Our History
Every family carries a story longer than any one lifetime. This is where ours begins — with a woman named Mittie Ruth, the daughter, the wife, the mother of nine, the grandmother of many, and the reason we still gather at the table each summer.
Born of Two Peoples
Two lineages met in her — Cherokee and African American. Mittie Ruth McHoney-Brown was born May 4, 1900, in Jacksonboro, South Carolina, the daughter of Wilson and Alice McHoney. She grew up alongside two sisters, Claudia and Viola, and four brothers, Julius, Ben, Johnson, and Clarence.
Mittie was a full-blood Cherokee Indian, descended from the Cherokee tribe of Jacksonboro, South Carolina — a heritage passed down through her mother, Alice, who was also full-blood Cherokee. Her father, Wilson McHoney, was African American.
Mittie & William
In 1916, Mittie met a wonderful man named William Brown, Sr. — son of William and Rena Brown of Yonges Island, South Carolina, and brother to Ollie, Josephine, Rebecca, Dianne, and Maggie. In 1917, Mittie and William were united in marriage.
From that union, nine children were born — the beginning of the family that carries their names to this day.
The Family They Built Together
Her Legacy, By the Numbers
Sons-in-Law
Aaron Wilson · Frank Linen · Richard Wilson · James Brady · Robert Smalls · Richard Drake
Daughters-in-Law
Mary Bowens-Brown · Evelyn Brown
Nieces, Nephews & Beyond
Mittie also has a host of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews. To name just a few:
...and many, many more.
Big Mama
Once upon a time, and a time long ago,
Big Mama was a name, er'body kno.
Her house stood tall as a pine tree,
With plenty of room for you and for me.
Hot biscuits in her oven, and beans on her stove,
To Big Mama's house we went in a grove.
She stood 4 feet tall, and her eyes were blue,
She would cut our behinds and look for our mamas too.
Now Big Mama is dead and gone,
Leaving her family to carry on.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is the history of Mittie Ruth McHoney-Brown.