Person:John Browning (119)

Lived in Bristol, England with grandmother, Hester Browning, following death of his parents.

1698: Francis Browning, son of John and Elizabeth Browning, appears in a Cecil County, Maryland court record. The court records for this period are unindexed. It is probable that Francis and Elizabeth Browning came to Maryland from Gloucestershire, England at the same time. Their parents, John and Elizabeth Browning, were both deceased by 1690, therefore, these young Brownings were in their late teens or early twenties. Francis married about 1698/99. First: Rachel Merritt, and Second: Mary Unknown. The children were Ann, b 1699; Francis, b 1700; John, b 1702; Edmund/Edward, b 1704; James, b 1706; Thomas, b 1708; William. b 1710; and Nicholas, b 1712. Families of 10-15 children were not unusual at this time in history, so it would be expected that other daughters were mixed in among the seven boys. Names of the daughters, except for Ann are unknown. The dates of birth are totally circumstantial, but are consistent with other records of Brownings of this family. Research confirms that the sons identified by E F Browning, Genealogy of the Brownings in America, 1908, can by verified, except for the use of the name Edward instead of Edmund. His descent from John of Jamestown is now considered incorrect.

1710: Francis Browning purchases 200 acres on the southside of Portobago Creek in Essex County, Virginia. This land is about 12 miles from the earlier location of Thomas and Ester Browning. Francis Browning's Portobago land was adjacent to a tract owned by the Merritt family. There seems to also be a relationship between the Maryland Brownings and a Merritt family. It is possible that Rachel Browning was a Merritt. The name, Rachel, was also used by the Maryland family. As a matter of interest, the name Merritt, was in pre-1700 records in both Maryland and Virginia spelled "Merriott" or "Marriott," suggestive of a French origin. This is consistent with the marriages between later Brownings and members of the Huguenot community.

1711: Francis Browning sells 100 acres of his Portobago land to Joseph Calloway. Rachel consented.

1715: Francis Browning deeds the remaining 100 acres of his Portobago land to his daughter, Ann with the codicil that it not convey to her until after his death. Ann could have been Francis and Rachel Browning's eldest child, and still under age at the time this deed was executed.

About 1721: Land purchases by Francis Browning from Larking Chew on the River Po, a branch of the Mattapony River in King and Queen County in the early 1700's. Date of purchase has not been confirmed and was probably burned with other King and Queen County records. This land was engrossed into Spotsylvania County when it was established in 1721.

1724: Francis Browning, identified as of St Ann's Parish, Essex County, Virginia, sells his Spotsylvania land to Edward Rovvzee for 40 pounds sterling. Land purchased by Francis Browning in 1724 on Peumensend's River (Creek). This was not far from the Portobago land. This tract of land, purchased when it was in Essex County, became part of Caroline County in 1728. It is not likely that Francis Browning ever lived on the land he purchased in Spotsylvania County for he did not build a record in that county. He probably remained on his Portobago land in Essex County until his purchase in 1724 of land on Peumensend's Creek which was engrossed into Caroline County in 1728. The deeds and wills of Caroline County are gone, but the Court Order Books were preserved.

1725-1727: Francis appeared in the court records of Essex County, Virginia. He signed the inventory of Samuel Poe on 21 September 1725, page 28. His bond as Poe's administrator was on 15 March 1725/26, page 31. A second Poe inventory was signed on 7 April 1726, page 28. Security for Sarah Ellitt as executor of John Ellitt was signed on 18 July 1727, page 57. The pages are from John Fredrick Dorman's Essex County. Virginia, Wills, Bond, inventories, etc, from AGLL V163-111.

1730: Francis Browning, with the consent of his wife, Mary, sold the Pneumensend's Creek land. This date coincides fairly closely with death or his move to Culpeper County, Virginia. It may be that his son, Francis, moved to Culpeper and he remained in Caroline County; however, no reference to the death of him is found in Caroline County's records.