OBIT: Philip Shelly BROWN, 1921, formerly of Blair County, PA

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PHILIP SHELLY BROWN

Philip Shelly Brown, who died in Kansas City, Missouri, December 10, 1921, as 
noted in a previous issued, was born October 14, 1833, a son of Henry and Salome 
Shelly Brown, who at that time were living on a farm in Bedford county, this 
state, where New Enterprise is now located.

Henry Brown died in 1835, and the mother with her four children then resided 
with her father, Abraham Shelly, on his farm about four miles south of 
Williamsburg, where the village of Shellytown is now located.  In 1850, Philip 
Shelly Brown moved to Hollidaysburg and served Blair county for about three 
years as Deputy Sheriff.

In 1853 he became assistant to the manager of the Cambria Iron Company, at its 
Black Lick charcoal furnace, near Armaugh, Indiana county.

In 1855 he moved to Davenport, Iowa, and studied law in the office of the late 
John W. Thompson, formerly of Hollidaysburg.  He was admitted to practice by the 
District Court of South County, Iowa, at Davenport, on February 15, 1858.  He 
removed to Kansas City in April, 1858, and had resided there continuously until 
his death.

Of his life in the city which he made his home, we take the following from the 
Kansas City Post:

"Philip Shelly Brown, Sr., resident of Kansas City since 1858 and an outstanding 
figure in the growth of the city from its days of infancy as a landing wharf, 
died Saturday afternoon at the Brown homestead, 1304 East Twelfth street.

Mr. Brown was 88 years old last October.  He was the oldest living member of the 
Kansas City Bar association and the oldest member of the Presbyterian church 
here.

The end for Mr. Brown came suddenly.  Friday he visited at a son's office down 
town.

Death was induced by a blod (sic) on the brain.

In accordance with his method of always preparing for the future, Mr. Brown left 
a personal letter to his children, written in 1919, and revised a few months 
later, stating his desires for funeral preparations.

Mr. Brown was active in all matters relating to the welfare of Kansas City.

Many ordinances still in force were drawn by him around the period of 1866, and 
are still on record, written in Mr. Brown's longhand.

He was a charter member of the First Presbyterian church, Tenth St. and Forest 
avenue, and had remained an active elder for 62 years.

Recently the church celebrated his many activities as an elder.

Many landmarks are associated with Mr. Brown's early life.  At the north-west 
corner of Eighth and McGee streets his first home still stands, owned by the 
estate.

In Mr. Brown's activities as a lawyer in the early days of Kansas City, he had 
business offices and residences near the river, then the best part of the city.

He was admitted to the bar in 1857 at Davenport, Ia., and in 1858 came to Kansas 
City by steamboat, railroads then being only a promise for this section.

A few years later he returned to Pennsylvania to marry Miss Julia A. Shaffer, 
eldest daughter of William Shaffer, of Blair county, Pennsylvania.

Materials for the first home at Eighth and McGee streets were brought to Kansas 
City from St. Louis by steamboats, after many hardships and unfortunate 
happenings.

Although three boats were caught and held on sandbars, the building materials 
were salvaged, and when Mr. Brown returned with his bride in the spring the 
house was nearly finished.

In 1866 Brown drew the right-of-way contract and made the legal adjustments for 
entrance into Kansas City of the Missouri Pacific railroad.

He was an attorney and director of the Kansas City, Galveston & Lake Superior 
railroad, now part of the main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system.

In 1859 he became senior member of the law firm of Brown & Case.

Through insurance and legal offices his firms have become the present law firm 
of Harding, Deatherage, Murphy & Stinson, and the insurance firm of Brown, Mann 
& Barnum.

While living at 563 Walnut, Philip Shelly Brown, Jr., a son, still active in 
insurance business here, now living at 3540 Virginia avenue, was born.  One of 
the rooms in the house where they lived is said to be still standing.

The homestead at 1304 East Twelfth street was bought in 1868, then a 12-acre 
tract.  It is said to be the oldest homestead in Kansas City inhabited by its 
founders.

Mr. Brown owned, at the time of his death, many prominent business sites in the 
North side, all acquired in early days.

Mr. Brown left memoirs of his early days in Kansas City, which probably will be 
published by the family.  The memoirs contain history of days when Indians were 
numerous in Kansas City.

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 o'clock Tuesday afternoon at the home, 
1304 East Twelfth street, in accordance with Mr. Brown's wishes.

The Rev. James E. Congdan, First Presbytieran church, will conduct the services.  
Burial will be in the family mausoleum in Elmwood cemetery.

Two sons and three daughters, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren 
survive.

Martinsburg Herald, January 13, 1922