Dr. J. W. Brown, Ouachita County, AR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOURCE: Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889. Contributed by Carol Smith. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ouachita County, Arkansas - from Goodspeed's History of Arkansas Dr. J. W. Brown, retired physician and a prosperous merchant, of Camden, Arkansas, was born in Lawrence County, South Carolina, May 12, 1835, being a son of William and Jane (Leake) Brown, both of whom were also born in the Palmetto State. After their marriage, which took place in South Carolina, they removed to Mississippi, in 1844 and from that State to Ouachita County, Arkansas, in 1858, and settled on a farm twenty miles west of Camden. Here the father died in 1861, and the mother in Camden, in November, 1888, aged eighty-eight years, being the oldest person in the county at the time of her death. The paternal grandparents were natives of Ireland, and at an early day emigrated to America and settled in Laurens District, South Carolina, where they spent the rest of their days. Dr. J. W. Brown is one of the two surviving members (the other members being Mrs. Dr. Leake of Texas), of ten children, and the most of his education was received in the State of Mississippi. At the age of nineteen years he began the study of medicine, and in 1855, entered the Medical College of Nashville, Tennessee and two years thereafter graduated at Augusta, Georgia. He came to Ouachita County, Arkansas, in 1858, and was engaged in private practice until the war broke out between the States, then enlisted in the Confederate service, and was in the medical department of the army until the final surrender. He then returned to Camden and abandoning his profession he embarked in mercantile pursuits which have received his attention ever since, his adventures along this line being attended with good results. He has always been found to be very public spirited and has given liberally of his means to worthy enterprises as well as assisting by his influence. He is one of the organizers and is now building the Camden & El Dorado Railroad, of which he is a vice-president, and is possessed of a fine property, being the owner of a large amount of real estate. He is one of the city alderman, is president of the Ouachita Valley Bank, president of the common school board, member of the board of trustees of Hendrick College, the board of trustees of Vanderbilt University, president of the Camden Cotton Compress Company and was a member of the board of trustees of the Arkansas Industrial University. Socially he is a member of the Masonic order, the Royal Arcanum and the K. of H. Too much can not be said in praise of Dr. Brown as a man and citizen, for he has identified himself with every worthy movement of the people, and has enjoyed the reputation of being not only a substantial and progressive man of business, but intelligent and strictly honorable and upright in his dealings with his fellow men. He was married in 1866 to Miss Annie E. Hatley, and by her is the father of five children: J. W., George W., Edward M., Marion H. and Annie Estelle. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and he has filled the position of steward and teacher of the Bible class for fifteen years. He was a delegate to the last annual conference held at Pine Bluff, and also a delegate tot he general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which convened at St. Louis in May, 1890.