Robin Brown

John Rodes

Thomas Harris Brown

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Bernis Brown

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. She lived at this place with her uncle Thompson Brown, after the death of her parents. Once I heard her say "I never expect while I live to be able to go back and see that old spring again, but when I die, I hope I may be permitted to flit by there before I leave this world." Now here I stood by the side of this famous spring, and how shall I describe it? The ground around it was worn hard and smooth, and by its side, shading it, stood a tremendous old knarled oak tree. A large nail was driven into this oak upon which hung a gourd, and out from beneath a huge lime stone rock, there flowed into a large stone basin, a crystal drink fit for the gods

The house was old and unpainted. A conspicious feature of the place, was the great old oak trees in the yard. I had never before seen such oaks. In my far away West, where I had grown up, I had seen taller, knarled, scarred old looking ones Mistletoe grew, and hung in great green bunches from the bark of these trees, giving them a strangely beautiful appearance. As I stood out under these ancient oaks ("under the mistletoe" for the first time in my life) I cannot find words to express the feeling that came over me, as I viewed the scene around. Upon enquiry I found that the scars on several of the trees were caused by bullets. The Old Browns were fond of their guns, and the target for the shooting match was often placed upon these trees. I never knew the history of the family father back than my great grand-father. Long years ago, this home right at the foot of the Blue Ridge--this old home--with its crystal spring and rippling water, its noble oaks, and swinging mistletoe, was the abode of a Methodist preacher, and that preacher, was my great grand-father, Bernis Brown. My great, great, grand-father, had a large family of sons, and they were called the "B. Browns," because, they were all given names with B., Bernis, Brazil, Bradbury, and Benjamin, are some of the names, and to this day these names are found among their descendants, but out of this large family, there is only one which mainly interests me, and that one is my great grand-father, Bernis. He was the Democrat, while the rest of his brothers were whigs. He also, was the preacher in the family. A few rods from the house at Brown's Cove, upon a little knoll, he lies buried in the family burying ground. I went and stood by his grave during that memorable visit and noticed it was kept in good repair. A plain granite slab, with his name carved upon it marks his grave. His wife was laid beside him, and two large sassafras trees stood near, like sentinels guarding them. I have never heard anything about his preaching. The cause of this, I suppose, is that my father was not a religious man. However, about two years before my father died, he talked to me for the first time, about his grand-parent, and related an interesting incident which reflects honor upon him, and shows that his heart was right. I do not think that my father had ever mentioned this to any one else. It was kept a secret, from the first on account of the turbulent state of affairs in Virginia at that time, ani no historian got hold of it. The brothers of Bernis Brown being of the opposite political party were not entrusted with this secret, so that their descendants know nothing about it to this day. The incident is this: Bernis Brown was an intimate friend of Thomas Jefferson. In the spring of 1781, during the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson, who was then Governor of Virginia, fearing the British might capture the State Archives, which were then at Monticello, entrusted them secretly to Bernis Brown to take care of and conceal. He took them out to his home at Brown's Cove, and with the assistance of an honest old mountaineer packed them upon the backs of mules and took them up over the "Black Rocks" in the Blue Ridge Mountains, not far from his home, and concealed them in a cave. The friends of Jefferson knowing that Monticello was in great danger of being invaded by the British, would come to him and ask anxiously about the state archives, and to them all the great man would only say "never mind, they are safe." The invading army did get to Monticello, but failed to get their booty. The father of Democracy escaping on horse back, and the archives safe in the hands of his staunch Democratic friend. The secret was well kept, and to this day no historian has ever known that Bernis Brown, once had charge of and saved the Archives of Old Virginia.

Sarah Harris

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Anna Harris

Charles Brown Dr.|Dr.

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Asa Brightberry Brown

Benjamin Hescott Brown

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Bezaleel G. Brown

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Robert Thompson Brown

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Amanda Brown

Emaline Brown

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John Augustus Brown

William Harris Brown|Col.

John Chenault

Bernard Brown

Virginia A. Brown

Reuben Brown