This work is twelfth in a series about Maryland families. The author, already well known for his works on the Brandenburg, Burdette, Fry, Fulks, Hines, Hurley, King, Lowder, Maddox, Niekirk, Perry, Pratt, Purdum, Soper, Stottlemyer, Walker and Watkins families, now turns his attention to the Browning families, primarily of Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland, and including some members of the family found in other regions. The roots of the Browning family are in Great Britain, with arms borne by Browning of Cambridge and Browning of Cowley as well as three other houses. Thomas Browning was the first of his family to travel to the colonies in the 1650s, arriving first in Rappahannock County, Virginia, and returning to England for his family in 1656. The family relocated to Maryland from Rappahannock in 1665, many of the children settling in Cecil and Kent Counties. Thomas and his wife Hester returned to Bristol in 1674, both dying soon after but having established the Browning name in Maryland.
Following the custom of the earlier works in this series, the book begins with a look at the early history of the Maryland Colony and the formation of the counties. From there, it moves into early records of the Browning family, beginning with Thomas Browning and concentrating on the descendants of his grandson Francis Browning, born c.1672 to John and Elizabeth. Two chapters are devoted to sons of Francis, namely Edward Browning Jr. and William Browning. Purdum families are examined in two chapters, specifically those related to John Lewis Purdum and his sister Cassandra. The final five chapters are concerned with assorted descendants not covered in other areas, as well as family members who cannot be directly placed within the family groups already discussed. A bibliography of relevant sources and a full name index are included.
William Neal Hurley, Jr.
(1998), 2006, 5½x8½, paper, index, 588 pp.
ISBN: 9780788410338
101-H1033
