My Genealogy Hound

LUCIUS R. BROWN is one of the standard citizens and early settlers of Kearney county. He was born at Auburn, Pa., July 30, 1839, and is the son of Henry and Hannah (Carter) Brown, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania; the former, a farmer by occupation, was born in the year 1812, and died at the ripe old age of three-score years and ten; the latter was born in 1817, and is still living in Illinois.

Lucius R. Brown, the subject of this biographical memoir, resided at home on his father’s farm until sixteen years of age, attending school and helping on the farm in the meantime. At this age he emigrated West and located at Lyndon, Whiteside county, Ill., where he engaged in farming until August 6, 1861, when he responded to his country’s call and enlisted in Company C, Eighth Illinois cavalry, and entered the war. He was in the 1st brigade and 1st division of cavalry under Gen. Pleasanton, in the army of the Potomac, and was in the engagements up the Rappahannock, the second battle at Bull Run, South mountain, Antietam and in many skirmishes, too numerous to mention. He came home on furlough during the holidays in 1864, and returned to Washington in the spring. He engaged in the battle at Frederick city, battle of the Wilderness, and in the raid after Mosby, which was almost continuous fighting. In the spring of 1865 he did patrol duty in Washington and was transferred to the Western department, taken to St. Louis, and on July 17, 1865, at Benton Barracks, was mustered out. He received injuries from being run over by a wagon, and draws a pension of four dollars per month. After the war he returned to Prophetstown, Ill., and was a farmer until 1876, when in February of that year he came West to Logan township, Kearney county, Nebr., and entered as a homestead the northwestern quarter of section 26, township 7, range 15, on which he now resides. The country in his vicinity was new and barren at the time of his coming, and there was but one house between his place and Kearney, a distance of sixteen miles. There were plenty of deer, antelope and coyotes in the sand hills to the north and along the Platte river. There were a good many settlers came in 1878, 1879 and 1880, and the country surrounding him was soon settled up. Mr. Brown now owns three hundred and twenty acres of fine farm land, well improved with a spacious frame dwelling, large barn, tame grass, one hundred bearing apple trees, and two hundred acres under cultivation. He has had good average crops every year except the first, when the grasshoppers destroyed them. He was married September 12, 1865, to Mary Davis, who was born November 29, 1841, at Lyndon, Ill. Her father, Joseph C. Davis, a farmer by occupation, was a native of New Jersey, born July 14, 1810. Her mother, Sarah (Putnam) Davis, was born at Brattleborough, Vt., in 1821, and died at the age of fifty-seven years. Her parents were both members of the Congregational church. Her grandparents, Aaron and Electa (Lurn) Davis, were born January 20, 1782, and September 12, 1786, respectively, and were members of the Presbyterian faith. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Brown has resulted in the birth of five children as follows — Giles W., born August 14, 1866; Joseph H., born October 15, 1868; Lillian I., born August 16, 1872; Cora I., born September 10, 1876; Mary A., born March 21, 1885. Mr. Brown is a republican in politics, and is serving his second term as supervisor of Logan township. They are both members of the Presbyterian church. He is also past post commander of the G. A. R. Post in Minden.