Biography

Aldis Birdsey Browne II was born August 2,1907 in Washington, D. C. His father, Evans Browne, was a lawyer. His mother was Louise Harrison Browne, and he had a younger brother, Evans Browne, Jr. In the 1910 census the family has a servant, and in the 1920 census they have two servants and a chauffeur.

Browne's grandfather, and namesake, was also a lawyer in Washington, D.C. He was cited in A History of the city of Washington: its men and institutions in 1903 as one of Washington's best known corporation lawyers. (PDF file requires Adobe Reader.)

In the 1930 census Aldis is listed as the 22 year old step-son of Kingsley Whitcomb, a retail merchant in Madison, CT. Louise H. Whitcomb is listed as Kingsely's wife. Evans Browne, age 21, presumably Aldis's brother, is listed as a nephew in the household of Alexander Browne in Washington, D. C. There is no sign of Evans Browne in the census records after 1920.

Census data is embargoed for 72 years, so the 1940 census will not be available until 2012.

Aldis studied at Westminster College and the Yale University School of Fine Arts. He graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1934.

In 1945 Aldis bought 4-1/2 acres of land in the Town of Saybrook from George Lyon. In 1954 he sold a house and lot at 11 Grove Street in Essex to George Lyon. This information is from a quick search of conveyance records in the Essex Town Clerk's office.

A resident of Essex commented in October 2007 that Aldis Browne and George Lyon were good friends and drinking buddies. They lived in the same rooming house at one point in time. This informant said he remembers seeing Aldis with his mother and step-father at the Griswold Inn.

Aldis was a founding member of the Essex Art Association. In the Old Saybrook City Directory for 1964 is this entry:

Browne Aldis B sec Essex Art Association Inc
11 N Main Esx and artist 11 Grove Esx h do

In 1966 he married Patricia Kreis, an artist, in Essex, CT, and moved into her house there. It was his first marriage and her second. She was the widow of Henry G. Kreis, a prominent sculptor. Kreis died in Essex in 1963.

Aldis and Patricia divorced in 1973, and Aldis moved to Anna Maria Island, FL. He later moved to a retirement home in Davenport, FL. He suffered from emphysema. Shortly before his death, his ex-step-daughter tried to talk with him on the telephone, but he was unable to speak. A nurse at the retirement home had to speak for him. He died May 7, 1981, and was cremated in Lakeland, FL.

Aldis's brother, Evans, remained in Silver Spring, MD, where he died in 1971. Evans's wife, Miriam, died in a retirement home in Springfield, VA, in 2005. Obituraries for both of them contain names of descendants, but I have not been able to find information on them. They may or may not have information about their Uncle Aldis.

The Browne family tree is based on the Washington Post book cited above, several census reports, obituaries for Evans and Miriam Browne, online archives for the Washington Post, and other public records.