The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America gained independence from the British Empire.

In this period, the Colonies rebelled against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also referred to (especially in Britain) as the American War of Independence, between 1775 and 1783. This culminated in an American Declaration of Independence in 1776, and victory on the battlefield in 1781.

For 2% of the inhabitants of the United States, defeat was followed by exile. Approximately sixty thousand United Empire Loyalists left the newly-founded republic, most settling in the remaining British colonies in North America, such as the Province of Quebec, (concentrating in the Eastern Townships), Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The new colonies of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and New Brunswick were created by Britain for their benefit. (See our Abbott family, )

The organization of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in Washington D.C. in the parlors of the Strathmore Arms on October 11, 1890. The sole requisite for eligibility for membership is proven lineal descent from an ancestor who, with unfailing loyalty, rendered material aid to the cause of Independence as a recognized patriot, as soldier or sailor, or as a civil officer in one of the several Colonies or States, or of the United Colonies or States; or from the mother of such a patriot; provided that the applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and acceptable to the Society.

The object of seeking our ancestors who participated in the Independence of the United States of America is to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of country, to bring forward to the present time the roots laid now for the benefit of our families, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty.

BROWN FAMILY MEMBERS WHO FOUGHT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

--Jesse Belknap [Belnap] (1739-1818) of Somers, Tolland Connecticut. Galbraith line.

--William Brown II (c.1713-will dated 19 Feb 1772) of North Carolina, son of William Brown Sr. and Margaret "Portigee" descent.. William Brown II is the father of James Brown Sr. and William Brown III.

--James Brown Sr. (1753-1823), son of William Brown II and father of Captain James Brown, was a veteran of the Revolutionary war having fought as an independent soldier in North Carolina under General Francis Marion, nicknamed "the Swamp Fox".

--William Brown III (1753-after 1772) also a son of William Brown II and brother of James Brown, Sr.

William Brown III (1753-), son of William Brown II (1713-1772) receiving Badge of Military Merit from George Washington
Submitted by Gaylen Brown

--Captain Benjamin Brown - "His folks lived in the country, a mile from the town of Albany.  They had come there from Amesville a couple of years before Dan'l was born.  Dan'l's father, William Brown, was the second son of Captain Benjamin Brown, an officer of the Revolution, whose people had been prominent for several generations in Worcester County, Massachusetts.  Captain Benjamin was one of the first pioneers to hack his way from Ohio into the interior.  He died the year before Dan'l was born but we often heard old settlers around Ames - which he helped to found - speak of him and his doings.  He must have been a forceful person even for those days.  His older children, including Dan'l's father, settled on farms around Ames, but these two youngest sons, John and Archibald, were living in Athens when I was growing up.  Captain Benjamin spent his last days in Athens with John, who was prominent in the militia and known all over southern Ohio as 'General' John Brown.  'Uncle General' was much beloved.  He was very genial and witty.  We loved to go to parties at the Brown House.  He was honored, too, for his good judgment and integrity.  He was treasurer of Ohio University for half a century.  His brother Archibald, Dan'ls youngest uncle, was a trustee of the university and an important Ohio judge.  Seems to me I've heard he was a member of the convention that framed the present constitution of Ohio.  The young Browns were a bookish lot, - those who grew up in Ohio,  - Dan'l's father was nearly grown when they migrated, and never had an opportunity to get far from a farm."-- http://iagenweb.org/history/gb/gbc2.htm Iowa History Project. Grandmother Brown's Hundred Years by Maria Foster. (Mississippi Saint Robert Crow's wife, Betsy Elisabeth Brown, cousin of John Brown. Her father was Captain Benjamin Brown who served through the American Revolution. The Crow's were in Pueblo with Captain James Brown.}

Input from family members will be added here.

Look up your ancestors of the American Revolution at: http://www.dar.org/ and their genealogy library at: http://www.dar.org/library/onlinlib.cfm#search. Send what you find to OrsonPrattBrown@gmail.com so we can add them to this family website.

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