Amanda Melvina Norton Brown was born on May 19, 1860 in Alabama. At this time, her parents are unknown. According to my mother, Melvina's mother's maiden name was Key(e). I have found some supporting evidence to believe this to be true, but I believe further proof should be gathered before stating it with certainty. Also according to my mother, Amanda Melvina Norton was actually give five first names at birth: Amanda Melvina Lucinda Nancy Caroline.

Amanda can be found on the 1870 Census for Haralson County, Georgia living in the household of Absalam Martin and his much younger wife Lucy. Others living in the household were Lucy's son William Willingham, Lucy's sister Sarah Cummings, and Sarah's sons, John and Grant Cummings.

In the 1870s, and investigation was done by the government on the activities of the KKK in the South. During the course of the investigation, testimony was given by William Willingham about an incident which occurred in 1871 in Haralson County, Georgia. The KKK showed up at the Absalam Martin household and dragged "Old Man Martin" and William Willingham out of the house. The KKK beat both men supposedly because Absalam Martin sympathized with the North during the Civil War and afterward. William Willingham further stated that his mother, Lucy Martin, had been hit with a gun during the altercation. When asked about others who had been in the house at the time, William stated that his mother's sister (Sarah Cummings) and her children were present. The only children in the household at the time were Amanda Melvina Norton, John Cummings, and Grant Cummings (this according to the 1870 census record). This leads me to believe that Amanda Melvina Norton was the daughter of Sarah Cummings. Further investigation needs to be done on this point. In any case, it must have been a terribly scary incident for all of the people present on that night.

On May 28, 1876, Amanda Melvina Norton married James R. Brown in Haralson County, Georgia. They lived in Haralson County, Georgia for the rest of their lives and had 15 children. James R. Brown passed away in 1917.

Amanda died on March 17, 1932. According to her obituary, she passed away at her home near Munroe's Mill in Haralson County, Georgia. She is buried at Bethlehem Church in Felton, Haralson County, Georgia.

~~Compiled by Sabrina K. Combs (great-great granddaughter)