Obit: Roscoe W. Brown, Pocahontas County, West Virginia Pocahontas Times. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Rick Brown, E-mail ***************************************************************** All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be used for any commercial purpose without the prior written consent of the copyright owner. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm ********************************************************* Sutton, W.W.(04/03/1952). Obituary of William Roscoe Brown: The Pocahontas Times The following was written by W.W. Sutton and appeared in the April 3, 1952 edition of the Pocahontas Times newspaper shortly after the death of my grandfather, Roscoe W. Brown. Roscoe W. BROWN In the early morning of Mar. 8, 1952, there passed from this earth in his home at Arbovale, W.Va., a man who was very useful to his country in many ways. William Roscoe Brown was born on Deer Creek, Green Bank District, Pocahontas County, W.Va., on Aug. 19, 1879. This writer was just five months old when Roscoe first saw the light of day. His birthplace and mine were near. Roscoe's parents were the late Robert J. Brown and Hester Hamilton Brown. On his father's side were Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Brown; on his mother's side James Hamilton and his wife, Sarah Bruffey Hamilton, early settlers in that part of the country. His early schooling was in the old Bruffey school on Deer Creek, just above what was then known as Hevener's Mill. Roscoe was always a good student. Since we lived so near each other we nearly always went to school together. Our first teacher was Miss Allie Arbogast, daughter of Franklin Arbogast, an old school teacher. We often sat together in school and sometimes got chastised the same day for the same sort of offense. Candidly, we were pals and close friends through all the years. And at last this scribe sat with the family, sharing their sorrows, in the old Liberty Presbyterian Church, while the ministers conducted the obsequies. The C.M. Howard evangelistic meetings were held in this church during the month of September in 1895. And there many of the young people made their first decision to lead the Christian life. The Brown boys and myself were of that number. We took the vows of church membership on Oct. 6, 1895. While in his early youth Roscoe was full of fun and mischief, he had a definite religious disposition which was good for him, and also good for the neighborhood. We went to song and prayer services, and on one time in particular we sang, prayed and talked to an old man who was in need of Christ, and good results followed. In the year 1907 Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Clara M. Hudson, daughter of the late J.L. Hudson and wife. The surviving children of this marriage are: Mrs. Merylee Pennybacker, of Wyandotte, Mich., Mrs. Ethel Higgins, of Fairmont, W.Va., Mrs. Bessie William, of Lewisburg, W.Va., Layke Brown, of Waynesboro, Va., Robert Brown at home in Arbovale, and Johnnie Brown, of the Air Force, Illinois. He leaves a brother, Henry, of Arbovale, and two sisters, Mrs. Edward Baker, Detroit, Mich., and Mrs. Sherman Bright, of Deerfield, Va. After the death of his first wife he again married, and this time united with Mrs. Sadie Wooddell, of Arbovale, who survives. Roscoe Brown, following his father's example, became a carpenter. Then took up surveying and in this field did some outstanding work. He worked for the State in writing up historical events of Pocahontas County and surrounding areas. The government employed him to look up many old land grants, titles and deeds, and much of this was of value to people living in the county. Through his adult life he took an active interest in community events, in churches, schools and many sorts of enterprises. For 12 years he served on the board of education in Green Bank District. He took a personal, active in the building of the Green Bank District High School. For the past eight years he had served as deputy sheriff for Pocahontas County. Since 1918 he had been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and served for many years as secretary of the Winterburn Lodge No. 319, located in Green Bank. Mr. Brown's work was characterized by accuracy and good quality. His surveys in Green Bank District, and data of early settlers and property owners was of special value to many of us. He told me last summer that he had a mass of data yet to be put into readable shape, but was prevented by sickness. No one knew this man's early life better than the present writer. In boyish play, in school, in sports, in social and religious life we were always together. His ideals were high, his life was good and clean, his service to his country blameless. No wonder that one of your progressive citizens should approach me on the day of the burial and say, "Well Wallace, we have lost one of our best and most useful citizens."