Charles Brown

The Erie Canal was opened in October 1825.

CHAS BROWN owned land at Three River Point , Seneca River, NY, lost it because he was an alien (did not hold right of Fee Simple), so built a schooner, "Fire Fly" somewhere in NY, took the schooner over a mountain and eventually arrived near Ashtabula on Lake Erie with his wife, Deborah. He eventually owned 200 acres of land in Kingsville, OH area. He took his grist of corn, oats, and wheat in the Fire Fly to Erie and brought back bricks used to build the family homestead which later became Terrace Beach Inn. In l980 it was an apartment building. (see picture of Charles Brown and the Brown homestead built in the early l800's with bricks brought on the Fire Fly. SEE PICTURE OF BROWN HOMESTEAD.

A Charles Brown, David Brown, Henry Brown, Hezekiah Brown & a Captain Thomas Brown are listed as soldiers of the 14th Regiment, Albany Militia with John, Peter & Abraham Aller in Revolution.

From Early History of the South Ridge printed by The Ashtabula CO Genealogical SO_:_In 1827 Ezekiel Benton & son made an effort to add a stock of goods to their carding machinery, cloth dressing, saw and grist-mill and distillery in Benton, OH. Their goods were probably purchased in New York, brought on the Erie Canal, and at Buffalo were shipped on board the "Farmer", Christopher Ford's vessel, Captain Charley Brown Commander, in company with the goods of other merchants. Unfortunately, it was wrecked on Long Point, Oct. 20, 1817, the goods so badly damaged they became nearly a dead loss to the purchasers. A law suit was instituted but it availed them nothing.