From the Genealogical Register of the Descendants in the Male Line of David Atwater, One of the Original Planters of New Haven, Conn., to the Sixth Generation, 1873:
“Francis Brown came with the 50 men reported as passengers on the ship Hector and Consort who arrived at Boston on June 26, 1637. In September of that year, he came to Connecticut with the Eaton and Davenport colony, which settled New Haven, and was one of the seven men left there to pass the winter of 1637-8, the remainder of the party returning to Boston to return with their families the following spring. In the division of land, Francis Brown was on of the ‘Seven’ who ‘dwelt on the bank side’ (East Water street fronting the harbor). He was a tailor by trade, and for a time operated the ferry at Red Rock over the ‘East’ River.”
Ca 1636 Francis married Mary Edwards.55 Mary died in Wallingford, CT on 7 Dec 1693.90
Jacobus, in his Families of Ancient New Haven, gives Mary’s surname as Edwards. Mary’s parents are often listed as John and Elizabeth (Whitfield) Edwards, but it’s not clear why.
Mary’s second husband was William Payne.
On 18 Nov 1679 Wm Payne and Mary Browne, widdow, concluded a prenuptial agreement concerning each ones interest in the other's estate (New Haven Probate Records, volume 1, part 1, pages 196-197). [From the Gedcom of Steven C. Perkins on RoostWeb.]
That whereas there is an intendment of Marriage between ye sd Wm Payne & Mary Browne widdow, and (by the Will of God) shortly to be consumated: ffor the preventing of future trouble respecting their Estate, & ye promoteing of love & peace, both with respect to themselves & their children respectively: they have mutually agreed as followeth Vizt.:
Firstly, that whatever estate each of them stands posseth of at their marriage both reall & personall, it shalbee for their mutuall comfort & subsistance during their naturall life, even to the longest liver with this provisoe following vizt.:
That if it please ye Lord to take away Wm Payne by death first, that then ye sd Mary his widdow & relict, shall onely enjoy ye dwelling house barne & homestead, together with one third part of ye upland, both arable & woodland, & one third part of ye meadows of the sd Wm dureing her naturall life (shee attending ye law as to repaying) and ye other two parts both of upland & meadows at his sd decease to be unto his son & heyre John Payne his heyres & assignes for ever, & the other third part, together with ye sd dwelling house, barne & homestead after her decase to be to him alsoe, his heyres & assignes upon such termes as his sd father shall saye:
And for what reall estate there is in land properly belonging unto the sd Mary in necke or other outlands, immediably after ye decease of the last survivor of ye sd Wm or Mary, it shalbe unto the two sons of ye sd Mary Browne vizt. Eleazer & Ebenezer to be equally divided to them their heyres & assignes for ever.
2ly For the personall estate both in cattle & all other moveables in house or abroad, that what ever of yt kind shalbee remaining or left at ye decease of ye last survivor of ye sd Wm or Mary (the just debts being first payd & funerall expenses discharged) Yt shalbe equally divided betweene the children of ye sd Wm Payne, & ye children of the sd Mary Browne, the one halfe unto the children of ye sd William in such proportion as he shall appoint or in defect thereof, in equall proportions; the other halfe unto the children of the sd Mary in equall proportions:
To ---- ---- performance of the promises, the partyes above named, hereunto sett their hands the day and yeare above written.
Memorandm. that a greate brass pan of the sd Wm Payne is to be his sons John Paynes, and a heifer of the sd Mary Browne is to be her daughter --s--- after ye decease of ye last survivor, & not to be accounted any parte of the division of the estate.
William Payne Mary (her marke) Browne
Signed & delivered In the presence of James Bishop ,John Bishop