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McLean/Frith/Brimlow/Brown

The Search for the Brimlows

George Brimlow 1820-1880
AKA: Brimalow/Broomelow/Bremlow

Are you completely lost? I get that way too. Here’s the pedigree chart again for this line. This post will be about #14 on the chart, George Brimlow and wife Elizabeth E. Weeks.

George began life 12 Feb 1820 in Pemberton, which is part of Wigan, which is now part of Greater Manchester, Lancashire, England. Why all the names? Because all these little villages and towns are connected and families moved between them. Knowing that Pemberton is part of Wigan also connects the records of that area to the correct family. George was christened on 2 Apr 1820, at Wigan All Saints,1 the oldest child of William and Ann Brimalow. He and his family remained in the Wigan area until his parents immigrated to the United States.

Having moved frequently as a child, I can’t help but think how excited George must have been at the age of 12 to set sail aboard the Ajax for New York in 1832. He was really at the perfect age to take it all in, and I have a feeling that he probably knew the ship inside and out by the time they arrived in New York on 29 Nov 1832.2

In about 1842, he married Elizabeth E. Weeks (1821-1899). It’s not yet clear who her parents were. We have her maiden name from several of her children’s records. There are online trees that claim her parents were John and Mary Weeks who arrived in New York in 1829 along with children Sophia, John, and Elizabeth age 1. I saved them to my tree for some time in an attempt to prove the relationship, but finally disconnected them rather than misleading anyone that they’d been proven. The problem is that from the earliest records of Elizabeth that we can prove (the 1850 census) right up through her death, she consistently has a stated birth year of about 1821. John and Mary’s daughter Elizabeth would have been born in 1828. Our Elizabeth’s death certificate is of no help as the informant named her parents both as Brimlow. There are numerous “Weeks” in New York in 1840 with a female of the right age, so narrowing this one down may not happen without some help.

George first appeared in the New York City directories in 1845. [All of the NYC directories for this period and Brooklyn directories from 1860 forward are available on Fold3 – I did not provide individual sources for all of these here.] His listed occupation is as a clerk and the address is at 51 Cherry. From 1846-1849, he was at clerk and the address is at 41 Hamilton. On the 1850 Federal Census his occupation is as coffee roaster, which is the family business. In 1851, he’s a clerk again, but it’s at the same address as his father and younger brother William. In 1853, the business address is 16 James Slip (where his father has done business for years) and is shared with his father and youngest brother John. I cannot tell a lie, I am ecstatic to find someone in the family line who worked in the coffee trade. This explains so much about my deep abiding love for the damn stuff.

By 1851, George has moved his family to Brooklyn. Based on the city directories, he moves frequently and his occupation varies between clerk and coffee roaster until about 1865 when he’s listed as a grocer. In 1870 he’s an oil dealer and then in 1871 appears as an engineer – an occupation he carried for the rest of his life.
George addresses 1863-1880
George died on 30 Dec 1880 and was buried on 2 Jan 1881 in Cypress Hills Cemetery in the Brimlow family plot.3.4 Elizabeth did not remarry and lived until 2 Oct 1899, residing with daughter Jane (Brimlow) Lloyd. Elizabeth was interred 5 Oct 1899 with George.5 Their grave is at the monument. Now all we need is a picture of the monument.

George Brimlow and Elizabeth E. Weeks had 13 known children together. It’s hard to believe that he’s the one who died of exhaustion. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I’ll cover the children in the next post.


1. All Saints Wigan, Baptismal Register 1819-1822, p72, entry 571, George Brimalow, bap 2 Apr 1820, born 12 Feb 1820, 1st son of William & Ann Brimalow, Abode Pemberton, LDS Film 1885676.
2. “New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, Ancestry,” online images(accessed 20 May 2014), manifest, Ajax, 29 Nov 1832, William Broomelaw and family. Cit. Date: 20 May 2014.
3. “New York Death Records,” database(accessed 24 Nov 2015), George Bremlow, died 30 Dec 1880, 1030 Gates Ave, Brooklyn, FHL Film #1,323,758
4. Interment Records, Cypress Hills Cemetery, George Brimlow, interred 2 Jan 1881, Sec 2, Lot 168, at monument.
5. New York death certificate 16938 (1899), Elizabeth Brimlow, died 2 Oct 1899, age 78 years, buried 5 Oct 1899.

McLean/Frith/Brimlow/Brown

The Strangers in the Family Plot

Who the hell are these people?

As noted in this narrative there are several people in the Brown family plot who I have not yet been able to definitively identify as family members. However, I am convinced they are “related” to the Brown-Frith family in some way.

1. Robert Smith, 32 years, interred 14 Jan 1849, grave 15. He was interred the same day as Sarah Brown Mason and her brothers John and George. While I have been unable to find any specific information on him, his burial information would indicate a date of birth about 1813-1817. While it is possible that he’s a nephew or cousin, the fact that the family moved him here at the same time they moved their own children indicates a very close relationship. With such a common name and no additional information, Robert’s full identity and relationship to the family may be lost to time.

2. Ellen Winn, 76 years, interred 15 Jul 1860, grave 14. Ellen b. 1784 and William Winn b. 1781 arrived from England with William and Frances (Brown) Frith on 14 Jul 1837. William Winn died between 1840-1850 but I have not yet located a death record or interment for him. Ellen appears on the 1850 Federal Census with Sarah and Richard Young (relationship unknown) in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, Kings. However, after William Frith died in 1855, Ellen took in their three youngest children. Frances and William Frith had named their daughter Susan Winn Frith (1839) and another daughter Ellen (1844) and the Winn/Wynn name appeared in two more generations of Frith descendants. Ellen died on 13 Jul 1860 in Brooklyn.

Frances’s mother Elizabeth was still alive and living with Frances’s sister Mary Ann when both Frances and William passed, leaving several minor children. Why would the children live with Ellen instead of Frances’s mother and sister? My best guess is that Ellen Winn is a sister or sister-in-law to either William or Elizabeth (Heriott) Brown or to William Frith’s parents. I’ll attempt to locate a marriage record for William Winn and Ellen to get her maiden name, and I’ll also check the Frith, Brown, and Heriott records for an Ellen. My other hope is to locate guardianship records for the children as they may name a relationship to Ellen.

3. William Norwich, 61 years (b. abt 1805), interred 2 Mar 1860 – I have not been able to determine his relationship – if any to William and Elizabeth (Heriott) Brown or to William and Frances (Brown) Frith. I have managed to establish a timeline:

1805 – Born 16 Oct 1805 to Samuel & Elizabeth (Measures) Norwich in Leicester, Leicester, England. Baptism: 23 Oct 1805 at St Margaret, Leicester, Leicester, England.
1835 – 17 Mar – New York, Arrives alone aboard the Hannibal, age 26, occupation: machine maker.
1840 – He was not definitively found on the 1840 Federal Census, however there is a Henry Norwich in Ward 11 and two males one 30-39, one 40-49.
1850 – Brooklyn. Age 40 (b.1810), living next door to Mary Anne Brown Pringle.
1852 – Married Maria (Unknown) in New York
1853 – 20 Apr, Infant of Mr. Norwich, age 0y, 2m, 5d, buried in the Brown-Frith family plot
1855 – NY State Census stated age 44 (b.1811), a gas fitter, wife Maria, b.1810 NY. Also in the home is a niece Mary C. McCaner b.1847 NY and nephew Wm McCaner b.1852 NY. On the 1855 NY Census William states that he’s been a resident for 20 years (matching his arrival date of 1835) and that he’s a Naturalized Citizen.
1860 – New York Ward 21, stated age 51 b.1809 and Maria is 52. Also in the home is Wm Norwich, 32, b.1828 NY as is nephew Wm McCann b. 1852. No relationship is given, but Wm Norwich, 32, cannot be our William’s son since our William didn’t arrive until 1835. He’s most likely a nephew.
1865 – NY State Census – Not yet located.
1866 – From the New York Herald, Friday, 2 Mar 1866, “NORWICH – On Wednesday, February 28, William Norwich, a native of Leicestershire, England, aged 61 years. Friends and relatives are invited to attend the funeral from 794 Third avenue, this (Friday) afternoon, at one o’clock. English papers please copy.”

So… who are they and why are they in the family plot?

McLean/Frith/Brimlow/Brown

The Caretaker

Mary Anne Walder Brown (1825-1904)

There’s always one child who winds up being the caretaker. Often it’s the daughter with no children of her own who the rest of the family seems to gravitate to. In this family that child was Mary Ann.

Mary Anne Walder Brown was born about 1825, presumably in Sussex, England. I have not yet found a birth or christening record for her . She uses the name Mary A. or Mary A.W. throughout life, and her will provided the name Walder. She arrived with her family in New York on 11 Apr 1835, and I can account for her (based on age) on the 1840 census.

In about 1845, Mary Anne married Robert William Pringle (abt 1825-1895). More on him and the Pringles in a bit.

Here are the records I found for Mary Anne
-1855 – NY census, her mother Elizabeth is residing with her.
-1865 – NY census, her mother, brother James and nephew Wm are living with her.
-1968 – Mother Elizabeth dies
-1870 – Fed. census, it’s just her and Robert – who is listed as out to sea.
-1875 – NY census, her nephew William Brown b.1858 Kings NY is living with them.
-1880 – Fed. census, Hugh and Thomas Nevin are residing with them but are not relation.
-1892 – Thomas Nevin is still residing with them.
-1895 – 7 Feb husband Robert died.
-1900 – Fed census, with sister-in-laws Elizabeth Pringle b. Apr 1821 and Charlotte (Pringle) McEndow b. Aug 1828

Mary Anne died 11 April 1904. She was interred in Green-Wood Cemetery with her husband in Lot 27263, Sec 135. Her will was written on 3 Oct 1901, but wasn’t proven until 16 Nov 1904. She names her niece Ruth Reed (daughter of sister Frances), niece Hattie Knox (daughter of brother Edward), brother Edward Brown, and sister-in-law Eliza Pringle in her will.

Let’s talk about the damn Pringles for a minute. I will generally look at a spouse and attempt to determine who their parents were. In this case, that turned into a bit of an exercise in confusion. On the 1900 Census, Elizabeth Pringle and Charlotte McEndow are both listed as sister-in-laws to the head of household Mary Anne, indicating they are both sisters of Robert W. Pringle.

I went in search of what I presumed were the Pringle sisters.
Eliza Pringle’s 1906 death certificate stated she was born in 1821 in Ireland, the daughter of Hamilton Pringle and Jane McEndon [sic].

Charlotte McEndow’s 1907 death certificate states she was born in 1827 in Ireland, the daughter of James Pringle and Ann Montgomery.

I noticed they were both buried in Green-Wood cemetery so I checked plot records. Charlotte is buried with her son Joseph Hamilton McEndow (1863-1888). Eliza is buried with Margaret P. Bryan (1822-1897) and her husband. Margaret’s death certificate states she was born in 1822 in Ireland, the daughter of Hamilton Pringle and Jane McEndow.

To complicate matters further, buried with Mary Anne and Robert is William Thomas Pringle (1840-1893) who was born in England, son of James and Elizabeth Pringle.

I found three Pringle girls arriving in New York on 18 Sep 1839 – Margaret b.1821, Eliza b. 1823, and Charlotte b. 1826.

With a lack of adequate records, and being unwilling to expend the many hours it would take to sort out the 65 Pringles in Green-Wood Cemetery, can I just make up my own story here? Margaret and Eliza are the sisters of Robert and the children of Hamilton and Jane (McEndow) Pringle. Charlotte is their younger Pringle cousin who married one of their McEndow cousins and is more sister than cousin to the girls. William Thomas is the son of one of Hamilton’s brothers who went to England. How’s that? *sigh* Yeah… I’ll be unable to leave them alone either. It’s the name and the potato chip syndrome – I’ll have to sort them out. I’ll be back…