BROWN, Nimrod F.
Nimrod F. BROWN. This gentleman, who spent
his early manhood in active business, and mainly in agricultural
pursuits, is now living retired in Wenona. A man of great energy
and more than ordinary business capacity, his success in life
has been largely due to his own efforts, and the sound judgment
by which he has been enabled to make wise investments and take
good advantage of his resources.
His paternal grandfather, Samuel BROWN, was
a native of New Jersey, but
emigrated to
Pennsylvania
at a very early day, crossing the Alleghany mountains on foot
and settling in Fayette county, where he marked out the lines
for his farm with a tomahawk. There he located in the timber and
opened up a new farm, which he made his home until his death at
the ripe old age of seventy-eight years. His wife bore the
maiden name of Beulah TAYLOR.
In Fayette county, Pennsylvania, Charles
BROWN, the father of our subject, was born in 1800, was there
reared upon a farm and obtained a fairly good common school
education. On reaching man’s estate he was united in marriage
with Miss Maria FORSYTHE, a native of the same county, born
August 25, 1801, and a daughter of Jesse FORSYTHE who was of
Irish lineage. After their marriage they settled upon a part of
the old Brown homestead, but in the spring of 1842 emigrated to Illinois, and resided in Putnam county,
within one mile of Magnolia, for five years. They then removed
east of that village in La Salle
county, where they continued to make their home until 1853, at
which time they came to Wenona and here conducted the first
hotel in the village. The father remained in that business until
his death, which occurred in November , 1856. His wife passed
away in 1880, and they now sleep side by side in the Magnolia
cemetery. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church
in Pennsylvania, but after coming to this state
united with the Presbyterian church, of which she was ever
afterward a faithful member. On coming to Illinois the family
was in very limited circumstances, in fact the father had to
borrow fifteen dollars at Hennepin with which to complete the
journey, and at first rented a farm, but success crowned his
efforts and he became quite well-to-do, although he was never in
robust health.
The parental household included seven
children, who were reared in Illinois,
namely: Johnson, now residing in Wenona; Mrs. Jane JUDD,
deceased; Joseph, who died in 1847; Nimrod F., of this sketch;
Benjamin, living in Nebraska;
Mrs. Sarah VanALLEN, of Osage township, La Salle county,
Illinois, and Samuel, of
Chicago.
The birth of our subject occurred on the
old homestead farm in Fayette county,
Pennsylvania, September 11, 1831, in a log house,
and he was a lad of eleven years when brought by his parents to
Illinois. He attended the district
schools of Putnam and La Salle
counties and remained at home on the farm until he attained his
majority.
On the 6th of December, 1855, was
consummated the marriage of Mr. BROWN and Miss Matilda JUDD, a
daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (DARNELL) JUDD, and sister of
Benjamin JUDD, of Wenona, whose sketch is given elsewhere in
this volume. She was born upon her father’s farm in Evans
township, Marshall
county, October 30, 1837, there grew to womanhood and was
married. She attended the same school as her husband. Five
children were born to them, as follows: Alice and Fannie are now
deceased; Almeda is the wife of George CAHOON, of Wenona, and
they have one son, Guy; May is the wife of Chase WELLS, of Nokomis, Illinois, by whom
she has one son, Emil;
Benton
also lives in Nokomis. All of the children were given good
educational advantages, the son being a graduate of the Wenona
high school, and were well fitted for the responsible duties of
life.
After his marriage, Mr. BROWN located on
the north end of the Judd farm, where he erected a house and
there continued to live until 1864, when he purchased one
hundred and sixty acres of land in Osage township,
La Salle county. Although the land had been broken,
he had to fence the same, plant trees and erect the buildings.
The farm comprises one of the best quarter section in the
township, consisting of prairie land, and lies one and a half
miles east of Wenona. The place is all well tiled and three and
a half miles of hedge fence have been set out. Besides the
excellent dwelling, Mr. BROWN built the first octagonal barn in
the locality, at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars. He
devoted his time to general farming and stock raising, for
fifteen years making a specialty of draft Englishshire horses,
which usually took the premiums at the fairs where they were
exhibited. Since September, 1890, he has rented his farm and
makes his home in Wenona. He votes as his sentiments and beliefs
dictate with the democratic party, served as assessor and road
commissioner in Osage township and justly ranks among the most
highly respected and honored citizens of the community where he
has so long made his home.
Extracted April 2011 by Norma Hass from
The Biographical Record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois,
1896.
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