The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-12-11
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
IRENEUS BROWER.
Birth P2ace.-THa Boy.-Caneoal.-Ho'
He got on IN LVe.--As Equestrian.
Farmer--Fddler-We old
Boy-- Cabinet Maker.
OLD Settlers.

q pioneer in this state. Yet forty year.
residence where he Is, and having seen
whole generation come and 60, marks hi
home as prominent point in the line OF ou'
sketches. lie we'll illustrates the mixed
condition Of our popslation and the versa
tilry of pursuits incident to our people
His great grand father, born in Netherlands
may lie styled Dutchman His mother,
Webster, and niece Of Noah, the spelling
book man and Dictionary maker. represents
the Yankee, Pilgrim or Puritan. lreneut
himself. born in New York, in Montgomery
county, May %, 1916, had little time for
spelling books when school kept in winters
only, two and half miles away, with 81 ow
four feet deep on the roads. Six boys and
one girl had to be looked after in that home
I. was new and rough country, full OF
great trees and charcoal pits; watching the
fires seemed to relieve the mOnOtony of his
learning to play on the fdlle, by stealth,
of course, Ireueus, having due Difference to
the piou- scruples Of his mother who feared
that that not over sacrei instrument might
he put to profane use in the country dance'
and other worldly amusements Of like char
a,ier. a. might be expected, the musical
element got the start Of the religious, in the
boys mental and moral make up, aud the
"bOy WAS father to the man The children
Of our time that have costly pianos and
organs, and man traps Of all sorts--teachers
aud musical literature in supertluity, may
take note of the fact that in that day their
fathers had not loose change enough to buy
note book; and that music, as in the case of
this lad, was learned without teacher and
play at dances" 1t is not necessary to say
that in this particular matter human nature
took the common course and 'cut up with
the young folk.
AT the age of twelve years his family left
the Mohawk Valley for the far west, and
settled in northern Ohio--Cherry Valley
Ashtabula county. A thin soil covered with
timber did not materially enrich their
worldly estate. lrencus became cabinet
maker and took pay largely in any poor
stock the neighbors could not use, or as is
said, "iH calamities.' 1t was
hard case when young fellow had to make
collins to give creditable send off to the |
departed, on credit. In cabinet making q
man must have tools and little hardware,
and consequently, hard cash. Mother wit
and human nature helped out in this
matter. People would dance and pay the
fiddler Ireneus tildled, and business went
on. or when it paid better the fddling went
OH and business waited. In this branch of
high art he travelled with small shows pretty |
much through Ohio In an early day, an |
contributed to the worlds amusement and |
fun.loving and took "chonye' for the more
serious works Of life.
The wife, Mary A. Green, two ye,rs
younger than himself, looked well to the
ways of the household as Frances, Franklin,
Harry aud Flora were added to the estib.
lishment in general partnership.
1t was in lS4j when he took the purpose
10 90 west, for life on easier conditions, in a
better country Down the Ohio up the
Mississippi and the Illinois rivers, he looked
about and fixed on La Sale county as the
place for home brief interview with
ia lge Krum, at st. Louis, (the Mayor Of
Alton in time Of the Lovejoy riot, who, when
appealed to by citizens to preserve the peace
ia time of imminent peril, consulted the
common council and did not do ). Krum
spoke in high terms of the possibilities of
la Sale county, the terminus of the canal,
&c This gave direction, and the result
was a final settlement here with family in
1916.
1t was without experience that Mr. Brow
u began to learn farming when thirty
years old, having pre.empted from Uncle
Samuel those fair acres, the nearest to Otta
wa left in possession of the uncle aforesaid
lie had experience in that day in shan y
life in prairie breaking and shaking with
chill or being pcslcred with rowing stock
feeding on his winter wheat, roots aud all.
H. may not care to tell everybody how,
'with malice aforethought' he plunged out
Of doors Of night with very scanty night
clothes to stampede the herd with his
shoe makers awl at the end Of his ramrcd,
AM which to the best Of his knowledge and
belief, the steer that took it never brought
back, and that he became so disguised
with the trick that with jif he sprang on
Lig horse and dashed in among the cattle
'ss he was" ghost like. or as Milton says
Like "the great ilcestes, clothed in white"
yelling like forty thousand Indians, more or
less lie chased them hitler and yon, up
and down and across, sideways and straight
forward after he got them on wild run.
Oh! it was grand! When he had well scat
tered them and proceeded to go back to bed.
he was himself nOwheres lost, left out IN
the cold, with as slender knowledge of the
points Of compass, M his stock of clothing
xag small StauDch Uni yersaIist as he waa