B. L. BROWN

BROWN

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/21/2020 at 18:19:50

B. L. BROWN, a farmer of section 5, Jasper township, Adams county (postoffice) Brooks), and an old soldier and a solid man of the community, was born in Mercer county, Illinois, June 23, 1839, the son of John H. Brown, who was born in Rochester, New York, and when a lad of sixteen years was a soldier in the war of 1812. His father, Alexander Brown, was born in Scotland, and when a youth he left his native country in order to avoid participation in the Irish rebellion, but became a brave soldier in our Revolutionary war. Mr. B. L. Brown's mother, whose name before marriage was Mary McPherson, was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of George McPherson, a native of Ireland, who also had served in the American war of the Revolution. His wife made powder for the American soldiers. The father of our subject, John H. Brown, was reared in New York State and moved to Muskingum county, Ohio, where he was married, at the age of twenty-four years, in 1820, his bride at the time being but fourteen years of age. About 1836 the family removed to Mercer county, Illinois. John H. Brown had seven children in Ohio and six in Illinois, - thirteen in all, - ten sons and three daughters. He died in 1874, and his wife in 1885.

Of the above family of children the ninth in order of birth was Mr. B. L. Brown, our subject. In 1862 he enlisted in Company H, Eighty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Beech Grove, Manchester, Lookout Mountain (under General Thomas), Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and all the engagements as far as Atlanta, including those of the Atlanta campaign. At Stone River he was wounded by a gunshot in the left shoulder, and also at Chickamauga by a minie-ball in his leg; but he remained with his company until scurvy set in and compelled him to go to the hospital for five months; and then he returned home.

In 1880 he came to Adams county and purchased the Lorin C. Hughes farm of 247 acres, one of the best in the county for the raising of grain and live-stock. He has built a fine house, 24 x 34 feet, two stories high; and he also has one of the best orchards in the county, on which he has taken all the premiums and sweepstakes, and the prizes at the county fair of 1889. He, of course, devotes his attention to general farming and stock-raising. On national questions he is a Republican. He has served as assessor and president of the School Board for ten years. He is a member of Llewellyn Post, No. 284, G. A. R. With wife and several of the children he is a member of the Christian Church at Brooks.

He has married December 24, 1856, before he was eighteen years of age, to Miss Helen Preston, at Aledo, Mercer county, Illinois. She was the daughter of Lewis Preston, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, of English ancestry, and settled in Freeport in 1838, as a pioneer, and died in 1863. His widow is still living, having now made her home with B. L. Brown, our subject, for the last twenty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had thirteen children, eight of whom are living, namely: Lewis, Laura, Amanda, Essie, Lydia, Harry, Charles and Willie. Two children died in infancy; two, Fannie and Melissa, when several years of age; and one, Lizzie, in her twenty-fourth year.