Interested in theories of the earth’s hollowness—and a fringe member of the community of Forteans.
Francis Dillon Brownley was born 20 September 1916 in New York to Howard D. Brownley and the former Margaret May. He had an elder brother named James. In 1920, the family lived in Washington, D.C., with Howard’s widowed father and a 16 year-old servant. Howard was the only one in the family working, as a government clerk.; he had earlier served in World War I. Ten years later, the nuclear family—Howard and May, James and Francis—were in Howard’s natal home state of Maryland, where he worked for the Coast Guard.
Some time in the 1930s, the family relocated to the other side of the country, settling in Alameda, California around 1935. The 1940 census has Howard working as a marine engineer at an engine company—probably related to the shipyards outside of Oakland. James had moved out. Francis, now 24, was categorized as a “new worker” and having been unemployed for 12 weeks. He seems to have quit school after his junior year of high school. He went by the name Frank now, using it on official forms, such as his social security application.
Francis Dillon Brownley was born 20 September 1916 in New York to Howard D. Brownley and the former Margaret May. He had an elder brother named James. In 1920, the family lived in Washington, D.C., with Howard’s widowed father and a 16 year-old servant. Howard was the only one in the family working, as a government clerk.; he had earlier served in World War I. Ten years later, the nuclear family—Howard and May, James and Francis—were in Howard’s natal home state of Maryland, where he worked for the Coast Guard.
Some time in the 1930s, the family relocated to the other side of the country, settling in Alameda, California around 1935. The 1940 census has Howard working as a marine engineer at an engine company—probably related to the shipyards outside of Oakland. James had moved out. Francis, now 24, was categorized as a “new worker” and having been unemployed for 12 weeks. He seems to have quit school after his junior year of high school. He went by the name Frank now, using it on official forms, such as his social security application.
On 5 December 1940—more than a year prior to Pearl Harbor—he followed his father into military service, joining the army. He stayed in for five years, more than the duration of World War II, leaving service on 4 October 1945. But he only stayed out for a little more than a year. Brownley re-enlisted on 23 October 1946, and stayed in the army for the next fifteen-plus years, released 1 July 1962, all of that time as an enlisted man, I believe. In May 1952, the Rochester, New York papers announced his engagement to Eleanor Marie Harps, about three years his junior.
I do not know what Frank did after leaving the military. He was 46, but had put in his twenty years, so should have received a pension.
Frank D. Brownley died 13 April 1998 in Rochester, New York; he was 81. His wife, Eleanor, died some time that same month. They were interred at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester.
*************************
I do not know much about Brownley’s Forteanism, or his seemingly deep and abiding interest in hollow earth theories and the speculations of Richard Shaver. He may have been involved with Forteanism and alternative science as early as 1947. Late in that year, Thayer wrote to Don Bloch, the bookseller in Denver, that someone named Brownley had purchased books from the Society before, but was not a member. Apparently, Thayer’s letter was in response to Bloch having made some connection with Brownley—Bloch seems to have written that Brownley had purchased a copy of one of Rupert Gould’s books for what Thayer thought was a very good price. Thayer wanted Bloch to convince Brownley to join the Society.
Of course, it is possible that the Brownley referred to in the letter was someone else entirely, but Thayer’s mention is at least suggestive. There’s another suggestive reference from 1951. According to Richard Toronto’s biography of Shaver (and the science fiction editor Ray Palmer), in April of that year, another Shaverite (Jim Pobst) sent a letter to someone named Frank Brownley. Likely this is the same Brownley, given his later activities, but I do not know how into the Shaver scene Brownley was at the time, or how long the correspondence with Pobst lasted.
Brownley more publicly declared his interest in the mid-1960s. In November of 1965, he wrote to Don Bloch. Brownley was collecting books on Forteana, especially lost continents, and wanted to know if he’d missed any on the topic. He knew of Fort and Gould, Frank Edwards—the radio personality and author—DeWitt Miller, Eric Frank Russell, H. T. Wilkins, Gardner (presumably Martin), Valentine Dyall (who wrote “Unsolved Mysteries” in 1954 and "Famous Sea Tragedies" in 1955) and he was searching for more. He also wanted to know if Doubt had ever ben indexed. (Thayer had mentioned it, but the work was never done; Ivan Sanderson also considered doing it.) Incidentally, he noted that there was a new Fortean group, the International Fortean Organization, and he put Bloch in touch with the founders of it. (They would approach Bloch in November 1966 and again in April 1967.)
A year later—along about the time that INFO contacted Bloch—Brownley wrote him again, this time asking about erratics (though hemes-spelled the word ‘emotics’), which he glossed as things that had been built before civilization had known to exist and were found underground. Erratics seem to have been a focus of his energies at the time. In November, Ronald Calais wrote to Bloch on the same subject, having been pointed toward the old Fortean by Brownley. Calais was trying to put together a film on the subject. And the 20 December 1966 edition of the Rochester “Democrat and Chronicle” printed a request from Brownley asking for any information on erratics, which were noted to have been discussed by both Fort and Edwards.
I do not know what Brownley did with any information that he found. Calais went on to write on the topic, but I have found nothing by Brownley. He seems to have been knowledgeable on the subject, though, and a resource for others later. Bruce A. Walton’s 1983 chapbook “A Guide to the Inner Earth” gave special thanks to Brownley in the acknowledgments. And Walter Kafton-Minkel dedicated, in part, his skeptical 1989 book “Subterranean Worlds” to Brownley “without whose help this work would be nowhere near as complete.”
Beyond that, Brownley’s interest in Forteana and alternative archeology is a mystery.
I do not know what Frank did after leaving the military. He was 46, but had put in his twenty years, so should have received a pension.
Frank D. Brownley died 13 April 1998 in Rochester, New York; he was 81. His wife, Eleanor, died some time that same month. They were interred at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester.
*************************
I do not know much about Brownley’s Forteanism, or his seemingly deep and abiding interest in hollow earth theories and the speculations of Richard Shaver. He may have been involved with Forteanism and alternative science as early as 1947. Late in that year, Thayer wrote to Don Bloch, the bookseller in Denver, that someone named Brownley had purchased books from the Society before, but was not a member. Apparently, Thayer’s letter was in response to Bloch having made some connection with Brownley—Bloch seems to have written that Brownley had purchased a copy of one of Rupert Gould’s books for what Thayer thought was a very good price. Thayer wanted Bloch to convince Brownley to join the Society.
Of course, it is possible that the Brownley referred to in the letter was someone else entirely, but Thayer’s mention is at least suggestive. There’s another suggestive reference from 1951. According to Richard Toronto’s biography of Shaver (and the science fiction editor Ray Palmer), in April of that year, another Shaverite (Jim Pobst) sent a letter to someone named Frank Brownley. Likely this is the same Brownley, given his later activities, but I do not know how into the Shaver scene Brownley was at the time, or how long the correspondence with Pobst lasted.
Brownley more publicly declared his interest in the mid-1960s. In November of 1965, he wrote to Don Bloch. Brownley was collecting books on Forteana, especially lost continents, and wanted to know if he’d missed any on the topic. He knew of Fort and Gould, Frank Edwards—the radio personality and author—DeWitt Miller, Eric Frank Russell, H. T. Wilkins, Gardner (presumably Martin), Valentine Dyall (who wrote “Unsolved Mysteries” in 1954 and "Famous Sea Tragedies" in 1955) and he was searching for more. He also wanted to know if Doubt had ever ben indexed. (Thayer had mentioned it, but the work was never done; Ivan Sanderson also considered doing it.) Incidentally, he noted that there was a new Fortean group, the International Fortean Organization, and he put Bloch in touch with the founders of it. (They would approach Bloch in November 1966 and again in April 1967.)
A year later—along about the time that INFO contacted Bloch—Brownley wrote him again, this time asking about erratics (though hemes-spelled the word ‘emotics’), which he glossed as things that had been built before civilization had known to exist and were found underground. Erratics seem to have been a focus of his energies at the time. In November, Ronald Calais wrote to Bloch on the same subject, having been pointed toward the old Fortean by Brownley. Calais was trying to put together a film on the subject. And the 20 December 1966 edition of the Rochester “Democrat and Chronicle” printed a request from Brownley asking for any information on erratics, which were noted to have been discussed by both Fort and Edwards.
I do not know what Brownley did with any information that he found. Calais went on to write on the topic, but I have found nothing by Brownley. He seems to have been knowledgeable on the subject, though, and a resource for others later. Bruce A. Walton’s 1983 chapbook “A Guide to the Inner Earth” gave special thanks to Brownley in the acknowledgments. And Walter Kafton-Minkel dedicated, in part, his skeptical 1989 book “Subterranean Worlds” to Brownley “without whose help this work would be nowhere near as complete.”
Beyond that, Brownley’s interest in Forteana and alternative archeology is a mystery.
