Elizabeth Bickley, married first Thomas Cooke and second, Nicholas Brown, died 1723/24, son of Abraham Brown of Mansfield. [1] [2] [3]
1694 Abraham Brown, Senior, of Shrewsbury sold land in to his loving son Nicholas Brown of Freehold, New Jersey. Dated October 2. The land was in Freehold, Monmouth County, adjacent to land of Elizabeth Hutton on the north side of Burlington path, by Manasquan brook. Witnessed by Abraham Brown, Junior, and others. [4]
1699 Thomas Cooke died in September, leaving widow Elizabeth (Bickley) Cook. [5] [6]
1701 Nicholas Brown and his wife, Elizabeth (Bickley-Cook) Brown, were executors of the estate of her former husband Thomas Cook and were plaintiffs in a court case brought by Thomas Webley. Dated in November. [7] [8]
1707 The will of William Bickley, shopkeeper of New York, named daughters Sarah Potter, widow, and Elizabeth Brown and grand-son William Cook (son of Elizabeth, while she was married to Thomas Cook) and his son-in-law, Nicholas Brown. [9] [10]
I, William Bickley, of New York, in America, shop keeper. Being at this time through the mercy of God in indifferent health and also sensible of my own frailty. I give and forgive unto all my children such sums of money as shall be due unto me from each of them. I give to my two daughters, Sarah Potter and Elizabeth Brown, 20 shillings each, in full of all pretence or demand for my estate in the future. I give my grandson, William Cook, £20, if he serve out the remainder of his time, as by his indenture to me; otherwise I give him two pieces of 8. I give 12s to each of my grand children, and to my son in law, Nicholas Brown, and to each of my daughters in law, one Arabian piece of gold of 12s value. I leave to my loving neighbors, Thomas Ives and his wife Susanah, £5, to make a small piece of plate in consideration and remembrance of their kindness to me and mine. I leave to Dr. John Rodman, Hugh Cowperthwaite and Samuel Bowne, of Flushing, £10 each, and to George Curtis, John Lipincott, Sr., and William Worth, of Shrewsbury, in New Jersey, £5 each. All the rest of my estate I leave to my son Abraham Bickley, of Philadelphia, and I make him executor. And I desire my much respected friends, Richard Willett and Walter Thong, whom I have found to bear cordial and loving kindness toward me, that they continue the same toward my son, with their best advice and counsell. And that they accept from him one of the best Beaver hats that can be got for money, to each of them, to wear in rememberance of this my last request. And I enjoine my son Abraham, to be helpful and assistant to his helpless sister Sarah Potter, during her widowhood. Dated 3d of 5th Month, 1707. Witnesses, Joseph Latham, Joshua Delaplaine, Abraham Van Vlecq. Proved, November 20, 1707. [Note: William Bickley was one of the members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in New York. He was one of the purchasers of the lot on which the first Quaker meeting house was built on the west side of Green street (now Liberty place) a little south of Maiden lane, about 1696.--W. S. P.]
1709 Nicholas Brown lived in Burlington, New Jersey. [11]
1717 Nicholas Brown and others, signed a letter to the King of England complaining about the appointment of governor Hunter of New Jersey. [12]
1719 Nicholas Brown, of Burlington County, sold land to Hugh Jackson, of Monmouth County. Hugh Jackson was living on the land at the time the deed was written. Witnessed by Richard Lipencot, Benjm Borden, Thomas Reynolds, and Jacob Dennis. Dated April 16, 1719. Affirmed by witnesses on December 16, 1729. [13] The deed transcription does not report a brother-in-law relationship, as suggested by others. [14] [15] [16] [17]
1721 The will of Michael Newbold of Springfield Twp, mentioned the home farm, of 300 acres, bought of Nicholas Brown. [18]
1723 The will of Nicholas Brown, yeoman, was dated 3 January, 1723-4 at Manahockin, Monmouth County. The will named Wife Elisabeth. Children: Abraham, Joseph, and a daughter under age 19, name not given (Mary, see 1714 entry); legacy to Benjamin Cooke when he reaches age 21. Executors: Sons Abram and Joseph and brother Preserve Brown. Witnesses: John Potter, Caleb Brown, Thomas Tims. Proved 02 Feb 1724. [19] [20]
1724 Inventory of the personal estate of Nicholas Brown, £466.8.9, New York money, or £399.16.1, proclamation, incl. four negro slaves, £137, an Indian man, £30, and a sloop, £80; made by Joseph Willets. Dated February 2. [21]
1728 Account of the estate of Nicholas Brown, by Preserve Brown, who has increased it by sales of divers goods and chattels to £582.0.7, New York money, and has paid debts of the estate to Walter Cohoon, Jno. Steward and wife Elizabeth, Rich'd Smith, junior, Abr'm Brown, Isaac Horner, Robert Chapman, Andrew Hamilton, as attorney to John Kearsley and wife Ann, Derick Tyce, Antho. Pintard, Joseph Bordin, Richard Philpott, Tho. Tims, George Harrison, Daniel Smith, senior, Antho. Hamm, John Hancock, Gabriel Stelle, Samuel Wright, Jacob Ong, Wm. Cook, Doctor Brown, John Brown, Ephraim Potter, Catharine Knott. [22]
Research Notes:
"Among early settlers (of Manahawkin Twp, Ocean County) was Nicholas Brown, who died about the beginning of 1724. He came from Burlington and was the son of Abraham Brown, who came to that county from Monmouth and was of Rhode Island origin. Nicholas Brown had wife Elizabeth, and sons Abraham and Joseph and daughters." [23]
Research confusion: 1714 Mary Brown, daughter of Elizabeth Brown (husband not named) was named in the will of her grand-father Abiah Edwards. Stillwell concludes that Elizabeth Edwards Brown was the wife of this Nicholas. [24] [25] However, others have speculated that she was the wife of Nicholas Brown's brother, Preserve Brown. [26]
Ambiguity: Both this Nicholas Brown and his uncle Nicholas Brown may have lived in Monmouth County at the same time, so it is difficult to be certain which documents and events refer to which of these two men.
1727 Nicholas Brown (relationship unknown) conveyed a lot for the Presbyterian Church to John Napier and others. Dated June 1. [27]
[1] Richard W. Cook, "Thomas Cooke of Shrewsbury," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 53 (1978), 97-104, at 97, [GoogleBooks].
[2] Joseph R. Klett, ed., Genealogies of New Jersey Families: From the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, Vol. 1 (Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., c 1996), 170, [GoogleBooks].
[3] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 248.
[4] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, D-54, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[5] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 21. (Patents and Deeds, 1664-1703) (1899), 298, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[6] Richard W. Cook, "Thomas Cooke of Shrewsbury," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 53 (1978), 97-104, at 98, [GoogleBooks].
[7] H. Clay Reed and George J. Miller, The Burlington Court Book. A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey 1680-1709, Vol. 5 (1944), 260.
[8] Richard W. Cook, "Thomas Cooke of Shrewsbury," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 53 (1978), 97-104, at 98, [GoogleBooks].
[9] Richard W. Cook, "Thomas Cooke of Shrewsbury," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 53 (1978), 97-104, at 97, [GoogleBooks].
[10] William S. Pelletreau, Abstracts of Wills on file in the Surrogate's office: city of New York, Vol. 1, 1665-1707 (New York: The New York Historical Society, 1893), 449, Will 7-426, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive], [GoogleBooks].
[11] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 3 (1914), 131, [InternetArchive].
[12] William A. Whitehead, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 4. (Administration 1709-1720) (1882), 306, of 306-10, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[13] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, G-187, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[14] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), xlvi, Salter reports a brother-in-law relationship between Potter and Jackson in a sketch of the Potter family, [HathiTrust].
[15] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), lxxiv, Salter reports both a Brown-Jackson and a Potter-Jackson brother-in-law relationship in a sketch of the Jackson family, [HathiTrust].
[16] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), xiii, Salter reports no brother-in-law relationships in a sketch of the Brown family, [HathiTrust].
[17] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 3 (1914), 132, reports both brother-in-law relationships, citing Salter, [InternetArchive].
[18] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 336, of 336-37, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[19] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 65, citing Lib. 2, p. 278, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[20] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 3 (1914), 132, [InternetArchive].
[21] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 65, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[22] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 65, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[23] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), 272, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].
[24] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 3 (1914), 132, [InternetArchive].
[25] William S. Hornor, This Old Monmouth of Ours (1932, reprint 1974), 206, [FHLBook].
[26] Richard W. Cook, "Thomas Cooke of Shrewsbury," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 53 (1978), 97-104, at 104, footnote 5, [GoogleBooks].
[27] Franklin Ellis, History of Monmouth County, New Jersey (1885), 585, left column, [InternetArchive], [HathiTrust].