Acey and Laura Brown

Asa Whitacher Brown was named for his great-Uncle Asa, who was well-loved back in Licking County. His life would not be colorful and he would not have a whole lot of fame, or even recognition, in life, and would die early. Yet, Asa and his wife Laura, bring together two families of great distinction.

After Asa's father died, the family stayed in Louisa County until 1869, then moved to Ringgold County, Iowa. Asa made that move, but after 1870, left for Indiana. Asa's three youngest brothers went to California after 1880 - first to Mono County, then moved closer to civilization in Fullerton, California, then a booming city with oil and citrus.

Asa's mother, her brother Francis Gibboney, and four older siblings stayed, more or less, to southern Iowa with John going to Nebraska. This group remained active in farming.

Asa went to Pierson Township in southern Vigo County, Indiana, and lived with his cousins until he could purchase his own farm. To understand this, we need to go back to Bazzel Brown, Asa's grandfather. N. T. Brown, our ancestor, was born in 1820. Two years later, Bazzel and Abigail had a second child, James Sutton Brown. James was born just after the family arrived in Missouri and like his brother, N .T., would count Ohio as his boyhood home. As a teenager, he moved to Illinois with his parents; as an adult, he chose to move to Vigo County to farm. In Indiana, he married Rebecca Forbes on December 22, 1864. The 1880 Census for Pierson Township, Vigo County, Indiana, gives us an idea of this family,

Name         Role Sex Age Birthplace

James S Brown Self M 57 Missouri

Rebecca Brown Wife F 47 New Jersey

William Brown         Son M 14 Indiana

Abigal Brown         Daughter F 13 Indiana

Elizabeth Brown Daughter F 11 Indiana

Tighlman Brown Son M 7 Indiana

The youngest, formally George Tighlman "Tighl" Brown was born December 18, 1873, on his father's farm. He married Hannah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Richey. This couple becomes important to our immediate branch in a few years.

 

Asa Brown and Laura Jane Van Cleave circa 1877

Asa met Laura Jane Van Cleave, daughter of a local farmer and veteran of the Civil War. Laura's father, Henry, represented a history that rivaled Asa's and is told in another section. It is hardly surprising that the couple met. Family lore suggests they met at Fletcher Chapel Methodist Church. Geography is a better clue. In an 1874 Map of Pierson Township, Asa's 40 acre farm was on the border with Sullivan County to the south while James Sutton Brown owned the 40 acre farm on Asa's north line. To the northeast of James was John S. Van Cleave's 80 acre farm - John was Laura's oldest brother - on the opposite side of the road from his father's farm, that is Henry Van Cleave's farm, Laura's dad's farm, was northeast less than a mile away. Fletcher Chapel was just across the street from Asa's farm. The couple was married on August 9, 1877, at Fletcher Chapel in southern Vigo County, near Pimento, Blackhawk, and Farmersburg. One last note, James Sutton Brown's farm was previously owned by Wells. Research has yet to connect them to the Wells family from Licking County, Ohio.

By the 1880 Federal Census, Asa and Laura are listed in Linton, Indiana, with their son Nick. The 1890 Federal Census is lost to us in a fire, but the 1900 Federal Census gives a fairly complete view of the family,

Household         Role Sex Age Birthplace

Asa W Brown             Head M 48 Iowa

Laura J Brown             Wife F 43 Indiana

Nicholas H Brown         Son M 22 Indiana

Ethel B Brown             Daughter F 19 Indiana

Dora M Brown             Daughter F 17 Indiana

CHARLIE T BROWN Son M 16 Indiana

Laura B Brown         Daughter F 13 Indiana

Roy T Brown         Son M 7 Indiana

Robert R Brown         Son M 6 Indiana

Esther E Brown         Daughter F 3 Indiana

NOTE: Laura B Brown went by her middle name, Blanche. Robert R Brown went by his middle name, Ross.  The only family member missing is Iva Doin Brown who was born a couple months after the census on June 7, 1900.

 

Asa, Laura, and Family, Fall, 1900.

On April 27, 1902, tragedy struck. Asa died. The family held together. Nicholas married and started his own farm and family. The girls married, but did not move too far away. Charlie went to work in a factory, married, and had two sons. Ross worked for the Terre Haute Water Plant, married, but had no children. The Van Cleaves had family reunions throughout the 1920s that have been documented by photographs.

 Laura Brown and her family, circa 1908

On October 15, 1921, a sad story took place. While returning from a house call late at night, Laura's brother, Dr. Robert H. Van Cleave of Farmersburg, was returning from a late night house call. At the crossing with the Illinois Central, he was struck and killed by a high speed passenger train. Robert had never married and had no children leaving Laura, his sister, as next-of-kin. Laura received a settlement of $10,000. One of Laura's son-in-laws talked Laura into letting him use the money for a business, but lost it in the Great Depression. This caused many people around Terre Haute to believe that the Browns were wealthy and caused at least two divorces in the family.

Laura lived out her life as a widow and seemed to prefer her independance. Sometime around Christmas, 1932, Laura became ill and started staying with her oldest daughter Ethel on the southeast side of Terre Haute until her death. Here is the death notice from a Terre Haute newspaper,

Mrs. Laura Brown

Mrs. Laura Brown died at 9:15 o'clock Tuesday morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ethel Campbell, 2611 [3611? - TEB] Franklin avenue. She is survived by six children, Mrs. Ethel Campbell, Ross Brown and Charlie Brown, all of Terre Haute; Mrs. Dora Bailey of Linton, Ind., and Mrs. Esther Commuins and Mrs. Iva Findley, both of Shelburn. The body was taken to Allen funeral home at Farmersburg and will be returned Wednesday afternoon to the home of the daughter, Mrs. Campbell. Funeral services will be held at the Fletcher chapel, three miles east of Farmersburg, at 11 o'clock Thursday morning.

A more formal obituary appeared a day later,

Mrs. Laura Jane Brown was born Jan. 5, 1857 and died May 2, 1933 at the age of 76yrs., 3 mo., and 28 days.

She was the daughter of Henry S. and Matilda Jane Vancleave. She was married to Asa W. Brown, Aug. 9, 1877. To this union were born nine children: Roy, Nicholas, and Blanche who preceeded her in death. Surviving are Mrs. Ethel Campbell, Ross and Charlie Brown of Terre Haute, Mrs. Dora Bailey of Lizton Ind., Esther Cummings and Iva Findley of Shelburn — also 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.

She belonged to Fletcher Chapel church since early childhood and always loved the work of the church, doing what she could as long as her health permitted. Death came peacefully after almost four months of suffering. As the poet said:

No one heard the door that opened,

No one heard the gentle call,

But soft as the loosened leaves of roses,

One by one we answer the call.

When Laura's estate was settled, the $10,000 settlement from the Illinois Central for the death of Dr. Van Cleave, Laura's brother, was not there. Parts of the family stopped talking to each other. Only now are long-lost cousins beginning to speak to each other.

The Children of Asa and Laura Brown

i Nicholas H Brown, b

ii Ethel B Brown, b

iii Dora M Brown, b

iv CHARLIE T BROWN, b

v Laura B "Blanche" Brown, b

vi Roy T Brown, b

vii Robert R "Ross" Brown, b

viii Esther E Brown, b

ix Iva Doin Brown, b