JOHN BROWN Biography / Allegan County, Michigan 
 
MIGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be 
reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or 
persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the 
written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, 
and contact the listed MIGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The 
submitter has given permission to the MIGenWeb Archives to store the file 
permanently for free access.  
 
******************************************************** 
File contributed for use by MIGenWeb Archives, Allegan Co. 
by Janet Wilkinson Schwartz (wilkinschw@aol.com) 
February 2003 
******************************************************** 
 
Portrait and Biographical Record of Kalamazoo, Allegan and Van Buren 
Counties, Michigan.  Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892. 
 
JOHN BROWN.  This enterprising resident of Monterey Township, Allegan 
County, resides on his beautiful farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on sections 
3 and 4.  His estate has been brought to a high degree of cultivation by his 
persistent industry and good judgement.  It is improved with a good brick 
residence, and bears all the needful farm buildings for the shelter of stock and 
the storage of grain. 
 
JOHN BROWN is the son on HENRY and CATHERINE (KELLER) BROWN, 
natives of Ohio, where our subject was born in Hancock County, April 20, 1836.  
His father being a farmer, he was thus trained to agricultural pursuits, remaining 
at home until reaching the age of eighteen years.  But when starting out in life for 
himself, he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed twenty years. 
 
December 9, 1858, was the date of our subject's marriage with JANE, daughter 
of WILLIAM THOMAS.  She was born June 29, 1839, and by her union with Mr. 
BROWN, has become the mother of three children: AVILLA F., who is married to 
J.F. ROBERTS, resides in Monterey Township, Allegan County; GEORGE O., 
who asists in conducting the home farm; he went to try his luck at mining in 
Colorado, in 1886, where he remained for four years, when he concluded that 
Michigan was the place for him.  ORPHA M., the third child, was married to 
FRANK SHIP, March 17, 1892, and is living in Monterey Township. 
 
The Republican party claim our subject as one of its active members.  He came 
to Allegan County in 1864, and has thus witnessed the marvelous growth of this 
section.  His good wife is a member of the United Brethren Church, and is a lady, 
who, by her upright life, has won many warm friends.