In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1841
From An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910)
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. The daughters are all teachers, Milly being an artist of great ability, and
Birdie (Mrs. Ainsley Hughes), is a talented musician, having studied under old masters in Norway and Chicago. The other living children are Hilda, Grace and Maybelle.
Mr. Brown owns a section of land in Wadena county, Minnesota, and owns considerable property in the village of Jackson. He was a member of the village council two terms and has been a member of the board of education for the last five years.
As printed in An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1910. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.