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Hi Hana,

Another photo for you. This shows Samuel Browne around 1941 after his rescue in Canada - with his wife Charlotte and sons Stanley (in the army uniform), Norman (the second oldest, who joined the RAF soon after), and at the front Gordon (my father), and Arthur.

To answer your questions, I've never heard if Arthur Browne (Samuel Browne OBE's oldest brother) had an MBE. He had no children, but left a wife Mary Kane who died in 1976. She lived within a mile or so of Bayview.

It is odd that Samuel senior (1850-1912) was never mentioned and there were no photos. I have no idea where the photo in the Islandmagee seafarers book came from. It was credited to my uncle Arthur, but he was as surprised as me to see it.

"When Grandad was over in the war he went to a ball at Trinity College in Dublin with Gordon and Norman." I'll ask Norman next time I give him a call. I doubt if Gordon attended a ball, as he was only a child during the war. It may have been Stanley.

Two more photos, which I hope will be of interest. The first one shows three of John Hill Browne's sisters - from left to right Agnes (Aggy), Elizabeth (Liz) and Sarah (Sally). They are pictured with their nephew (my uncle) Capt Arthur Browne, in 1958.

Below is a shot of Ellen Jane Browne and your great great grandfather Samuel Browne (1850-1912). The women of the household maintained a farm around Bayview while the men were away at sea, selling eggs and butter to visitors to Islandmagee, and at Carrickfergus market. Samuel had been a master mariner but retired early due to ill health. According to my Uncle Arthur, who as a child regularly visited his grandmother at Bayview, Samuel was never mentioned and no photographs of him were displayed at the house. It came as a surprise when the photo below appeared in the Islandmagee seafarers book, and we didn't know where it came from.

Hi Hana,

Thanks for the great photo. My grandfather (Samuel Browne) is definitely third from the left in the front row. Very interesting to see his brother John Hill Browne there too. I'd never previously seen a photo of him and would love to see any others which you may have, as well as any information on his life. I have sent a print of it to Norman Browne in New York, who will be delighted to see a photo of his uncle for the first time.

The only other one of  John Hill's brothers who I have a photo of is Arthur Browne (1886-1931), who was also a Master Mariner. See photo attached. He died at sea on Jan 8th 1931 en route home, and is buried in Islandmagee.

The Spanish Armada story is a bit of a myth as far as I've always understood, is it the one saying that black hair was introduced to Ireland by the shipwrecked Spanish sailors? I've never heard it applied directly to the Brownes, although I do have dark hair and so did by father and grandfather. My uncle was insistent that the Brownes originally arrived from Scotland, but I'm not sure when.

My mother can't remember Isobel visiting from Australia, and thinks it's unlikely that she stayed at Bayview, although she may have visited briefly. I have attached a photo of Bayview (which is still standing as far as I know). The people outside it are John Hill's sister Agnes Browne (who lived there all her life), and my father Gordon Browne. It was taken in 1963.

best wishes for now,
David

Hi Hana,

I think I can help you with information on the Brownes of Islandmagee.

My father was Gordon Browne, who died in 1967. That would make John Hill Browne my great uncle.
I was aware that he had married someone called Ruth, and emigrated to Australia, but know few other details, except that he had a son called Jack who met up with my Browne uncles during WW2.

There were a lot of master mariners in the family. Andrew Brown (of Kilton Lane, Islandmagee) is the first I know of. He died at sea some time in the 1850s, leaving a widow Agnes (Nancy) Heggan (1830-1916), and two children - Samuel (1850-1912) and Agnes (1853-1909).

Samuel married Ellen Jane Hawthorne and lived at Bayview, Town Lane, Islandmagee where they had eleven children no less...
Andrew (1877-1960) - Abigail (b.1878) - Ellen Jane,  called 'Nellie' on her tombstone (1879-1905) - Samuel (1883-1885) - Samuel (master mariner and my grandfather, 1885-1951) - Isabella ('Belle') (b.1881) - Arthur (another master mariner, 1886 -1931, who married Mary Kane as mentioned in a previous answer) - Agnes (1888 -1972) - Elizabeth Mary (1892-1974) - Sarah Hawthorne 'Sally' (1890-1985) - John Hill (1894 -1938).

My grandfather moved to Whitehead after marrying Charlotte Dagwell (from another seagoing family), and had four boys: Stanley (who married Primrose Wilson), Norman (born 1921, who did indeed go to Canada, but moved to New York around 1950. He is still living there, and is unmarried), Arthur (master mariner), and Gordon. Arthur died two years ago, the last Browne in Whitehead. He was unmarried.

Norman Brown from Ballylumford Power Station is no relation, although I believe the family surname was changed from Brown to Browne within the last 200 years. Also, Brown's Bay has no family connection, although I went swimming there a lot as a child!

The majority are buried in the old and new cemeteries in Islandmagee. Abigail is buried in Carrickfergus.

I'm sure we have lots more information to compare.

The old lady in the photograph is John Hill Browne's mother Ellen Jane Browne - nee Hawthorne (1849-1945), your great great grandmother.