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Willie Brown Census Record – More Than One Brown
Of Course We Knew There Was More Than One.
If you are familiar with my first post, Willie Brown Census Record Found, you have already read about a Census Record found for a 1920 Willie Brown. The claim theDeltaBlues makes is that this record is for THE Willie Brown, also called “little” Willie Brown by other researchers and scholars. Little Willie Brown was the one we have all come to love – friends with Robert Johnson, playing partner of Charlie Patton and Son House. But what about the other Borwn that is so often discussed?
Several artists – Dick Bankston, Ledell Johnson and others also mentioned a Willie Brown touring and playing the blues not only ion the Delta region, but in the same areas as Little Willie Brown. This Brown – known to others as “Big” Willie Brown – apparently did not make records. Of course, then there is this whole thing about being married to Josie. Could there possibly be two Willie Browns, both married to a Josie, both from/playing in the same area, and both known by an overlapping group of friends and musicians? Apparently, there is.
Here is a 1920 Census Record for a Will Brown, living in Washington County, which is just below Drew.
Click to Enlarge - Brown is line 83 (3rd from top)
Examining this record shows us a few things as well.
In this record, it is for a Will Brown. It also shows this Brown married to a Josie, and having four kids: Zadie(son), Slater(son), Blanch(daughter), and Mithe(daughter).
The records is from Washington County, which is just below Drew, part of Beat 4. It also shows all of Josie’s parents were from Mississippi, as well as Brown’s. What is also interesting is the ages listed. It has both Brown and Josie at 28. This would put this Brown’s birthdate somewhere around 1892. The record also indicates that Brown and Josie could read and write. It shows Josie as having no occupation – which is interesting, and has Brown listed as a farmer.
I firmly believe that THIS was the Willie Brown that Evans wrote about. It just seems to make more sense. First of all, this Brown is close to the Drew area, which would having him playing in that region. Secondly, if this is the proficient guitarist Josie Mills, and they were married by 1911, it would put them both at the age of 19 or 20 – which makes a far more compelling argument than Brown being married at the age of 11. This record, I believe, is for BIG Willie Brown – 6 foot tall, 225 pounds. The previous Census Record Discovered, was for the Brown we hear on recordings – LITTLE Willie Brown, friend of Son House, Patton, and Johnson.
But, in a nutshell, there is still a lot to be discovered. Yes, we now have 2 Browns in 1920 married to a Josie. Could it have been the same Brown? It seems unlikely. Two Census Records, two different physical descriptions, and more make a more compelling argument for there to be several Browns playing the guitar in and around the Delta.
This new record does prove some facts wrong in my previous article though. There is more than one Willie Brown and Josie. There is more than one Census Record showing a Brown married to a Josie. But in the same respect, it helps to prove the other document as being for the Brown we love. First of all, the birthdate is a much closer match than this record. Knowing Brown to be born in or around 1900, the other record makes a more compelling argument for Little Willie Brown (though the date is still off – it’s off by less). It also helps to prove Wardlow and Calt were correct and Evans was wrong – there was a different Brown living in the Drew area – and both married to a Josie.
All in all, I firmly believe this Census Record is for the Willie Brown David Evans discovered in his research. Tall, heavy, playing in the Drew area, and married to Josie Mills. The other record found, is more than likely for the Little Willie Brown we all know. But then again – it could be another Brown entirely….
Author: Jason Rewald
Jason is an avid blues musician, scholar, and fan based out of the Tampa Bay area.17 Comments to “Willie Brown Census Record – More Than One Brown”
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Now for marriage licenses to be followed by finger prints and the grave for the second. I think exhuming remains might be going a little bit far to get dna samples but any who. Good article and good research.
I need to get my genealogy.com thingie going and check the 1900 and 1910. Now that we know where to start looking we might learn even more. I wonder if that is why one Josie was called Josie Bush and the other Josie __________ oh crap, mind fart. Well the point is there were two last names.
Any research on Willie’s offspring, Josie (whom I know is dead but her family may still be around) for family photos and what not? Also in the new Son House book, Sons step children are still alive and they lived with Willie and might be a great resource for such an ambitious researcher as yourself.
I have a picture that I just discovered last week from that area of two “farmers”.
My hope is “Willie Brown and Will Dickson” from the GDW interview.
I am traveling to the Delta tomorrow for 3 days to try to confirm origin.
Will post results.
Thanks,
RSKKZ
Keep me posted. This sounds very interesting!!
Jessica,
I will look into it for sure. One of the ideas I had brought to me was to find witnesses like this, and employ someone kind of like a police sketch artist to do a drawing of Willie. This might be the colsest thing we can get to a picture.
Jason,
I sent GDW a simple cropped version of the man in the pic yesterday.
I am speaking with him today sometime by phone and I will let you know what I can.
Thanks
I found two marriage certificates today.
One Will Brown 1930 and
one Willie Brown 1927.
Both in Robinsonville area between 1927-1930.
I checked 1916-1932 and these were the ONLY two marriages with names even close to our guys.
No other Will or Wille during those years…
Ill let you know more as I get it….
Thanks,
Randy
If you have heard the interviews concerning Willie Brown in the Military in 1918 as described by Willie Moore. (aka Mose Alexander) then read below:
(These appear to be the ONLY Possible Willie Browns from the “1918 Hernando Draft” story.
+According to Moore, WB was just a year younger or so and he and WB went to Hernando and Camp Shelby together.
+ Moore said he was born in 1902 when asked his age…. but that isn’t possible.
He stated that he changed his name to Willie Moore after fleeing and his original name was Mose Alexander. He lived in Lake Cormorant when he and Willie joined the military together,
… there is only ONE Alexander in the Desoto Draft 1918 ,
38 yrs old
Mose Alexander
There were 5 Willie Browns of various ages including a Willie Lee Brown…
BUT… They are signed and dated…
So if I checked the date Willie Browns to Mose Alexander…
Mose Alexander signed on 9/12/18
Three Willie Browns signed on 6/5/17 and two signed on 9/12/18
SO… out of the two that can possibly be the ones are:
A one
William Brown
38 yrs old – Farmer
Wife is Lydia Brown
Medium Build
Signed his name “Will Brown” with mark
AND ….
WILLIE BROWN
37 years old – Farmer
Wife is ROXANA Brown.
Medium Build
I went a few steps farther and I now have documents on this William Brown.This is our Willie Brown from the Hernando WWI Story…
I looked up his address and it is blocks from the DOG SECTION in the story.
he was married to ANNIE by 1920…
The other man shown above lived near Hernando the city so I can safely rule him out as Willie Moore describes the house that Willie Brown lived in to a tee..
I will update as I discover more…
Thanks,
RSKKZ© RandyMeadows2011 11/29/2011
I have the 1930 census that connects with the above info.
Willie and these same 4 kids… plus two more kids…
But his wife is not the same name, it’s close, but different on the 1930 census…
.
I will put together a summary about Will and Josie after I wrap up my current research summary on Little Willie Brown.
Thanks,
Randy Meadows
Wow this is an exciting topic.. I dig Willie Brown. Randy I’m wondering if maybe they spelled his wifes name wrong on the census. It is a common mistake made.
Hehe, I have some great memories from Drew. Come to think of it… I have some pretty crazy memories of Drew, too!
J-dawg, what do you think of this?
The 1930 Census that I presented here is strictly in response to a 1920 Census posted for the same people (claimed to be the Will Brown from Drew, MS.)
The claim was not made by me.
I contend that the 1920 and 1930 census discussed are indeed for a\the same Will Brown but not the Will Brown that played music with Tommy Johnson.
There are three Browns that we are concerned about.
1) Will Brown from Drew. (David Evans Version)
2) Willie Brown – Friend to Son House and Robert Johnson and Willie Moore.
3) William Brown from Sadie Beck Plantation LOC.
My opinion is that the census for 1920 and 1930 discussed are for none of those three men.
RSKKZ from Blindman link http://blindman.15.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=44156
Interesting. I came up with something similar a few years ago when I was researching. I was looking into Willie around the same time that I wrote the piece on Henry Sloan. Believe or not, Sloan was almost easier to untangle than Brown because there are so many of them.
Was really looking for a picture, but that wasn’t happening.
Beautiful post!
But I have a doubt… Who is the guy beside a Son House in this picture?
http://www.amazon.com/Negro-Blues-Hollers-Various-Artists/dp/B0000002UC
Wainting for Son House files…
That looks like Muddy Waters…
Not sure when it would have been taken,,,, but appears to be after Son House was rediscovered…
WB was dead by then,,
These songs were recorded during the monumental Library of Congress-Fisk University field expedition of 1941 to 1942. On the album cover, it is indeed Muddy Waters With Son House. However, Brown is on the album, in that he recorded there.
The album was released in 1997 to my knowledge, or at least re-released. The picture on the cover was NOT taken during the initial recording, but instead, after the blues revival of the 60′s. What’s important to note here is that Muddy Waters often cites Son House as an influence.