Virginia Born – Idaho Bound… with a stop, or two, along the way
James William Brown and Martha Jane Carper
A bit of background on the Brown lines. There are two different Brown lines in my family and both have ties to the Clearwater Valley. In an attempt to avoid confusion I will categorize this and future posts as either West Virginia Brown, or Pennsylvania Brown. James William and Martha Jane (Carper) Brown are part of the West Virginia Brown line.

The Twice-Weekly Spokesman Review – December 9, 1910
l-r: Martha J. (Carper) Brown, Guy O. Brown, Donald Brown, Samuel L. Brown
James William Brown
James William Brown was born in Eastern Virginia in 1828, it is not known who his parents were and there is conflicting information as to his birth date. His headstone reads 1828 and census records state several different ages. It is impossible to know for sure where and when J. William was born, birth certificates didn’t exist at the time of his birth, for Virginia.
Martha Jane Carper
Martha Jane Carper was born September 21, 1834 in Washington County, Maryland to Samuel and Margaret “Peggy” (Hite) Carper. Martha was the great-granddaughter of Frederick Carper, who served in the Revolutionary War (DAR Ancestor # A019557).
Marriage
James William Brown and Martha Jane Carper were married on October 23, 1849, in Berkeley County Virginia, which is now West Virginia. The service was performed by a minister by the name of W. Love. One of the marriage records shows James William Brown and the other simply states William Brown. (more…)
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