Thomas Scott Brown

As printed in 1910

THOMAS SCOTT BROWN.

Reared amid pioneer environments in Illinois, serving as a soldier in the Union army in the Civil war, and since that time devoting his attention to farming interests in Henry county — such in brief is the life history of Thomas Scott Brown, who is now living retired in Osco township, where for the past thirty-five years he has maintained his home. He was born in Fulton county, Illinois, June 7, 1835, when the work of progress and development had scarcely been begun in this section of the state. Much of the land was still unclaimed and uncultivated, comparatively few roads had been laid out and the railroads had not yet been built. In fact only three years before had the Black Hawk war occurred and there were still many evidences of Indian occupancy in this part of Illinois. The native timber was uncut and but few furrows had been turned on the prairies. Many of the homes were log cabins and others were primitive frame structures with comparatively few conveniences or modern improvements.

The parents of Mr. Brown were John and Sarah (Kirkpatrick) Brown, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively. The former was a weaver by trade and in 1835 came to Illinois, settling in Fulton county, where he and his brother, Cunningham Brown, had each purchased a quarter section of land. He transformed the raw prairie into productive fields and lived there for many years, but in the early '70s removed to Henry county and settled in Osco township, where he died in 1880 at the age of eighty-three years and nine months. His wife survived him for six or eight years and was eighty-three years and four months of age at the time of her demise. Their lives were actuated by Christian faith and they were long consistent members of the Presbyterian church. They had a family of five sons and one daughter: Thomas Scott, of this review; John G., of Marshalltown, Iowa; and Mary, the wife of Walker L. Hitchcock, of Orion, Illinois. George C, James M. and an infant son are deceased.

Thomas Scott Brown spent his youthful days amid the conditions which existed during the pioneer epoch in the history of Illinois, pursuing his education in one of the old time log schoolhouses where, seated on a slab bench, he conned his lessons. The curriculum, however, consisted of little more than the "three R's: reading, 'itin, and 'arithmetic." As the years have passed, however, varied experiences have broadened his knowledge and made up for the deficiency of the primitive schools. He remained at home until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for himself by renting land. In that way he carried on farming until he was able to purchase property. At the time of the Civil war.

.\3Vi "" however, he put aside all business and personal considerations and offered his services to the government, enlisting on the 9th of August, 1862, as a member of Company G, One Hundred and Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He remained with the regiment until honorably discharged on the 24th of June, 1865. He was wounded near Columbia, South Carolina, and lost his right arm February 15. 1865. He participated in all of the important battles from Chattanooga to the sea, seeing active duty under General Logan in the Fifteenth Army Corps. When he lost his arm he was hauled from Columbia, South Carolina, to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where on the 12th of March, 1865, he took a boat that went by way of the Cape Fear river to Wilmington, Delaware. He was then taken to Grant's Hospital on Long Island, and was honorably discharged on the 24th of June, following, holding at the time the rank of first sergeant.

When the war was over Mr. Brown returned to his home in Fulton county, Illinois, and although handicapped by the loss of his arm, he resumed farming and has attained success which many a man sound in every limb might well envy. In 1868 he removed to Henry county and broke the prairie upon his farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Osco township. He divided his time between his farming interests in Henry and Fulton counties for several years and has made his home in Henry county for the past thirty-five years, living in Osco township. He now owns one of the best improved farms in the county, comprising two hundred and eighty acres, and in addition to that he at one time owned six hundred and forty acres in Nebraska. This he afterward sold but he still owns his two hundred and eighty acre farm, for which he paid thirty thousand dollars and which has constantly increased in value. For many years he also engaged in loaning money. While in Nebraska he sustained a severe injury by being thrown from a broncho and since that time has lived practically retired, but he still supervises his business interests.

In his political views Mr. Brown is a stalwart republican and his fellow townsmen have called him to fill local offices. He has served as supervisor and assessor for a number of years and was also collector for two terms. He is numbered among the valued citizens of Henry county and highly respected by all and well known for his benevolences and deeds of charity, giving freely and generously of his means to those in need. He has a host of warm friends and well deserves mention in this volume.

As printed in History of Henry County, Illinois (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.