Quaker Smiths and Brownes

[kiterunner]

I had a bit of a breakthrough in my tree the other day, but now am stuck again! Sarah Browne married Jonah Cator 23 May 1686 at Ross on Wye, daughter of Thomas Browne of Ross, yeoman. One of the witnesses is a Mary Browne. I had lots about the Cators, but nothing about the Brownes.
This is the marriage entry:
Quaker Registers on ancestry

Then a few days ago, I found a Quaker marriage at Bristol: 16 Dec 1666, Thomas Browne of Ross in the county of Hereford, sonn of John Browne of the said county, yeoman, and Mary Smith widdow late the wife of William Smith of this Citty (i.e. Bristol) butcher. Witnesses "Thomas Goldney, George Bishop, Richard Willis and divers others."
Quaker Registers on ancestry

There is a birth record at Bristol 7 Oct 1667 for Sarah, daughter of Thomas Browne by Mary his wife:
Quaker registers

Sarah died 28 Oct 1735, Thomas Browne died "upon the later end" of January 1688, and Mary died 17 Nov 1686, all at Ross on Wye.

There is an Elizabeth Browne who married a Will Golfes at Ross 26 Jan 1679, according to FamilySearch, but this doesn't seem to be a Quaker marriage so probably not connected.

Can anybody find anything to help get the Brownes further back, or figure out Mary's maiden name, please?

[Merry]

Well, I have looked, but I haven't found anything!

The problem is, as you are now right back at the beginning of Quakerism all adult Quakers are going to be converts. if you are lucky you might find (at CROs) the minute books which describe who had been accepted into the society. I don't know how well these records have survived from the early years (they could even have been destroyed to protect people from persecution.)

It would be worth investigating whether Wm Smith wrote a will some time soon before 1666.

[kiterunner]

Thanks, Merry. I had a look at the Index of Bristol Wills which is on ancestry and the PCC wills and didn't find William Smith in either.

[Merry]

Do you have other surnames for your Bristol Quakers? Just wondered if any are the same as mine! lol

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Merry

Do you have other surnames for your Bristol Quakers? Just wondered if any are the same as mine! lol

On this particular branch, Mary is the only Bristol Quaker and I don't know her surname! The other Bristol non-conformists that I have (so far) are Antony Wood and his wife Joan (another one without a surname) but they were Baptists. There are a lot of Smiths in their part of my tree but probably not related to William Smith the butcher!

[Merry]

lol

if you get any more Bristol Quakers, don't forget to tell me!

[kiterunner]

Okay, will do. By the way, this bit of my tree is the bit that is shared with Celia Imrie, but unfortunately they didn't choose that branch for her episode of WDYTYA.

[Merry]

Oooh, how irritating - you could have got some free research!