Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-12-17
| STRANGE
Provisions of Will
Drawn by Relative of Old
John Brown.
Opposed to Display at
His Funeral.
He Wanted His Remains Re-.
duced to Ashes.
Dcspised the vanities Of the World
Had No Religious Faith.

Had No Religious Faith.
Joel Brown was a resident of Mt.
Healthy, man of considerable force
of character, but one who did not be-
lieve in the vanities of the world,
says the Enquirer. Hence it was that
his contempt for earthly pride and
show. But, despite his precautions,
the things which he despised and
sought to have avoided in the dis
posal Of his remains, that is, all evil
dence of ostentation, were not avoid
ed and there was ceremony at his fun
eral.
The will was written in 1885, when
| he was rs years old. He wrote:
me, Joel Brown, of Mt. Healthy,
Hamilton county; being as sound of
mind and body as man of rs can be
expected to be, having passed the Wig
or Of youth, the energy of manhood,
being on the incline, every day and
every hour nearing the end, when this
poor old body will be taken by the
forces of nature and returned to the
elements from which it was taken to
enter into new forms and new life
again, to suffer change from death
to life and from life to death to all
eternity, hence, as the day or the
hour is uncertain, though I know it
must be near, when this organization
must be disorganized, make haste
in justice to my family to make the
following will"
He then provided for the payment of
all his debts, and bequeathed his prop.
erty to his wife for life, and then to
his three heirs share alike. His son
and daughter were cautioned to look
after the interests of their mother,
and see that she was not imposed up
on by sharpers. Then he provided that
his body should be- wrapped in
winding sheet, without coat, vest or
pants, and put into box or any 9TH
er inexpensive receptacle that will be
convenient, and be conveyed either by
wagon or rail to the nearest crema-
tory and there burned to ashes by
fire, the ashes to be disposed Of as
my heirs may DESIRE"
If that could not be done then it was
provided the body was to be buried.
He then went on to say: "As have
ever been opposed to costly show at
funerals, got up to crafty the pride of
the living without benefiting the dead,
to indulge, to please and to humor
vulgar crowd and the more vulgar
mourners who pride themselves by
having their friends buried in style. If
burial becomes necessity then the
body is to be dressed as described, put
into plain coffin, without paint or
varnish, not even covered with cloth;
and If an undertaken is not willing to
bury my body in that plain manner at
cost not to exceed $25, then get
some carpenter to make a coffin and
bury me without the help of an under
taker."
He asked that he be buried in the
free burying ground near Burlington,
in which he owned an interest, and
near the grave of VIM. H. Perrine. He
also requested that there be no relig-
ious ceremony at his funeral.
But, as said, though Mr.. Brown de-
spised the vanities of the worlds the
man who had his will and knew its
contents, was away from home when
the testator died, and when he re-
turned he found there had been
regular church funeral, with all re-
ligious ceremony common to such oc-
casions in the country where a man
is known and respected as he was,