Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/422

394 BROWN, Alexander, b. in Ballymena, county Antrim, Ireland, 17 Nov., 1764; d. in Baltimore, Md., 6 April, 1834. He came to the United States in 1800, settling as a general merchant in Baltimore, and subsequently associated his four sons with him under the firm-name of Alexander Brown & Sons.—His eldest son, William, b. in Ballymena, 30 May, 1784 ; d. in Liverpool, England, 3 March, 1864, accompanied the family to Baltimore in 1800, received his commercial education in his father's counting-room, and early in life became a member of the firm. In 1809 he returned to England and established a branch house in Liverpool, where he extended the business, which gradually became general, and ultimately developed into the transmission of money on public account between the two hemispheres. The firm became known later as Brown, Shipley & Co. Mr. Brown was prominent in public affairs, and represented South Lancashire in parliament from 1840 till 1859. He erected the free public library and Derby museum in Liverpool at a cost of £40,000, and in 1863 was created a baronet.—The second son, George, b. in Ballymena, 17 April, 1787; d. in Baltimore, Md., 26 Aug., 1859, continued his residence in Baltimore, and later succeeded to the head of that branch of the business which was carried on under the old firm-name of Alexander Brown & Sons. Having amassed a large fortune, he withdrew from active connection with the firm in 1838.—The third son, John Alexander, b. in Ballymena, 21 May, 1788; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 31 Dec, 1872, was educated in Baltimore, and became associated in business with his brother. In 1818 a branch house was opened in Philadelphia, which John A. Brown managed until 1838, when he gave up his active interest in the firm. He attained a leading position in the business community, and was elected a director of the old U. S. bank under the presidency of Nicholas Biddle. He acquired a large fortune, and gave more than $500,000 to benevolent objects. The Presbyterian hospital of Philadelphia received a donation of $300,000.—The fourth son. James, b. in Ballvmena, 4 Feb., 1791; d. in New York city, 1 Nov., 1877, established the New York branch of the banking-house in 1825. Later he became the head of the great banking firm of Brown Brothers & Co., and was the American representative of the Liverpool house. Like his brother John, he contributed large sums to various charities connected with the Presbyterian church.

BROWN, Andrew, soldier, b. in the north of Ireland, about 1744 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 4 Feb., 1797. He was educated at Trinity college, Dublin, and came to America in 1773 as an oflicer in the British army, but left that service and settled in Massachusetts. He fought on the patriot side at Lexington and Bunker Hill, was made general mustering officer in 1777, and served under Gates and Greene, with the rank of major. After the peace he established an academy for young ladies, first at Lancaster, Pa., and afterward at Philadelphia. He relinquished this occupation, for which his irritable temper unfitted him, and, in October, 1788, established the "Federal Gazette," the title of which was changed, in 1793, to the "Philadelphia Gazette." This was the main channel through which the friends of the federal constitution addressed the public, and it was the first journal to publish regular reports of the debates in congress. He achieved financial success after many discouragements, through remaining at his post and publishing his paper during the yellow-fever epidemic of 1793, when the contemporary journals were suspended. His death was caused by injuries received while fruitlessly endeavoring to save his wife and children from a fire that destroyed his establishment on the night of 27 Jan., 1797.—His son, Andrew, b. in 1774, carried on the "Gazette " until 1802, but, taking the English side in politics, became unpopular, and went to England, where he died. 7 Dec, 1847.

BROWN, Antoinette L. See.

BROWN, Bartholomew, musical composer, b. in Sterling, Mass., 8 Sept., 1772; d. in Boston, 14 April, 1854. He was graduated at Harvard in 1799, studied law, and established himself in practice in the neighboring towns of Sterling and East Bridgewater. He was one of the most accomplished musicians of his day, and was for twenty years associated with Nahum Mitchell in the editorship of "Templi Carmina," better known as the "Bridgewater Collection of Sacred Music" (Bridgewater, 1812). This collection, though received at first with caution by the churches, soon made its way into general favor. It contains many of Mr. Brown's musical compositions. He wrote the calendars in the "American Farmer's Almanac" for nearly sixty years.

BROWN, Bedford, senator, b. in Caswell co., N. C, in 1795; d. there. 6 Dec, 1870. He was a member of the house of commons of North Carolina in 1815-'7, and in 1823, and of the senate in 1828-'9. On the resignation of John Branch he was elected as a democrat to the U. S. senate, and re-elected for a full term in 1835, serving from 28 Dec, 1829, till 1840, when he resigned because he was unwilling to follow the instructions of the state assembly. In 1842 he was again elected to the state senate, and was a candidate for U. S. senator, but was defeated by W. H. Haywood, Jr., and retired from public life. He removed to Missouri, but returned to his home in Caswell co.

BROWN, Buckminster, surgeon, b. in Boston, Mass., 13 July, 1819. His father and grandfather were physicians, as was also his mother's father, who was the first professor of surgery at Harvard. Dr. Brown was graduated at Harvard medical school in 1844, and, after extended travels and suplementary studies abroad under Drs. Little, of London, Guerin and Bouvier, of Paris, and Prof. Strohmeyer, of Germany, returned to Boston. Devoting himself to orthopaedic surgery, he has attained experience and skill that places him among, the foremost living specialists in that line. One of his most noteworthy cases was double congenital displacement of the hips in a girl four years old. No cotyloid cavities existed, but, after two years of treatment, cavities were formed, and the child's walk and bearing became normal. He has operated successfully upon diseased and angular hips, spinal deformities, and kindred malformations. In 1856 he married Sarah A. Newcomb, great-granddaughter of Gen. Warren, of revolutionary fame. He is a member of the Boston medical association, of the Massachusetts medical society, and of the Suffolk district medical society. For many years he was surgeon of the house of the good Samaritan. He is the author of many technical treatises, including a full account of the instance of the double-hip displacement referred to above. In 1856 he published, in the "North American Review," a paper on "The Poetry of Anatomy," and he has contributed largely to medical and surgical journals.

BROWN, Chad or Chadd, elder in the Baptist church. The dates of his birth and death have not been definitely ascertained. He died, probably, in 1665; but the colonial records were largely