Family Group Sheet
NameThomas Brown
Birthabt 1841, Morgan Co., Kentucky
Death27 Feb 1875, Elliott Co., Kentucky
FatherStephen Brown (1807-1870)
MotherMary “Polly” Dehart (1813->1880)
Other spousesNancy Cline
Marriageabt 1865, prob. Morgan Co., Kentucky
SpouseManerva E. Cock, 2C4R
Birth19 Aug 1840, Morgan Co., Kentucky
Death30 Jan 1937, Rowan Co., Kentucky
BurialCrix Cemetery, Rowan Co., Ky
FatherTobias Cock or Cox (1805-1905)
MotherFrances ("Fannie") Steagall (1805-)
Other spousesEli Lambert
Children
1 MSylvester Western Brown, 3C3R
Birthabt 1866, Morgan Co., Kentucky
2 FFrances Elizabeth Brown, 3C3R
Birth1868/1869, Morgan Co., Kentucky
3 FRhoda Brown, 3C3R
Birthabt 1874, Elliott Co., Kentucky
Census Notes for Thomas Brown
1860 census of Morgan Co., Ky, West Liberty, enumerated 16 July, lists on p. 80 as family #493/488 (immediately after his parents):
Thomas Brown, 20, farmer, b. Ky; Nancy, 23, b. Ky.
1870 census of Elliott Co., Ky, Moccasin precinct, lists as family #108:
Brown, Thomas, 32, farmer; Manerva, 27; John, 9; Mary, 6; Western, 4; Elizabeth, 1. All born in Kentucky.
(Five households later at #113 is the family of Thomas’s parents Stephen & Mary Brown, and at household #116 is the family of Elijah & Mary Cline, parents of Thomas’s first wife Nancy Cline. John and Mary are probably Nancy’s children, and Western and Elizabeth are probably Manerva’s, although this is not certain since I have no death record for Nancy nor any marriage record for Thomas and Manerva.)
See the 1880 census notes for Eli Lambert and Minerva [Cock Brown] for later records of this family.
Thomas Brown, 20, farmer, b. Ky; Nancy, 23, b. Ky.
1870 census of Elliott Co., Ky, Moccasin precinct, lists as family #108:
Brown, Thomas, 32, farmer; Manerva, 27; John, 9; Mary, 6; Western, 4; Elizabeth, 1. All born in Kentucky.
(Five households later at #113 is the family of Thomas’s parents Stephen & Mary Brown, and at household #116 is the family of Elijah & Mary Cline, parents of Thomas’s first wife Nancy Cline. John and Mary are probably Nancy’s children, and Western and Elizabeth are probably Manerva’s, although this is not certain since I have no death record for Nancy nor any marriage record for Thomas and Manerva.)
See the 1880 census notes for Eli Lambert and Minerva [Cock Brown] for later records of this family.
Notes for Manerva E. Cock
The Rowan County News of Feb. 4, 1937 printed this obituary under the heading County’s Oldest Citizen Is Dead:
“Rowan County lost its oldest known citizen on Saturday of last week when Mrs. Minerva Lambert passed away at the home of her son, Dock Lambert, after an illness of several weeks. Funeral services were held at the Cox Cemetery, in charge of Rev. Wesley Cox. Burial was made in the Cox cemetery. Memorial services will be held at a later date.
Mrs. Minerva Lambert was, at the time of her death, aged 95 years. She was making her home with her son Dock Lambert. She was taken ill in December with an attack of flu and her advanced age was a serious handicap to her recovery.
Minerva Cox Lambert was born in Wise County, Virginia. Her parents came to this section early in the last century and located in Elliott County, where she grew up to womanhood and where she was first married in 1865. Following the death of her first husband, Steve Brown, she was united in marriage to Eli Lambert and moved to Rowan County.
It has been her fortune to see all of the great inventions and improvements of the past century developed. She was one of the brightest old ladies in the community, her health remaining good to the very last.
Mrs. Lambert received two checks from the Division of Old Age Assistance, that for December and one for January. A <...line obscured on microfilm...> know that the oldest citizen of Rowan County so far as is known was given the priviledge of knowing her government cared enough to do something for her in her old age.”
(Sounds like the author of the article was a fan of Roosevelt’s New Deal.)
According to Morgan County marriage and census records, the name of Manerva’s first husband was Thomas Brown, not Steve Brown. He might have been known to family as Steve, but I think it more likely that whoever supplied the information for the obituary was confusing Thomas with his father. She was also born in Morgan Co., Ky, not Wise Co., Va, her parents moving from Grayson Co., Va to Morgan Co. about two years before her birth. For some reason almost everyone in Elliott County says they came from Wise or Scott County, even though land records prove that more of them came from farther east in Grayson, Tazewell, Montgomery, or Patrick counties. They had to go through Wise County to get to Kentucky, but most of them never settled there long enough to buy land.
Her death certificate records Manerva Lambert, age 96, born in Morgan Co., Ky, died 30 Jan 1937 in Rowan Co., widowed, father Tobias Cox, born in Va, mother’s maiden name Fanny Stegall, born in N.C., cause of death gangrene of left foot and influenza, informant Dock Lambert, Morehead, Ky, burial in Cox Cemetery. The birthdate field is blank, but the age at death implies a date of birth around 1840/1841. This age is consistent with the 1850 census, which lists Manerva Cock as 9. It is probably more accurate than the later censuses, which show Manerva Brown as 27 in 1870, and Manerva Lambert as 37 in 1880. Her gravestone lists her birthdate as 19 Aug 1840, but it might really be 1841.
Note that of Manerva’s eight children, four of them (Frances Brown, Rhoda Brown, Tobias Lambert, and Lydia Lambert) have the same name as either a parent or sister of Manerva Cock/Cox.
“Rowan County lost its oldest known citizen on Saturday of last week when Mrs. Minerva Lambert passed away at the home of her son, Dock Lambert, after an illness of several weeks. Funeral services were held at the Cox Cemetery, in charge of Rev. Wesley Cox. Burial was made in the Cox cemetery. Memorial services will be held at a later date.
Mrs. Minerva Lambert was, at the time of her death, aged 95 years. She was making her home with her son Dock Lambert. She was taken ill in December with an attack of flu and her advanced age was a serious handicap to her recovery.
Minerva Cox Lambert was born in Wise County, Virginia. Her parents came to this section early in the last century and located in Elliott County, where she grew up to womanhood and where she was first married in 1865. Following the death of her first husband, Steve Brown, she was united in marriage to Eli Lambert and moved to Rowan County.
It has been her fortune to see all of the great inventions and improvements of the past century developed. She was one of the brightest old ladies in the community, her health remaining good to the very last.
Mrs. Lambert received two checks from the Division of Old Age Assistance, that for December and one for January. A <...line obscured on microfilm...> know that the oldest citizen of Rowan County so far as is known was given the priviledge of knowing her government cared enough to do something for her in her old age.”
(Sounds like the author of the article was a fan of Roosevelt’s New Deal.)
According to Morgan County marriage and census records, the name of Manerva’s first husband was Thomas Brown, not Steve Brown. He might have been known to family as Steve, but I think it more likely that whoever supplied the information for the obituary was confusing Thomas with his father. She was also born in Morgan Co., Ky, not Wise Co., Va, her parents moving from Grayson Co., Va to Morgan Co. about two years before her birth. For some reason almost everyone in Elliott County says they came from Wise or Scott County, even though land records prove that more of them came from farther east in Grayson, Tazewell, Montgomery, or Patrick counties. They had to go through Wise County to get to Kentucky, but most of them never settled there long enough to buy land.
Her death certificate records Manerva Lambert, age 96, born in Morgan Co., Ky, died 30 Jan 1937 in Rowan Co., widowed, father Tobias Cox, born in Va, mother’s maiden name Fanny Stegall, born in N.C., cause of death gangrene of left foot and influenza, informant Dock Lambert, Morehead, Ky, burial in Cox Cemetery. The birthdate field is blank, but the age at death implies a date of birth around 1840/1841. This age is consistent with the 1850 census, which lists Manerva Cock as 9. It is probably more accurate than the later censuses, which show Manerva Brown as 27 in 1870, and Manerva Lambert as 37 in 1880. Her gravestone lists her birthdate as 19 Aug 1840, but it might really be 1841.
Note that of Manerva’s eight children, four of them (Frances Brown, Rhoda Brown, Tobias Lambert, and Lydia Lambert) have the same name as either a parent or sister of Manerva Cock/Cox.
Notes for Thomas & Manerva E. (Family)
There is no marriage record for Thomas and Manerva in Morgan County, but they probably married there anyway.
