William, known as Lt. Col and then Col. Browne, served as a Justice of the Peace for Surry County for nearly 40 years —

Will of COL William Browne.
COL Browne signed his Will on 4 Dec 1704; it was probated 3 Jul 1705. Named in the Will:

Son:
William Browne
Henry Browne

Daughters:
Anne Flood, wife of John Flood
Priscilla Blunt, wife of Thomas Blunt

Granddaughters:
Jane Jordan
Mary Jordan
Mary Sowerby, wife of Francis Sowerby.
Ann Flood

Grandson:
William Browne, son of William & Jane Browne
Henry Brown
Jane Browne
John Flood
Walter Flood

Will of William Browne
Signed 4 Dec 1704, Probated 3 July 1705:

To granddaughter, Jane Jordan, negro girl and other bequests.

To granddaughter, Mary Sowerby, the wife of Francis Sowerby, and to her children that shall be born, negores; if no heirs, to William, son of William and Jane Browne.

To daughter, Ann Flood, wife of Walter Flood, fifty pounds.

To daughter, Priscilla Blunt, the wife of Thomas Blunt, five pounds.

To son, Henry Browne, 20 shillings.

To grandson, John Flood five pounds.

To other grandchildren, Walter Flood, Fortune Flood, Mary Flood, Ann Flood, William Browne, Henry Browne, Jane Browne, Mary Jordan, the younger and William Blunt 40 shillings apiece.

Rest of the estate to son, William Browne, and make him exor. and whereas my son, William Browne, is now gone for England and it is uncertain how it may please God to deal with him and that he may die before he returns to posses estate which God forbid --- if he should die to my grandson Wm. Browne all my land I have at Blackwater.

To grandson, Henry Brown, piece of land in James City now in occupation of John Child.

Daughter, Jane Browne, wife of William Browne, ten pounds. To granddaughter, Jane Browne, daughter of William and Jane Browne, eighty pounds when 18 or married. Grandsons William and Henry Browne, sons of William Browne, Walter Flood,

The land whereon Sion Hill lives and has built a mill contained in my patent of a tract of land on the South side of Blackwater, my will is that my herinafter named Executor do make a conveyance of the said land to said Sion Hill beginning at the nearest place of the said land to down to the lower end, the said Hill already made satisfaction for the same tract.

Executors: Nicolas Maget, Thomas Blunt. 66

COL William Brown 66

Colonel William Browne served as a justice of the County Court of Surry for nearly 40 years - from 1668 to 1705. He was presiding Justice in 1687 and probably at other times, was Sheriff in 1674 and 1687; Burgess, 1676-77, 1679, 1681, 1682; Lt. Colonel of Militia 1679-87.

He made his will 4 Dec 1704, probated 3 Jul 1705.

Willliam Browne was probably a nephew of Col. Henry Browne, Mary's father, and in 1652 he was one of his trustees to hold property for his wife, Anne, and his children. In 1659, he was on the coroner's jury with Henry Browne. In 1663, "Robert Staunton, late clerke of Surry County, Virginia," gave a power of attorney to Capt. William Browne of Southwark Parish. He was appointed justice of Surry, December 22, 1668 and remained a member of the court until his death in 1705. In 1672 he is styled a major, and 1679 lieutenant-colonel; and was again commisssioned lc, commanding the Surry militia in 1687. From 1681 he appears in the lists as presiding justice; was sheriff 1674, 1687 and was a member of the House of Burgesses 1676, 1677, 1679, 1681, and 1682. In the list of tithables, 1687, appear Lt-Col William Browne, Mr. William Browne, nine negroes and in 1692, Col. William Browne, William Browne, Henry Browne and eleven servants and negroes. Virginia Magazine, Vol. 111, page 149. His will dated Dec 4, 1704, was proved in Surry July 3, 1705.

^ISSUE by Mary Brown:
Jane, b. abt 1658
Anne, b. abt 1660 (REFN RCA)
Mary b. abt 1670, d. 1728 (^DEATH **From RAJ; ? has 1690)
William
Henry b. abt 1674, d. aft 1705
Priscilla b. abt 1680. (RAJ claims she was born in 1683, daughter of Elizabeth)

Elizabeth (?) Meriwether Browne, Second Wife
© The Meriwether Society, Inc.

We definitely know that the name of Nicholas’ wife at the time of his death was Elizabeth, though we have no clue as to her maiden name. If she is the second wife as believed, Elizabeth and Nicholas probably married in late 1664 or early 1665, as their first known child, Nicholas II, was born in Oct 1665; she subsequently gave birth to four additional known children: Francis, Jane, Thomas and William Meriwether.

In Surry County Court on 4 March 1678/9, Elizabeth was listed as the executrix of Nicholas Meriwether, who had died the previous December. In July 1679 she was granted a Commission of Administration for the estate and orphan of Lewis Williams; her relationship to Mr. Williams is not known but it seems likely she was closely connected to him to justify taking on this task while still recovering from the loss of Nicholas. By July 1680 she has married Lt. Col. William Browne and has moved to “Four Mile Tree” to continue raising her family. She and Browne had a daughter, Elizabeth Browne, who is mentioned in the 1699 Will of Elizabeth’s brother-in-law, Henry Hartwell.

Elizabeth is apparently dead by 21 Apr 1695, when Nicholas II and his (half?) sister Elizabeth (Meriwether) Clements are appointed administrators of the estate of their brother, William. She is certainly dead by Jan 1695/6, when her son Thomas is assigned a guardian. She is most likely buried in the Browne family cemetery at “Four Mile Tree”.

For more details and evidence of these events, as well as other surname possibilities, see The Meriwether Family in America: Volume I, The Colonists published in 2017 by The Meriwether Society, Inc.

Sister Jane
Meriwether genealogies before 2017 stated that Nicholas Meriwether had a sister, Jane, who married Henry Hartwell. In his Will dated 1699, Henry Hartwell names the known living children of Nicholas (Nicholas, Francis, Thomas and Jane), and Elizabeth Browne, daughter of widow Elizabeth (?) Meriwether by her second marriage to Col. William Browne, as nephews and nieces of “my wife”, Jane Hartwell. This proves that Jane was the sister of Elizabeth, not Nicholas. (Parish records in England have since proven that Nicholas did not have a sister named Jane.)

In 2020 the siblings of Nicholas were documented in baptism records and there was no sister named Jane, further supporting the 2017 claim.

Property Sale
On April 7, 1685, [William] Browne and his wife, Elizabeth, sold George Lee their ¾-acre lot in urban Jamestown. The tract, which contained the easternmost bays of a long row house on Back Street, was described as formerly belonging to Thomas Woodhurst (Woodhouse?). This raises the possibility that Elizabeth Brown was Woodhurst’s widow or daughter.13

Commission of Administration, Lewis Williams Estate

In the following, Elizabeth is granted a Commission of Administration for the estate and orphan of Lewis Williams. This has led TMSI to speculate that Lewis Williams was perhaps a brother or father of Elizabeth.

Know all men by these presents that wee Robert Caufield & Ar: Allen Justices of the Peace in Quorum for the County of Surry & we send greeting in our Lord God Everlasting, whereas Lewis Williams late of this Collony dyeing & leaving an Estate in Divers goods, In _____ where of Mrs. Eliz: Meriwether hath made humble suite to the Cort that a Commission of Administration might be granted her of the said Estate in Right of the Orphan of the said ______, now know all men that wee the said Robert Caufield & Ar: Allen According to an Order of Surry County Cort beareing date June 16th 1679 for the better ordering & secureing of the said Estate, do give & grant unto the said Eliz: Meriwether the administration of all & singular the goods Rights & Credits of the Estate of the said deced, of what nature Quallity or Condition they bee or in whose custody soever they remain within this Collony, And doo by these presents further Order & appoynte that the said Eliz: Meriwether shall present unto ye ______ (Court or Commission) of the said County of Surry at the next Cort a true & perfect Inventory of the said Estate being lawfully Appraysed by Suffisient men upon oath, & further that shee satisfy & pay all such debts as remain due & oweing from ye said Estate unto any person or persons within the Collony as far as the Estate will affoard, & after such debts are paid then the said Eliz: to bring a true & Just account of the surplusage or remainder of the said Estate when shee shall be thereunto Lawfully Called and diliver the Same unto the _____ (Court or Commission) for the use of such person or persons unto whome of Right it shall belong or lawfully appertain. Given at Southwarke this 25th day of July 1679

Ro: Caufield
Ar: Allen

Mrs. Eliz: Meriwethers Commission of Administration on Estate of Lewis Wms deced in R. of deceds Orp.
Test William Edwards, C or Cr, Coun. of Sur.

Vera Record: Aug. 1st 1679 per WE C or Cr

(Published in Meriwether Connections, v1 no. 4)