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Dr. John W. Brown
Dr. John W. Brown, doctor and planter, was born in South
Carolina. He married Narcissa D. Pledger, March 3, 1862. She was
born in South Carolina and died May 1868 and is buried at Matagorda
Cemetery. Their child, John Walton Brown, Jr., died May
1868 and was also buried at Matagorda Cemetery.
Narcissa was the daughter of William Ellis Pledger
and his wife, Mary Ann Dalton Pledger, who came to Texas in 1838 with
the Rev. Caleb Ives,
the minister for Christ Episcopal Church in Matagorda.
The Pledgers had five children, William A., James Brockington (c1925
- Aug 25, 1895), Mary Elizabeth (c1828 - ????), Desdemona Dalton
(1831 - Feb. 18, 1853), Peter Dalton (c1833 - ????) and Narcissa Dalton
(c1836 - May 1868). Mr. Pledger died Jan 20, 1844 in Galveston,
Texas.
After Mr. Pledger
died, Mrs. Pledger bought 300 acres of land in the area now
known as Pledger.
Mrs. Pledger operated
a plantation on the property until her death in May 2, 1856. Her daughters, Narcissa and Ann Eliza, continued operating the plantation until
1862 when Narcissa married Dr. John Walton Brown. In 1880 Dr. Brown
asked that the post office be named Pledger in honor of his wife’s
family.
In addition to the
son that died as an infant, the Browns had one
daughter, India Valmon Brown. She inherited the land
when her father died. 50 acres of the plantation were sold, but the
remaining 250 acres were owned by the family over 120 years.
Dr. Brown died August 9, 1908.
Photo of Dr. Brown
courtesy of Jack Odell Brown |
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