John A Brown (1800 - 1859)

John Brown was born May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut, United States. He was a son of Owen Brown and Ruth Mills.

On June 21, 1820, Brown married Dianthe Lusk in Portage, Ohio, United States.^[1] Together they had seven children: John Jr., Jason, Owen, Frederick, Ruth, Frederick and an infant son

In 1826, John and his wife moved their family to Crawford County in northwestern Pennsylvania. John continued his tannery business and was postmaster of New Richmond 1828 -1835. John also opened a school for his and the neighboring children. His wife Dianthe died 1832 following the birth of her seventh child.

On June 14, 1833, Brown married Mary Ann Day. Together they had 13 children: Sarah, Watson Hirem, Salmon, Charles, Oliver, Peter, Austin, Anne D., Amelia, Sarah, infant Ellen, and Ellen.^[2]

Abolitionist Beliefs and Actions

After the 1837 murder of anti-slavery newspaper publisher Elijah Lovejoy by a pro-slavery mob, John Brown declared his intent on overthrowing the institution of slavery. He strongly believed that the only effective way to accomplish this was through armed liberation.^[3][4]

Following five of his sons, John Brown relocated to Kansas to help protect against the militant pro-slavery forces there.^[4] In 1855, he led a fighting force to the township of Lawrence to ward off a pro-slavery invasion. In 1856, he led a retribution for the sacking of Lawrence, an act that was later termed the Pottawatomie Massacre. He and his party of men dragged five pro-slavery supporters out of their cabins and hacked them to death.

In the aftermath, termed "Bleeding Kansas", his son Frederick, who had been part of the Pottawatomie party, was killed. Two of his other sons who later discovered his part had psychological breakdowns due to his actions.^[3] John Jr. and Jason were captured by Capt. Henry Pate and the Missourians he led. They destroyed the Brown family homestead.^[4] John Brown and 9 followers defended Palmyra, a free-state settlement, against another attack by Pate. Pate was forced to sign a treaty securing his and his men's release in return for the promise of return of John's two sons. Brown relinquished his prisoners to Col. Edwin Sumner but his sons were not released until September.^[4]

His actions, though defeated, at Osawatomie brought him national attention and earned him the nickname Osawatomie Brown.

In 1858, John left Kansas to raise funds and support for his actions. On October 16th 1859, he led 18 men to take Harpers Ferry, Virginia^[5] and begin the liberation of slaves in the south. He had hoped to begin there and add to his numbers from slaves freed along the way until the viability of slavery, as an institution, was debilitated. Although initially successful, he and his men were later captured. Ten of his men were killed during the raid. Five, including John Brown, were hanged following the raid. Two were hanged in 1860 and two later died in the US Civil War; three survived.

John Brown died December 2, 1859 in Charleston, Kanawha, Virginia, United States.^[6] He was buried at the John Brown Farm Grounds in North Elba, Essex County, New York, United States.^[7]

Remembrances

^[3]Harriet Tubman described him as being the only white person that she had ever met who actually thought that slavery was a life or death issue that really needed to be treated that way.

^[3]Malcolm X said of him If you meet a white person who says they are in favor of black power - find out what they think of John Brown.

^[8]Eugene Fitsch Ware (alias Ironquill) in his poem entitled "John Brown" said,

"John Brown of Kansas

He dared begin;

He lost

But, Losing, Won"

Sources

1. ↑ Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013, John Brown and Diantha Lusk, 21 Jun 1820; citing Marriage, Portage, Ohio, United States, 289, Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus.
2. ↑ United States Census, 1850, John Brown, North Elba, Essex, New York, United States; citing family 2642.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Wilson, Tracy V. and Holly Frey. "John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry." Stuff You MIssed in History Class (Podcast). 12 Sept 2016. How Stuff Works.com (Web). 10 Nov 2016
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Wikipedia: John Brown, accessed 10 Nov 2016
5. ↑ https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/john-browns-harpers-ferry-raid
6. ↑ Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950, John Brown, 1859.
7. ↑ Find A Grave, memorial page for John Brown (9 May 1800–2 Dec 1859), Find a Grave Memorial no. 137, citing John Brown Farm Grounds, North Elba, Essex County, New York, USA.
8. ↑ Ware, Eugene F. "Some of the Rhymes of Ironquill". Topeka, Kansan, Crane and Company. [1896.http://www.kancoll.org/books/ironquill/ir_jbrown.htm.]

• John Brown on Wikipedia
• Wikidata: Item Q189366
• Photograph: http://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?pid=&item_id=155
• The Trial of John Brown
• John Brown Birthplace
• Radical Abolitionist
• 'John Brown Birthplace
• Hiking John Brown's Birthplace
• http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/ct_jb.htm

See also:

• John Brown History at Hudson Library
• Brief Biography of John Brown by Hudson Library & Historical Society
• Hudson Library & Historical Society reading list about John Brown
• JOHN BROWN'S TEN YEARS IN NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
• Pape, William Jamieson. History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut (S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Naugatuck River Valley, Connecticut, 1918) Vol. 1, Page 389
• https://www.kancoll.org/articles/browns.htm
• https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Brown
• http://www.wvculture.org/history/jbexhibit/lovejoybrownextract.html
• https://www.nps.gov/articles/john-browns-raid.htm
• Family Bible
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137/john-brown
• American Experience, history of the song John Brown's Body

• book "Kansas A Cyclopedia of State History Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. vol 1" Frank W Blackmar, 1912. Page 17, first paragraph, line 17 mentions a John Brown at Black Jack. Internet Archive link: https://archive.org/details/kansascyclopedia01blac/page/17/mode/1up?q=John+Brown

• book "John Brown and his Men with some Account of the Roads they Traveled to Reach Harper's Ferry" by Richard J Hinton, 1894. Internet Archive link: https://archive.org/details/john-brown-and-his-men-1894/page/n6/mode/1up