His parents were Thomas Browning, born in about 1620 in Gloucestershire, England, died in 1675 at Brookthorp, Gloucestershire, and Hester Thomas, born in about 1620 in England, died in England in 1705. Although his parents lived and died in England, they seem to have spent some years in Virginia and Maryland. John Browning's grandfather (perhaps), known as Captain John Browning, traveled to Virginia in 1621, and seems to have died there in 1635 or perhaps 1662.
He may have been married in 1667 in Jamestown, Virginia, to Elizabeth Simmons.
Based on the page John Browning, about 1640-1690, Individual Note
John Browning seems to have come to America with his parents, but when that happened is not clear.
He would later swear (on November 3, 1679) that his father Thomas Browning had transported himself, Hester Browning, John Browning[?], Gabriel Brown, Anne Brown, Richard James, Elizabeth Laven, Thomas Simster, and John Devon thirteen years earlier, that is, in about 1666 (according to Maryland Patent Records, Book WC2, page 73.)
The maiden name of his wife is not known. Some researchers believe she was the widow Simmons and the mother of several Simmons children who bore names identical to the names of the three older children of John and Elizabeth Browning.
On February 3, 1670 or 1671, John Browning had five hundred acres of land surveyed on forks of the Elk River in Maryland (according to Maryland Rent Rolls, Book 6, page 330).
In 1672, John, son of Thomas Browning, returned to Maryland from England via Barbados armed with a letter from Lord Baltimore directing that Thomas Browning's land be made over to John Browning.
John and his wife Elizabeth sold land purchased by Thomas Browning to Richard Nash on April 6, 1672, and bought land on the Bohemia River, now in Cecil County.
The first clear evidence of John Browning's residence in Maryland, proof of his parentage, and the first indication of his marriage occurs on April 6, 1674, when he and his wife Elizabeth sold to Richard Nash of Kent County, Maryland, "all that messuage and tenement where said John Browning now liveth or did lately live and commonly known by the name of Browning's plantation near the River of Bohemia."
The deed states that John Browning's right to sell this land was "by virtue of a patent the twenty-first day of July 1663 made unto Abraham Morgan and by him assigned to Thomas Browning, father of said John Browning."
The document appoints Henry Ward of Baltimore County as their attorney to enroll the indenture. The deed was signed on April 6, 1674, by John and Elizabeth Browning, witnessed by Augustine Herman, Rowland Williams, and Thomas Shelton.
Soon after that date, they apparently left the colony of Maryland for several months, and were in Jamaica on August 12, 1674, when Captain Peter Judman granted to "John Browning, gentleman, now bound for his Majesties' plantation of Virginia," power of attorney to receive debts from John Gilbert, merchant. They seem to have returned to Maryland before February 1675.
On his arrival in Maryland, John Browning found that John Gilbert had died intestate. As the representative of a creditor of John Gilbert, he was named administrator of the Gilbert estate. His sureties were Richard Nash and John Poole.
John Browning must have returned to England again, because after his father's death, he came to Maryland from England via Barbados and claimed his father's property by right of inheritance. A document signed July 29, 1679, by Cecil, Lord Baltimore, shows that thirteen years before, John Browning's father had a conditional warrant granted for five hundred acres in Cecil County and that his son retained possession and had paid taxes since his father's death. The land office was ordered to draw up a patent. (according to Cecil County, Maryland, Patent Records, Book 15, page 574).
This document was signed personally by Lord Baltimore, who was never in Maryland. That suggests John Browning was in England at the time to settle the affairs of his father's estate.
He seems to have brought his wife Elizabeth and sons George, Thomas, and John to America in 1678 (according to Maryland Archives, Hall of Records, Book WC2, page 73). On November 3, 1679, he claimed five hundred and fifty acres for transporting his wife, Elizabeth Browning, as well as George Browning, Thomas Browning, John Browning, John Simmons, George Simmons, and Thomas Simmons, Milton Mason, Stephen Polos, William Dalton, Hester Browning, and Jane Hance.
He also claimed seven hundred and fifty acres of land of transporting James Roden, Richard Pollard, John Haurer, John Bowlby, Richard Whitton, Peter Newton, James Martin, David Jones, William Port, Samuel Powell, Richard Habond, John Tuffen, Peter Morrison, and Thomas Badle (according to Maryland Patent Records, Book WC2, page 73).
These records clearly identify John Browning of Cecil County as the son and heir of Thomas Browning.
Between 1678 and 1681, John Browning ordered many patent surveys. Much of the was assigned immediately to other individuals. Perhaps he was a land agent during this period.
After 1681, he appears only from time to time in Cecil County court minutes, often in cases involving debt collection.
The last patent (listed in Maryland Rent Rolls, page 322) was for a tract known as "Morelon" located on Smith's Branch and surveyed for John Brownmg and Henry Denton, dated September 8, 1687.
One source says John died in 1679, which is obviously incorrect, based on the dates of the administrative bond and inventory of estate (according to Maryland Archives, Hall of Records, Book 15, page 574).
John Browning, a surgeon[?], was assignor of lands in Cecil County in 1679 and 1680 (according to "Settlers of Maryland 1679-1700, page 23).
In 1679, he bought an eight hundred and eighty-three acre tract in Cecil County called Clifton. (Book 24, page 282). In the same year, a John Browning bought a five hundred acre tract in Somerset County called Coleman's Adventure (Book 25, page 401). [Somerset County is at the southeastern corner of Maryland while Cecil County is at the northeastern edge.]
On March 18, 1680, John Browning bought a five hundred acre tract called Round's in Cecil County (Book 24, page 105).
On May 2, 1680, John Browning received the five hundred acre tract in Cecil County called Success (Book 24, page 88).
On November 17, 1680, he bought a one hundred acre tract in Cecil County called Brownley (Book 25, page 11; Book 30, page 208).
On May 22, 1681, he received a four hundred fifty acre tract in Cecil County called Warren (Book 24, page 282).
On September 8, 1687, he recorded purchase of a five hundred fifty acre tract in Cecil County called Askmore (Book 25, page 31; Book 32, page 660) and a one hundred fifty acre tract called Morelow (Book 25, page 352; Book 32, page 662.)
In 1690, the estate of John Browning was settled by a court-appointed administrator. As his wife Elizabeth is not mentioned, she probably died before him. [By one account, she died in 1689 in Cecil County, Maryland.]
According to "The German Element in Maryland" by J.A. Weishaar, and "The Maryland Germans" by Dieter Cunz, page 19), at some point, John Browning had settled on a piece of land claimed by his friend and neighbor Augustin Herman, who sued. On the day they were to appear in court, Herman was too ill to joumey to court. He drew up a detailed complaint which he entrusted to John Browning, who faithfully delivered it to the court and had it read. Browning was ordered to vacate the disputed piece of land, whereupon he left the Maryland colony for good. [As he died in Cecil County, this account cannot be taken as entirely correct.]
In 1690, the estate of John Browning was settled by a court-appointed administrator, William Walton, whose bond was recorded October 18, 1690.
Contents of the inventory suggest indicate that none of his family was in Maryland when he died. He had only one bed, one suit of clothes with silver buttons, one silver cup, one table, five pewter dishes, a pair of brass scales, a brass warming pan, cooking utensils, and so forth.
A grindstone was listed, but no newly-harvested crop, no horses, no hoes, no harrows or other farming implements.
Perhaps, after his wife's death, he and his family lived elsewhere while he maintained a residence in Maryland for periodic visits to oversee his property or other interests.
The 1696 accounting of inhabitants of Bristol, England, establishes that Hester Browning, widow, was head of a household in the Parish of St. Philips in Bristol. Living with her at the time were children Francis, Hester, Judith, Elizabeth, Mary and Ann, her grandchildren and, perhaps, John and Elizabeth's younger children; the record does not identify them as the children of John and Elizabeth Browning, but no evidence has been found to refute that assumption. Mary and Ann may be children of John's brother, Thomas.
Maryland records confirm that the three older sons of John and Elizabeth Browning – Thomas, William, and George – returned to Maryland and were probably there when the 1696 Bristol census was taken.
