Aristippus Brown Part 2

Do you ever have cause to go back and look over research on a distant potential cousin in-law? I doubt that I’d have looked at my research of the Aristippus Brown family again if someone had not emailed me about a 2019 Aristippus Brown post.

IF my James Crawford ancestor is a nephew of the James Crawford married to Rebecca Anderson, then Aristippus Brown’s wife, Elizabeth Crawford is my second cousin 5 times removed. (Elizabeth is the granddaughter of James and Rebecca). Since I’m trying to find documents connecting the two James Crawfords, I have done some research of the descendants of James and Rebecca. That includes a little bit of research on Aristippus Brown.

Unfortunately, my re-looking at my research of Aristippus Brown did not uncover any census records or marriage records for his three daughters, Margaret, Miriam and Martha. A newspaper search for Arisitppus Brown turned up three articles, all based on the history of Gentry county, Missouri.

Albany Ledger
Albany, Missouri
13 Feb 1936

page 7

Early History of Gentry County

For several weeks the Ledger intends to run a department devoted to the early history of Gentry county. The materials is to be taken from the “Illustrated Historical Atlas of Gentry County,” published in 1877, and which publication is now almost out of circulation. The copy from which the history is taken belongs to L. H. Williams.
The historical account was written by the late Judge G. W. Lewis.
The material was taken from early records of the county, many of which were destroyed by fire, and are considered authentic. tHis information is reprinted for the benefit of those who otherwise might not have a record of early historical fact, and for the use of teachers in their work with the children.

The territory, or portion of country, now included in the counties of DeKalb, Gentry and Worth, prior tot he winter of 1844 and 1845, was unorganized into counties, but was attached to the county of Clinton for civil and military purposes, and so continued until the session of the General Assembly of the State of 1844 and 1845, when the counties of DeKalb and Gentry were organized, still leaving that portion of said territory, which now composes the county of Worth, attached to Gentry county for civil and military purposes, which so remained until the General Assembly by an act approved February 8th, 1861, organized the county of Worth, in pursuance to an amendment to the constitution of the state, authorizing said district of county, approved on the 30th day of January, 1861.
Gentry county received its name form Col. Richard Gentry, who fell in the battle of Ochechobee, in Florida, and as organized, was bounded by the General Assembly at its session in 1844 and 1845.
The first settlement made in the county, before it was organized, was in the latter part of the year 1833, or in the spring of 1934, and was north and east of Gentryville, in Miller township, by Isaac Miller, Tobias Miller (from whom the township derived its name) David Henderson, Milton Foster, William Martin, Robert Ready, and a few others. In about the year 1935 or 1936, and thereafter, the country settled u more rapidly. It will be impossible to give the names of all the old pioneers, or settlers of the county in this brief history, but the writer will give names of such as he can call to memory, and can obtain from the old settlers now living; and in doing so, will give them in addition to the names before mentioned, who settled in the county, prior to its organization in the years 1844 and 1845, and in the township of the county as now organized, commencing with Miller township in the southeast part of the county, as follows:
Caleb Sampson, James C. Patton, Booker Smith, Robert Givauden, Elijah Whitton, Redmond Whitton, Albert G. Whitton, Nathaniel Mothersead, Jacob James, John D. Burton, William Locker, Hugh L. W. Patton, Clayton T. Roberson, Phillip Messimer, Charles Gray, John T. Hunter, Aristippus Brown, George Weese, Charles Roberson, Hugh Stevenson, Taylor McCullough, John Potter, John Roberts, Elisha Perkins, Levi Yates, Steven Low, Martin Low, Paschal O. Roberson, Edwin W. Dunegan, Byron Linville, William McNatt, William McKnight, James M. Howell, Charles Pryor, William Newby, Robert Greenwell, Willis Ray, Robert Poteet, John Caup, Joseph Ward, William Ward.

The article references the book, Illustrated Historical Atlas of Gentry County. A digital copy of that book is available online in the digital collection of the State Historical Society of Missouri. One other piece of information about A. Brown was found in the atlas: a list of patrons in Township 62, Range 31 West.

The last column in the chart represents ‘the year settled in county’. According to the list of patrons, A. Brown, settled in 1873. Since Aristippus Brown is listed among those who settled PRIOR to 1844, the patron may not be the same person. Whether the same person or not, the reference to Rensselaer County, New York is a clue that should help other BROWN researchers.