Browne Islandmagee

[dbrowne]

Hi Hana,

Great that you've seen my reply. Samuel Browne OBE is indeed my grandfather. He earned the OBE during the Second World War. His ship was sunk by a U-Boat in the Atlantic, he was then adrift in a life raft for some days. The ship (owned by Fyffes) was called the 'Aracataca'.

I hadn't known that your great-grandfather had earlier sailed with Samuel. Very interesting, especially as it was in the Verbena. I have an old painting of the ship (see the attached scan), and also a photograph of the crew. I don't know if John Hill Browne is among them. Maybe if you have a photo of him (I'd love to see it if you do!) you can compare. The crew photo comes from an excellent book called 'Islandmagee Seafarers - The Distinctive Maritime Heritage of East Antrim' by William Blair and Alicia St Leger, published by the Mid-Antrim Museums Service in 2005. It has a lot of information and photos of the Browne seafarers.

The unmarried aunts (Aggy and Liz) lived their entire lives at 'Bayview'. Right to the end it did not have electricity or running water. I think I remember they had a well at the back of the house. The house does still exist, in Town Lane, Islandmagee. I do have a photo of it, which I will find for you. Sally married quite late in life, to another famous Islandmagee sea captain, Alexander 'Minorca' Kane, and left 'Bayview', although she continued to live in Islandmagee.

I will let my uncle (Norman Browne) know that you've been in touch. He fondly remembers travelling to Bayview during the war to meet Jack Browne, who was on leave from the Australian Air Force. That is the only time they met.

It would be wonderful to hear more from you too!

David

Thanks for the advice Helena, much appreciated!

[Hana]

Hi David,

Below (hopefully) is the picture of the Verbena crew that I've got.  My great grandfather is the one in the back row on the left.  I think this was pretty soon after he started at age 15.  After looking at your photo I'm not sure if my Samuel (Jack's father) is in the 3rd row maybe the fourth one in from the left and it looks like your Samuel in third in from the left in the front in my photo.  Though I think that the man in the front of my photo with the ring looks in some ways familiar - maybe related or just one of those people th look familiar.

Have you heard stories about the Spanish Armada somehow being connected to the family.  I don't think that it is true but my Mum's convinced it is, though she's not sure how.

Isobel, Jack's sister, visited the relatives in Northern Ireland in the 70s and I think stayed at Bayview.

Grandad was in the merchant marines during the war, which fits with the Browne's and their sailing history, though I didn't know that he'd visited Bayview.

Hana

[dbrowne]

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

[dbrowne]

Hi Hana,

I've come across two more Bayview photos. One shows your great great grandmother (and my great grandmother) Ellen Jane Browne, pictured outside the house. I've asked my mother for more details on Bayview, and she says that it had four bedrooms upstairs (no bathroom of course!). The electricity service did offer to connect it up to the grid, but our Aunts Aggy and Liz turned it down due to the cost (£200).

The second photo (from 1963) shows the view from Bayview. To the right is Blackhead lighthouse. The bay itself we always referrred to as 'the back shore'.

regards,
David

[dbrowne]

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.

[Hana]

Hi David,

The photos are very amazing - its so nice to put faces to the names on my tree and see where they're from.  The view from Bayview is lovely.  I've sent a copy to Mum who is at my Grandparents for Christmas and she's going to show my grandparents.  I've only got one other one which is of Grandad, Isobel and their parents around the time they moved to Australia.  When I get back from Christmas I'll scan it and put it up.

Do you know if Arthur Brown (Samuel Browne OBE's oldest brother) had an MBE?  Grandad thought he may have but doesn't know what he got it for.

It's odd that Samuel was never mentioned and there were no photos.  Though I guess its the same with Grandads father.  It's rather sad that people seem to get lost in time.  I wonder who would have had the photo.  They'd have to be related to us in some way you'd think.

When Grandad was over in the war he went to a ball at Trinity College in Dublin with Gordon and Norman.

Hope you and your family have a great Christmas.
Hana

[ernestjames]

Hana,
Look at www.irishmariners.ie website
It contains details of Irish merchant seamen in the period 1918-21 taken from the Board of Trade central index cards and is searchable
200 plus Islandmagee seamen are in there including Arthur,Andrew and John Hill Browne.
You can get copies of the index cards which include a photograph of the seaman from Southampton Civic Archives.
Details are on the website.
best wishes
ernestjames

[aghadowey]

Had a look at 1911 census for the Browne family and there seems to be some confusion here.

1911 Mullaghdoo (Island Magee):
Samuel Browne 60 farmer
wife Ellen Jane Browne 61 married 35 years 11 children 9 living
daughters Isabella 29, Agnes 28, Sarah 20, Elizabeth 18.
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Island_Magee/Mullaghdoo/188558/

1911 Balloo (Island Magee):
Annie Browne 60 widow married 31 years 7 children 7 living
sons James 27, Thomas H. 24, Samuel 21 (railway clerk), Charles 17
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Island_Magee/Balloo
/188092/

The above Samuel Brownes are the only ones listed in Island Magee D.E.D. The age and details of the one in Mullaghdoo seem to be the Samuel who married Ellen Hawthorne and the younger Samuel in Balloo is the same age as Samuel John Hill Browne.

[ernestjames]

The four Browne brothers from Bay View, Mulloughdoo were probably away at sea. Have you checked the seaman section on the 1911 census?.
According to the 1918 Board of Trade index cards the four brothers were
Andrew, b11/03/1877, nok Jenny Browne(w), Ballystrudder House, Islandmagee
Samuel, b17/01/1885 (not on website yet). nok Mrs Charlotte Browne (w), Islandmagee
Arthur, b 06/10/1886
John Hill, b12/06/1894
I suspect that John Hill may have changed his Forenames to Samuel John Hill later in life.
Samuel Browne, railway clerk, is 21 in 1911 which puts his birth around 1890