Benjamin Charles Brown (1876 - 1948)

Born 26 May 1876 in Richland Township, Holmes, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Harriet Ella Richardson — married 3 Sep 1918 in Mount Vernon, Knox, Ohio, United States

Descendants

Died 11 Aug 1948 at age 72 in Mount Vernon, Knox, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: JEKyll Brown [send private message]

Biography

SOURCE BENJAMIN CHARLES "BEN" BROWN was born 26-MAY-1876 in Holmes Co., OH, and died 11-AUG-1948 at 5:40 P.M. at Mercy Hospital, Mt Vernon, OH, of a cerebral hemorrhage due to arterio sclerosis and is buried in the Ebenezer Cemetery, Mt Vernon, Knox Co., OH. Prior to his death, he was living at 114-1/2 South Main Street, Mt Vernon, OH. His death certificate shows that he was born 26-MAY-1880. For some reason, he was never able to locate his birth record. He had contacted the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C. for some proof of his birth. On 3-MAY-1939, they furnished him with a copy of the personal information taken from the 1880 Federal Census records showing that he was 3 years old in the 1880 Census. He carried this paper with him as proof of his birth and claimed that he was born in 1880. On 13-MAR-1980, his birth record was located at the Probate Court in Millersburg, Holmes County, OH. This Certified Copy of Birth Record indicates that he was born MAY 1876. Therefore, he was really four years older than he thought and he was 72 years 2 months and 15 days old when he died in 1945.

Besides having a bad heart, Ben suffered with an ingrown toenail which became infected with gangrene. First, they removed his toe, but the gangrene continue to spread, and his leg was ultimately amputated.

Benjamin Charles was married twice and had two daughters (BLANCHE BROWN and MATTIE BROWN) by his first wife. His second wife was HARRIET RICHARDSON who was born 21-NOV-1890 and died 29-DEC-1975 at the Alamo Nursing Home in Alamo Township, Kalamazoo Co., MI. At the time of her death, she was married to Stanley Holliday of Rt #2, Vicksburg, MI. She is buried in the Mountain Home Cemetery, Otsego, Allegan Co., MI. She died of CVA, cerebral arterial sclerosis and malnutrition. She and Ben had one son, RUSSELL CHARLES BROWN. At the time of Russell's birth, she had given birth to ten other children, 6 were living at that time. She packed up and left Ben and Russell when Russell was only three years old. Ben was 52 years old when Russell was born; therefore, many of Russell's early years were spent in the Children's Home at Mt Vernon, OH, because Ben was unable to care for him properly. Benjamin Charles Brown was born in Holmes County, OH, and lived in Mt Vernon, Knox Co., OH, for most of his adult life. He was an iron worker at the Mt Vernon Bridge Works, Mt Vernon, OH. His only son, Russell, recalled that Ben was a "bootlegger" during Prohibition and that Ben was a very harsh disciplinarian. Ben told the story many times of how his own mother, Jane Easterday Brown, had smacked him with the cookstove shovel for swearing when he was a youngster.

At the time of the 1920 Federal Census, BEN (age 42) and HARRIET (age 29) were living in Clinton Twp, Mt Vernon City, Knox Co., OH, at 309 N. Norton Street, and his two daughters, BLANCH M. (age 13) and MATTIE BELL (age 11), were living with them, as well as FLOYD PERRIN, (age 8), one of HARRIET's sons from her first marriage. Russell was 7 months old at the time of the Census -- just a babe in arms.

Sources

Birth Record WWII Registration Death Record