BIOGRAPHY: Jonathan Edmund Browning; Ogden, Weber co., Utah

Transcribed by W. David Samuelsen for The USGenWeb Archives Project
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History of Utah
The Storied Domain
A Documentary History of Utah's Eventual Career
by J. Cecil Alter
Vol. 2, published 1932 (expired copyright)
The American Historical Society, Inc.

JONATHAN EDMUND BROWNING, son of Jonathan and Ann Emmett Browning, was born in
Ogden City, Utah, January 26, 1859. He received his education in the public
schools, and passed his youthful days in the ordinary way with other boys
about his own age, and in later years he received a valuable training in his
father's gunsmith shop. Later he worked in a tannery owned by his father, also
worked for several years in his father's brickyard, and was always found a
most willing, earnest worker in assisting in every way possible his father in
all his numerous enterprises, until the latter's death June 21, 1879. He
entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad Company at Ogden, where he
worked for three years, and then he left the road to enter the Browning Gun
Shops with his brothers John M. and Matthew S., where they engaged in the
manufacture of the famous Browning rifles and shotguns, and did all kinds of
gun repairing, work being sent to them from the entire intermountain
territory. The business increased until they had the largest gun and sporting
goods business west of Chicago.

Jonathan E. being such an exceptionally fine mechanic he made, practically
every model of his brother John's many inventions, working with him
continuously up to the time of John's death.

During the World war there were nine different models of John M. Browning's
inventions used by the American and other governments, and to assist John M.
in the supervision of the manufacture of immense numbers of these arms, in
several large factories, they made their headquarters in Hartford,
Connecticut, and they spent many long hours each day in the various factories,
to see that everything was done to expedite the turning out of as many arms as
possible, and that they were in perfect condition. Their work in this
direction was of inestimable value to our Government.

Inheriting his father's inventive genius, Jonathan E. Browning has been active
in designing and patenting automatic rifles and shotguns and other fire-arms.

He has served as president of the Browning Auto Company with branches at Salt
Lake City, Ogden, in Utah, and several points in Idaho.

In December, 1884, Jonathan E. Browning was married to Mary Ann Jones,
daughter of Miles H. and Annie Rollins, and they have ten children, viz.:
Archibald, Hazel, Jonathan E., Anna Elizabeth, Wallace E., Miles Jones, Frank
Milton, Walter Eugene, Mildred and Mary, all living, except Wallace E., who
died in infancy.

Jonathan E. Browning has inherited the many wonderful and splendid qualities
of his noble father and mother, and he is one of the best and staunchest
citizens in Ogden, and has a splendid wife and a fine family.