Five Revolutionary War Ancestors in My Brown-Montran Line

By Don Taylor

An email from Find a Grave landed in my inbox this week, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a new “1776 Badge” for memorials of Revolutionary War participants. It was the nudge I needed to go back through my Brown-Montran family line and tally up exactly how many ancestors served. The answer: five confirmed patriots, sitting in two branches of the tree that — as it turns out — were already quietly connected to each other.

Three of the five already carried notice of Revolutionary War service on their Find a Grave memorials. For the other two, I’ve submitted suggested edits so their service will be reflected there as well.

Here are their stories.

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Branch One: Parsons and Wolcott, Berkshire County, Massachusetts

Lieut. John Parsons Sr. (c. 1736–1821)

John Parsons Sr. was born around 1736 in Durham, Connecticut, and by 1776 was serving as a Second Lieutenant in the 10th Company, 1st Berkshire County Militia — under the command of Capt. Samuel Wolcott. He later continued his service as a Lieutenant under Capt. Elijah Deming and Col. Ashley. He settled in Sandisfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, was head of household there in the 1790 census, and died March 2, 1821, at about 84. He’s buried at Sandisfield Center Cemetery. Find a Grave memorial

Maj. Samuel Wolcott (1736–1802)

Samuel Wolcott was born November 15, 1736, in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and served in the Massachusetts militia around 1776 — as the same Capt. Samuel Wolcott under whom Lt. John Parsons served. He later held the rank of Major. He died April 19, 1802, in Sandisfield, and is buried in the same cemetery as Parsons: Sandisfield Center Cemetery.

The two families turned out to be more than fellow soldiers. Wolcott’s daughter, Mary “Polly” Wolcott, married John Parsons Jr. — the lieutenant’s son — in 1788. The captain and his lieutenant ended up neighbors in the same churchyard, joined permanently by their children’s marriage a generation later. Find a Grave memorial

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Branch Two: Buel, Rowley, and Maben — New York to Michigan

Grover Buel (1732–1818)

Grover Buel was born April 4, 1732, in Killingworth, Connecticut, and served in the New York militia around 1776. He settled in Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, where he died September 14, 1818. He’s a recognized DAR patriot ancestor (A016639). Find a Grave memorial

Wicks Weeks Rowley (1760–1826)

Wicks Weeks Rowley was born in September 1760, also in Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, and served in the New York militia around 1776. In 1783 he married Deborah Buel, Grover Buel’s daughter, joining two patriot families. The couple eventually settled in Lexington, Greene County, New York, where Rowley died July 22, 1826. He’s buried at Lexington Village Cemetery. Find a Grave memorial

John B Maben (1753–1813)

John B Maben was born June 1, 1753, in the parish of Braid-Broughshane, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and served in the New York militia in 1776 after emigrating. He settled in Lexington, Greene County, New York — the same town where the Rowleys later lived — and died June 1, 1813, his sixtieth birthday exactly. He’s a recognized DAR patriot (A072838). Find a Grave memorial

The Maben connection to the Rowleys may run deeper than shared geography. Wicks Weeks Rowley and Deborah Buel’s daughter, Electa Rowley, died in 1835 in Saline, Washtenaw County, Michigan, and was buried at Benton Cemetery — the same cemetery, and quite possibly the same family plot, as John B Maben’s son, Robert Maben. I haven’t yet confirmed a marriage record between Electa and Robert; the shared burial citation is just the kind of small clue that usually means something. Adding it to the research list.

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A Small-World Family Tree

What struck me most in pulling these five together wasn’t the service itself — militia duty in 1776 New York and Massachusetts was common enough — but how often these patriot families found each other afterward. A captain and his lieutenant, buried steps apart, whose children later married. A pair of soldiers’ descendants who may have followed each other from the Hudson Valley all the way to Michigan a generation later. It’s a good reminder that in small communities, military service and family connection were rarely separate threads.

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This article was researched by me and drafted with the assistance of Claude.ai, with editing support from Grammarly.