Brown-Buie Family Papers, 1770s-2016

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Summary

Creator:
Brown, Neill, 1748-1835
Abstract:
The Brown and Buie Families were Scottish Presbyterians who settled in Philadelphus, Robeson County, N.C. Some branches of the family also lived in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Members of the family were Presbyterian ministers, farmers, and storeowners; the family also enslaved African Americans and farmed land seized from expelled Cherokee and other native peoples. This collection contains deeds and records of land and property ownership by different members and branches of the Brown and Buie families; correspondence about different family members' travels, health, business, and work, including preaching and ministry; receipts, estate documents, wills, and financial records; sermons and church membership lists; some lists of enslaved people and their children's birth records; and a letter from an unidentified enslaved person to "Master John" complaining about how John preached with his back toward the slaves trying to hear the sermon.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.12076

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of original and photocopied materials documenting different members of the Brown and Buie family, with many of the materials relating to Neill Brown and his descendants. Neill Brown's parents were Hugh Brown (b. 1716) and Mary Buie (b. 1725), and many other marriages between the two families occurred over the next several generations. Subsequently there are land grants, surveys, deeds, legal materials, receipts, correspondence, and other ephemeral items from both branches of Brown and Buie families present in this collection. The family home was in Philadelphus, Robeson County, North Carolina, but some branches of the family migrated to other areas in the early 1800s, including Red Springs, N.C.; Dillon, South Carolina; Marianna and Union County, Arkansas; Union Church, Mississippi; Maury County, Tennessee; and Brownville, Alabama. Some correspondence discusses Cherokee peoples' forced expulsion from land in the early 1800s, and discusses the family's emigration to Tennessee and Alabama. Some of the Brown family materials document Presbyterian Scottish congregations in North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, including early members of different churches. There are also handwritten copies of sermons delivered by Rev. Dougald Munroe.

Portions of Neill Brown's correspondence and his diary document his family's role as slaveholders. The diary includes names of enslaved women and their children's birthdates. An 1821 manuscript letter from an unnamed enslaved person to "master John" chastises the recipient for turning his back on slaves while preaching.

Many of the materials are official government or legal documents, dating from the colonial era through the mid-19th century in North Carolina. Some materials from later generations of the Brown and Buie families document family health and activities. Other materials in the collection relate to genealogical research.

The bulk of the collection was assembled by descendants Bradley M. Buie and W.E. McConnaughy, whose research united disparate pieces of the family's history. There are transcriptions, photocopies, and reproductions gathered from private family Bibles and from materials held by the State Archives of North Carolina, among other repositories. Items are loosely grouped into series: Brown Family, Buie Family, Children of Neill Buie and Caroline McCallum, and the W.E. McConnaughy Materials. Within those series are single items or groups of materials relating to specific family members, arranged and foldered by the donor.

Biographical / historical:

The Brown and Buie families were Scottish Presbyterians who settled in Philadelphus and Red Springs, Robeson County, N.C. in the 1700s. Some branches of the family later moved and lived in Dillon, South Carolina; Marianna and Union County, Arkansas; Union Church, Mississippi; Maury County, Tennessee; and Brownville, Alabama. Neill Brown (1748-1835) was a Presbyterian minister; his parents were Hugh Brown (b. 1716) and Mary Buie (b. 1725) married approximately 1746. Many other marriages between the two families occurred over the next several generations. Family members documented in this collection include: Hugh Brown, Duncan Brown, John Gillespie, Catherine Brown, Eliza Brown, John Fort, Archibald Smith Brown, and Neill Buie. Members of the family were ministers, farmers, and storeowners. They also were slaveholders, and there are records of slavery present in this collection.

Acquisition information:
The Brown-Buie Family Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2001 and 2023.
Processing information:

Processed by Meghan Lyon, May 2023.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2001-0052, 2023-0032.

Formerly titled the Neill Brown Papers.

Arrangement:

Arranged by the donor in four series: Brown Family, Buie Family, Materials from Neill Buie and Caroline McCallum's children, and W.E. McCounaghy Materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note: Some materials in this collection are digital records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Brown-Buie Family Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1bj18