Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/671

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

in N cw Je rse y M r. Brown came to Pennsyl­ vania with his fam ily in 1795, first purchasing a large tract four miles east of the town o f .Mifflinville, in Columbia county. Finding this unsuitable for farm ing he sold it ana bought four hundred acres about one mile south of Mifflinville, in Mifflin township, what was later known as the Rosebud farm, for which he paid atout four tliousand dollars. There M r. Brown continued to reside until his death, which occurred Sept. 24, 18 19, and he w as one of the leading men of his section in his day. l i e built a grist and saw mill along what w as known as the Ten Mile run, and foUowed milling and farming. F o r many years he w as a justice o f (he ]>eace, being elected in 1808. and serving until his death. He was treasurer of the Nescopeck Bridge Com­ pany at Berw ick, P a., as is shown by a share o f stock, N o. 105, dated Aug. 6, >814, which came into the possession o f his great-grand­ son, Hiram H . Brown, o f Scott township, Columbia county. H is five children were all born to his first marriage, namely: Jam es, bom Sept. to, 17 7 3 (died Ju n e 4, J 8 2 0 ); Sam uel; M ary and Elizabeth, twins, bom March 30, 1782, the form er o f whom married Joseph Otto, and moved to M cKcan county, P a., where she died A pril 29, 1862, while Elizabeth married George Mess and settled in Benton township, Columbia county, where she died Oct. 2 1, 18 5 0; and Sarah, born A pril 13. 1787, w ife o f Henry Bowman (she lived and died in Mifflin township, Columbia county, passing aw ay Sept. 12, i860). T he early memtors of the Brown family in this region were Methodists, and were among (he principal founders of the early Methodist congregation at Mifflinville, the first Methodist Q iurch o f this district being erected on part o f John Brow n’s farm, he donating the land. Xfany o f his descendants arc as.soriatc(l with the same denomination. Samuel Brown, grandfather o f Benton B. Brown, was to m .April 2. 1778. in W arren county, N. J ., and came thence to Columbia county. P a., with the rest of the family. Upon his father’s death he inherited the homestead, his father’s holdings here toing divided among four of the children. H is was the tract 01 130 acres which has tocn in the fam ily for over one hundred years, toing still owned by the Browns. H e ’cultivated th.at place, and also engaged in grist and saw milling, n|icrating the mills his father erected until his death, which occurre<l when he w as in his prime, Ocl. 12. 1823. T o him and his w ife Dorathy (N ic e ), o f Philadelphia, a native o f Holland,

were torn nine children: John, to m Jan. 13, l8 o i, died Feb. 2 1, 18 5 5; M ary Margaret, to m March 13, 1803, tnarried Samuel Creasy, o f .Mifflin township; Sarah, to m A pril 19, 1805, m arried George A. Bow nun, o f Scon township, and died .Aug. 15, 18 56 : William S ., to m Feb. 15, 1807, died Sept. 16, 187O: Matthew, torn Ju n e 1 1, 1809, died Ju n e 25. 18 3 1 (he fam icd and lu d a powder mill in Mifflin tow n ship); Jam es, torn Oct. 18, 18 11, a boatman on the Schuylkill canal, died Jan. 5, 18 3 3; Elizatoth, bora .March $, 18 14, mar­ ried .-Mexander Thompson, of Berw ick, who died before h e r; George B., bora Sept. 13. t8 i6, dic<l at D anville; Elisha B. w as born M ay 13, 18 19, and died Sept. 23, 1885. The lurents are buried in (he Brown cemetery in Mifflin township. M rs. Brow n w as born in 1784, and died Feb. 23, 1847. She belonged to a fam ily o f Nices living near the Delaware W ater Gap. George B . Brow n, son o f Samuel, w as bom Sept. 13, 18 16, in Columbia county, and until he reached the age of fourteen years remained at home on the farm with his mother. D u r­ ing (hat time he attended one term o f three months at the public school in the home dis­ trict. H e then hired out to do farm w ork, be­ ing thus employed until seventeen years old, when he went to Mifflinville to clerk in a store. Before long, however, he came thence to Dan­ ville. in 1834, and for the next two years clerked in a dry goods Store near the canal. H e then purchased the store o f S. M. B ow ­ man & Co. and engaged in the general m er­ cantile business on hts own account, con* ducting same fo r three or four years, at the end o f which time he w as sold out b y the sheriff. H is failure, instead o f discouraging him, gave him something more to w o rk for. as he was determined to pay o ff his debts, which he did in full. H e tried vario u s un­ dertakings which seemed promising, an d at one time had nine different enterprises under way in Danville. In 1842 he put u p the Brown building and opened up the tem per­ ance hotel which he carried on fo r a few years, later adding a livery business w hich he conducted in connection. H e then studied dentistry and when prepared for practice opened an office, following the profession suc­ cessfully to the end of his life. A t the same time he continued to to one of the active busi­ ness men of the borough. In 1853 he became interested in the book store with which he was connected during the remainder of^ h is days, toin g associated with others in this venture until 1858, when he bought them out an d be­