The 1910 Jackson County history sketches three unrelated Brown households, all of them in the village of Jackson. John K. Brown, born in Canada in 1827, kept a dry goods business in London, Ontario, and worked as land commissioner of the Southern Minnesota Railroad before founding the Bank of Jackson in 1879, which the history calls the first bank in the county and which later became the Brown National Bank. Oliver W. Brown, born in Norway in 1841, served in the Norwegian naval mail service, sailed around the world on the American warship Canandaigua, married Ovidia Bay in Chicago fourteen days before the fire of 1871, and in 1887 came to Jackson as foreman of the Milwaukee road's round house. Frank H. Brown, born in Brown County, Wisconsin, in 1873, farmed in Middletown township from 1896 and later ran a livery barn in Jackson. Every fact below is cited to the public-domain 1910 history of Jackson County.
Earliest in the record
John K. Brownborn 1827Most recent in our records
Frank H. Brownborn 1873Each number matches a section below. Tap a name to jump to that person.
Founder of the Bank of Jackson
JOHN K. BROWN (1879), deceased. Among the men who entered prominently into the business and social life of Jackson mention must be made of John K. Brown, the founder of the first bank in the county.
John K. Brown was born in Canada in 1827, of Scotch, English and Dutch descent. He lived on a farm until eighteen years of ape and then moved to St. Thomas, where for four years he was a salesman in a retail store. He moved to London. Ontario, in IS.'il and engaged in the dry goods and millinery business. While a resident of that city he served as a member <if the city council. Mr. Brown moved to New York in 1860, was with Arnold, Constable & company one year, and then entered the freight office of the Rome & Watertown Railroad company. From 1865 to 1870 he was a traveling salesman, with headquarters at Montreal, his territory including parts of both the I'filed States and Canada.
In 1870 Mr. Brown located at LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he entered the general office of the Southern Minnesota Railroad company and became assistant paymaster. A little later he entered the land department of the same road and served as land commissioner
Ton, LEwex ANt eight years. When the Southern Minnesota railroad was constructed to Jackson Mr. Brown gave up his position with the railroad company and in 1879 founded the Bank of Jackson, the first bank in the county. He was the head of that institution (later it become the Brown National Bank) until his death, which occurred April 16, 1908.
Mr. Brown was married in November, 1883, to Pluma if. Kimball. Two children were lion to this union; John K. Brown, Jr., and Cordon Brown.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Foreman of the Milwaukee road round house at Jackson
OLIVER W. BROWN (1887), foreman of the round house of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway company at Jackson, has led an interesting and eventful life, the last twenty-three years of which have been spent in Jackson. He was born at Frederick's Vam, which was at the time the location of the Norwegian navy yards, Norway, on December 7, 1841, the son of Edward and Olevia (Brown) Brown.
When Oliver was a mere child his mother died and he went to live with an imple at Horten, Norway, to which place the navy yards had been moved from Frederick's Vam. There he received a meager education and served an apprenticeship in the navy yards. At an early age he shipped as a seafaring man in the Norwegian naval mail service and followed that occupation until 1862. For several years thereafter he served in the capacity of ship's machinist and visited many foreign countries.
In the latter part of 1866 Mr. Brown, while at Copenhagen, Denmark, shipped with the American navy, taking service on the United States warship Canandaigua, which had been built during the civil war for a blockade runner, and which at the time was one of a squadron under the command of Admiral Farragut, on a cruise of the world. Over three years were spent on this trip, the squadron visiting every civilized portion of the world.
and landing at the Brooklyn navy yard during the holidays of 1869. Upon leaving his ship at that time Mr. Brown enlisted in the United States navy as a blacksmith, but his skill as a mechanic soon won him promotion to the position of machinist. He was honorably discharged at Brooklyn.
Having saved up quite a sum of Spanish gold, Mr. Brown exchanged it for coin of the real and went to Newburg, on the Hudson river, where, in partnership with a retired naval officer, he started a machine shop on an extensive scale. The enterprise proved a failure and for a short time thereafter he worked at his trade at Gold Springs, near West Point, New York, and at Jersey City. In the fall of 1871 he turned his face westward and landed in the city of Chicago, where he followed his trade until the big fire of October, 1871. After that never-to-be-forgotten event he went to Milwaukee and entered the employ of the Milwaukee railroad, and with the exception of seven months during the panic of 1873, he has been continuously in the employ of that railroad.
During the seven months he was not in the employ of the railroad company in 1873 Mr. Brown built and put in operation the first steam yacht that ever played the waters of the Milwaukee river. The vessel was successfully operated as a pleasure boat for three seasons, and then went out of commission in that service because of the carrying away by flood of the Milwaukee dam. The boat was then sold to a fishing firm on lake Michigan. The yacht was supplied with a fourteen horse power upright engine and had a speed of sixteen and one-half knots an hour.
When he entered the employ of the Milwaukee road at Milwaukee in 1871 Mr. Brown served as machinist and later was made foreman of the round house. In 1887 he moved to Jackson to take the position of foreman of the round house of the Milwaukee road at that point and has ever since served in that capacity.
In the month of October, 1871, in the city of Chicago, fourteen days before the big fire, Mr. Brown was married to Ovidia Bay, a native of Norway. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been bom seven children — two sons and five daughters. Both sons are dead, the elder having met his death by drowning in the Milwaukee river.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Farmer and liveryman of Jackson
FRANK H. BROWN (1896), of Jackson, was born in Brown county, Wisconsin, December 21, 1873, the son of W. X. and Jlepa (Hayden) Brown, natives of Maine and New Hampshire, respectively.
Until he was thirteen years of age Frank lived with his parents on the farm in Brown county, Wisconsin, and then he accompanied them to Dickinson county, near Spirit Lake, Iowa. He lived with his parents on the farm until he was twenty years of age. Then he married and engaged in farming on rented land for himself three years. He came to Jackson county in 1896 and during the next five years engaged in farming in Middletown township. Giving up farming in 1901, he moved to Jackson and for several years was engaged in various occupations. In 1907 he engaged in the livery business in Jackson in partnership with Scott Huestis, having bought out Robert Henderson, and conducted the barn until the spring of 1909.
Mr. Brown was married in Jackson county March 22, 1893, to Edith Gruhlke, a native of Waseca, Minnesota, and a daughter of Edward Gruhlke, deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born the following children: Harry L., Vera M., Iva G. and Earl. Mr. Brown is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops in the early 1900s. We pick up from there and trace your line down to you and back as far as the records go, into a written book with every source cited.
All sources are public domain. Facts only. We follow set rules to leave living people out (how).
Other family lines from the same county: