by Erold C. Wiscombe

Nancy was born 29 May 1792, at Lick Creek, Rowan County, North Carolina. There are two or three documents giving conflicting birthdates, each given by Nancy herself. One document states she was born in 1790, two others list 1792. The earliest document, her endowment record in the Nauvoo Temple and also her death record list the year as 1792.

[Information has been found that shows Nancy Brown marrying a William Mills on December 12, 1815; a son, Hartwell Hunter Mills was born around 1831. Hartwell married Martha Walton. William Mills died 1857 in Coosa, Alabama. This information needs to be proved.]

Nancy and her sister, Mary (Polly) Brown lived on the family farm with their parents James Brown Sr. and Mary Polly Williams Brown, until the death of their father on March 27, 1823, they then stayed on along with their youngest brother Daniel Brown and his family until October 1, 1831, then they all moved to Brown County, Illinois, having the misfortune of having two houses burned to the ground. Their second youngest brother, James Brown Jr. soon moved to this state also and resided nearby.

On September 28, 1840, James' wife, Martha Stephens Brown, died giving birth to her ninth child. She is buried near Kingston, Adams County, Illinois. James gave the infant son, named Moroni Brown, to Nancy and Polly to raise.

Nancy joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1840, at Brown County, Illinois. Nancy married at Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois on October 3, 1843 to as the first wife of widower James Washington Newbury or Newberry (1791-1884). Newbury's first wife, Mary Smith had died in 1842 in Nauvoo. James Newbury took a plural wife, Elizabeth Haskins, on November 17, 1845. And a third wife, Sibyl Pulsifer, on April 22, 1848. The marriage between Nancy Brown and James did not last long after his third marriage. After his divorce James married Edith A. Benedict on November 14, 1849 in Iowa.

Nancy received her patriarchal blessing at Nauvoo on January 31, 1844 under the name of Nancy Newbury (found by Erold C. Wiscombe). James Newbury left the church at Winter Quarters and later joined the Reorganized LDS church. She received her endowments in the new Temple at Nauvoo, Illinois, 30 January 1846, prior to the journey westward.

In 1850 Nancy, age 53, and her sister, Mary Polly, age 55, with Moroni Brown, their nephew, are found residing in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, near their brother Daniel. Their brother, James, had gone south with the Mormon Battalion, and he became Captain of Company C of that organization. This may account for the two sisters staying close to Daniel, their youngest brother. They remained with the Saints at Winter Quarters, then continued on the trek westward with the rest of the Saints and settled in Ogden, Utah.

In June 1853, when James S. Brown was returning from his mission to the Society Islands, he tells of meeting his two aunts, Mary Polly and Nancy, at Ogden, Utah.

Nancy made her home in Brownsville (Ogden), Utah with her brother, Captain James Brown, founder of that city, until his death September 1, 1863.

On the 6th of November 1852 Nancy was sealed in the President's office to William Coe Critchlow, as his polygamous wife. Nancy apparently did not live with Critchlow but continued to live with Moroni Brown, the nephew she had helped to raise.

Nancy died December 24, 1870 at the age of 78 years. She was listed in the Ogden City Cemetery records as Nancy Brown, sister of Captain James Brown.

On May 7, 1889, some eighteen and one-half years after her death William Coe Critchlow had her body exhumed and moved to his lot in the Ogden City Cemetery. [William's headstone in the Ogden City Cemetery refers to both of William's "Beloved Wives", Harriet Hawkins and Nancy Brown, naming both with their dates of birth and death.]

Nancy Brown's life companion and sister, Mary Polly Brown, Moroni's other aunt-mother was sealed to her nephew, James Stephens Brown on August 31, 1855. After the death of her sister Nancy, Polly moved to Salt Lake City to live with Rebecca Ann McBride Brown, the second wife of James S. Brown. Polly died at Salt Lake City, Utah in 1876 and buried in the City Cemetery under the name of "Mary (Polly) Brown, wife of James S. Brown."

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