The Tale of Thomas Brown

Thomas J. (TJ) Brown was born in June 2007, in Ithaca, New York.  He lived there for three years until his parents, Richard and Lisa moved the family to just outside Raleigh, North Carolina.  In the sixteen years that he has been on this earth, TJ has been to Alaska and New York City. He has climbed Angels Landing in Zion National Park and braved Disney's Hollywood Tower of Terror at 4 years old. He has broken a 5 minute mile and learned to sail.  He is the "favorite oldest son" set between Samantha and Grant (the "favorite youngest son").

Thomas Andrew Brown (Andy) was born in Goshen, New York in 1970. He lived, played and raised two children in the Hudson Valley region of New York until he moved to Florida in his forties.  He has been a stock car race official, a fire fighter, a department of transportation worker, a 911 dispatcher, and is currently a State Trooper. He is a new grandfather, taking on the moniker of "Pop-pop" the term used for Rodney Brown. Andy is living his best life outside of Jacksonville, FL.

Thomas A. (Tom) Brown was born in Bay Shore, New York in 1933 to Rodney and Jean (Lichtenberger) Brown. He was the middle of three children. He grew up on Long Island and played soccer in grade school but dropped out of High School in his senior year only to be drafted into the U.S Army at the end of the Korean War.  He was a truck driver at many times in his life. He was a volunteer fireman and the head of the safety crew at Orange County Fair Speedway. He owned and ran Monroe Lumber and Building Supply Co., a business he inherited from his father, who inherited it from his father-in-law, Joseph Lichtenberger. Tom Brown had two boys, Richard and Andy, and brought them up in Monroe, NY until he retired to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He passed in 2006.

The tale of Thomas Brown gets fuzzy in this next chapter. 

Thomas R. (Rufus?) Brown was born in Connecticut in 1899.  The 1910 Census lists the Brown Family living in Danbury, Connecticut. It appears as if Rodney Brown, who was born on October 3, 1899, had a brother, Thomas R. Brown, also born in October 1899.  The family lore is that Rodney and Thomas were twins. However, in another document, Thomas R. Brown is not listed and Rufus Brown, born in October 1899 is listed. Is Rufus actually Thomas? Thomas Rufus Brown? We know Thomas existed because in 1916 he attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army but was disqualified due to a previous impairment. We know that his brother, Rodney, did enlist and did go to France in World War One. Up until very recently the family lore was that Thomas did in fact go to France in 1918 and was gassed by the Germans. He died of complication of those wounds when he returned to the US. Another version of the family lore was that he committed suicide. Whatever his fate, by the 1920 Census, Thomas/Rufus no longer appears to be living in the Brown household and his trail goes cold.

Thomas C. Brown was born in Ireland in 1855 to Robert Brown (1826-1887) and Jane (Jeffrey) Brown (1829-1882).  Thomas C. Brown emigrated to the United States on July 17, 1857, with his parents on the steamer ship, City of Brooklyn. The Brown Family settled in Danbury, Connecticut. Thomas would be a hat maker, like his father was before him. Thomas my Great-grandfather) would marry Margret Neiland and raise ten children: Eva, Robert, Hellen, Mable, Ruth, Francis, Andrew, Thomas/Rufus, Rodney (my grandfather), Beatrice, and Raymond.  Thomas C. Brown died sometime in the 1930s.

Five generations of Thomas Brown, reaching from 1855 to present day; one hundred sixty-eight years of family history and mystery in one name.