Individual Details
Nicholas Brown
(28 Jul 1729 - 1791)
Married 2 May 1762 to Rhoda Jenks; Married (2) 9 Sep 1785 to Avis Binney
Nicholas Brown was the son of Captain James Brown and Hope Power Brown. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 28, 1729. Nicholas founded the firm of Nicholas Brown & Company in 1762 in partnership with his three brothers. The firm was engaged in every aspect of maritime trade, including sugar cane, rum, tea, silk, and initially in the slave trade. Nicholas and his brothers dispatched their ships to every corner of the globe from China to the coast of Africa. Nicholas along with Joseph and Moses had given up the slave trade by 1767, however brother John remained involved in the trade until his death in 1803. After 1765, Nicholas Brown & Co. began to diversify into other industries, including pig iron, (Hope Furnace) and spermaceti candles, (United Company of Spermaceti Manufacturers). Nicholas married Rhoda Jenckes, the daughter of Judge Daniel Jenckes in 1762 and they had ten children. After the death of his first wife Nicholas married Avis Binney, the daughter of Captain Barnabas Binney. By 1779 his three brothers had mostly withdrawn from the firm and in 1783 Nicholas formed a partnership with George Benson who began as a clerk with the firm in 1767. Nicholas Brown, Sr. died in Providence on May 29, 1791.
Events
| Birth | 28 Jul 1729 | Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island |  | ||
| Death | 1791 | | |||
| Marriage | Rhoda Jenckes | |
Families
| Spouse | Rhoda Jenckes ( - ) |
| Child | Nicholas Brown (1769 - 1841) |
| Child | Hope Brown ( - ) |
| Father | James Brown (1698 - 1739) |
| Mother | Hope Power (1702 - 1792) |
| Sibling | James Brown (1724 - 1750) |
| Sibling | Mary Brown (1731 - ) |
| Sibling | Joseph Brown (1733 - 1785) |
| Sibling | John Brown (1736 - ) |
| Sibling | Moses Brown (1738 - ) |
Endnotes
1. "John Brown of Providence, RI" Hal Gordon Brown, Editor & Publisher, Brown Family Genealogical Society Newletter, Dec 1996. Online sample. (19 Terrace St., Keene, NH 03431)
2. John Farmer, Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England. (No publishing information).
3. Rossiter Johnson, Editor, The 20th Century Biographical Distionary of Notable Americans; 10 Vol. Part of "American Biographical Library" from Ancestry Reference Library on CDRom, 1998 Edition. (Boston: The Biographical Society, 1904), Vol. 1, p.449.