U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Brown, William G., Jr. (d. 1916) --------------------------------------------------------------------- A History of Preston County West Virginia Biographical Department, Supplied by J. R. Cole Kingwood, W. Va., The Journal Publishing Company, 1914 by H. S. Whetsell Pages 571-573 The Brown family was of Scotch ancestry, and when James First ascended the Throne of England, James Brown moved to Ireland to take charge as steward of the estates of Lord Montgomery, who had been given by the Crown large holdings of confiscated land in Ireland. The oldest son of each generation served Lord Montgomery in this capacity until about 1780, when James Brown, the father of William G. Brown, St., and the grandfather of the subject of the sketch, espoused the cause of Ireland and joined the Irish Secret Societies against England. His activity brought upon him the enmity of the English government, and a hundred pounds were placed upon his head whether captured dead or alive. For safety he fled to America in 1786, but before leaving Ireland he married Rachel Hawthorne, who subsequently joined him in Philadelphia. James Brown was later joined in this country by two brothers, John, who settled at St. Johns, Newfoundland, and Peter Brown, who settled near Ellicott City, Maryland, and two nephews, who later settled in Monongalia and Preston Counties. Rachel Hawthorne had three brothers residing in this country at that time, one in Philadelphia; one near Morgantown, Virginia; the third was a sea captain and commissioned as a privateer in the War of the Revolution. Robert Brown, the eldest son of James Brown, was born on the ocean during his mother's voyage to Philadelphia. After a short visit in Philadelphia, James Brown, and Rachel, his wife, and Robert, the little son, started westward, intending to locate somewhere in Ohio. Two horses were procured and on them they started on their journey through almost a trackless forest. The wife upon the horse she rode carried all the household and kitchen utensils, including bed and (bedding, and her greatest treasure, a small spinning wheel, for she had worked at the looms in Ireland and was an expert linen weaver. Upon the other horse her husband rode, carrying the baby in a poke strung around his neck, and in one hand his trusty rifle as a protection against the savages and a means of procuring game along the way, and in the other, his bridle rein. They followed the trail across the Susquehannah and up the Juniata, which led to old Fort Duquesne. In those days there were no bridges or ferries and all rivers encountered must be forded or swum, in this way they proceeded, to a point 25 or 30 miles east of Fort Pitt, where they were informed that the Indians had gathered in force around the Fort and were very hostile, so they diverted their course to the south by way of Old Fort Redstone near Uniontown, and from there to Morgantown. There the brother of Mrs. Brown, James Hawthorne, dissuaded them of their purpose of going to Ohio and told them of some good settlements across the mountains near what is now Kingwood, where land could be had at a reasonable price. In accordance with the advice of his brother-in-law, James Brown rode over to the settlement at Kingwood and bought a piece of land, which was located at and around the old Green Cabin, about one mile from Kingwood. where Green had been killed the fall before by the Indians, and without waiting further he moved into the Green Cabin and began preparations for raising a crop the following spring. His wife the next year superintended the clearing of a piece of ground for flax, which she prepared and spun into linen, and the following year her husband, bearing on horseback the precious product of her loom, went to the nearest market, which was at Hagerstown, Maryland, and disposed of his merchandise and brought back salt and wrought nails. These wrought nails were used in building a new cabin, where James Brown and his wife subsequently lived and died. Here they raised a family of seven children; Robert, grandfather of Senator Dolliver, who lived and died on the farm now owned by the Shaw boys near Kingwood; Thomas, who lived on the old homestead; John, who moved to Cincinnati at an early day; Joseph, who lived in the town of Kingwood; William G., Sr., who likewise lived in Kingwood; Jane, who married a gentleman by the name of Bowen and moved to Wisconsin, and Anna, who married Lucien Hagans and moved to Chicago. William G. Brown, Sr., was born in a cabin, which stood on the site of the Parks home near the town of Kingwood, where the family had come to spend the winter in order that the children might have the advantages of schooling which the little hamlet of Kingwood then afforded, and died and is buried within sight of the place of his birth. His first wife was Julia Byrne, daughter of Samuel Byrne. He subsequently married Margaret Gay, of Morgantown. To this union was born one child. William G. Brown, Jr. William G. Brown, Jr., the subject of this sketch, was educated in the common schools of West Virginia and in the University at Morgantown, from which school he graduated in 1877, receiving the degree of A. B. He was admitted to the bar and engaged in the practice of law. In 1883 he was married to Miss Jessie Thomas, of Tyrone, Pa., who died in 1886. To this union was born one child, Jessie Thomas Brown, who at present is living with her father. In 1902 he married Miss Flora B. Martin, of Kingwood, who died in 1912. Besides his professional and banking interests, Mr. Brown has taken an active interest in agriculture. He loves the farm and devotes much of this time to it. He has studied improved methods of farming and is not only successful in the growing of cereals but is an ardent advocate of the improved breeds of live stock. He is no idle agricultural theorist but practices what he preaches on his farm. He has always taken an active part in both state and national politics, and in 1896 was nominated by his party for Congress and made a losing fight in that memorable campaign in which Wm. Jennings Bryan ran for President. He was elected to the 62d Congress and re-elected to the 63d Congress. Among the important laws passed by Congress with which he was closely identified he points with pride to his connection with the new Banking and Currency law and the recent law regulating the pensions of the soldiers who fought in defense of the Union. He and his daughter, Miss Jessie, are at the present time making their home in Washington, where he is attendance upon his official duties. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Register of Deaths, Preston County, WV (Page 39, Line FULL-NAME: Wm. Gay Brown DEATH-DATE: March 9, 1916 at age 59y-11m-2d DEATH-PLACE: Washington, D.C. MARITAL-STATUS: Married OCCUPATION: Congressman FATHER: Wm. G. Brown, Sr. MOTHER: Margaret P. Brown CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Complications INFORMANT: Bruce Spindler --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Preston County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/preston/bios.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------