Amos Brown Collection

Legible and semi-legible photocopies.

According to his own testimony, Amos Brown (1766-1842) was born in Virginia. While a small child, his family moved to Mecklenburg County, NC, and then to Lincoln County, NC. However, it is possible that, since Lincoln County was formed from Tryon County, which in turn was formed from Mecklenburg County, the Brown's residence might have changed by county division rather than by family migration.

Research by Nathaniel C. Browder (The Cherokee Indians and Those Who Came After, pp. 298-313) has revealed that Brown is one of two Revolutionary War veterans (the other being Peter Ledford, Sr.) who resided in Cherokee County after the forced removal of the Cherokees. In a statement made in December, 1832, before the Macon County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Brown asserted that he entered the service of the Revolutionary (American) Army on three different occasions. Unfortunately, his discharge papers had been lost; thus, he had no personal proof of his service in order to qualify for a pension. Consequently, his claim was not approved. Brown died in 1842.

In 1844, under an 1843 act of Congress providing payments to certain widows of veterans, Brown's wife, Elizabeth, who married in 1785, requested and received benefits. She also received in the 1850s bounty land benefits as a result of her husband's war service.

The materials in the collection consist of correspondence regarding Browder's research, genealogical data of the Amos Brown family, and photocopies of correspondence and legal documents consulted by Browder relative to the Brown Family's pension claim. Portions of the war records documenting Amos Brown's participation in the Revolutionary War may be copies from National Archives holdings.