John Brown

As printed in 1881

JOHN BROWN, deceased. The champion of universal liberty, the zealous friend of the colored race, and the hero of Harper's Ferry, was born at Torrington, Conn., on the 9th of May, in the year 1800, and was the son of Owen and Ruth (Mills) Brown. His ancestry is traced back in an unbroken line to Peter Brown, one of the fugitive pilgrims, who landed from the Mayflower on Plymouth Rock in December, 1620. Without tracing the family back to this renowned ancestor, suffice it to say that Capt. John Brown (the grandfather of subject), was an officer in the Revolutionary army, and died of disease during his term of service. He was of the fourth generation from Peter Brown in regular descent. Capt. John Brown's youngest son was named Owen, and was the father of our subject. He came to Ohio in 1805, when the latter was but five years old, and settled in Hudson Township (now in Summit County), where he became one of the principal pioneer settler's of that section. He was commonly called Squire Brown, and was one of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College; was spoken of as being endowed with energy and enterprise, and of going down to his grave honor-ed and respected, about 1852, at the age of 87 years. Subject's mother died when he was but 8 years old, a loss he mourned long and sincerely. When the war broke out with England (1812), his father engaged in fur-

\ nishing the troops with beef (cattle. During this war lie had some chance to form his own boy'ish judgment of men and measures, and to become somewhat familiarly acquainted with many who figured before the country in after 3'ears. A circumstance occurred during this war that made him a most determined Abolitionist, and led him to declare eternal war on slavery. He was staying for a short time with a man who owned a slave boy about his own age. This man made a great pet of him (subject), brought him to table with his first company and friends, and called their attention to every little smart thing he said and did, while the negro boy was badly clothed, poorly fed and lodged in cold weather, and beaten before his eyes with anything that came first to hand. At the age of 10 an old friend induced him to read a little history, by which he acquired some taste for reading; formed the principal part of his early education and diverted him, in a great manner, from bad company. By reading the lives of great and good men, and their writings, he grew to dislike vain and frivolous conversation and persons. In early life he became ambitious to excel in any'thing he undertook to perform, and especially in the full labor of a man in any hard work. At an early age he became, to some extent, a convert to Christianity, and was ever after a firm believe in the divine authenticity of the Bible. With this book he became very familiar, and possessed an unusual memory of its entire contents. He was married June 21, 1820, at Hudson, to Miss Dianthe Lusk, an industrious and economical girl of excellent character, earnest piet, and of good practical common sense. By this marriage he had seven children, viz., John, Jason, Owen, Frederick. Ruth, Frederick (2d), and an infant son, buried with its mother, Aug. 10, 1832. three days after its birth. By his second wife, Mary A. Da-, to whom he was married at Meadville, Penn., he had thirteen children, viz., Sarah, Watson, Salmon, Charles, Oliver, Peter, Austin, Anne, Amelia, Sarah (2d), Ellen, infant son, Ellen (2d). From his 21st to his 26th 3-ear, he was engaged in the tanning business and as a farmer in Ohio. At 26, he went to Crawford Co., Penn., where he carried on his old business until 1835, characterized as a thoroughly honest man. In 1835, he moved to Franklin Mills, Portage Co., Ohio, where he remained until 1840, when he went to Hudson and engaged in the wool business with Mr. Oviatt, of Richfield. In 1814, he moved to Akron, and in 1846, to Springfield, Mass., where he lived until 1849, and then removed to Essex Co., N. Y. In 1851, he returned, with his family to Akron, Ohio, where he managed Mr. Perkins' farm and carried on the wool business. It was in 1839 that he first conceived the idea of liberating the Southern slaves. He had seen the blasting and blighting manhood of the nation, and had listened to the "voice of the poor that cried." This sentiment was cherished by him, and his efforts in that direction pushed forward, until he expiated with his life the zeal he felt for the down-trodden African. In 1855, on starting for Kansas, he again moved his household to Essex Co., N. Y., where now his "body lies moldering in the dust." But from the period of his going to Kansas, until an ignominious death closed his eventful career, his acts and his deeds are a part of the nation's history, and require no repetition in this sketch.

As printed in History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.