I need some help with this family. Some new eyes on a old problem. Epps Rivers Brown was born in Georgia. His mother, Sarah Rivers, is my 4th Great Grand Aunt. Sarah married John H. Brown and they migrated to Georgia, location unknown, then on to Lauderdale County, Mississippi and after John’s death she moved to Arkansas sometime before 1860 to be with her son Epps Rivers Brown.
Epps had a rather large family. When his brother John R. and his wife Elizabeth Pigford suddenly died between 1852 –1853 in Anderson County, Texas he brought two of their 6 children to Arkansas to live with him and his Family.
1850 – 1880 Census Matrix 1 2 3 4
The census matrix shows the family composition as follows:
Epps Rivers Brown, b. 1810
Dorinda Adair Brown, Wife, b. 1820
Sarah O. Brown, daughter, b. 1844
Napoleon Bonaparte Brown, Son, b. 1845
Lafayette Brown, Son, b. 1848
Martha Brown, Daughter, b. 1851
Nancy Brown, daughter, b. 1853
Lucy Brown, Daughter, b. 1855
Mollie Brown, Daughter, b. 1858
Lizzie Brown, Daughter, b. 1861
Wayman Brown, Son, b. 1863
Sarah Rivers Brown, Mother, b. 1782
Nothing unusually here; just a normal family with 3 sons and 6 daughters. However, five of these 6 daughters have been a major headache for the past 35 years. Right away, I found that Sarah O. Brown married William D. Ward on 12 December 1867 in Union County, Arkansas.
You would think that finding the spouse of the other 5 daughters would be simple; but they haven’t been so simple.
The 5 are – Martha, Nancy Ann, Lucy, Mollie and Lizzie Brown.
Southern families are enamored with nicknames and I feel this is why I have not been able to located information after 1880 on these daughters.
1929 Family History
A 1929 Family history tells me that Dora married Joel H. Goodwin and then Jim Buckner. That’s fine, but when I find the marriage licensee for Joel H. Goodwin it shows he married Julie H. Brown, age 26 on 26 February 1869 in Ouachita County, Arkansas.5
Another mismatch here is that all these girls were born in the 1850’s; they could not be 26 years of age.
This family history6 was collected and assembled by Minnie Sanders Rivers of Chesterfield by corresponding with her kinfolk through written correspondence. I have copies of some of the letters she wrote and received.
If you believed the family history; three of the daughters died young and the history tells us who the other two married. The problem is that names in the family history does not match the census data.
| Census Data | Family History |
| Sarah O. | Sarah (Sallie) |
| Martha J. | Dora |
| Nancy | Nanny |
| Lucy | Lou- died young* |
| Mollie | Mollie-died young* |
| Lillie | Lizzie-died young* |
Two Texas Death Certificate adds additional confusion.
In the above written history we see that Minnie was informed through letters that Dora married Joel Goodwin and Jim Buckner and that Nannie married Al Glass.
209.Dora; b.__________;d.__________; m. (1) Joel Goodwin; m. (2) Jim Buckner. Lived in Western Texas.
210.Nannie; b.__________;d.__________; m. Al Glass of Kasse, Texas. Nannie has been a Widow for many years. She is now living (1926) with her only child - Brown Glass, b.____, Kasse, Texas.
However, this Texas Death certificate says that Donnie Buckner was born 10 Sept 1853 in Arkansas to E. R. Rivers and Mirandy Aidar, d. Jan 9, 1933 and informant was J. M. Buckner. 7
- So we have an Arkansas marriage licensee that says Joel Goodwin married Julie A/H Brown.
- A family history with data provided by the family in 1929 says that Dora married Joel Goodwin and Jim Buckner.
- A Texas Death Certificate that says Donnie Brown married Jim Buckner.
Next we have the Texas Death Certificate for Edmonia Lynn Glass wife if Absalom “AL” Pratt Glass. The certificate show that Edmonia Lynn was born 12 December 1857 to E. R.own and Adair.8
Entry 210 in the 1929 Family History says that Nannie married AL Glass.
210.Nannie; b.__________;d.__________; m. Al Glass of Kasse, Texas. Nannie has been a Widow for many years. She is now living (1926) with her only child - Brown Glass, b.____, Kasse, Texas.
The 1850-1880 Censuses does not have a Nannie listed but does have a Nancy Ann Brown.
The 1860 census shows that Mollie is only daughter that matches Edmonia in age.
The Family history done in 1929 says that the following 3 children died at an early age. This information was provided by the family through correspondence with Minnie Rivers.
211.Lou [Brown]; b. [abt. 1854]; d. in early womanhood.
212.Mollie [Brown]; b. [abt. 1857]; d. in early womanhood.
213.Lizzie [Brown]; b. [abt. 1859]; d. in early womanhood.
That leaves three daughters that survived to become adults.
Sarah O. Brown, b. 19 April 1843; md William Ward.
Martha J. Brown, b. 1849
Nancy Ann Brown , b. 1853.
If we go back to the census we see that Martha J. is not living with the family in 1880. Is Martha A. the Julia A/H Brown that married Joel Goodwin and Jim Buckner. Moved to Texas and was called “Donnie” at her Death in 1933.
Remember this comment earlier - Another mismatch here is that all these girls were born in the 1850’s; they could not be 26 years of age in 1869 when Joel and Julie were married.
If Nancy Ann is not Edmonia then it’s possible one or more of the 3 younger daughters DID NOT die at an early age.
I would love to have some feed back on the family and how you might approached the data to determine who’s who in the family. It’s obvious that there’s a disconnect between actual names and reported names.
Your comments highly welcomed.
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1. 1850 U. S. Census, Union County, Arkansas, population schedule, El Dorado, Union County, Arkansas, Page 226A, Line 31, Dwelling/Family 21/21, Household of Epps R. BROWN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 July 2011); citing NARA publication Roll: M432_30.
2. 1860 U. S. Census, Union County, Arkansas, population schedule, Dorado, Union County, Arkansas, Page 316B, Line 17, Family/Dwelling 703/651, Household of Epps R. BROWN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 July 2011); citing NARA publication Roll: M653_51.
3. 1870 U. S. Census, Union County, Arkansas, population schedule, Franklin, Union County, Arkansas, Page: 523B; Line 26, Dwelling/Family 107/108, Household of Epps R. Brown; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 July 2011); citing NARA publication Roll: M593_65.
4. 1880 U. S. Census, Union County, Arkansas, population schedule, Franklin, Union County, Arkansas, enumeration district (ED) #270, Page 226C, Line 17, Dwelling 80, Family 84, Household of E. R. BROWN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 24 July 2011); citing NARA publication Roll: T9-0058.
5. "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11882-60277-77?cc=1417439&wc=14061557 : accessed 01 Feb 2014), 0987775(004329338) > image 241 of 568.
6. Minnie Sanders Rivers, The Rivers Family: of Chesterfield County, South Carolina, handwritten (unpublished: n.p., 1929), Family 43- Epps Rivers Brown.
7. "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-25172-1621-16?cc=1983324&wc=MMTK-9VN:n1848807134 : accessed 01 Feb 2014), Death certificates > 1933 > Vol 009, certificates 004001-004500, Jan, Mason-Parker counties; citing State Registrar Office, Austin
8, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K3MC-Q99 : accessed 01 Feb 2014), Edmonia Lynn Glass, 31 Aug 1938; citing certificate number 38280, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2117821.
