Brown, Joseph bio

History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 751, Kerton Township
Joseph Brown, farmer, now deceased, was born in Pleasant tp., this county, May 1, 1843. His father was Charles Brown, a native of Butler Co., O., born in Cincinnati in 1810, who married Jane E. Van Garden, of New Jersey, and had 14 children, 10 of whom survive. In 1841 Charles Brown moved with his family to Isabel tp. near where Havana now is. He was the first to introduce fine live stock, the first to bring in the Poland China hog. His beginnings were slow, but he finally got over 500 acres of land. He died Dec. 21, 1878. The old lady still survives, living in Isabel tp. Joseph grew to manhood, obtaining a good common-school education, and being a hard worker he has become well off. Sept. 3, 1866, he married Mary, daughter of the late Daniel Severns, and since has had 4 children. One is deaf and dumb. He was sent to the institute at Jacksonville, and on starting home he got upon the wrong train, got bewildered, and traveled about one way and another till he reached Denver, Col. Meanwhile the press and telegraph were busy advertising for the lost boy, and at this point succeeded in finding him, when he was brought home to his rejoicing parents. The home is on sec. 10, and the P. O. is Marbletown.