Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Brown, Elias 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com November 10, 2007, 11:01 am

Author: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County

ELIAS BROWN, supervisor of Jackson Township, and a prosperous farmer and 
cattlefeeder, was born in this township November 12, 1851, a son of Ara Broad 
well and Martha (Hougham) Brown. He was one of thirteen children, six of whom 
survive, namely: Sarah B., wife of George W. Sharp, a farmer in Indiana; 
Elias; N. Jane, of Joliet; Mary B., who married D. F. Higgins, an attorney of 
Joliet; Frank, who resides on the old homestead in this county; and Martha M., 
of Joliet. The father was born near Syracuse, N. Y., February 19, 1820, a son 
of Peter and Mary (Teeple) Brown, and descended from Scotch forefathers. The 
Teeple family was founded in America during the Revolutionary war by two 
brothers from Holland, one of whom espoused the American cause, while the 
other fought with the British. After reaching manhood Grandfather Brown moved 
from New Jersey to York state, where he followed farming and the carpenter's 
trade. In 1834 he removed with his family to Illinois and settled in Will 
County. He built a cabin on what is now the Boylan homestead, on the Chicago 
street road. In 1837, one-half mile south of his cabin, he built what was at 
that time the largest farmhouse in the county, and in that home he died March 
7, 1841. At the time of coming to Illinois Ara Broadwell Brown was fourteen 
years of age. He received only a limited education. He was twenty-one when his 
father died and afterward he assisted in settling up the estate, then settled 
down to farm life, cultivating two hundred and sixty acres and an eighty-acre 
tract, which was his share of the estate. The homestead being his portion of 
the estate, he remained there up to the time of his death, which occurred 
September 8, 1865. He was successful in the stock business and in farming, and 
at the time of his death owned seven hundred acres of as fine land as the 
county contained. He was an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, but in 
no sense of the word an office-seeker, always refusing the numerous offices 
which were tendered him. The mother of our subject was born in Hamilton 
County, Ohio, April 6, 1824, and descended from an Englishman, who, early in 
the seventeenth century, settled in Maryland, having been sent to America by 
the Church of England as a missionary to the Indians. Her father was a farmer 
and an active member of the Baptist Church. After having received his 
education in common schools and the Jennings Seminary, of Aurora, Elias Brown 
took upon himself the active duties of life and began farming in his native 
county. February 27,1878, he married Miss M. Alpharetta Mapps, who was born in 
Jackson Township, a daughter of Thomas A. and Mary A. (Hemphill) Mapps. Her 
father, a native of Shippensburg, Cumberland County, Pa., born December 27, 
1828, removed with his parents to Ohio in boyhood and there learned the 
cooper's trade. When a young man he came to Illinois and settled in Will 
County, where he married and continued to reside until the time of his death. 
Since his marriage Mr. Brown has resided on his present farm. While he follows 
general farming, he has made a special feature of the cattle business and has 
met with success in this industry. In 1883 he was chosen by his party (the 
Democratic) as a candidate for supervisor and was elected. At that time the 
term of office was only one year. He was elected for five successive terms. In 
November, 1890, he was elected to succeed Henry Spangler, who resigned as 
supervisor to accept the office of county treasurer. Since then he has been 
returned to the office at the end of each term, and has served, with the 
exception of two years, for the past seventeen years. Fraternally he is a 
member of Jackson Camp No. 3318, M. W. A. He and his wife are the parents of 
four children, namely: Ara B., born May 9, 1881; Elias A., September 29, 1883; 
Jarvis J., April 17, 1888; and Paul, June 24, 1891.

Additional Comments:
Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois Containing 
Biographies of Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present, Biographical 
Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900

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