Brownell, Melissa, 1830-1888
Dates
- Existence: 1830 - 1888
Biographical History
Melissa Brownell (1830-1888) was an early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Melissa Cynthia Call Brownell was born March 29, 1830 in Madison, Ohio to Cyril Call and Sally Tiffany. She was an early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Melissa married Russell Gideon Brownell March 29, 1846, and they had twelve children together. Russell was a member of the Mormon Battalion. In 1849, Melissa traveled with her husband and infant daughter, Mary Jane, to Utah with the Samuel Gully/Orson Spencer Company. They settled in Weber County, Utah, before moving to California sometime after 1850. Melissa Brownell died August 31, 1888, in Stockton, California.
Citation:
Ancestry.com, via WWW, Oct. 24, 2013 (Melissa Brownell; Melissa C. Brownell; Melissa Cynthia Call; b. Mar. 29, 1830)Geni.com, via WWW, Oct. 24, 2013 (Melissa Cynthia Call Brownell; b. Mar. 29, 1830 in Madison, Ohio, to Cyril Call and Sally Tiffany; endowed on Feb. 7, 1846; had 12 children; d. Aug. 31, 1888 in Stockton, Calif.)
Membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1848, vol. 7, p. 281 (m. Russell Gideon Brownell, Mar. 29, 1846; husband served in Mormon Battalion)
Pioneer Overland Travel database, via WWW, Oct. 24, 2013 (came to Utah in Samuel Gully/Orson Spencer Company in 1849 with Russell and Mary Jane, who was one years old)
FamilySearch: 1850 census, via WWW, Oct. 24, 2013 (lived in Weber Co., Utah, in 1850)
FamilySearch: 1880 census, via WWW, Oct. 24, 2013 (lived in San Joaquin Co., Calif.)
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Melissa Brownell letter
Handwritten and signed letter, addressed to "Beloved Sisters," dated June 26 of an unknown year. Internal evidence suggests the item may have been written in the 1880s, but this is uncertain. Brownell writes about men, marriage, and polygamy largely in negative terms. She mentions Mormon men bringing their polygamous wives to California.