Contra Costa County CA Archives Biographies.....Brown, Lawrence M. 1834 - 1877 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 31, 2006, 2:25 am Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891) Lawrence M. Brown, deceased, formerly a resident of Contra Costa County, was born in Greene County, Illinois, January 13, 1834, being the youngest son of Elam Brown, and was only ten years of age when he was brought across the plains by his father, his mother having died in Illinois. They located in the San Antonio redwoods in Contra Costa County. Lawrence remained with his father until he was about twenty-two years of age, when he was married and took charge of his father's flour mill at La Fayette; the town was then called Brown's Mills. In 1861 Mr. Lawrence M. Brown opened a general merchandise store and hotel in La Fayette. When R. B. Hard was elected sheriff in 1867, Mr. Brown was appointed under-sheriff and moved to Martinez in December, 1867, taking charge of the office, which he conducted two years. At the expiration of Mr. Hard's term of office, Mr. Brown was a candidate for Sheriff, on the Democratic ticket, while his brother, Warren Brown, was a candidate for the same office, on the Republican ticket, and was elected. The subject of this sketch then entered law practice with his brother, Judge Thomas A. Brown, and continued in that relation until his death, August 10, 1877. He had been admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of California in 1868. He was a strong Democrat, an active politician, was a candidate for office several times, but was defeated on account of the strong Republican majority of the county. He was generally known as "Doc. Brown," which title was given him, although not a physician, on the following occasion: In early days, while living at La Fayette, he was called upon to dress the wounded hand of a man, as there was no physician convenient; so that in after years when he was asked who dressed the hand he would humorously reply, "Why, Doc. Brown." January 1, 1855, Mr. Brown married Miss Mary E. Yager, a native of Missouri, and they had two children: Eugene Elam and Cornelius Yager. The former is a practicing physician in Selma, Fresno County, and the latter is an attorney in Martinez. Mr. Lawrence Brown was a member of the Odd Fellows order for a number of years. Lawrence M. Brown was beloved by all who knew him or ever came in contact with him, a man of sterling integrity, of a most amiable disposition, kind and affable; and during a long and intimate acquaintance with him a friend never heard him spoken of or his name mentioned but as a model man. Additional Comments: Extracted from Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California. Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of Prominent Citizens of To-day. "A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents." – Macauley. CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1891. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/brown619nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb