The Brown Families of Mahaska County, Iowa

WILLIAM II. BROWN.

William H. Brown, lix'ing on section i6, Monroe township, one of the successful farmers and all-found business men of Mahaska county, is numbered with the veterans of the Civil war and the old settlers of this part of the state, where he owns and operates a neat and valuable farm of three hundred and twenty acres. He has lived in the count) since 1852, coming here widi his parents when a lad of twelve years. He was born in Morrow county, Ohio, April 6, 1840, and his father, William l)rown, was a native of Virginia, who in his boyhood days accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, Avhere he was reared and educated, attending the common schools. He afterward folkwed farming there and subsecjuent to the attainment of his majority he was married in Ohio to Miss Matilda McMillan, a daughter of John McMillan, a native of Ireland, who came to America and settled in the state of New York, whence he afterward removed to Ohio. Mr. Brown continued to farm in Ohio after his marriage but becoming imbued with a desire to settle on the frontier he sold his interest in that state and with his family, then numbering a wife and seven children, came to Mahaska county, Iowa, in 1852. Here lie cntercfl from the government the land upon which his son William now resides, but the pre- Aious hard work incident to making a home in a new country undermined his health, and in 1852 he passed away, leaving Mrs. Brown with an unimproved farm and seven children to support. She heroically took up the task, however, and kept her children about her, giving them a good education. She managed her farm and later all of her sons engaged in teaching school, showing the training of the mother as a preceptor. After attaining his majority William H. Brown purchased the interest of the other heirs in the home property and took his mother to live with him, her death occurring in 1871, when she was sixty-nine years of age.

On the ist of November, 1863, William H. Brown was married to Miss Margaret C. Ayers, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of William C. Ayers, who was also born in Ohio and came to Mahaska county in the early '50s, remaining here until his demise. Prior to his marriage Mr. Brown, when in his twenty-first year. had enlisted at Oskaloosa for service as a member of Company C, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, and with his company rendezvoused at Keokuk, joining the regular army at St. Louis, where he went into camp. Later the troops were at Pittsburg Landing and at Corintli, and he served in the war for fifteen months, being disabled at Shiloh by a bullet which pierced his hand. Because of his disability he was honorably discharged in November, 1862.

After regaining his health Mr. Brown began farming and improved and developed a good farm. He has since erected a good substantial two-story residence, also commodious bams and outbuildings and as the years have passed he has bought more land from time to time. The farm is now well fenced and tiled and is an attractive property. In addition to raising the cereals best adapted to soil and climate he also raises full-blooded Merino sheep, shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, and the farm is well watered and equipped for stock-raising, in which business he is very successful, placing a large amount of stock on the market annually. In 1890 Mr. Brown was chosen secretary of the Famiers Mutual Insurance Company of Mahaska county, which position he has since filled in an efficient manner. He is a man of resourceful business ability, having the power to co-ordinate plans, forces and possibilities, so that success results. In 1900 he was one of the organizers of the Bank of Rose Hill, and was chosen its Wice-president and also one of its directors. This institution was capitalized at fifteen thousand dollars with J. R. Busby as cashier. Mr. Brown was for six years treasurer of the township board and was township clerk for fifteen years and thus his community has benefited by his labors, for he proved a most capable and efficient officer. His political allegiance has long been given to the republican party although he cast his first presidential ballot for Stephen A. Douglas, but has never ceased to regret it.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born eight children: Winfield, who died at the age of twenty-four years; Anne, who died at the age of nineteen years; Cora, the wife of Dr. E. M. Haggard, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Lena, the wife of Charles Kent, superintendent of city schools at Charles City, Iowa; Ethel, the wife of Frank Garrett, both being missionaries of the Christian church in China since 1896; William H., who married Lucy Fisher and lives upon a farm adjoining his father's property; Justin, who has been a missionary in China since 1903; and Wirt, who married Lucy Lord and lives in a separate house upon the home farm, which he assists his father in carrying on. Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their family are members of the Christian church, of Monroe township, and take a most active and helpful part in its work. He has witnessed much of the de- Welopment of the county and is one of the most public-spirited and energetic citizens here. He has always manifested the same loyalty in citizenship that he displayed when he joined the "boys in blue" and fought for the defense of the Lnion upon the battle-fields of the south. In business affairs he has been found thoroughly reliable, being straightforward in all of his dealings yet he has never concentrated his energies upon his business interests to the exclusion of those duties which should claim a part of a man's attention: the duties relating to his citizenship and to his relations to his fellowmen. He is spoken of in most favorable terms by all-ho know him and he well deserves mention in this volume as a representative citizen of the county.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

Solomon Brown, an active, energetic and successful farmer living on section lo. White Oak township, where he owns and operates one hundred and fifty-nine acres of arable land, was born upon this farm September 26, 1855 — fact which indicates that he is a representative of one of the pioneer families of the county. His father, Jonathan Brown, was a native of Mnrgan county, Ohio, and was reared in 'Sla.- rion county, that state, where he resided until after he had attained his majority. He was there married to Miss Elizabeth Reed in 1852. '1 he lady was a native of Delaware and a daughter of Job Reed, who was likewise born in Delaware, whence he removed with his family to Marion county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Brown followed farming in Ohio and in the second year after their marriage came to b>\\a, where he purchased one hundred and nineteen acres of land and also entered from the government forty acres more. It was entirely wild and unimproved and he at once began to clear and culti\ate the place. He had to perf(jrm the anluous task of breaking the sod and preparing the land for cultivation, but in the course of time he had transformed the tract into richly cultivated fields. He built thereon a good house and barn, also substantial outbuildings and developed a neat and valuable property, being recognized as one of the enteqjrising agriculturists of the community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born nine children, of whom three died in infancy. The eldest is Nancy, the wife of T. J. Shipley, a resident of Keokuk county. Iowa. Solomon is the next of the family. J. L. is living in Rose Hill, where he is conducting a hardware store. Alice is the wife of C. I. Ellis. Sarah is the w'ife of C. L. Vanlaninghan, a popular merchant of Rose Hill. William is at home. The father of this family departed this life in 1885, at the age of fifty-seven years. The mother, however, is still living in her seventy-fifth year and makes her home with her sons, Solomon and William.

Upon the old homestead farm Solomon Brown was reared and in the public schools of the neighborhood acquired his education. In his youth he aided in the work of the fields and since his father's death he has operated the farm upon which he has always lived with the exception of a period of two years from 1898 until 1900, when he resided in Oskaloosa, filling the office of deputy sheriff. He has a well kept farm and raises some stock. He also keeps high bred Plymoudi Rock chickens and the breeding of those fowls adds not a little to his income. In all of his business interests he is active and enterprising, and his labors are attended with a measure of success which shows that his work is of a practical nature. He attends the [methodist Episcojial church of which his mother is a member. His political allegiance is given to the democracy, and while never seeking office, he supports the men and measures of the ]5arty. The only positions he has ever filled are those of deputy sheriff and constable, acting in the latter capacity in White Oak township for seven years. He finds ample incentive for the exercise of his talents and energies in his business affairs and has come to be recognized as one of the substantial farmers of the county.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

Frank Brown, living on section 21, Cedar township, where he carries on general farming and stock-raising, was born in this township, October 23, 1862, and is a son of George Brown, whose birth occurred in Knox county, Ohio, February 22, 1820. The father was reared in the state of his nativity and there learned and followed the shoemaker's trade. He was married in Ohio to Miss Mary J. Dunmire, also a native of Knox county, and in 1854 they removed from the Buckeye state to Iowa, settling in Fremont, where Mr. Brown

4/8 opened a shoe shop and carried on his trade. He continued in business there up to the time of his demise, which occurred in 1883. He also bought and owned a farm at Fremont and became one of the substantial residents of the community, his success resulting entirely from his own well directed efforts and enterprise. His wife survives him and now resides in Fremont.

Frank Brown was reared in Fremont and assisted in carrying on the old home farm until eighteen years of age. He learned the carpenter's trade in early life under the direction of Captain Newell, and afterward carried on business along that line for several years. He also farmer and broke prairie and herded sheep on the prairies, driving his flock across the land that he now owns when it was entirely unimproved, not a furrow having been turned thereon. As the years have gone by, however, he has prospered in his undertakings and he now owns and cultivates a valuable farm of two hundred acres, which is equipped with modern conveniences.

Mr. Brown was married in Fremont, November 10, 1886, to Miss Morna C. Shaw, a native of this county, who was reared and educated in Oskaloosa and is a daughter of America Shaw, one of the early settlers of Maryland. Following his marriage Mr. Brown located at Beacon, where he rented a farm for a year, after which he removed to Putnam county, Missouri, where he raised one crop upon a rented farm. He then returned to Cedar township, Mahaska county, and purchased a place of eighty acres, going in debt for this. There he followed farming for ten years, within which time he cleared the place of all indebtedness and extended its Ijoundaries until he had one hundred and twenty acres. In 1899 he sold that property and bought one hundred and sixty acres, where he now resides. He located upon this place, has fenced it, tiled it and made improvements. He has also bought forty acres more and now has an extensive and well de-

Weloped farm. He has here a good house, barns and outbuildings, the latest improved farm machinery and in connection with the tilling of the soil he raises and feeds stock, fattening for the market. He makes a specialty of raising hogs. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born eight children, Ollie, Bernice, Forest L., Efifie, Floyd D., Georgia, Doris and Howard. In his political views Mr. Brown has been a lifelong democrat, casting his first presidential ballot for Grover Cleveland. He has served on the school board and the cause of education finds in him a warm and helpful friend but otherwise he has held no public office. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Fremont. Mr. Brown has always lived in this county save for the brief period spent in Missouri, and his creditable position in agricultural circles is due to his close application and persistency of purpose. He is well known in Fremont and Oskaloosa and throughout Alahaska county as a thrifty, diligent and prosperous farmer and a man of genuine public spirit. Both he and his wife have many friends and have displayed many sterling traits of character which insure them a continuance of the warm regard that is given them.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.