62Isaac Brown in an undated photograph. Resized and cropped; original scan .1 I have one other photo of 62Isaac; see below.

62Isaac W. Brown

62Isaac Brown in an undated photograph. Resized and cropped; original scan .1 I have one other photo of 62Isaac; see below.

62Isaac Brown in an undated photograph. Resized and cropped; original scan .1 I have one other photo of 62Isaac; see below.

62Isaac W. Brown was born 17 October 18472,3 in Cherokee County, North Carolina.2 His parents are unknown, but DNA evidence4 proves that his father did have the surname Brown, as one might expect.

On 1 June 1863, 62Isaac enlisted in Company G of the 4th Tennessee Infantry.5 Despite arising from Tennessee, this regiment actually fought for the Union, not the Confederacy. Although 62Isaac's enlistment record shows his birthplace as "Spring Place, Ga," this is probably simply where he had been living prior to his enlistment; at that time, Spring Place was the county seat of Murray County, Georgia, where 62Isaac would get married less than two years after the war ended.6 His enlistment record also provides his height (5 feet, 3 inches) and physical description (dark eyes, dark hair, dark complexion).5

After enlisting, 62Isaac's service record shows that he was present continuously through the rest of the war.7 However, the roll for May and June 1864 shows that he was sick,8 and he was occasionally assigned to side tasks, namely loading and unloading railroads cars in March 1864, and shipping coal by boat in July 1864.9

Around late September 1863, 62Isaac's regiment was in McMinnville, Tennessee to support Union forces who had recently conquered nearby Chattanooga. On 3 October 1863, Confederates tried to disrupt the Union's supply line into Chattanooga, and as part of this effort, they overtook McMinnville and captured all the Union soldiers there. 62Isaac was one of many captured that day, but was swiftly paroled.10 You can read more about this engagement here.

In February 1864 62Isaac's regiment was positioned at/near the Holston River in the vicinity of Knoxville, and on 20 February 1864 "moved out 3 miles on the Sevierville road, to support cavalry skirmishing with the enemy; returned same evening." 11

After the war, 62Isaac married 63Sophronia A. Waldrip on 8 February 1867 in Murray County, Georgia.6

An excerpt from 62Isaac's and 63Sophronia's marriage record. Full page.6

By 1870, 62Isaac and 63Sophronia had relocated to Marshall County, Alabama, where they would spend most of their adult lives. The next three censuses show the growth of their family. (Although she's not included in the image snippets shown below, the 1870 and 1880 censuses show that 62Isaac lived near Lucilla/Drucilla Wiles. Some suspect that she may be 62Isaac's mother, but there isn't enough evidence to reach a firm conclusion.)

1870: 62Isaac's family in Marshall County, Alabama. Full page.12

1880: 62Isaac's family in Marshall County, Alabama. Full page.13

1900: 62Isaac's family in Marshall County, Alabama. Full page.14

The 1880 census also surveyed 62Isaac's farm, gathering data on his crops, livestock, etc. The census shows that his farm owned/produced cows, chickens, pigs, butter, Indian corn, oats, cotton, and apple and peach orchards. (You can see the census sheet here.) 15

A photograph taken circa 1894 shows 62Isaac, 63Sophronia, and many of their children. Since it's a large image, I've put a small "sample size" below, but see more information about the photo, including a colorized enhancement, an identification of the people in the photo, etc.16

62Isaac's family circa 1894. Resized and cropped; original black-and-white scan .16 Learn more about this photo here.

62Isaac allegedly kept journals/diaries, two of which—from 1891 and 1905—have been transcribed. You can see the full transcriptions here: 1891, 1905.17,18 The 1891 journal suggests that 62Isaac was a schoolteacher since it includes notes about students, class schedules, etc. The 1905 journal includes notes about items purchased and their prices, farming activities, fishing trips, and a semi-daily description of what he did throughout the summer and autumn of 1905.

62Isaac died of asthma and "lung trouble" on 7 May 1909. He's buried next to his wife in Phil Campbell Cemetery, Franklin County, Alabama at coordinates N34.348721 W87.705794. His death certificate,19 obituary,2 and a photo of his grave3 are below. His death certificate suggests that he'd moved to Franklin County about 18 months before his death. The Masonic lodge mentioned in his obituary still exists today.

Sources Cited:

2: "Obituary," The Franklin Times (Franklin County, Alabama), 3 June 1909, page 1, rightmost column. Copied on 30 September 2010 from the Alabama Archives' microfilm box 059, reel 1908/01/02-1910/12/29.

3: The tombstone of Isaac W. Brown (17 October 1847 - 7 May 1909), Phil Campbell Cemetery, Franklin County, Alabama, at coordinates N34.348721 W87.705794. Photo taken by 1Bryant Knight circa 2012.

4: FamilyTreeDNA 67-marker y-DNA test for Augusta "Gus" Brown of Phil Campbell, Alabama, FTDNA sample 197459. You can see Gus' raw results here. To compare his results with others', open this page, and search for Gus' sample number (197459).

5: Compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Tennessee. Service record for Private Isaac W. Brown of Company G, 4th Tennesse Infantry / 4th image [FamilySearch image #2313]. NARA microfilm publication M394, roll 144. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-G3YF-1P54?cat=499031>, accessed 21 September 2021.

6: Murray County, Georgia. Marriages book 2 (1860-1874), page 121, the marriage of Isaac Brown and Sophrona Waldroop on 8 February 1867. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BZC-Y17?i=225&cat=277039>, accessed 21 September 2021.

7: Compiled Union service record of Private Isaac W. Brown of Company G, 4th Tennesse Infantry / various images throughout his folder. NARA microfilm publication M394, roll 144. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-B3YF-1GWR?i=2309&cat=499031> et seq., accessed 21 September 2021.

8: ibid., 5th image [FamilySearch image 2314].

9: ibid., 13th image [FamilySearch image 2322].

10: ibid., 15th image [FamilySearch image 2324].

11: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XXXII, Part 1, page (Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891), page 51.

12: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Township 8 Range 2E, Marshall County, Alabama. Page 7, dwelling 50, family 51 Isaac Brown household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 29. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D18S-J4J?i=6&cc=1438024&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMHKK-F5T>, accessed 23 September 2021.

13: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Fractional Township 8 Range 1E, Marshall County, Alabama. Enumeration district 254, page 194A, dwelling 9, family 9, Isaac Brown household. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 24. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBS-SSP1?cc=1417683&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM4VS-6XB>, accessed 23 September 2021.

14: 1900 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Precinct 21 Cranford, Marshall County, Alabama. Enumeration district 96, sheet 9A, dwelling 140, family 140, Isaac Brown household. NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 30. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-691Q-8TP?i=17&cc=1325221&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM9DX-SWH>, accessed 23 September 2021.

15: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Fractional Township 8 Range 1E, Marshall County, Alabama. Enumeration district 254, page 1, line 9, Isaac Brown farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 27.

18: ibid., transcription of a 1905 journal.

19: Alabama death certificates, volume 6, roll 1, certificate 477 for W. Isaac Brown, who died 7 May 1909 in Phil Campbell, Franklin County, Alabama.