My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in The History of Franklin County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1886.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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STEPHEN W. BROWN, a noted mill-wright of this county, was born in McMinn County, Tenn., in 1825. Of the family of nine children born to his parents, James and Anna (Kelley) Brown, eight are still living. The father was born in Virginia in 1780, but came to East Tennessee when a child, where he met and married the mother. They followed the tanning trade and farming all their lives. The father died July 4, 1876, the mother in 1877-78. Our subject remained with his parents until his majority, then spent seven years in the Cherokee Nation, after which he moved to Franklin County, Tenn., where he has since resided, following farming in connection with his trade. August 24, 1848, he married Mary A. L. Patton, a native of Coffee County, Tenn. To this union six children have been born, all still living. Mr. Brown, with his family, are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, he being an ordained minister in the Jackson Presbyterian. Mr. Brown has recently constructed and fitted up one of the very best flour-mills in the county. It is located on Bean Creek, two and a half miles north of Huntland, near his residence, and was begun on President Cleveland’s inauguration day. The water wheel for this mill is constructed upon an entirely new principle, and was designed and built by Mr. Brown, its chief superiority over the old wheel being the simplicity of the gear, thereby considerably economizing power.

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This family biography is one of 83 biographies included in The History of Franklin County, Tennessee published in 1886.  The History of Franklin County was included within The History of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin & Moore Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Giles, Lincoln, Franklin , Moore Counties of Tennessee

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