Brown, James Percy, 1810-1844.

The second and youngest child of Dr. Samuel Brown and Catherine Percy, James Percy Brown was born in 1810 on a plantation near Natchez, Miss. His mother died when he was three years old shortly after giving birth to a baby girl named Catherine Ann who soon followed her mother to the grave. After the death of his wife, Dr. Brown moved the rest of his family to a plantation near Huntsville, Ala., and it was here that Percy Brown was raised and educated. At the time of his father's death in 1830, Percy Brown inherited half of Dr. Brown's estate, which totaled to $33,399.18 in slaves and stock alone. The other half was bequeathed to his older sister Susan, who later married Charles Ingersoll of Philadelphia. Statements made in his journal confirm the fact that Percy Brown also held property in Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. In addition to being a planter, Percy Brown was also a lawyer, although it is unclear as to when and where he obtained his degree. Sometime in 1833 he traveled to Europe and began his extensive stay in Paris, where he received private tutoring in several languages, including Italian and German. After a year, he began working at the United States Legation as an attache under the direct supervision of Thomas P. Barton. According to his journal, Percy Brown left Paris sometime in 1835 to visit other European countries, however, the exact date of his return to the United States is unknown. His wealth and prestigious background made it possible for him to secure an alliance with an equally prominent family. On April 25, 1839, he married Lizinka Campbell, the daughter of eminent diplomat and politician George Washington Campbell, in Nashville, Tenn. Two children were born out of this marriage, George Campbell Brown in 1840, and Harriet Stoddart Brown on August 1, 1844. Unfortunately, Percy Brown did not live to see his children mature as he died in 1844 of unknown causes, leaving behind almost no records of his short life.