Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-27
HE IS DEAD.
Joseph Fl. Brown, One OF the Fathers OF
Fort Worth.
An announcement that viii Cast n Gloom
Over This City-A Brlef Biography.
The Circumstances.

Joseph Fl. Brown is dead.
He passed away at ST. Louis yesterday
morning.
The sad intelligence was received yes
terday afternoon by wire by Mr.. William
Brown of this city, brother of deceased
The intelligence while not entirely I'M
expected by those who knew of Mr..
Browns physical condition recently
comes with crushing suddenness, as does
news of all great calamities.
Mr.. Brown occupied II high niche in the
memory andssestimation of the people of
this city and of all the surrounding por-
ton of Texas. He was one of the
fathers of Fort Worth and for years oc-
cupied leading position in the COM
mercs of the northern part of Texas.
| His personal friends were all who ever
met him; his business friends were ell
| merchants and traders IN q hundred rich
counties surrounding this city.
| JOSEPH IL. Brown was born in Scot
| land, at Dundee, on November % ,
| 1912, and was therefore in his forty
eighth year at the time of his death
| He was the son of J William Brown, a
/ VI
| Brown, his wife. Mr.. Brown was edu-
Gated at Dundee. His brothers are
| George, William and james, all of Fort
| Worth, and his only sister, Mary, who
still resides in SCOTLAND.
Early in life Joseph Brown evinced an
inclination for mercantile pursuits, and
when q youth he clerked for his father.
AT the age of seventeen he came to
America to push his fortunes in a roun-
try which Afforded greater opportunity
for the exercise OF his abilities than over
crowded Scotland. In 1859 he found
himself in Chicago occupying the position
of clerk in the cigar and tobacco house
of James Duffy. He continued there
until 1868, VIII he went into business
with n. q. Tucker uuder the firm name
OF Tucker 4 Brown, which partnership
existed until 1865, when the senior part
ner died. and the business continued
under the style of J Fl. Brown & Co.
Mr.. J II. McChesney being the silent
partner. But in 1867, owing TO losses
through unfortunate and unavoidable
fluctuations of the tobacco market, they
closed out, paying every dollar OF in
debtedness and retaining the con lidence
and esteem of their business associates
Until 1873 MIR. Brown remained out of
active business, but in that year he
found himself IN Fort Worth, where be
began operations in small but vigorous
way. His capnal was not large. nor
at that time was the market eI-
tensive enough TO employ large
Investment. but Mr.. Brown pushed
out and extended his trade, gradually
widening the scope of the market until
he became a leading force in North
n;.,l a
IN not only building up q gigantic BUSH
ness for himself, but also in making of
Fort Worth the commercial center of
territory as large es an empire. To ao-
commodate his vast trade he was COM
PEELED to erect the mammoth and mag
nificent pile at the foot of Main street,
which shall for years remain a monu-
ment to his commercial greatness.
His success was due to his Indom table
energy and concentrativeness. His every
moment was devoted to the interests of
his business and of his city, for he was
man of unbounded spirit, aud to him
Fort Worth owes much of her present
financial greatness. But his labors were
too heavy for one man 10 bear, and the
long strain bad its effect.
1t is about year ago now that as the
result of i'll health induced by too great
application to business he was forced to
retire from active life and to go forth to
seek regeneration of his oyertaxed en-
ergies.
Since leaving Fort Worth he undertook
a trip to Europe, IN hope that change of
climate would have the desired effect
upon his health, but that journey was
too great for his strength aud had to be
abandoned. To Northern Michigan he
was taken but still with no favorable re-
suit. He was taken back to Kansas City
where he could be best cared for at tne
home of his wife's relatives, but he con-
tinued to sink, and recently, by the ad-
vice of ply sicians, be was carried to st.
Louis for treatment. Still he continued
to grow worse and yesterday morning he
died surrounded by his wife aud fumily
and ministered to by the most skillful
physicians that could be procured.
In ST. Louis on November rs. 1879,
Joseph II. Brown married Nellie M,
daughter of Mr.. w. H. Chick, wholesale
grocer of that city, and niece of MrH
Joseph Chick, bank president in KAN
sas City. During her husbands pro-
tracted physical prostration. Mrst Brown
has proved herself the faithful aud
loving wife. To her and TO the family
lne ey IN pdINy OF luis cOLulDuully goes
out. What the people of North Texas
feel as public calamity, is to them a
personal blow. They have numerous
sharers of her sorrow.
The remains are to be conveyed to
Kansas City for interment, the obse-
quies to occur on Tuesday morning. Yes
terday evening Rev. r. NJ. Tinnon of
Fort Worth, the clergyman whose ser
vices the deceased attended go often in
this city, received dispatch requesting
that he proceed to Kansas City to per-
form the funeral services, aud he did
not hesitate to comply. at the close of
his services last evening he announced
the death of Mr.. Brown and delivered q
brief but fervid suIogy ofsthe dead citi-
zen and the audience was much affected.
Mr.. Tinnou took the o 'clock~train last
night for Kansas CiEH1
subsesiH120f THE GAZETTE.