Elizabeth BROWN ²

Elizabeth married Jesse LEAR, son of William LEAR and Unknown, on 30 Jul 1806 in Garrard County, Kentucky.² (Jesse LEAR was born in 1787 in Virginia,² died on 9 May 1872-1873 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky ² and was buried in John Moses Lear's Cemetery, Rockcastle County, Kentucky ².)

  Marriage Notes:

Jesse's consent note, dated 30 Jul 1806, was signed by William Lear, his father, and witnessed by Moses Lear, his brother. It says, "here by I certify that I am well pleased that my son Jesse and Elizabeth Brown should bejoind to gathe in wedlock".

[Many descendants list Jesse's full name as Jesse Moses Lear and even go further and suggest he is the Moses Lear in William's will and in other records. There is no known evidence to support this version of his name, so its origin is unknown. Perhaps this version of his name came about because of a misreading of Jesse's consent note. "Test", which signifies the person whose name follows was an attesting witness to the document, may have been read as "Jesse", so that the signature below that of William Lear was read as Jesse Moses Lear. Something to think about.]

Elizabeth's consent note, dated 30 Jul 1806, was signed by Elijah Williams and witnessed by Thomas Brown and either Clisha or Elisha H. Brown. It says, "I hereby certify that Elizabeth Brown is at liberty to marry Jesse Lear." Thomas Brown was the bondsman. Although Annie Walker Burns, a compiler of Garrard Co., KY marriages from 1796-1851 [FHL Film No. 851,646], and also the official log of marriage bonds for Garrard Co., KY [FHL 183,256], both identify Elizabeth's father as Elijah Williams, it appears he was her step-father. Per Elaine Gilmore <tnegilmore@lycos.com>, a Williams researcher, there is a Garrard Co., KY marriage record dated 23 Jul 1801 for Elijah Williams and Polly Brown. Thomas and Clisha/Elisha H. Brown were probably her brothers. [Note that the word "widow" was later entered after Elizabeth's name in the official log, which was probably some researcher's misguided attempt to explain why Elizabeth's surname was Brown instead of Williams.] ³