Welcome to the Brownell Family
History Web Site
When
Thomas and Anne Brownell left London to sail to New England in
1638, they could not have imagined that 360 years later they
would have had tens of thousands of descendants spread across
all of North America. This web site is an attempt to tell the
story of Thomas and Anne and their descendants, as well as the
events, ideas and people that shaped their lives and thus influenced
our own lives. In addition to names and dates, I'll be providing
information about major historical events, how they influenced
the lives of Brownell family members and the roles family members
played in those events. The history of the Brownell family reflects
the history of America. Understanding one helps us understand
the other.
To truly understand and know
our ancestors, to answer the why? behind their actionsactions
that made us what we are todaywe have to know more than
names and dates. We need to understand the world and the times
in which they lived. What made them decide to emigrate to America?
Why did some move ever westward? What were these peopleour
ancestorslike?
In almost 25 years of researching
the Brownell family, I've had the opportunity to visit locations
in Rhode Island, Canada, and England that are significant to
our family's history. For four years I published a family history
newsletter called The Brownell Chronicle. In it I shared
the results of my research and my travels. This web site is an
opportunity to share this history with even more people.
Many parts of this site will
be changing as I update information and add more. As new items
are added, the old ones will be archived, with an index, so that
they will always be accessible to all visitors. As I did with
The Chronicle, I will progress in chronological order
beginning with the arrival of Thomas and Anne Brownell in America
in 1638. I'll also explore the origins of the Brownell family
in England. For a preview of what will eventually be included
on this web site, take a look at The Brownell Chronicle
page. Many of the stories listed next to each issue of The
Chronicle will eventually be posted to this site.
Please take a moment to sign
the guestbook and to give me your thoughts and ideas for this
site. Explore the rest of the site, bookmark it, enjoy it, and
come back again soon!
This site last updated
on September 24, 1999
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