Black male, stillborn on 12 October 1937 in Pensacola, FL. The birth was not attended by a physician; Warren E. Anderson signed as having examined the remains of the infant the following day. The cause of death was prematurity. The address given on the death certificate as both the place of death and the residence was 618 North A Street. The mother was Annie Brown, born in Selma, AL. The father was listed as “D.K.” for “Don’t Know.” As Annie Brown was the informant, there was probably a reason why she did not identify the father. The infant was buried at the Escambia County Poor Farm cemetery by Morris Funeral Home on 12 October.
Annie Brown’s family and background led me on quite a chase, but all the information I found on the family sprang from the address on North A Street– which, importantly, was also known as Oliva Street.
Annie Brown was born in Valley Creek, Dallas County, Alabama on 24 April 1910, to Roxie Anna Miller and Pollard Brown. She missed being enumerated in the 1910 census by a little over a week. Pollard and Roxie Brown, both born in Alabama of parents born in Alabama, were farm laborers who rented their farm. Pollard was 21 years old, Roxie was 16, and though the census said they had had been married for one year, they had actually been married only a few weeks – since 27 February 1910. They appear to have both been literate. Next door to them lived Pollard’s parents, Remus B. Brown, 70 years old, and Mary (Johnson) Brown, 56. They were both identified as Mulatto, born in Alabama of two parents born in Alabama. On the same census sheet, meaning they lived nearby, was Joe and Carolina Petway. I have tentatively identified Caroline Pettaway as Roxie Miller Brown’s mother, though I have found conflicts in the records which I have not satisfactorily resolved. Joe Pettaway, I believe, would have been Roxie’s stepfather. (Also, I found in the Ancestry discussion boards that there is a difference between the “Petway” family and the “Pettaway” [sometimes “Petteway” or “Pettiway”] family. One wonders if the census enumerator realized that.)
Pollard Brown passed away in 1918 in Dallas County, AL. In the 1920 federal census, Roxie Brown was living on Range Line Road in Valley Creek, AL. She was still living on a rented farm, with her occupation listed as “farmer.” She gave her age as 22, and she was listed as Single, rather than widowed. Also in the household with her was Annie (enumerated as 12 years old), young Roxann (10), Eva (7), Mary L.(6), and Pollard, Jr., 4 and a half. Everyone in the household was born in Alabama, of two parents born in Alabama. In this census, Roxie was identified as illiterate, but the older children were able to read and write. Living next door were Joe and Caroline Peteway. Joe was 62, and Caroline was 50 years old. Living with them were Levy (19), William (17), Robert (15), and Lula (11).
Roxie Miller Brown first appeared in the Pensacola City Directory in 1924, but I believe the family was in Pensacola in 1922, as Roxie Miller and Pollard Brown were listed as the parents of a 3-year-old child, Maggie Brown, who died of pneumonia in May of that year. While the address on the death certificate was 813 W. Gadsden St., the 1924 directory shows the family lived at 811 Gadsden Street. Roxie worked as a cook at 200 W. La Rua. In the 1927 directory, Roxie lived at 610 N. Oliva (A St.) but there was no occupation listed. Also listed in the 1927 Pensacola City Directory were Joseph and Caroline Petteway, with children Lula, Monroe, and William, living and 815 W. Gadsden St.
The Brown family was still living at 610 Oliva Street in the 1930 federal census for Escambia County. Roxie, 35 and widowed, rented the house and worked as a cook for a private family. Also in the household was Annie, listed as 18 and single, and young Roxie, 17, who both worked as maids for private families. Eva was 14, Mary Lou was 13, and Pollard, Jr. (“Polly,” listed in error as a daughter) was 10. All were born in Alabama and all were literate.
Joseph Pettaway passed away on 28 May 1930 at 815 W. Gadsden St. in Pensacola. His age was given as 54 (his birthdate 14 February 1876). His birthplace was given as Mississippi, his wife was Caroline. His father, Tobe Pettaway, and his unnamed mother were both of Mississippi. The informant on the death certificate was Monroe Pettaway. Joe was buried in Zion Cemetery on 30 May 1930 by Morris Funeral Home.
In the 1931 City Directory, Annie was listed as a laundress residing at 610 N. Oliva St., along with Roxie, a cook. In 1934, Roxie, Annie, Eva, Mary Louise, and Pollard, Jr. were all listed individually at that address. In February 1931, young Roxie married Raymond Watson.
The 1935 Florida State census shows Roxie (43), Annie (21), Eva (18), Mary L (17), and Pollard (16) living at 618 N. A Street, along with young Roxie Brown Watson (20), Regina Curnell (5) and Ernest Curnell (5), Burdell Shelby (2), and George Watson (3). Burdell (Verdelle Louise) Shelby was Mary Louise’s child by Albert Shelby. Regina and Ernest Curnell were Annie Brown’s children by Willie Curnell. I have not found a marriage record for Annie to this man and she appears to have never used his name; in Regina’s 1999 obituary, Robert L. Green was named as her father.
In 1936, Roxie was working as a cook and living at 618 N. Oliva/A St, with Annie, who was a maid; Eva, also a maid; Mary Louise; and Pollard. Roxie Watson was not listed under that name in 1936. On October 18, 1936, Eva gave birth to a baby girl who died a week later from being accidentally suffocated. The father of the child was listed as “D.K.” for “Don’t Know.” Eva may have known, but had her reasons for not giving the name.
1937 was the year Annie lost her unnamed child. The next year, Roxie, Annie, Eva, Mary Louise, and Pollard (“Polly”) were all listed at 618 N. Oliva St.
In the 1940 Census, the family was living at 618 N. A Street in Pensacola. Roxie was 42 years old, working as a cook in a private home. She rented the house on A Street. The census indicated she had a first-grade education. Annie was 23, with no occupation listed. She and Roxie Watson – 22 and married – both had eighth-grade educations. Eva Brown, 20, was working as a maid, and her daughter, Joyce, was 5 years old and living in the household. Regina and Ernest Curnell, 8 and 7, were attending school. Pollard Brown, Jr. 18, worked as a carpenter (Under “Industry” it says “NYA,” which I think may indicate the Navy Yard, but I’m not sure).
In the 1942 Pensacola City Directory, the house at 618 N. A Street was occupied by Annie, a laundress; Eva, a maid; Pollard, a janitor; and Roxie, who had no occupation listed. Roxie Watson was listed at 600 W. Jackson St. At this time, Caroline Pettiway was listed at 618 “North Ave.” As there was no North Ave. in Pensacola (and there was no reason for her to be on the naval base), I assume this was meant to be North A. In November of 1942, Mary Louise married William Henderson.
Caroline Pettiway, Roxie Miller Brown, Annie Brown and Eva Brown were living at 618 North A Street in 1944. The 1945 Florida State Census showed the household consisting of Roxie, Annie, Eva, Regina, and Ernest Lee Brown; Joyce L. Wilson and James Tell Wilson; and Caroline Pettiway, who was 70 years old.
The 1946 Directory again showed Roxie, Annie, and Eva at 618 N. A Street, except that Caroline Pettaway does not appear to have been listed at all. Caroline Pettaway died in 1947.
In 1948, Eva Brown was a maid living at 2310 N. Alcaniz. Roxie was not listed, and neither was Annie, that I can tell. Regina married Brady Lee, Jr. in 1949, and the 1950 City Directory shows they lived in an apartment at 133 Cervantes St; he worked as a porter for Merbler Jewelry. Roxie lived at 1209 W. Gonzalez that year, along with Annie, who was working as a maid. The 1950 census shows the household on Gonzalez street with Annie as the head, 36 years old, widowed, and working as a housemaid in a private home; Earnest Brown, her son, 17 years old (no occupation), and Roxie, her mother, 58 years old, widowed and with no occupation.
By the time of the 1952 City Directory, Annie Brown was listed as a maid at Hopkins Boarding House; Roxie was a kitchen helper at Hopkins, and they both lived at 85 Attucks Court. (If Ernest was listed as “Ernest Brown,” he was no longer living with his mother and grandmother.
In 1954, Annie was still residing at 85 Attucks Court, but Roxie was living at 604 E. Lakeview Ave. She was still working at Hopkins Boarding House (which was on Spring Street). Brady Lee was living at 85 Attucks Court, working as a driver for Kahn Grocery. Regina was not listed. In 1955, Annie, Ernest L Brown (a student), Regina and her husband, Brady Lee, and Roxie – listed for the first time as the widow of Pollard – were all living at 85 Attucks Ct.
1956 found Roxie living at 1003 W. Hatton St. Annie was listed as “Annie B (widow of Willie), a maid, at the same address. Ernest does not appear to have been listed. The reason becomes apparent in 1957, when Annie B, Regina Lee (but not Brady), Roxie, and Ernest L are all at 1003 W. Hatton, but Ernest has the initials USA after his name – he was in the Army. The following year (1958), Ernest was a laborer with the County School Board, living with Annie and Roxie (who was listed as working as a cook) on Hatton St. The 1959 directory shows Regina Lee, Annie, and Roxie on Hatton, with Roxie and Regina working at Hopkins Boarding House. In 1960, the last city directory online and available to me, Ernest was a teacher at Washington High School. Neither Annie nor Roxie are listed.
Annie’s obituary says that she lived in New York City and Baltimore before returning to Pensacola at her retirement. She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and a member of the Ladies of Omega International Benevolent Society #497.
After that, only obituaries tell the remainder of the story. Roxie Anna Miller Brown died in May 1972 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. At some point, Annie married Fred Pate, and it is as Annie B. Pate that she is listed in her 2007 obituary (she was also buried in Holy Cross). Roxie Brown Watson died in 1981 in Springfield, OH. Mary Louise Brown Henderson died in 1991. Pollard, Jr. passed away in 1997 and is buried in Barrancas National Cemetery. Regina Deloris Curnell married twice; she was an educator and passed away in 1999. I have not found a death record for Ernest Lee Brown; he may still be living.
Why do I think Caroline Pettiway is the mother of Roxie Miller Brown? The family obituaries, mostly. Here is the data:
- Annie Brown Pate: children: Dr. Ernest L. Brown (Regina predeceased her); one aunt, Lula Pettiway.
- Roxie (Miller) Brown: children: Mrs. Annie B. Pate, Mrs. Roxie Watson, Mrs. Eva Brown, Mrs. Mary Lou Henderson, Pollard Brown; siblings: Maggie Harris and William Pettway.
- Roxie Brown Watson: siblings: Annie B. Pate, Mary L. Henderson, Eva E. Brown, Pollard Brown, Jr.; aunts and uncles: Lula Pettaway, Maggie Harris, William Pettiway.
- Pollard Brown, Jr.: siblings: Annie B. Pate, Eva Brown; aunt Lula Pettiway.
- Mary Louise Brown Henderson: siblings: Annie B. Pate, Eva E. Brown, Pollard Brown, Jr.; three aunts: Maggie Harris, Lula Pettiway, and Hester Gray (?)
- Monroe Pettiway: siblings: William Pettiway, Lula Pettiway, Maggie Harris, and Mrs. Roxie Brown.
- Maggie Miller Harris: sister: Lula Pettiway
There are also Social Security entries for both Annie B. Pate and Pollard Brown, Jr. as the child of Pollard Brown and Roxie Pettway/Pettiway. So the two Miller sisters – Roxie and Maggie – considered themselves siblings to the children of Joe and Caroline Pettiway. The fact that Caroline Pettiway lived with Roxie Miller Brown at the end of her life reinforces my belief that Caroline was Roxie’s mother. I have not yet discovered whether Caroline was previously married to a man by the name of Miller or if Miller was Caroline’s maiden name and the two girls were born out of wedlock.
FAMILY:
Mother: Annie Brown Pate
Father: Unknown
Siblings: Regina Deloris Curnell Lee Howard; Dr. Ernest Lee Brown
Grandparents: Roxie Anna Miller and Pollard Brown
Great-grandparents: Caroline Pettiway; Mary Johnson and Remus Brown
SOURCES:
Florida Certificate of Death for the Infant of Annie Brown (No. 17116), Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Marriage Record of Pollard Brown and Roxie Miller, 27 FEB 1910. Ancestry.com. Alabama, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1805-1967 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Marriage Records. Alabama Marriages. County courthouses, Alabama.
Household of Pollard Brown: Year: 1910; Census Place: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama; Roll: T624_11; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0067; FHL microfilm: 1374024. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Household of Joe Petway, Year: 1910; Census Place: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama; Roll: T624_11; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0067; FHL microfilm: 1374024. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Household of Roxie Brown: Year: 1920; Census Place: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama; Roll: T625_13; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 71. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Household of Joe Petway: Year: 1920; Census Place: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama; Roll: T625_13; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 71. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Florida Certificate of Death for Maggie Brown (No. 4601), Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 24 JAN 2023. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Household of Roxie Brown: Year: 1930; Census Place: Pensacola, Florida; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0028; FHL microfilm: 2340050. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Florida Certificate of Death for Joe Pettaway (No. 7722), Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 24 JAN 2023. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Marriage record of Raymond Watson and Roxie Brown, 18 FEB 1931. Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Household of Roxie Brown: Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., State Census, 1867-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Schedules of the Florida State Census of 1885; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M845, 13 Rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington D.C.
Florida Certificate of Death for the Infant of Eva Brown (No. 17128), Florida Deaths, 1877-1939. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Household of Roxie Brown: Year: 1940; Census Place: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida; Roll: m-t0627-00586; Page: 27B; Enumeration District: 17-47. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Household of Roxie Brown: Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., State Census, 1867-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Schedules of the Florida State Census of 1885; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M845, 13 Rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington D.C.
Death Record of Caroline Petteway, Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: State of Florida. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998. Florida: Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, 1998.
Household of Annie Brown: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida; Roll: 3531; Sheet Number: 18; Enumeration District: 17-32. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.
Obituary of Monroe Pettiway. The Pensacola News, 7 DEC 1960 p. 6.
Obituary of Roxie Brown Watson. The Pensacola News Journal, 30 DEC 1981, p. 23.
Obituary of Mary Louise Brown, The Pensacola News Journal, 10 JUN 1991, p. 10.
Obituary of Maggie Miller Harris, The Pensacola News Journal, 23 FEB 1995, p. 26.
Obituary of Pollard Brown, Jr. The Pensacola News Journal, 26 JAN 1997, p. 22.
Death record of Roxie Brown. Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: State of Florida. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998. Florida: Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, 1998.
Obituary of Regina Deloris Lee Howard, The Pensacola News Journal, 17 January 199, p. 26
Obituary of Annie Brown Pate, The Pensacola News Journal, 27 MAR 2007, p. 17.
Annie B. Pate; Pollard Brown: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007