Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-20
THE BROWN HOUSE.
Something of b. Gratz Rrown-The
Family Notwithstanding Of Hts
Early Life,

Family ManstOn-SOmething of HIS
EARLY Life.
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Commercial.
FRANKFORT, KY, July 3d. had the
pleasure yesterday of calling upon Gov.
Brown here in company with one of his
old friends, and he told me something of
the history of the house. 1t was built by
his grandfather, John Brown, on plan
made for him by Thomas Jefferson, who
was an intimate friend Of the former while
in the United States Senate. The house
was begun about the year 1900, consequent
IL it has the good old age of three score
and ten. The brick were made a few yards
away upon the place. twas, | believe, the
first brick house built in Frankfort, Git is
now the Oldest house standing in the
city,) and was doubtless the first of
its liberal proportions in the State.
It is strikingly suggestive of the great
change seventy years have made, to know
that every nail used in the building of this
house, every lock and key-all its struc-
tured hardware-Were brought for its sole
pack-mules. "ID building this house." Gov.
Brown said, ''my grandfather dropped an
anchor for the family"
u6 bbOIlCo Vi ILLS uDO OiN dIo
both about fourteen feet high. There is a
wide central hall opening on either side
into rooms perhaps twenty feet square,
the apartments above stairs being of
similar size, understood. In the
parlor are several family pOrtraits-one
of John and one of James Brown, Gov.
Browns grandfather and grand uncle,
the latter of whom was Secretary to Gov
ernor Shelby, in 1892, bus afterward emf
grated to louisiana, aided Livingston in
completing the Louisiana code, became Sec
rotary of Louisiana Territory, represented
the State of Louisiana as Senator for
twelve years, and was Minister to France.
There is also portrait of another grand
uncle of Gov. Brown-Dr. Samuel Brown,
q surgeon, celebrated in his day,
and Professor of Medicine in Transylva-
MIA University. These three portraits were
painted by an artist of some distinction,
forty or fifty years ago, named Jewett.
These are regarded as unusually fine family
pictures. Another portrait painted twenty
odd years ago, represents Judge Mason
Brown, father of the Governor, and still
another represents Gratz himself in bis
youth--a delicate, mild-looking, yellow
haired young man of eighteen or twenty.
1t was never considered coed, believe.
The house breathes an air of comfort
and refined associations. Behind it is an
extension that suggests ''the good old
timesn (and there is no doubt that they
were good, in their way) of slavery and
slave house service. For all of the older
Browns were slave owner5-as a matter of
course, one may say.
But they were emancipationists.
SHOW did the emancipationists differ
from the abclitionists?" | asked the Gov
ernor; 'the emancipationists believed in
freedom, too"
"Oh, " he answered pleasantly, sthey held
slaves, and talked about it."
But the Governors grandfather, at or be-
fore his death, manumitted his slaves, was
told, freeing with annuities the older ones,
and providing for the freedom of the young
er ones on their coming of age. His father,
however, although having an emsn-