The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-11-07

Springfield November 49, 1900
My Dear Cousin: During a vacation
i'll Belfast, Maine, in 1898, | visited the
old historic burying ground on the east
side of the bay, wherein lie buried the
remains OF John Brown, Senior, who
was born in Londonderry Ireland, in
/ 49,, and came to New Hampshire in
1740 He married Mary Gilmore of
Londonderry. \. H., in 177555, and in
I'LL removed to Belfast and became
one of the early proprietors there.
Their family consisted of nine chill
dlen eight daughters and one son, John
Brown, j., who married, first, Ruth
Stephenson, and, second Sally Crosby
Nesmlth of Bangor.
Previous to the removal of John
Brown, ST., and his family to Belfast,
he had served with distinction in the
French and Indian wars of the Colonies,
and wore the uniform of an officer in
the service of the King of England.
When war was declared by the colon
lists against the mother country, he
early espouSed the cause, and became
ton and safety He was also chair
man of the board of selectmen for
many years, and is represented in Will
iiamson'S history of Belfast as "a man
of great vigor, energy and honesty"
John Brown, Jr., also served on the
same committee, and they both render
ed valuable aid to the cause of liberty.
When the British men-of-war came
up the bay in 1873, and terrorized the
little colony, John Brown and two
others alone refused to take the oath of
allegiance to Great Britain, preferring
to sacrifice everything. Accordingly he
took his family IN tiat-DOats to Camden,
where they remained about Is months.
Where they had left comfortable homes,
fields of waving grain and large stocks
of cattle, they found ruin and wars
desolation ON their return.
With the characteristic energy of the
times they again cultivated their
farms, and once more the wilderness
blossomed like the rose.
OF John Brown, Seniors, eight daugh-
tiers, Jane married Tolford Durham,
and died at the age of 81. Elizabeth
married John Durham, and lived to be
49, Mary married EbeneZer Buck, and
lived to be ST. Ann married Henry
Black, and died at the age of 81. Re
becca married James Black, and died
Stephenson, and died at the age of SO.
L
died lat the early age of AZ. Hannah
married Joseph Houston, and lived to
be go.
John Brown, Jr., died at the age of
60, and his remains also rest by the side
of his father. His first wife ruth
Stephenson lies there also; but his sec
ond wife, Sally Crosby (and my grand
mother), lies in the pasture on the old
home on the hillside, overlooking the
bay She died martyr to the instincts
of humanity, having nursed a neighbor
with the smallpox, and died herself of
the dread disease, May 10, 1919.
John Brown, Seniors grandchildren
numbered ninety-n nine, and, as far as l
know, they have all passed over to the
great majority, and the hundreds of
great-grandchildren are now on the
home stretch; but, although his dust
has lain for nearly a century beneath
the sod which he first upturned, yet,
like another John Brown of more re-
cent memory, his soul is still marching
on. The good old strain of blood which
nerved the arm to fight the French and
Indians in colonial days; which hewed
the way through the unbroken forest to
plant home in the new colony; and
which struck with might and main for
liberty of the infant country, still