Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Isaac S. Brown's Place of Birth, 1810

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Isaac S. Brown's Place of Birth, 1810

Isaac S. Brown was reportedly born in Daviess County, Kentucky on 7 February 1810. The source for that information is Isaac's Civil War service record as found on the Illinois State Archives site:

There are two problems with this record. The first problem is that Isaac S. Brown was actually 53 years old when he enlisted in 1862 - not 43 years old. It's likely that he was determined to serve and could pass for a younger man. The second problem is that there was no Davis County, Kentucky, but there is a Daviess County, Kentucky.

However, when Isaac S. Brown was born in 1810, Daviess County, Kentucky did not exist. It was formed from Ohio County, Kentucky in 1815. Ohio County had in turn been formed from Hardin County, Kentucky in 1798.

My guess is that Isaac S. Brown was born in the portion of Ohio County that became Daviess County and that the family remained in the area. Possibly, Isaac's father owned a farm in that area. My fingers are crossed for that. Since Isaac would have been five years old when the county change happened, he would have always known that location as Daviess County; hence, he would have reported his birthplace as being Daviess County rather than Ohio County.

Daviess County is the northwestern portion of what was formerly Ohio County. It is positioned between Hardin County on the west and Ohio county on the east.

I think this shifting border and the close proximity of these three counties is going to be important in trying to identify the parents of Isaac S. Brown and his brother Squire Brown.

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.