Henry Brown

As printed in 1882

HENRY BROWN.

His ancestors were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, who emigrated to this country from the North of Ireland about the year 1740 and settled in “ Burin’s Grant.” which included a half-million acres of land on the Shenandoah id James Rivers, in the colony of Virginia.

Henry Brown was born near Lexington, Va., about the year 1770, and /ed there until 1793, at which time he came to the Northwestern Territory as Military Secretary for Col. Preston, who was in command of a regiment in Wayne’s army, then organizing at Cincinnati for the advance against the Indian tribes. Mr. Brown was afterward interested with others in forwarding, supplies to the army, and to the garrisons at Forts Hamilton. St. Clair, Greenville, Jefferson, Recovery. Defiance and Wayne.

From the nature of the roads and the difficulties and dangers of the service, all supplies were forwarded by pack-horse trains. This department was in charge of an officer who was designated as “Pack-Horse Master General.” The trains were divided into “pack-horse brigades,” of sixty to seventy horses each, with a Captain in charge, and men to load and unload, drive and care for the horses. Armed scouts necessarily accompanied these pack-horse brigades as guard against Indian attacks. Mr. Brown was thus employed with the army until, in the spring of 1795, he entered into partnership with Join Sutherland, at Hamilton, where, in a double log cabin that stood south of the stockade, they opened their first stock of goods. Their business was trading with the Indians.

Friendly tribes at that time occupied most of the country west ofWaynei road to the Maumee as hunting-grounds. Their camps were to be found along all of the streams from Fort Hamilton north to the Wabash and Maumee. This firm traded goods to the Indians for furs and peltries; and when white settlers began to locate on lands west of the Miami, the Indians gradually withdrew to the north, but Sutherland & Brown followed them up with agents, who carried the goods from point to point on pack-horses.

In 1799, Mr. Brown took a large stock of goods to Fort Loramie am opened a branch store there, from which he sent traders to the Indian village along the Wabash and Maumee Rivers.

In 1804. business had so increased that he changed his branch store to Dayton, and opened at the east side of Main street, south of Water street From here, traders were sent with goods among the settlers west and north j and to the Indian villages at Greenville and beyond to the Mississinawa, am around St. Mary’s and the Auglaize, and down through the Maumee Valley.

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At their stores in Dayton and Hamilton, the firm exchanged goods fo whisky, pork, flour and grain, which they shipped by river to the Cincinnat and New Orleans markets. Produce was shipped down the Ohio in pirogues! where the cargoes were transferred to larger flat-boats. When the Miami way low, cargoes were lightered over the ripples in dug-outs. Sometimes, to go! the dug-outs over, the crew would scrape out channels of sufficient with tk float the boats; then, having passed the ripple, would reload and float down toy the next, where the same work was performed. A crew was sometimes detained at the shallowest ripples for several days, and a week’s time was lost in getting a fleet across.

For two or three years prior to the dissolution of the firm, Messrs. ''Slither land & Brown were largely engaged in the purchase of cattle in the Mian Valley and over in Kentucky. The cattle were driven north to Fort Loramky across the portage to the Auglaize, down to the Maumee and the rapids, then to Detroit, where there was ready sale to the Government, to the Indians ad to farmers.

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The first brick residence in Dayton was built by Mr. Brown in 1808, on Lot ik 110, west side of Main street, north of the court house.

The hostile intentions of the Indians toward the United States began to clop in 1810, and from the increased danger to traders, Messrs. Sutherland Irown withdrew their agents and dissolved partnership. Mr. Brown rea ed his goods to the north room of his residence and continued business re. At that time, or possibly the nest year, he was made Government nt in charge of Indian supplies, that were distributed under direction of man Agent Col. John Johnston.

February 19, 1811, Henry Brown and Miss Kitty Patterson, daughter of - Kobert Patterson, were married at her father’s house, on the Rubicon an, south of Dayton, the Rev. James Welsh officiating. Catherine Patter

0 was born at Lexington, Ky., March 7, 1793.

Their son, R. P. Brown, born December 6, 1811, married Sarah Galloway at Xenia, Ohio, October 31, 1837; died in Kansas City, Mo., May 4, 1879 cih Brown was born in Xenia June 10, 1816.

Henry L. Brown, born December 3, 1814, married Sarah Belle Browning, Indianapolis, Ind., February 7, 1837; died in Dayton November 25, 1878.

1 wife was born at West Union, Ohio. February 18, 1819; died in Dayton ober 15, 1858.

Eliza J. Brown, born in Dayton October 20, 1816, married Charles Ander-

0 September 16, 1835. Col. Anderson wes born at Louisville, Ky., June 1,

The business life of Henry Brown was characterized by sound judgment, ness and energy: and, having faith in the good judgment shown in the

* tion of the site at the mouth of Mad River as the future business center 'lie valley, he invested largely in Dayton property. When prosperity came be little town during the war of 1812, he was one of the most prominent

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Mr. Brown was a devoted, loving husband and father, and his happiness

* in association with friends and family. Knowing that the home circle was a place for proper training, he and his wife were careful to keep it cheerful ! attractive for their three children.

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From exposure in the earlier history of the valley, and afterward in ti active management of the business with Mr. Sutherland, then from close a tention to his Dayton store and its extensive trade, his health was brokenmuch so that, toward the close of the year 1822, he was confined to his be and, after a lingering, painful illness, he died, in the afternoon of May 1 1825, and was buried the next day in the old graveyard on Fifth street

Mrs. Brown married Andrew Irwin, by whom she had one son, A. B. Irwi In 1836. she married H. G. Phillips, who died in 1859. She died in Da ton August 12. 1864.

As printed in The history of Montgomery county, Ohio, containing a history of the county; (1882). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.