Skip to main content

Colonel John Brown and Major General Preston Brown papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 105

Scope and Contents

The Colonel John Mason Brown and Major General Preston Brown Papers consist of ten inches of letters, sermons, poems, photographs, and miscellaneous papers of the Rev. John Brown of Virginia (1728-1803); his sons John II (1757-1837), Samuel (1769-1830), James (1766-1835), and Preston (1775-1826); his son John's wife, Margaretta (Mason) Brown (1772-1838); and their sons Mason (1799-1867; Y. 1820) and Orlando (1801-1867). Colonel John Mason Brown (1837-90; Y. 1856) is represented by an incoming letter and a printed copy of a photograph; Major General Preston Brown (1872-1948; Y. 1892), by a single photograph. There are biographical sketches of John II, Samuel, and James in theDictionary of American Biography.Mason Brown, John Mason Brown, and Major General Preston Brown appear in their respective Yale classbooks.

The letters in the Brown Papers were received mainly by the Rev. John Brown and by his sons John, Samuel, and James. They were written by members of the Brown, Preston, and Mason families and by various men who were prominent in national and regional public life, including James Monroe, Henry Clay, James Wilkinson, and Charles Ingersoll. The letters span from 1763 to 1865, but they are concentrated in the 1790s. Many of the letters from that decade deal with the episode in Kentucky history known as the "Spanish Conspiracy." Other letters deal with personal matters, with the development of Kentucky, and with such national issues of the day as the Constitution and the Missouri Compromise. The letters by James Brown include news from Paris, where he served as U.S. Ambassador between 1823 and 1833, and some of those by Samuel Brown contains news of Alabama and Mississippi in the 1810s and 1820s. A list of correspondents follows the box list, and the letters are catalogued individually in the department's manuscript catalog.

The sermons are by the Rev. John Brown and by an unidentified Presbyterian minister of Virginia in the eighteenth century. The poems are by Margaretta (Mason) Brown.

Dates

  • 1763-1865
  • Majority of material found within 1763 - 1865

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the heirs of Major General Preston Brown, 1948.

Arrangement

Arranged in three boxes: Boxes 1 and 2 contain correspondence, sermons, poems, and miscellaneous papers. Box 3 contains Photographs.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 folio)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0105

Additional Description

Abstract

Largely family correspondence of the Brown, Preston and Mason families received by Reverend John Brown of Virginia and his sons, John, Samuel and James. Most important are the eleven letters from John Brown, member of the Continental Congress and senator from Kentucky (1792-1805), which discuss the Constitution, the Missouri Compromise and the episode in Kentucky history known as the "Spanish Conspiracy". Letters from James Brown were written from Paris (1823-1833) when he was United States ambassador to France, while those from Samuel Brown describe events in Mississippi in the 1810s and 1820s. Margaretta (Mason) Brown is represented by a commonplace book, reading list and poems.

Biographical / Historical

John Brown: Senator, Kentucky legislator; studied at Princeton; one of the Rockbridge soldiers under Lafayette; continued education at William and Mary; studied law with Thomas Jefferson; active in the process of securing statehood for Kentucky; U.S. Senator for Kentucky, 1792-1805.

List of Correspondents

  1. American Colonization Society. Kentucky --- (1)
  2. Beale, Samuel --- (1)
  3. Beckley, John --- (5)
  4. Belli, John, 1760-1809 --- (1)
  5. Blackburn, [S ]? --- (1)
  6. Bodley, Thomas --- (1)
  7. Bradford, Joseph N. --- (1)
  8. Breckenridge, James, [1768-1833]? --- (2)
  9. Brodhead, Daniel, Jr., 1736-1809 --- (1)
  10. Brown, James, 1766-1835 --- (33)
  11. Brown, Rev. John, 1728-1803 (1 folder of sermons) --- (2)
  12. Brown, John, 1757-1837 --- (11)
  13. Brown, J. P. W. --- (1)
  14. Brown, Margaretta (Mason), 1772-1838 --- (13)
  15. Brown, Mary (Yoder) --- (1)
  16. Brown, Mason 1799-1867 (Yale 1820) --- (4)
  17. Brown, Preston W., d.1826 --- (3)
  18. Brown, Samuel, 1769-1830 --- (27)
  19. Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836 --- (1)
  20. Caldwell, Charles, 1772-1853 --- (1)
  21. Campbell, Archibald --- (1)
  22. Campbell, Arthur --- (2)
  23. Campbell, David --- (1)
  24. Capin, Nathaniel W. --- (1)
  25. Carondolet, Francisco Louis Hector, baron de, ca. 1748-1807 --- (1)
  26. Cartwright, Justinian --- (1)
  27. Clark, Elizabeth --- (1)
  28. Clay, Henry, 1777-1852 --- (7)
  29. Coleman, William --- (1)
  30. Coxe, Tench, 1755-1824 --- (1)
  31. Craddock, Robert --- (1)
  32. Craighead, Thomas Brown, -1825 --- (1)
  33. Crockett, Joseph --- (1)
  34. Croghan, George, 1791-1849 --- (1)
  35. Croghan, William --- (2)
  36. Dayton, Jonathon, 1760-1824 --- (2)
  37. Duncan, John M. --- (4)
  38. Edgar, John T. --- (1)
  39. Farnham,? --- (1)
  40. Gamble, Robert --- (1)
  41. Garrard, James, 1749-1822 --- (1)
  42. Gordon, A. G. --- (1)
  43. Green, Berryman --- (1)
  44. Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804 --- (1)
  45. Hancock, George --- (1)
  46. Hart, Thomas --- (1)
  47. Henley, Sam --- (1)
  48. Hughes, James --- (1)
  49. Humphreys, Mary (Brown) --- (2)
  50. Ingersoll, Charles --- (10)
  51. Innes, Harry, 1752-1816 --- (3)
  52. Jackson, Dr. Samuel, 1787-1852 --- (1)
  53. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 --- (1)
  54. Knox, Major General Henry, 1750-1806 --- (1)
  55. Logan, Benjamin, 1743-1802 --- (1)
  56. McCraw, Samuel? --- (1)
  57. McIntosh, William --- (1)
  58. Madison, James, 1750/1-1836 --- (3)
  59. Mason, Catherine Van Wyck --- (2)
  60. Mason, Rev. John --- (1)
  61. Mason, John Mitchell, 1770-1829 --- (2)
  62. Monroe, James, 1758-1831 --- (5)
  63. Morehead, Charles Slaughter, 1802-1868 --- (1)
  64. Morrison, James --- (2)
  65. Mosby, John --- (1)
  66. Mosby, L. Jr. --- (1)
  67. Mosby, Robert --- (1)
  68. Mosby, Wade --- (5)
  69. Nicholson, Marie --- (1)
  70. Oneall, Abijah --- (1)
  71. Overton, John, 1766-1833 --- (1)
  72. P, O? --- (1)
  73. Percy, Thomas G. --- (1)
  74. Pindell, Richard --- (1)
  75. Pogue, George --- (1)
  76. Poussin, William Tell --- (1)
  77. Preston, Frank Francis, 1765-1836 --- (6)
  78. Preston, J. --- (2)
  79. Preston, William, 1816-1887 --- (1)
  80. Randolph, John, of Roanoke, 1773-1833 --- (2)
  81. Saidler, James --- (1)
  82. St. Clair, Arthur, 1736-1818 --- (1)
  83. Seitz, John A. --- (1)
  84. Shelby, Isaac, 1750-1826 --- (1)
  85. Smith, John --- (1)
  86. Speed, James, 1812-1887? --- (1)
  87. Steele, William --- (1)
  88. Swan, James, 1754-1830 --- (2)
  89. Templeton, Maria --- (1)
  90. U.S. Army. re John Belli --- (1)
  91. U.S. Army (Maj. John Adair, 1757-1840) --- (1)
  92. U.S. Army (John Belli, 1760-1809) --- (2)
  93. U.S. Army (Michael Rudolph?) --- (1)
  94. U.S. Army (Maj.Gen. Anthony Wayne, 1745-1796) --- (5)
  95. U.S. Army (Brig.Gen. James Wilkinson, 1757-1825) --- (17)
  96. U.S. Commissioners to negotiate with the Indians North of the Ohio [Benjamih Lincoln 1735-1810;Beverly Randolph; and Timothy Pickering, 1745-1829, Commissioners] --- (1)
  97. U.S. Senate --- (1)
  98. U.S. Treasury. Register's Office --- (1)
  99. Van Cortlandt, Charles --- (1)
  100. Varick, J. D. --- (1)
  101. Varick, Margaretta --- (1)
  102. Varick, Theodore V. W. --- (1)
  103. Virginia. Governor, 1776-1779, 1784-1785 (Patrick Henry) --- (1)
  104. Virgina. Governor, 1792-1795, (Henry Lee) --- (1)
  105. Wallace, David, 1799-1859 --- (1)
  106. Warren, John --- (1)
  107. Washington, Bushrod, 1762-1829 --- (1)
  108. Watts, Edward and E. B. --- (1)
  109. Wilkinson, James Birg. Gen., 1757-1825 --- (39)
  110. Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819 --- (2)
  111. Wilson, William --- (2)
  112. Winn, John --- (2)
  113. Woods, Archibald --- (1)
  114. Worthington, S.? --- (1)

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Colonel John Brown and Major General Preston Brown Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by Staff of Manuscripts and Archives
Date
February 1984
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/
Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)

Location

Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Suggest a Correction