lynn, Mass., came as we learn from his deposition to New England with his wife Elizabeth _______ , and their son John, in the good ship Martin, and landed in Boston, Mass., in the year 1638. He located himself and family in Salem, Mass., where he did not long reside. Entering religious and political sentiment in sympathy with Roger Williams, he went to reside with him in Providence, R. I. Mr. Brown soon rose to prominence in Providence Plantation, where he merited and enjoyed the confidence of his fellow townsmen to an unlimited extent, recieving some of the highest positions of honorand truust in theit power bestow upon him. Having previiously studied for the ministry, he was called to be the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of Providence, where he was ordained in 1642 as the first settled minister of that church, (a disputed point by some, who claim that Roger Williams was the first minister of that church). Be that as it may, it is very evident that their labors with and for the church were harmonious ans their ministry may have been an idea, dual, coadjuting pastorate.”

NEHGR 80:73: “1. CHAD1 BROWNE, the immigrant ancestor of the well-known Rhode Island family that forms the subject of this article, arrived in Boston in the early part of July 1638, in the ship Martin, accompanied by his wife Elizabeth and his son John, aged 8 years. His parentage and the date and place of his birth have not been discovered, but he married at High Wycombe, co. Bucks, England, 11 Sept. 1626, ELIZABETH SHARPAROWE, who survived him and died probably about 1672. He died in or before 1663, being mentioned as 'deceased' in a deed from William Field of that year. "On the voyage of the Martin to New England one of the passengers, Sylvester Baldwin of Aston Clinton, co. Bucks, died, having declared on 21 June his nuncupative will, which was proved on 13 July 1638 before Deputy Governor Dudley by the oaths of Chad Browne and three other men. This fixes the arrival of Chad Browne in New England as not later than 13 July 1638. In the same year he proceeded to Providence, where he was associated with Roger Williams and was a signer of the famous Compact which denied religious interference in civil affairs.

“His name also appears in other agreements and compacts. In 1640 he was a member of a committee to consider the Colony bounds. He is at times called a surveyor. "In 1642 he was ordained as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Providence, the mother church of that faith in America. Whether he was first or second pastor rests entirely on one's premises. He was certainly the first ordained pastor to continue in the office for a long period. Roger Williams's connection, as preacher, in this church was certainly brief, and is not clearly understood, owing to the loss of the early records.

“The oldest authority available is the 'History of the Baptists in America,' by Morgan Edwards, compiled about 1772. The author says: 'Williams was pastor from the establishment of the church until he left the Colony for England in 1643, and he then resigned it to Messrs. Brown and Wickenden. Mr. Chad Brown died between 1660 and 1665, leaving the church in charge of his colleague.' "For a brief summary of Chad Browne's character one can do no better than to quote the remarks of Hague in his 'Historical Discourse' delivered at this church: 'Contemporary with Roger Williams, he possessed a cooler temperament, and was happily adapted to sustain the interests of religion just where that great man failed. . . We know only enough of his character to excite the wish to know more; but from that little it is clear that he was highly esteemed as a man of sound judgment and of a Christian spirit.

“Often referred to as the arbitrator of existing differences, in a state of society where individual influence was needed as a substitute for well digested laws, he won that commendation which the Savior pronounced when he said, "blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God."' "The home lot of Chad Browne was at the corner of the present Market Square and College Street in Providence, and Brown University now occupies part of that lot. He was buried on his own ground (a spot now occupied by the Court House), whence his remains were removed in 1792 to the North Burial Ground, where the gravestone then erected may still be seen, with the following inscription: 'In memory of Chad Brown Elder of the Baptist Church in this town. He was one of the original Proprietors of the Providence Purchase Having been exiled from Massachusetts for Conscience Sake He had five sons John, James, Jeremiah, Chad and Daniel Who have left a numerous Posterity. He died about A.D. 1665.

“This Monument was erected by the Town of Providence.' "Chad Browne left a will, as is shown by references in deeds, but its contents are unknown to us. The year 1672 witnessed a general adjustment of his estate, caused most probably by the death of his widow near that time, lands being thus released which the conveyances state had been left to her by her husband and were to revert to his sons after her death.

“The records of the Town of Providence mention a Chad Brown as present at the drawing of various land allotments at intervals from 1675 to 1683, but whether they refer to the first Chad Browne's son of the same name or were drawn by proxy in his own right of ancient holdings is not clear. Chad Browne, Sr., owned large parcels of land in the present Glocester, Scituate, and Johnston. There appears no record otherwise of this son Chad, except the reference on his father's gravestone. Abundant proof is on record of the paternity of the three sons John, Jeremiah, and James.

“There appears no definite statement relating to the son Daniel, but he has always been considered by all authorities a son of Chad Browne, and the use of the name Chad among his descendants seems to substantiate the fact. No mention appears of daughters in the family, although the presumption is that there were daughters. Two peculiarities are noted in the study of this family, the infrequent use of the name of its founder among his descendants and the very prompt abandonment of their father's faith by the majority of his near kindred. Two of his sons became devoted adherents of the Church of England and many of his descendants at a later interval were Quakers.”

1. ↑ Brown, John Howard (editor), and Rossiter (editor) Johnson. The Twentieth century biographical dictionary of notable Americans: brief biographies of authors, administrators, clergymen, commanders, editors, engineers, jurists, merchants, officials, philanthropists, scientists, statesmen, and others who are making American history. (Boston, Mass.: The Biographical Society. Reprinted by Gale Research, 1968., 1904).

   BROWN, Chad or Chadd, colonist, was born in England. The date of his birth is not known. He came to America in July, 1638, on board the "good ship Martin," landing in Boston with his wife and one child, a son. One of the first public acts he performed was to witness to an unwritten will made by a fellow voyager, who died on the passage. He soon became involved in the so-called "anabaptist heresy." Roger Williams, who evidently was his friend, had been sent outside of the Massachusetts Bay colony after repeated "laborings with," and as Mr. Brown, with clear convictions, could not hide his faith, he was also ordered to leave the colony. This was probably in the autumn of 1638, as it was in that year that the "initial deed" to the plantation acquired by purchase from the Indians was executed by Roger Williams and twelve associates. Williams was leader and minister of the colony, but his views seem to have grown erratic; and he finally seceded, and Mr. Brown was elected his successor. In order to qualify for the office, be went to England, was ordained elder in 1642, and on his return assumed the duties of pastor. He thus became the first elder in the first Baptist church in America. His work was by no means perfunctory, for besides acting as minister he served in various public capacities. He was one of a committee appointed to make peace with Massachusetts, and as a land surveyor assisted largely in compiling a list of original divisions or grants of land. This list, bearing date 1660, has been carefully preserved in the office of the city clerk of Providence, R.I. During his pastorate a controversy arose, concerning the "laying on of hands" which gave birth to the "Five Principle Baptists." During King Philip's war the plantation records were destroyed, and historians have had no means of arriving at the exact date of his death. He was buried in his home lot. He left five sons, all of whom took an important part in public life, and helped in many ways to forward the prosperity of the Providence plantations, and the deeds of their descendants in Rhode Island are a large part of its history. In 1792 an appropriation was made by the town of Providence to remove his remains to the North burying-ground and erect a simple tombstone over the grave, on which is inscribed: "Exiled from Massachusetts for Conscience Sake. He was a good citizen; a faithful friend; a devout minister; in all things blameless." He died probably in 1665.

2.   Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   1:265.

   CHAD, Providence, came first to Boston, in July 1638, in the Martin, as bef. dep.-gov. Dudley, he swore, in support of a nuncup. will of a fellow passeng. dying, on the ocean; was sett. at the Bapt. ch. 1642 after Roger Williams. It has been thot. by some, that he was earlier on our side of the water, and that imperfect rec. proves it, on p. 14 of the Vol. 1. of Col. Rec. of R. I. as to his incorp. in town fellowsh. with others at Providence, wh. bears date 20 Aug. without a yr. Now the supplying, of the numerals for the yr. call admit those wh. the transcriber used, 1637, by no means; for that day was Sunday, when no civil compact could have been enter. into, and bef. that day in the former yr. the place was kn. as Moshasuck, prob. the sec. use of the designat. of the mod. city being, in the foll. mo. at the bapt. of the s. of Roger Williams, Providence, late in Sept. 1638. Earlier than Aug. 1638 his name, I suppose; will not be found. He brot. w. Elizabeth and s. John, aged a. 8 yrs. prob. other ch. for we kn. not the b. of any of his five s. The other four were James, Jeremiah, Judah, alias Chad, and Daniel. No connex. is trac. betw. Chad and Henry, of the oldest proprs. His gr.ch. James was min. of the same ch. This is the progenit. of the fam. so much disting. as the patrons of Brown Univ. at P.

3. ↑ Chad Brown (minister), in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
4. ↑ Mentioned as deceased in a 1663 deed. The date sometimes given of 2 Sep 1650 corresponds to a tax list on which "Widow Browne" appears, but there were several other Brown families in the area, so that was not necessarily Chad's widow.

Founders of Providence, Rhode Island

Roger Williams was exiled from Massachusetts Bay in June 1636 for his religious beliefs. He settled the area now known as Providence with a few others, and two years in 1638 purchased it from the Narragansett. He then deeded 12/13 of it to twelve other religious dissenters known as the "Original Proprietors." There also exists in City Hall in Providence a manuscript that purports to show the lands of the first settlers, as originally allotted. It is undated, but appears to have been created before about 1650. First Comers with Williams: William Arnold, John Smith, William Harris, Francis Wickes, and possibly Joshua Verin and Thomas Angell Original Proprietors: Stukely Westcott, William Arnold, William Carpenter, John Greene, Thomas James, Robert Cole, William Harris, Thomas Olney, John Throckmorton, Francis Weston, Richard Waterman and Ezekiel Holliman. Other early landowners (from south to north): Robert Williams - Christopher Unthank - William Hawkins - Robert West - Hugh Bewitt - John Lippitt - Matthew Weston - Edward Hart - Thomas Hopkins - Widow Sayer - Widow Tiler - Nicholas Power - William Wickenden - William Man - William Burrow - Adam Goodwin - Thomas Harris - Joshua Winsor - John Field - William Field - Richard Scott - George Rickard - John Warner - Chad Brown - Daniel Abbott - William Reynods - John Sweet - Alice Daniels - Widow Reeve - Benedict Arnold - John Greene Jr. - Edward Manton - Thomas Painter - Matthew Waller - Gregory Dexter Resources: History of the State of Rhode Island - Lands and Houses of the First Settlers of Providence Current Location: Newport County, Rhode Island   Parent Towns: Boston   Daughter Towns: Newport