The Brownings of Pictou, Nova Scotia

The name Browning is English, coming from Anglo-Saxon origins, meaning a person with brown hair or a dark complexion.  There are many spelling variations for this name, including Brownrigg, Brownrig, and Brownridge.  However, the name Brownrigg/Brownridge has additional roots tied to the ancient Scottish Boernician clan.  I'm not certain which direction to take the research at present, but I can list what I know so far, in the event that other researchers can comment.

My Browning ancestors come from Nova Scotia (New Scotland), so I'm more tied to the idea that their original name was actually Brownrigg.  However, their names and their descendants' names all carry a variety of name differentials, including Brownrick, Brownsby and Brownrig (with one 'r'). 

William Brownrigg, my fourth great grandfather, was born around 1775 in Cumberland England, moved to Truro, Nova Scotia, and died around 1810.  He was a merchant marine and died at sea, according to family legend.  Apparently the Brownrigg family were original settlers of Pictou and Truro Nova Scotia.  Nobody appears to know much more about William, though.  He married Mary Jeffers (of French extraction) in 1797, and had five children:

1.  John Robert Browrigg (1799-abt 1860) (also known as Robert Brownrigg) and his wife Isabel Blair (1795-1869) (these were my third great grandparents), were both born in Colchester, Nova Scotia.  For the 1850 Census, John was serving time at the Maine State Prison in Thomaston for attempting to poison his wife:  

Portland Press Herald
March 10, 1847

Apparently, she forgave him, because in the 1860 Census, John & Isabel were living together in East Machias, Maine, with their daughter Joanna (aged 30), and her three young children.  John died at some point after 1860, and it's believed he's buried in East Machias (but that is something I'm still unsure of - he could have returned to Nova Scotia).  Isabel moved to Salem, Mass ultimately.

2.  Jacob 1799-1864, married Janet Currier

3.  Jane (birth/death date unknown) married William Holstead

4.  Anne 1806-1880 married John Copeland

5. William, Jr. (1809-1895) married to Joanne Kitchin.

John & Isabel had four children in Truro, Pictou, Nova Scotia, two of whom moved to Salem, and two of whom moved to the Greater Portland area in Maine:

1.  Isabel Browning-Brown (1821-1896) born in Truro, moved to Salem, Massachusetts to be with her husband, John Brown of Salem, and had at least one child (Esther Brown).

2.  Sarah Jane Browning-Temm (1825-1892), who married Marcus Temm, a merchant seaman from Hamburg Germany and settled in Scarborough Maine.  These were my 2nd great grandparents.

3.  Joanna A. Browning-Brown-DeWolf (1829-1890), was born in Nova Scotia, and married a Henry Brown of Nova Scotia in 1847.  She may have had at least four children (James W., John, Jones, and Isabella).  All but Jones appear on the 1860 census with Joanna along with her parents John & Isabel in Machias, Maine (Henry is out of the picture at this poitn).  Jones lived only from 1857-1858, and his gravestone gives the surname Brownrig (and not Brown like the other children, which is strange, because Isabella, who was younger than Jones, had the surname Brown.  For the 1870 Census, Joanna was living with her daughter Isabella (married name Adams) in Hamilton, Mass., as a live-in housekeeper to the Lamson family.  Joanna later married William Henry DeWolf in 1882, and she was listed as a grocery store owner living at 54 Derby Street in Salem, while some Salem directories show that she was also a nurse.

4.  Robert Browning (1832-1905), also born in Truro, who married Catherine Whalen (1838-1874) from Ireland (whom I believe was related to the Whalen family that intermarried with my Leonard family from Ireland/Portland, but I've yet to prove it).  They married in Portland in 1864.  In 1866, he was working as a provision dealer on 127 Fore Street under the name Robert Brownrig.  In both 1865 and 1866, his name was published in the Portland Daily Press for an unclaimed piece of mail, a practice I was unaware that the post office did.

In 1868, Robert was sued for wine ordered by his servant:

Portland Daily Eastern Argus
Dec. 31, 1868

In July 1869, Robert purchased several properties on Fore Street for $1,391.00, retained domestic servants, and called them the Brownrig Boarding Houses for Merchant Seamen.  They were located at 103, 125, 299 and 301 Fore Street.  103 & 125 were on the corner of Mountfort Street (125 was torn down to build a ship forge owned by Thomas Laughlin Company.  299-301 was on the corner of Pearl Street, next door to the Hub Furniture building across from the Customs House).  This was at a time when Fore Street faced the waterfront (Commercial Street hadn't been filled in yet).  I wonder if Robert's sister Sarah Jane met her future husband Marcus Temm at one of these boarding houses?  I also wonder what went on at these businesses...

101-103 Fore Street (in 1924)

(Corner of Mountfort Street)

299-301 Fore Street

(somewhere in this picture from 1924 City Planning Tax Records Collection)

Robert's niece Lizzie Temm worked as a servant at 103 Fore Street when she was a teenager.  Robert naturalized as "Robert Brownrig" in Portland Superior Court in February of 1876.  

In May of 1876, his business was referred to as "Brownrig's" and "Bob Peel's" in a pleading at Superior Court.  I wonder if Bob Peel was a nickname for him? (Portland Daily Press, 5/12/1876, pg. 3)

In May of 1877, he was tried and discharged at Municipal Court for search and seizure.  Perhaps related to one of his roomers. (Portland Daily Press, 5/3/1877, pg. 3)

In December 1879, he sold off all the Fore Street properties to William Morton.  

In 1880, his name was published in the Portland Daily Press for failing to pay his 1879 taxes.  Interesting to learn that the newspapers routinely embarrassed or shamed folks who were delinquent.

In 1891, his name was listed in the paper as living at 299 Fore Street, and some kind of registrant for vital records (birth/marriage/death).  Unclear what this was 

By 1900, he was renting property and working as a day laborer, at 67 years of age.  I wonder how he lost all his money? 

Robert & Catherine had five children in Portland, and they chose the "Brownrig" spelling at some point after 1871, dropping one of the g's at the end.  Three of their children died in infancy (Isabella, John & Gertie), and the two who survived to adulthood were:

-Mary Elizabeth "Minnie" Brownrig (1865-1925).  Minnie also grew up on 103 Fore Street.  She never married, but lived with her brother Thomas for a time on 267 Congress Street (corner of India Street).  Each census showed her as having no occupation.  I wonder how she filled her days.

-Thomas A. Brownrig (1868-1950).  Thomas also never married, and was frequently mentioned in the local papers, as will be shown below.  He was a saloon keeper and beer retailer at 39-49 Commercial Street (where the AutoEurope building is as of 2011) and 342 Fore Street (currently Paragon Barber Shop as of 2024).  He grew up in his father's boarding house on 103 Fore Street, and later lived and helped manage one of the other boarding houses on 299 Fore Street.  He also lived on 45 Commercial Street and 267 Congress Street.  In 1887-1888, his name was regularly listed as being members of the Dirigo Boat Club (Portland Daily Press 11/9/1887, Page 4).  Similar announcements in this same publication from 1889-1891 show him as a member of the Argonauts.  He apparently was a rower and participated in regattas and scull races, when he was young, but was known for his liquor consumption as he got older.

Also in 1889, Thomas A. Brownrig's name was featured in this publication as a prominent member of the city supporting the Industrial Exhibition, which movement later led to the Exposition Building being erected on Park Avenue in 1914.  

In January 1892, at age 24, Thomas was indicted for "liquor nuisance."  Interesting article above.  This was one of five different postings in this publication during that month.  It's interesting to think that you could be arrested simply for drinking inside a building.  The Maine Law only existed between 1855-1856.

In subsequent years, Thomas had more run-ins with the law for liquor nuisance, including being arrested in 1894 for simply having liquor at his place of business at 42 Fore Street.  (Portland Daily Press, 6/1/1894, pg. 8), and multiple search and seizure trials through 1896, because he cops kept taking his booze.

By 1897, Thomas was the manager of the Gaiety Theater, a burlesque dance hall (owned by Alderman Edgar Rounds) at 382 Congress Street (where the firehouse currently sits), which had angered the parishioners of the Second Parish Church across the street, as it was apparently distracting the boys attending Sunday School, who were more interested in watching the bawdy shows. Thomas applied for a business license in order to legitimize the theater, and it was rejected due to the immorality of the shows witnessed by parishioners who dared enter, and because Thomas had a criminal record.  The Alderman separately applied for this business license, promising that the shows would become more family friendly, but he too was rejected, and then sold the theater.

Thomas' own father Robert appeared in a search and seizure trial over booze yet again being illegally seized by police in 1899, and testified that his son lived there and he himself was just a boarder, and that Thomas should be held liable.  (Portland Daily Press 2/11/89, pg. 8) Father of the year there...

Also in 1899, Thomas was credited for alerting the fire department of a blaze occurring on Fore Street (Thomas Laughlin's machine shop) across the street from his own business.  Later that year, he appeared in the paper for being on the winning team of a final game of bowling for the season.

In 1900, Thomas' shop on 45 Commercial Street was burglarized (currently this is where the parking garage for the Maine Street Pier sits).  Later that year, he suffered multiple more search and seizures for liquor by the police at his place of business, as well as a flood of his basement based upon a November downpour (Portland Daily Press, 11/9/1900, pg. 7)  

There are many dozens of citations in the paper for liquor nuisance attributed to Thomas Brownrig, from 1892-1910.  I find it curious, because he wasn't indicted for any serious crimes, other than possession itself.  He was a liquor retailer, it would stand to reason that he would be in possession of this, and legally, so I can't make heads or tails of the charges that were routinely against him.  By all other accounts in the paper, he was a trusted member of society and involved in local groups.

In 1901, Brownrig's business at 45 Commercial was known as a restaurant, and he was burgled yet again with the vagrants running off with a slot machine, according to article in Portland Daily Press 9/17/1901, pg. 10.  They were jailed for five months for the act.

In 1902, both Thomas and his former colleague, Alderman Edgar Rounds, were named in a large seizure of liquor, regarding the transport of liquor to and from Portsmouth. (Portland Daily Press, 1/17/02, pg. 6).  The case dragged out for several weeks thereafter, and involved accusations of bribery of sheriffs and fist fights. (PDP, 5/22/02, pg. 1)

He purchased a house on Sebago Lake in 1904.  In 1911 he was bequeathed the Commercial Street properties from the will of William S. Perry of Brunswick (not sure of the relation).  He kept the properties until 1921.  Throughout the 20's and 30's he was a cigar retailer at 115 Center Street while boarding at 122 High Street and 141 Cumberland Avenue, according to Portland City Directories.  In 1940 census, he was still listed as a restaurateur, though.

In 1918, Thomas was pallbearer at Mary Deehan's funeral.  In 1925, his sister Minnie died in his care at 141 Cumberland Ave, with whom she always lived as an adult.

In 1950 Census, he was living at the Wadsworth Hotel on Congress Street, and died that year.

***

Thomas and his sister Minnie share a gravesite at Calvary Cemetery in Plot N 349.

Robert (under the name Browning), his wife, the three deceased infants, and also Catherine's brother, Thomas Whalen, are all buried in Calvary Cemetery, South Portland, in Plot H 8.

However, in 1868, Robert had purchased an additional lot in Forest City Cemetery, South Portland, where a seemingly random mix of people happen to be buried, and it's a mystery I've yet to uncover the answer to...I firmly believe that his sister Sarah Jane's husband, Marcus Temm, was the first buried there, since the date of lot purchase was just weeks after Marcus' death.


****

In doing some research at the Mormon library, I was pleased to see that someone had saved a document that indexed all birth, marriage and death records from Nova Scotia newspapers in the 1800s.  Here is an abstract of the announcements I found as they relate to Brownriggs living in Nova Scotia:

-25 Dec 1829, by Rev. J . Waddell:  Alexander Archibald, Esq. married Ann, only daughter of late William Brownrigg

-27 May 1833, at Helstone:  Gen. Sir Robert Brownrigg

-9 Mar 1837, at Truro by Rev. Mr. Burnyeat:  Marriage of John Copeland of Musquodoboit & Miss Ann Brownrigg

Colchester Historical Museum Archives sent me an email with the following information:

"Hi Scott: The only Isabel Blair that I found in our records that married a Browning was born Jan. 17, 1795 in Onslow Township and died 1868. She was the daughter of James Blair, Esq. and Isabella Catherwood. She had a family of 2 sons, and 6 daughters. However, the Browning she married was not named Robert but John. John Browning apparently died sometime before 1868. If in fact the family we found is the right one then he would have died between 1860- 1868.  On Ancestry.com we looked at the 1850 US census and put in Robert Browning born in Nova Scotia but only John turned up being born in Nova Scotia. He was in the Maine State Prison. It says he was born in Nova Scotia. In the 1860 US census he is in East Machias, Washington , Maine with his wife Isabella age 64 (he is 63) and 4 younger people - a couple could be children and two grandchildren maybe. Says he was a stone mason. Should see if they might be in the 1870 census. They shouldn't be if the above is correct for yours."

Here's a pedigree chart for Sarah Jane Browning.  Sarah was of 100% Scottish descent, and her mother was of a noble Scottish lineage.

Thomas D. Leonard

THOMAS D. LEONARD
1828-1912

My great great grandfather, Mathew John Leonard from Portraine, Dublin, Ireland was my first Leonard ancestor to set foot on American soil in 1881.  But he wasn't the first in his own family to arrive. His uncle, Thomas D. Leonard (nicknamed "Prod"), had already set up a successful florist shop, greenhouse and garden on 648 Congress Street, one of the many shops located on the land now containing the Lafayette Hotel, in Downtown Portland, Maine.  Prod (and his business rival, Patrick Duffy) won dozens of awards for their flower displays.  Prod's awards were published in the Horticultural Report of the Portland Daily Press from 1862-1870, while he was working at the shop under the ownership of Miss Mary Jones.  Then from 1875-1881, he completely ran the business himself.

HOTEL LAFAYETTE (1910)

(Prod's flower shop was somewhere near the corner of Park and Congress, in the prior building)

Prod's father Patrick was a tenant farmer in The Burrow of Portraine Ireland during the Great Famine, which must have ravaged the Leonard family badly enough for Prod to be the first in his family to seek a new life, and send money back home.  He left home for the New World at some point between 1849 and 1851.

There are a few Thomas Leonard's to have landed on the east coast during that time period, so it's tricky not to conflate these individuals. He was not the same Thomas Leonard who lived in Westbrook Point (later part of Deering) throughout the 1840s to the 1870s.  This Thomas also came from County Dublin, but in 1841, at ten years of age.  This was much earlier than Prod, and set up his own farm out there (near where today's Baxter Boulevard and Forest Avenue intersect), and is even listed as a gardener in the 1866 through 1869 Directories.  The below immigration card appears to line up with this Thoas of Deering.  The only ship I could find with records in 1851 was the ship Mississippi, which sailed from London (as there is only one Irish born Thomas Leonard who arrived in October 1851).

Another record shows a Thomas Leonard leaving Liverpool in March of 1849, and arriving in NY Harbor in May of that year, on the ship Norway.  This one actually shows a birth year of 1828.  But I think the true match is the 1850 sailing of the ship called Home, from Liverpool to NY Harbor, because that also shows the 1828 birth year and it matches up with the 1850 arrival showing in other records, so I'm more inclined to believe that Home was Prod's ship.

Prod was one of the many early Portland Irish who settled there during the Great Famine.  St. Dominic's Church served as a beacon to Prod, like it did for so many other immigrants.  At the time of the Church's construction in 1830, there were under 100 Irish immigrants living in Portland.  By the time of Prod's arrival, in 1850, it had already swelled to the thousands.  It had already undergone two expansions to accommodate the growing population.

Prod was part of the Parish Committee & Finance Committee, and was a long time communicant, for the church, as were all his descendants and extended family from Ireland when they moved to Portland's West End, near "Gorham's Corner" in the West End, where the Irish began settling as early as the 1820s.  According to his obituary, Prod was President for 40 years of the "Married Men's Sodality" of the church.

St. Dominic's has a rich and interesting history.  It was the first Catholic Church in Portland, originally built in 1830, but by the late 1840's, it was clear that the Great Famine was rearing its ugly head enough to cause concern within the Portland Diocese.  They rebuilt and expanded the church's size at that time, moving the entrance to the church from the very busy State Street to the side street on its northwest corner, Gray Street.  The prevailing theory at the time was that the church didn't want controversy with great numbers of Irish pouring out into State Street, so they had moved the entrance to the side street to appease the growing racism towards the Irish.  The church closed in 1880 for renovation, and reopened in 1893.  It stopped performing masses in 1997, and as of 2003 it's home to the Maine Irish Heritage Center, in addition to other functions.

ST. DOMINIC'S CATHEDRAL

(with new Gray Street entrance)

For the 1893 re-dedication, the church asked wealthy parishioners to pay for the stained glass window displays.  Prod did his part and one whole tier of window glass was paid for by him:

Prod eventually bought the entire western block of Briggs Street (between Salem & Danforth Streets), and his extended family lived there, along with tenants, for an 80 year period. 

BRIGGS STREET BLOCK (1876)

(Row of houses going up the left side of street on right side of the picture were all owned by Prod)

On May 14, 1855, he married Alice Wade, a fellow Burrow immigrant, in Portland, whose brother Patrick was also a gardener.  A couple weeks later, there was the Portland Rum Riot, which resulted from the "Maine Law" (prohibition), which many Irish believed was a thinly veiled attack on their culture.  I wonder if Prod was involved in this riot?  It's unlikely, given Prod's gentle reputation as a florist and gardener, and given that he was taking care of his newborn child Elizabeth.  But who knows?  I do understand that my Irish family were very typically Irish in their drinking.  I'm sure Prod wasn't a supporter of the Maine Law.

Prod and Alice had five children, four grandchildren, one great grandchild, and all are deceased, with no further descendants:

1. Elizabeth Ellen Leonard (also known as "Eliza") (1855-1927), was born in Portland three months before Prod and Alice got married, and I wonder if that caused a stir in the community.  Eliza married John Edward Graney in 1881.  John had migrated to Maine from Galway in 1864.  I've yet to establish the link between this Graney and the Patrick Graney that fathered Lizzie Graney-Leonard (who married Prod's grandnephew Matthew John Leonard Jr).  In any case, Patrick is old enough to be John Edward's brother, but they don't share any census records.  They might be cousins.  Eliza was a member of the Hiberian Order of Portland and served as its Secretary.  Eliza was accused of embezzling from her father Prod's estate when he died.  When confronted, she complained that Matthew John Leonard, Sr., Prod's nephew (aka "Old Matt") and executor on the estate, was taking too long to settle everything, so she had to take matters into her own hands.  The result was that a third party lawyer and friend of the Graneys became executor on Prod's estate, just in time for Old Matt to begin to take ill and show signs of dementia himself, and the estate was liquidated in favor of Prod's children (and Old Matt's own estate was then embezzled by his sister Annie).  Eliza was born and died on 2 Briggs Street, living her entire life there.

Eliza & John Graney had four children:

--Alice G. Graney-Whalen (1882-1941) married Charles Augustine Whalen in 1910.  It seems unlikely that they had any children, as they don't appear in any records.  They lived on Roberts Street.

--John Edward Graney, Jr. (1884-1920) fought in WWI.  He was briefly married to a woman named Winona George prior to the War, but it's unlikely that he ever had children.  He worked as a railroad clerk, lived at 254 Danforth Street, and died of heart disease at 35.

--Thomas Leonard Graney (1887-1972), clearly named after his grandfather Prod, married Sarah Joyce in 1942, and lived on Peaks Island.  No children.

--George Edward Graney (1895-1925) was reputed to have been one of the most popular police officers in the West End.  He married Helen Church and had one child, George Jr., who died at age 21.  A few years after George Sr. died, Helen married Benson Norton and moved in 1953 to Lomita California to work in the redwood industry.  They are both buried in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

2. Mary Alice Leonard (1858-1930) married John Haley in 1903.  They had no children.  John died in 1916 of myocarditis, and Mary in 1930, after a nine month illness.  John worked on the railroad as a brakeman, and Mary was a member of the Evangeline Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Trainmen.

-The last three children of Prod and Alice died in infancy:  Charles (named after Thomas's great uncle), Thomas (his namesake) & Margaret (named after Alice's mother).

This means that Prod had no descendants who lived past 1972.  It's too bad, because it's likely that some of his descendants might have kept some of his memorabilia, and would also likely enjoy the extensive research I've compiled on him.  I've managed to scrape together this information on him based on family lore, census and church records, as well as Portland directories, newspapers and Portland probate records.

Prod was drafted into the Civil War in 1863, but it's unclear whether he had to fight, since there appear to be a number of records of him living in Portland during the War. 

Here is a timeline of certain events in Prod's life in Portland:

Around 1859, his younger sister, Mary, sailed to Portland and married Patrick Murphy (who was also from Donabate).  I believe she was the only sibling of his to migrate to Portland.

In 1863, at age 35, he started developing his reputation for being a skilled gardener, winning the first of many awards for his fine roses and grapes.

In 1865, his wife Alice died of consumption.  Prod married Irish born Catherine Sullivan a couple months later.

In August of 1865, Prod purchased a lot on Salem Lane from Cornelius Devine, who was a likely cousin to James Devine, who had married Thomas' niece, Elizabeth Leonard 20 years prior.

In 1866, Prod and his family rented 8 Briggs Street from Bill Lindsey.  The Great Fire of Portland that year, on July 4th (stemming from a firecracker) didn't affect any of Prod's property, but the blaze five blocks away was likely smelled throughout the block.





In July 1867, apparently in addition to his work as a florist, he repaired parasols out of his shop on 209 Congress Street.

December 13, 1867, Prod purchased 2 Briggs Street from Bill Lindsey, which was dry land that Prod planned to build his own house upon.

December 18, 1867, Patrick Wade (Alice's brother) bought 8 Briggs Street, and enabled Prod and his family to remain living there while they built out 2 Briggs.  Prod & Catherine lived there, and later moved to 14 Briggs once Prod saved the money to buy it. 

In 1869, Prod opened up a shop on Westbrook Point, at 74 Park Street.

In 1871, his greenhouse at Park and Congress was noted in this advert in "Brief Jottings" of the Portland Daily Press.

In 1872, in reaction to a fire across the street from him, Prod ran in a panic and ended up having a fall over an embankment, injuring his spine.

PORTLAND DAILY PRESS
10/28/1872

In 1873, Prod purchased 39 Salem Street for $1,575.00.  This was across the street from 2 Briggs.  Prod never moved in, but rented it out.

In 1874, Prod's sister, Mary Murphy, was now widowed with four young sons.  Prod let her and her faaily move in to 10 Briggs Street, where they stayed until 1883 or so, and moved to Cumberland Avenue.

In 1875, Prod took over the flower shop on 648 Congress Street (corner of Park Street), and was apparently very successful.

In July of 1877, there was a fire on Briggs Street, causing damage to his and his neighbors' homes.  His claim for damages was $115 ($2,836 value in 2020).  Insurance picked this up.

In 1879, Prod & his family moved from 8 to 14 Briggs Street, just after the house was built (he may have had a hand in building it).  This was next door to 16 Briggs, where the Currans lived (who were in-laws to Prod's niece Nellie Leonard-Smart).

In 1880, Catherine died at 14 Briggs Street of cancer.

In 1881, Prod closed the flower shop yet retained his private gardening business (more on this below).  The flower shop was then reopened by Oscar Sturdivant in 1882.

In 1883, Prod donated $7.25 ($204 value in 2020) towards the "Soldier's Monument". This was likely the 1812 Soldier Monument on Munjoy Hill (which I've done a lot of research on myself).  It was this same year that he was elected Warden of Ward 7.

In February 1883, the Fessendens sold Prod some land and buildings on York Street, between Brackett and Tate.  (495/166).  In 1884, he got permits to extend sewer down York Street all the way to Brackett.  He sold this to Maggie Wren three years later.  I wonder what was his use of the buildings and land here?  The buildings currently on this block 1890s or newer.

In June of 1883, Prod's daughter Mary awoke to a burglar, who was scared off.

In 1886, Prod was elected Constable of Ward 7.

In 1888, Prod's nephew, Mathew John Leonard, moved into Prod's house on 39 Salem Street.

In 1889, Prod was permitted by the City to build additional dwellings on his property on Briggs Street.

In 1890, Prod moved from 14 Briggs Street to 2 Briggs Street.  His two daughters and their families lived next door at 4 Briggs.  At this point in time, Mathew John Leonard moved into 14 Briggs Street, where he and his wife Lizzie raised their three kids.

In 1892, Prod was elected City Forester, and again in 1894.

In 1894, Prod was named Administrator of his niece's husband, John H. Devine's, Estate.

In March 1897, Prod was named Administrator of John McLaughlin's estate.  According to available records, John was a native of County Dublin, and likely could have been a relation to his grandniece Alice Leonard-McLaughlin.

In July 1897, Prod had a 2-week visit by the Scott Family of Watertown, NY, I wonder what the connection was?  Did Prod rent out his homes for extra money?  This family name isn't familiar to me.  I did a little digging and found a match for a Canadian man of this name, with this daughter, and he was born in Canada to Irish parents, so there may have been some connection there, I suppose.

In 1897, Prod demolished 2 Briggs Street, and rebuilt in Victorian style (see photo below).  I'm assuming he lived at 4 Briggs during the rebuild.  During this year, he was named Administrator of John McLaughlin's Estate.  It's unclear what his connection was here, as it wasn't a relation.  McLaughlin's death record does state he was born in Dublin, Ireland, so that is a clue.  Also that year was another fire, this time on 12 Briggs Street, occupied by the McQuade family:

Portland Daily Press
July 17, 1897

By 1900, Prod was now retired from the flower business altogether.  He rented out 8 Briggs Street to the Johnson family of Ireland, 10 Briggs Street to the Silk and Smith families from Ireland, and 12 Briggs Street to the McIsaac family from Ireland.  He got deeper into local politics at this time, and at the age of 72, Prod was elected Councilman of Ward 7.

PORTLAND DAILY PRESS
3/1/1900

By 1910, Prod was renting out 12 Briggs Street to the Canurchewitz's, a Polish family (the first to arrive on the block).

In 1910, Patrick Wade was going senile, so he gifted 8 Briggs Street to his daughter, Margaret Wade-Lee.

In 1911, Lizzie Howlett-Leonard died at 14 Briggs Street.

In September 1912, Prod died of a pulmonary embolism at 2 Briggs.  His estate took over 30 years to settle.  But the Will named Mathew John Leonard as Executor, and also gave him 14 Briggs Street.  The Will gave his two surviving daughters the properties 2, 4, 10, and 12 Briggs Street.  4, 10 & 12 remained rental properties; Elizabeth & Mary remained at 2 Briggs.  Prod's sister Mary ended up in AMHI in Augusta, where she died in November of that year of dementia and exhaustion.

In 1914, Margaret Wade-Lee sold 8 Briggs Street to Mathew John Leonard.  He and his children moved in immediately, then turning 14 Briggs into a rental property for the Quinncannons.

In 1916, John Haley, Prod's son in law, died at 2 Briggs Street, leaving behind his wife Mary.

By 1920, Prod's estate was renting out 10 Briggs Street to the Coyne and Foley families from Ireland, and 12 Briggs to the Silk family from Ireland, and 14 Briggs to the Concannon family from Ireland.

In 1927, Prod's daughter Elizabeth Leonard-Graney died at 2 Briggs Street (her husband had died there one year earlier).  Their children were already grown up, so that left Mary Leonard-Haley.

In November of 1927, the Sabasteanski family from Poland purchased 10 Briggs Street from Mathew as Executor.

About 1929, the Huszcza family from Poland purchased 14 Briggs Street from Mathew.

By 1930, 4 Briggs Street was being rented out to the Savage family from Lithuania

In 1930, Mary Leonard-Haley died in hospice.  She had left behind 2 Briggs Street a year prior, which made this a rental property.

In 1934, Agnes Petersen-Leonard died at 8 Briggs Street, leaving behind her husband Thomas Mathew Leonard & son Thomas Edward Leonard.

In 1939, Mathew John Leonard died at 8 Briggs Street.  His sister Annie had defrauded his will, and got herself named owner of everything, which would include 8 Briggs Street.  Thomas Mathew remained in the house by himself, however, paying rent to Annie, rather than taking title to his father's land.

In January 1943, 2 Briggs Street was sold to Veronica Danilewicz via Trustee Sale upon judge's orders.

In October, 1943, Thomas Mathew Leonard died at 8 Briggs Street.  His only survivor was his son, Thomas Edward Leonard, who was already living in California and fighting in WWII, serving the Navy.  This was the last presence of Leonards on Briggs Street.  Harold King moved in to 8 Briggs Street within a year of Thomas' death.

HOUSE PHOTOS OF BRIGGS STREET BLOCK (1924)

2 Briggs Street (built in 1897)

4 Briggs Street (built in 1844)

8 Briggs Street (built in 1834)

10 Briggs Street (built in 1854)

10 Briggs Street (side view)

12 Briggs Street (built in 1854 - same time as 10 Briggs, but then rebuilt in 1897 due to a fire)

14 Briggs Street (built in 1874)

BRIGGS STREET BLOCK (2010)

Block was condemned in 1975, taken by eminent domain (Urban Renewal),

razed, and rebuilt as a housing project with parking lot and playground.

Briggs Street (2022)

Briggs Street - facing south (2022)

It's interesting Prod had the means to make it to the USA, take care of his family, have a servant (Johnnie Murray), and own the entire Briggs Street block, all on a florist's income.  His Will required upkeep of this family headstone and ten high masses in his honor, once monthly.  He had also named his niece Annie Leonard-Quinlan (then living in Portrane) in the Will.  Annie had taken care of her nephew, Frank Devine, Sr., for nine years, since he was orphaned at age 9.  Frank went back to America in 1903.

Annie showed up in 1913 to claim her inheritance from Prod's estate ($100.00), and stuck around to get herself named on her brother (Mathew John Leonard)'s will, wiping out all money (save $1.00) that was to go to his own children.  She reportedly pulled a fast one, and managed to get lawyers to declare Mathew mentally unsound, and got him to sign everything over to her.

GRAVE OF THE THOMAS D. LEONARD FAMILY

Calvary Cemetery, South Portland, Maine

As for the flower business, I understand that the newspaper, Portland Argus, has some tribute advertisements in favor of Prod (who was Mary Jones' gardener) and his rival Patrick Duffee (who was J.B. Brown's gardener) being promoted for their award winning floral displays.

Portland Daily Press 

November 12, 1870:

 

"Portland Horticultural Society....The committee on Garden, Green Houses and Graperies of the Portland Horticultural Society have made the following awards for the season of 1870:

To Thomas Leonard, gardener to the Misses Jones, for the best managed and well kept green house,    $8.00"

But, a bit of research has shown me that both Prod and Duffee had a much bigger rival in the Portland floral market, who might have prevented them both from succeeding even more, one Will E. Morton, Jr., a florist and confectioner from Deering (Stevens Plains).

MORTON'S FLOWER SHOP

Will E. Morton Jr.'s parents had moved to Deering from New Vineyard (Franklin County, Maine) around 1835, and ran a family flower shop in Stevens Plains (then part of Westbrook/Saccarappa).

Morton Jr. had inherited the family business in 1878, and expanded it with much ambition, opening up greenhouses in Allen's Corner near his home in Deering, and a shop on 159 Exchange Street, with a summer store up in Bar Harbor.  Morton moved to Congress Street and set up the W.E. Morton Flower Shop and Confectionary downstairs from his home, right across the street from Prod's shop.  His shop became instantly successful and he also sold the "finest chocolates and bon bons in the world, made fresh every day", according to his regular advertising in the Portland directory.

Morton had the means to create his own newspaper, the Portland Floral Monthly, wherein the ads for his business (and no ads for competitors such as Prod) were naturally ubiquitous.  The newspaper served the latent function of advising horticultural enthusiasts on how to care for a variety of plant and flower species, with clever marketing built in which directed the reader to purchase the best of each varietal at his own shop on Congress Street, which catered to local patrons but also kept a thriving mail order business (not sure how the flowers stayed fresh when delivered by horse and buggy to other towns).  Naturally, Prod and his ilk were never promoted or mentioned at all in this popular publication.  See below for a couple of the regular advertisements from the Monthly.  One which features a sketch of the successful business, and the standard advertising, and the other is a direct appeal to potential funereal clients.

MORTON FLOWER SHOP
RECURRING ADVERTISEMENT
MORTON'S PORTLAND FLORAL MONTHLY (MARCH 1880)

MORTON FLOWER SHOP
RECURRING ADVERTISEMENT
MORTON'S PORTLAND FLORAL MONTHLY (MARCH 1880)

Not coincidentally, the year of Morton's move to Congress Street (1880) was one year before Prod's own flower shop folded.  Prod's shop was reopened in 1882 by Oscar R. Sturdivant, who held it for a few years, but then every successive year it was owned by a different entrepreneur who tried in vain to compete with Morton, until the very successful Harmon's Florist opened there (and became the leading floral business in the Portland area, and still is today).  

MORTON'S LAST ADVERTISEMENT
1894 PORTLAND DIRECTORY

Morton suffered from Bright's Disease (of the kidneys) and died in March 1895 at 45 years of age, and his business across the street from Prod's old shop folded, leaving the market more open for Harmon's success, although Prod had aged and was then doing only private gardening until he retired in 1900, and passed away in 1912.  See table of ownership of Prod's flower shop below:

Owners of Flower Shop on 648 Congress Street:

1863-1875 - Miss Mary Jones

1875-1881 – Thomas D. Leonard

1881-1882 – closed business

1882-4 – Oscar R. Sturdivant

1885 – Thomas & Matthew Kane

1886 – John C. Alexander

1888 – William Crane & Peter Peterson

1889 – Peter Peterson

1895-1902 – EJ Harmon & Co.

SOURCES:

Daily Eastern Argus

Portland Daily Advertiser

Portland Daily Press

Portland City Directories

US Census

FindaGrave

U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records

Calvary Cemetery Records, South Portland, ME

Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers

Irish Immigrants:  New York Port Arrival Records