Drown (surname)
Encyclopedia
Drown is a surname which originated in Yorkshire
, England. It is the Americanization of the Surname Drowne
. Many branches of this family dropped the E during the late 18th century as a part of the American Spelling Reform
movement, forming the surname Drown
. It is possibly derived from the Middle English word "drane", or drone, the male honey bee.
The first Drowne/Drown in North America was Leonard Drowne (1646–1729) who came from Penryn
, Cornwall
to what was then part of Kittery
in Massachusetts
soon after the Restoration (England) of the monarchy in 1660. Leonard, a ship-wright, established a shipyard near Sturgeon Creek in what is now Eliot
, York County, Maine
. Leonard married Sarah Abbott of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
around 1675.
Leonard helped organize and build the first Baptist Church in Maine in 1682. During King William's War
, many Maine towns were raided and English
settlements were massacred by the Wabanaki
people in conjunction with the French
. In 1696, 28 members of the Baptist Church moved to Charleston
, South Carolina
and established the first Baptist church there while the Drownes moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1699, due to the ongoing war and violence. After Sarah Abbott died, Leonard married his also-widowed sister-in law, Mary (Abbott) Caley. This marriage was performed by the Rev. Cotton Mather
in Boston, November 4, 1707. Leonard Drowne died in Boston, October 31, 1729. Leonard Drowne and other early members of the family are buried in Copps Hill Cemetery in Boston.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England. It is the Americanization of the Surname Drowne
Drowne
Drowne and popular variant Drown are surnames which originated in Yorkshire, England. Many branches of this family dropped the E during the late 18th century as a part of the American Spelling Reform movement, forming the surname Drown...
. Many branches of this family dropped the E during the late 18th century as a part of the American Spelling Reform
Spelling reform
Many languages have undergone spelling reform, where a deliberate, often officially sanctioned or mandated, change to spelling takes place. Proposals for such reform are also common....
movement, forming the surname Drown
Drown (surname)
Drown is a surname which originated in Yorkshire, England. It is the Americanization of the Surname Drowne. Many branches of this family dropped the E during the late 18th century as a part of the American Spelling Reform movement, forming the surname Drown...
. It is possibly derived from the Middle English word "drane", or drone, the male honey bee.
The first Drowne/Drown in North America was Leonard Drowne (1646–1729) who came from Penryn
Penryn, Cornwall
Penryn is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penryn River about one mile northwest of Falmouth...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to what was then part of Kittery
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
soon after the Restoration (England) of the monarchy in 1660. Leonard, a ship-wright, established a shipyard near Sturgeon Creek in what is now Eliot
Eliot, Maine
Eliot is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,204 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
, York County, Maine
York County, Maine
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, the population was 197,131. Its county seat is Alfred.Founded in 1636, it is the oldest county in Maine and one of the oldest in the United States....
. Leonard married Sarah Abbott of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
around 1675.
Leonard helped organize and build the first Baptist Church in Maine in 1682. During King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
, many Maine towns were raided and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlements were massacred by the Wabanaki
Wabanaki
Wabanaki, Wabenaki, Wobanaki, etc. may refer to:In geography* area referred as the "Dawn land" by many Algonquian-speaking peoples to describe the Eastern region of the North American continent, generally described as being New England in the United States, plus Quebec and the Maritimes in CanadaIn...
people in conjunction with the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
. In 1696, 28 members of the Baptist Church moved to Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and established the first Baptist church there while the Drownes moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1699, due to the ongoing war and violence. After Sarah Abbott died, Leonard married his also-widowed sister-in law, Mary (Abbott) Caley. This marriage was performed by the Rev. Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
in Boston, November 4, 1707. Leonard Drowne died in Boston, October 31, 1729. Leonard Drowne and other early members of the family are buried in Copps Hill Cemetery in Boston.
Notable people with the surname Drown
- Frank DrownFrank DrownFrank Drown is an American author and former missionary. He and his wife Marie were missionaries with Gospel Missionary Union and worked for 37 years with the Jivaro Indians of eastern Ecuador, who were known for their head shrinking....
(born ca. 1920), American author and former missionary to Ecuador - Julia Kate Drown (born 1962), Labour member of British Parliament for Swindon South from 1997 until 2005
- Thomas Messinger DrownThomas Messinger DrownThomas Messinger Drown was the fourth University President of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.-Background:...
, (1842–1904), fourth President of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - Joseph Drown, (1906-1982) hotelier, creator of the Hotel Bel-Air, the Joseph Drown Foundation, former owner of the Desert InnDesert InnThe Desert Inn was a Paradise, Nevada, hotel/casino that operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by noted New York architect Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The property included an 18-hole golf course. Locals nicknamed the resort "The D.I."...
and the U.S. Grant Hotel
Notable people with the surname Drowne
- Shem DrowneShem DrowneDeacon Shem Drowne was a colonial coppersmith and tinplate worker in Boston, Massachusetts and was America's first documented weathervane maker. He is most famous for the grasshopper weathervane atop of Faneuil Hall, well known as a symbol of Boston.-Background:He was born near Sturgeon Creek in...
, colonial American weather vane maker, son of Leonard Drowne - Solomon DrowneSolomon DrowneDr. Solomon Drowne was a prominent American physician, academic and surgeon during the American Revolution and in the history of the fledgling United States.- Early life :...
, American Revolutionary War surgeon, grandson of Leonard Drowne - Henry Thayer Drowne, President of National Fire Insurance Company of New York, grandson of Solomon
- Frederick Drowne, an officer in the American Revolution and Representative to the General Court of Massachusetts from Rohobeth, Massachusetts from 1787-1781 and 1799–1804 and delegate of the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention of the U.S. Constitution in 1788, voting against ratification. Later used the spelling Drown.
- Samuel Drowne, American Revolutionary War soldier and colonial silversmith from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Later used the spelling Drown.