Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-10-26
Old Brown,s History OF Himself and BE
EumIfv.

NAu hNWhMa AAAutWtA " AAAA'NaN
Family.
Among the trophies Of tho Governments
Military Expedition apainst the twenty-five
conquorors Of The Old Doainion, is the follow
log doobmcut, apparently ia the handwriting
of John Brown himself
nsroRv OF JOHN RRowN, oTuERwisR "oLp
BROWN" AND Hts FAMILY.
This paper purpousio be the history Of the
/ family as connected vita kansaa, and says
Ia 1864 the four eldest sons Of John Brown,
viz. John, Jr.; Jason, owen aud Fredetick, all
ehildr n by first wife then living ia Ohio, de-.
ternined to remove to Kansas John, Dr., sold
his place, very desirable little property at
Vernon, Tfumbull county, and Jason his place,
near Akron, in Summit county The other
two sons held no landed property but both
/ were POSSESSED Of some valuable stock, (as
were also the two fret namely derived from
that OF their fathcr, which had been often no
ticcd by liberal premiums both in the State Of
| New York and also OF Ohio Jason Brown he'd
very valuable collection Of grape vines and
also of choice fruit trees, which he took up
and shipped in boxes at a heavy cost. The two
first named, John and Jason, had both families.
Owen had none, Fred rick was engaged TO be
married aud was to return tor bis wife In
consequence Of an extreme dIJuth in 1854 the
crops IN Northern Ohio were almost an entire
| failure, and it was decided by the four brothers
| that the two Youngest should take the teams
and entire stock, cattle and horses, and move
them to Southwestern Illinois to winter and TO
have them on carly in the spring Of 1885 -
/ This was done at very considerable expense,
4 and with some loss Of stock to John, Jr some
Of his best stock having been stolen on the
way.
The wintering Of tho animals was attended
with great expense and with no little suffering
to the two youngest brothers, one OF whom,
| Owen, being to some extent cripple from
childhood by an injury OF the right arm, and
| Frederick, though very stout man, was sub
icct to periodical sickness for many years, at
tended with insanity. 1t has been publicly
stated that he was idiotic-nothing could be
more false. He had subjected himself to a
most dreadful surgical operation but short
time before starting for Kansas, which had well
MIC h cost him his life; and was but just thro'
with his confinement when he started on his
Journey, pale and weak. They were obliged
to husk corn all winter out of doors in order TO
obtain fodder for their animals.
! Solomon Brown, very strong minor son
of the family, eighteen years Of age, was sent
forward early in 1855, to assist the two last
named and all three arrived in Kansas early
in the spring. During this slow journey with
their stock across the entire width Of Missouri
they heard much from her people of the stores
of wrath and vengeance which were then and
there gathering for the free state men and abO-
litionists gone or going to Kansas, and were
themselves often admonished in no very mild
language to stop before it Should be too late"
After describing the arrival in Kansas with but
little means, the elder Brown determined to
Join his children He had been somewhat ac-
customed to border lifo for over fifty years;
was on tue flontier throughout the entire war
with England aud had been for thrty-six
years practising surveyor. With the expo
sure, privaLions, hardships and wants Of pioneer
life he was f5misr, and thought he could
benefit his child zen and the new beginners from
the older parts Of the country, and help them
to SHIFT aud contrive in their now home. "a
portion of the manuscript was lost, ON whicl
7 began history ofthe beginning ofthe troubles
of the Brown family in Kansas. He went OF
to speak of the borJer-ruifiaus, and Of the cap
ture Of two of his sons, and the burning o.
their house I The two other brothers were
sick, one of them extremely sck-the Other
perfectly insane, while third was dreadully
wounded, (wound supposed to be mortaD, and
lying with the husband of his sister, the iithei
In the meantime hunted like wolf. Owing tC
the hostile attitude of the people Of Missouri
and their treatment of the free-state men, ant
, companies on the river, it was decided that tho
Younger sons Of Old Brown should make thei
. way overland through Missouri to Kansas, al
the way from Chicago"
The history was of considerable length, bu
, does notfurther possess special interest.