| 114 | Community History, Zearing, Iowa | 114 |
Brooks :
We have very little information about two very prominent early residents of Zearing. They were W. H. Brooks and Dr. A. W. Brooks. They were not brothers.
W. H. Brooks: W. H. was a big man. He had red hair and ready speech. When he talked everyone knew what he meant. W. H. was a merchant.
Dr. A. W. Brooks : Dr. A. W. was a fascinating man. He was well educated, had excellent manners, and was a good conversationalist. He was also a skilled violinist. Dr. Brooks had a daughter, Estella. We have no information about the wife of Dr. Brooks.
Here is a clever item announcing the marriage of Estella Brooks to Sumner J. Chance. The newspaper made the announcement in the following manner. The paper stated that the marriage of Estella Brooks and Sumner J. Chance occurred on Christmas eve in 1889. She took a Chance. He decided to travel the uneven journey of life beside the lovely Brooks.
BROWN :
The name Brown was prominent in Lincoln township in the pioneer days of our community. The name Brown was prominent in Zearing in the early 1900's.
George W. Brown was born in Ohio on August 21, 1832. Eliza Jane Bewley was born in Ohio on December 10, 1839. George and Eliza Jane were married on December 20, 1857. They moved to our community in the 1870's.
George and Eliza Jane were the parents of five children. They were Lucius Edgar, Horace Elbert, Deloss Emerson, Sherman Grant, and Guy Homer.
George died on January 25, 1904. Eliza Jane died en October 7, 1913.
Dr. James A. Brown was born in Belmont county, Ohio. It seems he always signed his name as J. A. He was a graduate of the State University of Iowa. He was also a graduate of the Chicago Clinical School. In 1901, Dr. Brown and the State Savings Bank, built a brick building on the north side of Main Street in Zearing. The building is occupied by the U. S. Post Office and the Tri County State Bank in 1956.
Samantha Hannah Rush was born in Morgan county, Ohio, on July 19, 1856. J. A. and Samantha were married in February, 1877. Their only child, Ethel, died at the age of nine years. The family moved to Ames, Iowa, in 1908 or 1909.
We do not have the date of Dr. J. A. Brown's death. Samantha died on September 21, 1922, at Ames, Iowa.