My Genealogy Hound

JAMES LEANDER BROWN, the popular proprietor of the Fifth Street Livery Stable, is perhaps one of Sedalia’ s best known and most enterprising citizens. His stables are well supplied with everything needful to carry on his business, and he receives a liberal patronage in the town where he is so highly esteemed. He is a native of Indiana, his birth occurring near Kokomo, in Howard County, June 11, 1854.

Our subject’s grandfather was a native of New York State, but emigrated to Indiana in a very early day, locating in Howard County. There James Brown, our subject’s father, was born, and there he remained until after attaining his majority, being reared to the life of an agriculturist. He was married in Indiana to Phoebe Odell, who was also a native of the Hoosier State, and whose home was near Logansport. She was next to the eldest in a family of nine children.

Two years after the birth of our subject, in 1856, his father decided to make a change in his location, and removed to Minnesota, settling near where Plainview now stands, and again engaged in agricultural pursuits. He became one of the early settlers of that state, and hauled the first load of lumber from Winona to the present site of Plainview. He continued to cultivate and improve his section of land until 1865, when he decided to come to this state, and, buying a farm in Dresden Township, near Sedalia, removed his family to that place, and continued to reside there until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-six years of age. He was an active member of the Christian Church, and politically was a stanch defender of the principles of the Republican party, for whose candidates he ever cast his vote.

J. L. Brown was eleven years of age at the time of the family’s removal from Minnesota to this state, and was the recipient of a common-school education in the district schools. To this foundation he later added greatly by reading and observation, and is a man well informed on topics of current interest. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-one years of age, at which time he left home, and, going to Council Grove, Morris County, Kan., in 1875, took up a homestead claim of eighty acres. This he continued to improve for two years, when he disposed of the property and returned to Pettis County.

In the year 1881 occurred the marriage of our subject and Miss Ella Arnold, a native of this county. To this union have been born three sons: Emmett, Edmond and Eugene. In 1893 the family were sadly bereaved by the death of the devoted wife and mother. She was a loving parent, an affectionate wife and a kind neighbor, and in her death the entire neighborhood felt that they had sustained a severe loss.

After our subject’s return from Kansas, he engaged in farming in Dresden and Prairie Townships until 1889, when he came to Sedalia and bought out the livery business of Murphy & Reese. In this business he has been engaged ever since, and it has proven to be a very profitable investment. The building has a frontage of one hundred and nine feet, is one hundred and twenty feet deep, and contains thirty-five stalls. Politically our subject is a member of the Democratic party, and socially is affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen.