John Brown Kin

My Head Hurts from Keeping Them All Straight!

2011-12-12T16:35:00.001-06:00

I realize that reusing a name, and passing a family name on to the first child is a long honored tradition. I have all the Brown family "duplicates" straight in my mind and records. Frederick, Ellen, Sarah, Owen, Mary - just some of the names that are seen in each generation, and sometimes in the same generation as one child dies, and another is named the same name.

But on Sunday I actually had to close my books and genealogy program to take a break because I was having trouble following all of these --

Brewster Higley married Esther Holcombe -- They had a son
Brewster Higley II who married Esther Holcomb -- They had a son
Brewster Higley III who married Esther Owen -- They had a son
Brewster Higley IV who married Naomi!

And if that is not enough Brewsters and Esthers for you, 3 of Brewster's siblings named children Brewster and Esther, and Esther Owen's mother was also named Esther!

Family gatherings must have been confusing:

Hey Brewster, would you please get me a cider? No not you dad, no not you son, I was talking to my nephew. Which nephew - that one there standing near the cider crock.

Who made the mincemeat pie? Esther did? Which Esther? Esther Higley? But which one???

Okay so I am making a joke at the expense of my ancestors, but it is really confusing to keep them all straight. I had to undo and redo 3 hours work the other day because I was on the wrong Brewster/Esther combo when I started to enter children.

Hope you can keep all of your ancestors straight!

Two Pages from Annie's Autograph Book

2011-12-10T17:00:00.003-06:00

Dedicatory

Bring each your gifts to holy Friendship’s shrine
Rarest of gems upon her robes to shine;
Of flowers the fairest round her brow to twine,
While loves ripe vintage pours its joyous wine.
Nor be ye absent from the feast divine,

Ye classic muses mine!

Very Truly Yours

Joseph E King

Fort Edwards Institute NY

Dec 2 1862

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very sincerely your friend

Melissa B. King

Fort Edward N Y

Dec 1862

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reverend Joseph E. King was born November 30, 1823 in Laurens, Otsego County, New York to Reverend Elijah King and Catherine Olmstead King.

On July 22, 1850 he married Melissa Bayley in Newbury Vermont. Melissa Bayley (sometimes spelled Bailey) was born April 4, 1828 to Colonial Amherst Bayley and Melissa Stevens Bayley.

Joseph and Melissa had 3 daughters:

Mary Ellen who married Dr.M. W. Van Denberg

Alice who married Professor W.W. McGilton

Helen M. who married J. Earl Cheesman

Joseph E King graduated from Wesleyan College with distinguished honors in 1844. He taught Natural Science and Latin at Newbury Seminary in Vermont from 1849 to 1854, when he took charge of the Fort Edward Institute, which had been erected for him to operate.

Melissa King taught along side Joseph at the Fort Edward Institute until her death on October 16 1887. King remained as the head of education and finance at Fort Edward Institute until 1910, when the old school building burned down. Three years later he passed away.

Joseph and Melissa are buried together in section 5, lot 5 of the Union Cemetery in Fort Edward, Washington County, New York.

Photo Credit - Anne Dickinson

December 2 -- A day for Reflection

2011-12-02T21:39:00.000-06:00

1859 -- Charles Town, Virginia

John Brown is hanged for his crimes against the state of Virginia

1949 -- The United Nations

The UN declares Dec 2, as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Today is a day for reflection, contemplation, and honoring those who have been affected by the horrors of slavery.

The "Mary Day Brown" Curtains

2011-11-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

One of my cousins sent this too me. I find it fascinating

"Hi Alice,

Doing some cleaning and found a diary of expenses, etc., that my Great Aunt Ada Remington kept from 1949-1951. This woman writes just one line for each day usually, but, pinned to a page is a cut out newspaper article from the Lake Placid News, dated July 27, 1951."

"A rod-less curtain has been invented by Mrs. Inez Carter which, she said, was the outcome of an idea which came to her in a dream. She has named it the Mary Day Brown curtain in honor of the 2nd wife of John Brown and in keeping with the name is hanging them at the windows of the John Brown homestead. The curtains have buttonholes which button on tapes suspended at the windows. Mrs. Carter is president of the John Brown Memorial Association and vice-president of the national organization. She states that they would be particularly valuable during shortages of metal"

A Page from Annie's Autograph Book

2011-10-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Another page from Annie's Autograph Book

Respectfully,

Adam C. Works

June 18, 1863

F.E. Institute

____________________________________________________

Adam Clark Works was born in Feb 1834 in New York. His parents were George Washington Works and Julia [Coolidge] Works. Adam graduated from Fort Edward Institute in 1856, and began teaching there in Aug 1857. He taught mathematics until 1868 and then taught Natural Sciences until his departure in 1872.

He went to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, Lima, N.Y., in September, 1872, as a teacher of natural science until his death, June 17, 1908.

He married Ellen Mihill in 1870. They had 4 children Nellie, born 1872 - Norris, born 1873 - Ralph, born 1875 - and Ruth Elida born 1881. According to a short bio page on Works at the Univeristy of Rochester, hw was married previously for a very short time to Elida Van Sickle, until her untimely death in 1869. I could not find any information on her or this wedding in my short research time frame.

When I started the transcriptions of these pages, I thought they would all be fellow students. I have today located 3 teachers in addition to Adam Clark Works. More to follow soon.

Yes, I do read the encyclopedia for fun!

2011-10-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit it - I am a nerd. I read dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, even phone books for fun, entertainment, and education.

But today I out did myself - I read through 40 pages of the 1860 Census of Fort Edward, Washington County, New York - not because I was looking for someone or trying to breakdown a brick wall, but because the occupation "Marble Dresser" caught my eye. I was on the phone with my sister at the time and I started to read her some of the interesting occupations I found. We continued chatting a few more minutes and then hung up, but I kept on read the occupations. 40 pages worth!

Fort Edward was established in 1818 and in 2000 had a whopping population of 5800 residences. It was the home of the Fort Edward [Collegiate] Institute. Annie Brown attended the FEI in 1863, and my sister has Annie's autograph book, which I am transcribing and trying to find out what I can about the people who signed her book.

Now I do have to explain that I read a great many census pages in the course of my research, but most of the Brown family lived in rural settings where everyone was a farmer, housewife, or student. This amazing diversity of occupations was exciting and thought provoking to me.

So, if you are a nerd like me (and your probably are if you have been bitten by the genealogy "bug") here are some of the many occupations I found:

Carpenter	Housewife	Housewifery
Sawyer	Millwright	Laborer
Marble Dresser	Merchant	Tailor
Sewing	Artist	Author
Pottery	Harness Maker	Grain and Lumber Dealer
Cabinet Maker	Joiner	Moulder
Cart Man	Manuf. Small Beer	Barber
Porter	Boot Black	Liquor Dealer
Inn Keeper	Carting	Boot and Shoe Maker
Druggist	Blacksmith	Pump Maker
Furnace Man	Laundress	Fan Mill Maker
Collector of Tolls on Canal	Agent	Music Teacher
Boatman	Saloon Keeper	Silversmith
Peddler	Printer	Livery
News Depot	Meat Market	Stage Driver
Hat, Cap & Fur Store	Sash & Blind Maker	Folding Paper
Paper Finisher	Gardner	Conductor in Cars
Paper Maker	Teacher in Union School	Editor Ft Edward Ledger
Putting up Lightening Rods	Pattern Maker	Lock Tender

What is the difference between "Housewife" and Housewifery" ?
A "Fan Mill" separates the grain from the chaff through a series of screens.
"Small Beer" refers to beer manufactured in small quantities with steam.
"Moulder" refers to a wood cutting machine used in furniture manufacturing.
What does a "Paper Folder" do all day?
A "Lock Tender" works the locks on the canal ways, he does not tend a flock of locks!
Interestingly the richest person was the Liquor Dealer.

Hope you enjoyed this side trip. I had fun finding all the cool jobs!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

A page from Annie Brown's Fort Edward Institute Signature Book 1863

Miss Brown

"Please accept the best wishes of your "northern friend"

George J Whipple

Malone, NY

F.E.I May 7, 1863

___________________________________________________

George J Whipple was born May 1844 in Malone, Franklin County, New York. His parents were Herry and Sarah Whipple. He appears to have spent his entire life in Malone, Franklin, New York. The 1880 census shows George married to Mary A (Thompson). In 1883 George was a Deacon at the First Congregational Church of Maolne.

The 1880 census shows that George was a furniture dealer. I found these ads in the Malone Directory 1889-1890.

The 1900 Census shows George as a Librarian, the 1910 census shows him to be a Clerk for the Board of Education, while the 1920 census shows him to be a Clerk for the Board of Education as well as a Librarian.
I have not been able to locate any further information on George after the 1920 census.

As I find out more about the 50 or so other autograph signers, I will post more of these items.

Tombstone Tuesday - Archibald A Adams

2011-10-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

Archibald A Adams was born 1 OCT 1799 in Pennsylvania and died 23 SEP 1866 in Gardner Township, Johnson County, Kansas. He is buried in Plot #10 in the Gardner City Cemetery, Gardner, Johnson County, Kansas. In 1825 he married Mary Ann Grannis. She was born 19 FEB 1806 in Pennsylvania, and died 17 Sep 1880 in Prophet Town, Whiteside County, Illinois.

Due to an error on the death certificate of their son, Samuel S Adams, Archibald's wife is often erroneously listed as Mary Crossett.

Archibald and Mary Ann had thirteen children. The eldest son, Samuel S Adams, married Annie Brown, daughter of John Brown, the abolitionist of Harper's Ferry fame. Stories passed down through the Adams family relate the fact that Archibald and his family lived near Owen Brown in Ohio and were friends with John Brown, and Archibald was a dedicated believer in John Brown's work to eradicate slavery. In 1857 Archibald moved his family to Kansas, near the Brown cabin just outside of Osawatomie, Kansas. One descendant of Archibald recalls the fact that one of Archibald's sons (John Adams) was born in Kansas and grew up hearing about John Brown his entire life.

Archibald, the story goes, was so angered by "Robert E Lee hanging John Brown" that he joined the Union Army at 62 years of age! He was mustered into Company G Kansas 5th Cavalry which was merged into Company I Kansas 5th Cavelry, on 14 Nov 1861. According to his military record:

1861, November 14 – Fort Lincoln, KS Archibald A. Adams is 62 years old with an occupation of Blacksmith. He enrolled as Private in I Company, 5th Regiment, Kansas Cavalry, at Fort Lincoln, KS at the age of 62 by Capt Hayes. on the side of the Union. His son, Augustus, enlisted in the same Regiment exactly one month later on December 14, 1861. (Film Number M542 roll 1)

1862, February 7 – Fort Scott, KS (per Muster Roll) or Fort Lincoln, KS (per Descriptive Roll) Archibald was mustered into service by Lieut Bowman. His physical description is 5', 10 1/2", dark complexion, dark eyes, grey hair. 1862, July and August Reported as "Deserted", but in fact went home on "sick furlough" on December 2 (or 27th), 1861 and was home sick in January, 1862. Left home on May 1 to report back to his Company, but sickness caused him to turn back home".

1862, November – Kansas City, MO Archibald was hospitalized for "amaurosis" (blindness). 1862, Winter – Fort Lincoln, KS Archibald is attacked with neuralgia of the right leg and thigh and couldn't stand while on guard duty at Fort Lincoln.

1863, January 5 – General Hospital, Kansas City (MO) Archibald was "discharged on Surgeon's Certificate of Disability at Kansas City, MO". Cause: Amaurosis of long standing and general debility consequent upon old age. His eyes failed him on account of old age and is otherwise unfit for duty on account of the infirmities consequent to old age. He has been reported a deserted since Mar 31, 1862 but has really been sick and in hospital ever since that date. No further information on file" (US Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, Film No M542, Roll 1).

His Gravestone reads

Archibald A Adams

Co. G 5th Cavalry

Co. I 5th Cavalry

Oct 1 1799 - Sept 23 1866

Friend and follower of

John Brown

85 Years Ago Today - A great Woman Left This World

2011-10-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

In the front room of her daughter Bertha's house, on the makeshift sickbed she had occupied for weeks, Annie Brown Adams breathed her last on 3 October 1926. She had lived for 82 years, 9 months, and 22 days when she passed away.

She was the last of the "John Brown Children."

John Brown fathered twenty children; seven with his first wife Dianthe, and thirteen with his second wife Mary. Only eight of his children outlived him - four daughters: Ruth, Annie, Sarah and Ellen - four sons: John Jr., Jason, Owen and Salmon.

Annie's passing was written up in many newspapers across the United States. Her passing was seen as "the last of the Harpers Ferry story" because she had spent the summer of 1859 helping to hide the raiders at the Kennedy Farm.

I have collected thirteen of Annie's obituaries, and everyone of them contain mistakes.

Mistakes such as

Annie was present at the hanging (she was in North Elba NY)
Annie was married before she came to California (she married Samuel Adams in Redbluff, CA)
Annie died on Oct 4 or Oct 5 (Annie died on Oct 3, 1926)
Annie was 20 the summer of 1859 (she was 15 years, 5 months old that summer)
Annie was at John's side during the trial, jail time, and hanging. (no family member was there)
John Brown was shot during the capture (John was stabbed and then beaten, but not shot)

Today, to honor this woman who is most dear to me (behind my mother and my namesake Aunt Alice) I present some of her obituaries. With or without the mistakes in her obituaries, Annie Brown Adams was a remarkable woman.

____________

The Helena Daily Independent

October 24, 1926

Marched On!

Mrs. Annie Adams is dead, at Rohnerville, California.

Reads like a very ordinary news item. But Annie Brown Adams was the last member of one of America's most remarkable families.

A. D. 1850, John Brown, "Ossawatomie," Harper's Ferry!

The south with its whip over the backs of man, woman and child slaves. The north politically divided over the abolition of human slavery. The nation's soul racked by futile compromise, subterfuge, makeshift Reason atrophied. Religion figuring on the property at stake. Patriotism shaking off the blood of past martyrdom to stand forth as a nonentity. A shapeless mountain of kerosene-soaked kindlings. Harper's Ferry, the match.

John Brown, this Annie Brown Adam's father, his two sons and three others, making their last stand in the engine house at Harper's Ferry, against the shameful status quo. Two sons riddled by the bullets of Colonel Robert E. Lee. Old John, shot through[1], bleeding upon the corpse of his boys. Annie, a girl of 20[2] years, ministering to her wounded father, standing beside him during the trial, bidding him goodbye as they hang him[3]. Then, for a half-century, a woman's quiet, peaceful life amidst a California village's flowers, watching the soul of old John Brown go marching on.

Dead: Annie Brown Adams, aged 87[4] years. Friends of the family invited to the funeral, etc., etc.

What history is in a two-line obituary!

[1] John Brown was not shot during his capture. Lieutenant Israel Greene stabbed Brown with his dress sword and then beat him about the head, causing severe injuring.

[2] Annie was actually 15 years 5 months old when she and her sister-in-law, Martha, joined John Brown at the Kennedy Farm for the summer in 1859.

[3] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes.

[4] Annie Brown Adams was actually 82 years, 9 months and 22 days old at her death

____________

Ukiah Republican Press

October 13, 1926

Daughter of John Brown Died Monday

---

Woman Whose Father Is Famous In History Long Lived Here

---

Northern California came into the limelight last week when the death of Annie Brown Evans[1] at Eureka uncovered the fact she was the daughter of John Brown, famous war character of 1859, who was hanged that year for his part in seizing the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia at the head of a band of abolitionists.

Saw Father Executed

---

Mrs. Adams, a woman of 20[2] at the time, was with her father during his trial for murder and treason against the state of Virginia[3], and she alone, of all his eighteen children, endured the agony of witnessing his execution[4]. She came west with her husband, Samuel Adams, and sought oblivion in northern California the following year[5] where they were joined in later years by the widow of John Brown and three other daughters[6]. A house built by them still stands in Humboldt country. Mrs. Adams was very reticent regarding the great tragedy in her life. She is survived by several children, 28 grandchildren, and one great grandchild[7].

[1] Should read Annie Brown ADAMS

[2] Annie was actually 15 years 5 months old when she and her sister-in-law, Martha, joined John Brown at the Kennedy Farm for the summer in 1859.

[3] No family members were present during the trial

[4] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes.

[5] Annie met her husband, Samuel S. Adams in Redbluff, CA in 1869, four years after her arrival in California

[6] John Brown's widow, Mary, moved to California with her son Salmon and his family, and her three daughters, Annie, Sarah, and Ellen in 1864.

[7] My Father, Paul M. Keesey

____________

Titusville Herald

October 26, 1926

John Brown's Daughter

Crawford county has a peculiar interest in John Brown because he once lived in Richmond township, where his old tannery and farm are being preserved. It is doubtful if many persons in this county knew that John Brown has a daughter well along in years, and the fact would probably have gone unnoticed but for a news dispatch the other day which conveyed the information that she had just died.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has this interesting comment to make about the passing of the daughter.

"Annie Brown Adams died the other day in California. The name commonplace enough will mean nothing to the average reader. But Annie Brown Adams was not a commonplace person. She was one of the twenty children of John Brown and the only members of his family to see him hanged, on December 2, 1859[1]. For sixty-seven years she had borne a memory etched in horror. She must have been a woman of exceptionally strong character to have risen above this handicap to the life of usefulness and happiness which is indicated by the fact that she left eight children.

Mrs. Adams was 20[2] at the time of her father's execution; old enough to understand the fanatical zeal for the freeing of the slaves which animated that stormy petrel of pre-rebellion years, to comprehend the gravity of his offence against the government and to appreciate the bitterness of his disappointment when the slaves failed to rise at his signal. Her soul, too, 'goes marching on.'"

[1] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes

[2] Annie was actually 15 years 5 months old when she and her sister-in-law, Martha, joined John Brown at the Kennedy Farm for the summer in 1859.

____________

The Oakland Tribune

October 17, 1926

John Brown's Daughter

When those dramatic events of the last days of John Brown, abolitionist, were being enacted at Harper's Ferry in 1859, Annie Brown, a daughter of the man who is now called hero, martyr, and fanatic, was 20 years old[1]. The other day, as Mrs. Annie Brown Adams, she died at Shivley, California, near Eureka, the possessor of many interesting memories. She was with her father in that summer of 1859 when his mind was busy with planning an attack upon the southern stronghold, one which has been called mad and heroic, has been sung in verse, and lives in story. She helped gain information for him and shared his belief that he had a chance to free every slave with one act. So was she with her father through the trial and conviction at the hands of enraged Virginias – and she saw him die[2]. Then she came to California with her husband, Samuel Adams[3], to build a home at Rohnerville. Later John Brown's widow and three children joined the Samuels family and four women of the number built a two story home which still stands. When Samuel Adams died the widow moved to the Santa Clara Valley, but a few years ago she returned to Humboldt county to make her home with a daughter. She leaves twenty-eight grandchildren to carry on the strain of old John Brown of Virginia.

[1] Annie was actually 15 years 5 months old when she and her sister-in-law, Martha, joined John Brown at the Kennedy Farm for the summer in 1859.

[2] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes.

[3] Annie met her husband, Samuel S. Adams in Redbluff, CA in 1869, four years after her arrival in California.

____________

The Ogden Standard Examiner

October 6, 1826

John Brown of Harper's Ferry

How near we are to the closing of the last pages of the history of the Civil war was disclosed by the death on Tuesday, near Eureka, California, of Annie Brown Adams, last of the family of John Brown of Harper's Ferry.

John Brown was an abolitionist who conceived the idea of seizing the arsenal at Harper's Ferry and he led a raid which ended in his capture, trial and execution by the state of Virginia.

The whole affair was so dramatic and tragic that it added to the feeling of the abolitionist over slavery and intensified the bitterness on both sides of the slavery question, and played its part in hastening the day when the north and the south drew apart.

The abolitionists sang, "John Brown's body lies a' molding in the grave, as his soul goes marching on." And his soul did go on to influence the people of the North and finally develop a conflagration.

Annie Brown was a girl of 20[1] when Harper's Ferry arsenal was attacked. She remained with her father during his trial for treason and was with him when he was executed[2]. Sixty-seven years have elapsed since then to soften the asperities and to heal the wounds. To the present generation, the Civil War is in the dim past, but it is still a part of the living history of our country, and will continue so until the last of the Grand Army is gone. That day is not far distant.

[1] Annie was actually 15 years 5 months old when she and her sister-in-law, Martha, joined John Brown at the Kennedy Farm for the summer in 1859.

[2] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes.

____________

The Lancaster Daily Eagle

October 5, 1926

Daughter Who Saw John Brown Hung is Dead

---

Eureka, Cal. Oct 5 – (AP)

Mrs. Annie Brown Adams, 87[1], only surviving daughter of John Brown of Harper's Ferry fame, died today[2] at the home of her daughter at Shively, Humboldt country. Mrs. Adams was the only member of the family of John Brown to witness the hanging of her father in 1859[3]. Eight children of Mrs. Adams survive.

[1] Annie Brown Adams was actually 82 years, 9 months and 22 days old at her death

[2] Annie Brown Adams died on October 3, 1926

[3] None of John Brown's family, or any other civilians were witness to his hanging. Charlestown, Virginia was on a military lockdown requiring all residents to stay inside their homes.

____________

31 Weeks to a Better Blog

2011-10-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, so after weeks of standing in the shadows and reading the blogs about 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog, I am finally jumping on the bandwagon and joining in this challenge.

This week the challenge is to update at least one page of your blog. Clean up, make it easier to navigate, freshen the look, etc.

Here is what I have done so far:

Changed my blog layout.
Added a "Societies I Belong To" page
Added "About Me" page
Added a "Contact Page"

So grab a cup of tea and spend some time checking out my changes and let me know what you think about the "new blog"

Aspen Tree Best Describes The John Brown Family Tree

2011-09-30T22:29:00.000-05:00

A large grove of aspen best describes the John Brown Family Tree.

Above ground, it looks like each-and-every family member is standing alone – some a few feet from the next family member and some miles and generations away. Never interacting, never sharing stories, because a relationship to John Brown has the perception of being somehow shameful, something to hide.

The wind blows the branches of the large group of trees back and forth, and occasionally the branches and leaves of one tree touch another. As if the trees are saying, "Yes, we are family and I am willing to share some of my information with you. But only a little bit, then I will stand up straight and be alone again."

However, just like the large groves of aspen that develop from a single root system, the many John Brown family members share the strength and stability of a single unified root system that spreads for miles connecting one to another.

The Brown family was well aware of the need of unification and the need to share in the early 20^th century when annual Brown Family Reunions occurred in Hudson Ohio. These gatherings of extended family celebrated the kinship and family bonds of the descendants of Owen Brown, John Brown's father, until the early 1960s.

A spider web of roots connects the wide spanning Brown family into a cohesive community. I am trying, with my genealogical research and communications, to get the family back together. I look forward to the day when all of the "Brown Descendants" are proud of their interconnecting family tree roots.

Entire groves of aspen trees commonly develop from a single root system. This means that large groups of aspen trees can be essentially one organism growing together as a clone.

This post was written for the Carnival of Genealogy Blog # 110 What tree best represents your family’s history?

John Brown in the News

2011-09-26T01:13:00.004-05:00

25 Notable Kansans

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback announced the 25 Most Notable Kansans between Aug 15 and Sept 18, 2011. The full list and exhibit information is here. Each week the Governor unveiled 5 of the Notable Kansans at a special event. The list was compiled as part of the 150 year celebration of Kansas.

John Brown is, of course, included on the list of Notable Kansans.

True West Museums of the Year

The September Issue of True West Magazine has a story the Best Western Museums and exhibits of 2010, and the John Brown Museum in Osawatomie Kansas is # 5 on the list! Tip of the Hat to Grady Atwater, the curator of this amazing piece of history! (and thanks to cousin Mary for alerting me to this honor)

Cousin Mary in the news!

Cousin Mary is at it again. She portrays Florella Brown Adair, John Brown's half sister, at the Freedom Festival at the above mentioned John Brown Museum in Osawatomie, each year. News article about her here

Update on Salmon and Abigail Descendants

2011-09-25T16:06:00.000-05:00

A reader asked for some clarification on who Abigail was and if I had the family relationships. I have even better! I now have some pictures. Thanks to cousin Holly, I have some new pictures.

John Brown and his second wife, Mary Day Brown, had 13 children. Salmon was their second son.

Salmon Brown (1836 - 1919) married Abigail Clarissa Hinckley (1839 - 1929) in 1857. They had 10 children. Agnes was the ninth child.

Agnes Stuart Brown (1874 - 1967) married George Edwards Evans around 1909. They had 2 children. Muriel was the eldest.

Muriel Evans (1910- 1997) married Morton Kingman Shields in 1933. They had 2 children. Nancy Joan Shields was the youngest.

Nancy Joan Shields (1935 - 1996) married Ben Hamilton in 1963.

The rest of the line is still living, so I will stop the lineage here. Enjoy the Pictures!!!!

Salmon Brown

Abigail Clarissa Hinckley Brown

Agnes Stuart Brown Shields

Nancy Joan Shields Hamilton

New Family Members Added To the Database

2011-09-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

A newly found cousin has given me 22 new family members to add to the John Brown Family Database. 22 new people!!!! And I have been able to fill in some other information I have been lacking.

Happy Dance -- Happy Dance -- Happy Dance

I have learned that:

The C in Abigail C Hinckley's name stands for Clarissa

The S in Agnes S Brown's name stands for Stuart

Agnes Stuart Brown married George Edwards Evans from Melbourne, Australia - explains their son being named Melbourne

Salmon's daughter Agnes and granddaughter Muriel were both teachers, just like many of the other Brown women were over the years

One of John Brown's descendants was left crippled from the mass immunizations of WWI (Annie Brown, John's daughter, was against vaccinations of any kind)

But my favorite part of the email was this personal story from Holly tucked at the end-

I lived with Muriel as a teen and she would tease me when I would get passionate about social and political issues not to let the Brown blood boil into fanaticism. I always thought that was amusing.

Gosh, but I love this stuff!!!!

Another Reason to LOVE the Beatles

2011-09-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

Circa 1965 The Beatles with Mary Wells Hulton Archive/Getty Image

A soon-to-be auctioned contract from The Beatles 1965 tour shows that the Fab Four's belief in a truly universal egalitarian sociaty was more than just pretty words and music.

The contract for an Aug 31, 1965 concert to be held in the Cow Palace in Daly City, CA., will be auctioned on Sept 20, 2011 in Los Angeles and is expected to raise $3,000 to $5,000. The contract contains the phrase "not to be required to perform in front of a segregated audience."

This is not the first time The Beatles took a stand civil rights. In 1964, halfway through a 23 City 1964 US Tour, just weeks before a scheduled appearance at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, the Fab Four announced in a press release "We will not appear unless Negroes are allowed to sit anywhere." City Officials agreed and ticket sales were open to all for the concert. The opening act for this concert was a black R&B vocal quartet, The Exciters, best known for the hit "Tell Him."

The Beatles were unlike any other musical group in 1964. They held the fascination of an entire nation - young, old, liberal, conservative, black, white, everyone had an opinion about The Beatles. They were able to do what had never been done before in the rock and roll arena, they used their celebrity and musical status to open the eyes of Americans to social wrongs.

“I can see the Beatles coming over here and being assailed by this weird, unfair policy of segregation. They were not just good musicians. They had intellect. They spoke up.” said Mark Lindsay, lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Paul, John, Ringo, and George continued to support Civil and Human Rights even after the group disbanded and they pursued solo careers. These four young men, with their strange haircuts, crazy antics, British accents, and non-traditional ideas about society as a whole, will forever share the stage and spotlight with others who came before and after using music to change the world. Artists like Pete Seeger, Woodie Guthrie, Bess Lomax, David Rovics, Kim and Reggie Harris, Terry Leonino and Greg Atzner of Magpie, and of course, Harry Chapin.

I am not sure if John Brown would have liked the Beatles' music, but I am sure that he would have agreed with their message.

“We weren't into prejudice. We were always very keen on mixed-race audiences. With that being our attitude, shared by all the group, we never wanted to play South Africa or any places where blacks would be separated. It wasn't out of any goody-goody thing; we just thought, Why should you separate black people from white? That's just stupid, isn't it?”
~ Paul McCartney 1966

This is me standing on my soapbox and venting!

2011-09-12T18:00:00.007-05:00

I spent last evening looking at the "hints" that Ancestry.com wags in my face. For the uneducated, Ancestry.com constantly searches family trees, and historical documents for information that MIGHT be a match to a person in your tree. When they find one, they place a picture of a leaf on the screen that moves back and forth (get it? a hint is a small leaf on your giant family tree!)

This is one of the biggest ways that new genealogist end up with pages and pages of data that contradicts itself. If you do not closely review the data, and really research the information that is presented , you can be copying erroneous information from one tree to another, and then someone copies yours, and then 5 people copy theirs, and the errors just keep on growing around the web.

I have 2 great examples of this from my work in Ancestry.com tonight.

1. William P Thompson. Son of a neighbor of the John Brown family in North Elba. William is one of the Thompson boys that agreed to go with John Brown to Harper's Ferry in 1859. William was killed in the raid. I was alerted to the possibility of new data by the wagging green leaf, and so I followed the link to see what was there. I found a Family Tree with some of the same information I have, plus a wife and a "story." A "story" is basically a note that you attach to your tree. Here is the "Story"

"William was a strong, bold,rustic looking man with large features, ruddy complexion,very fair hair, bold but kindly blue eyes" wrote Hinton and Martin in John Brown and his Men.

William served in the Union Army. When he returned he found his wife insane and his children scattered"

Neat trick. Die in a raid in 1859, yet still serve in the Union Army in the 1860s. And return to a wife. Interesting since William was a bachelor when he joined John Brown's men. The problem is that now there are many other trees on Ancestry.com that also have this William Thompson married which is erroneous information.

2. Photo of the Kennedy Farm with two young women on long porch IS NOT from 1859. ( I have been fighting this erroneous photo tag for almost 5 years!) I am not denying that this is a picture of the Kennedy Farm where John Brown and his men hid in out prior to the raid of Harpers Ferry, but this picture is from the late 1880 or 1890s. I have a similar picture that I purchased from the Baltimore Sun photo Archives that is from 1904 and the house looks just like this picture.

But if you have ever visited the Kennedy farm, or reviewed Annie's descriptions and drawings of the farmhouse, you would know that this is not what the house looked like in 1859. Captain South T Lynn, the current owner of the Kennedy Farm, has worked long and hard to recreate the look of the farmhouse in Oct 1859. And NO the 2 charming young ladies standing on the porch are not Annie and Martha as reported in some of the family trees at Ancestry.com. Aside from the house looking wrong, their clothes date from the 1880s and Annie and Martha would not have posed for that picture, secrecy about the project was too important.

But just to show you that even scholars can get it wrong, the picture is in Tony Horwitz's pre-release copy of his new book about John Brown, and is incorrectly identified as being from 1859.

Okay, you are saying to yourself, why is she making such a big deal about these two little errors? Because with the easy access of the internet, information in genealogy files and trees is being copied, and copied, and copied over and over again. It is hard enough to do research, what with newspapers and even Time magazine reprinting errors*, but add to that this level of error and it is no wonder that there are very confused researchers out there.

PLEASE always VERIFY and RESEARCH new information that is presented to you. Just because it sounds plausible, does not mean it is true.

{ahem} this is me stepping off my soapbox, picking it up, and walking back home. Thank you for listening to my venting.

*I have collected 13 newspaper reports of the death of Annie Brown Adams in 1926. Annie was the last of John Brown's children to die, and lots of papers across the United States printed, and reprinted the story. Each and every one of the newspaper accounts state that "Annie was the only one of John Brown's children to attend his hanging." Fifty years later, Time magazine reprinted this information on the "This Day in History" page. None of the family was in Charlestown for the hanging, the town was on under military lock down, and all civilians remained in their homes. Annie was back home in North Elba on the day of the hanging. John's wife, Mary was on in a neighboring town, waiting to come and collect her husbands body, but none of the family saw him die. Even the big newspapers and national magazines get it wrong sometimes.

Bell of a Delimia - Bell Controversey Continues

2011-09-11T15:46:00.001-05:00

The controversy of the so called "John Brown Bell" has once again been raised in the John Brown academic and historical circles.

Middlesex News article October 22, 199

History of the Bell

The building known as "The John Brown Fort" was the armory building at Harpers Ferry prior to John Brown's raid in October 1859. The bell that hung in the bell tower was in all probability used as a fire alarm, to signal danger, and perhaps as a shift change signal for workers in the Federal Armory and other local buildings.

As with many aspects of John Brown and Harpers Ferry, there is a story that resurfaces periodicallyabout how John Brown planned to ring the bell to call the slaves to his side that fateful night. This is in all probability a myth (see below). There is no known historical data to support this idea, but it does make for great story telling.

Fast forward to 1861 - A newly formed militia group from Marlboro (original spelling) Massachusetts, the Company 1 of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteers, were assigned to enter Harpers Ferry to seize anything of value for the US Government. The only thing they found of value was the 700 pound bell hanging in the bell tower of the armory building. Knowing that their Hook and Ladder firehouse back home did not have a bell, they decided to take the bell with them.

According to a speech by James M. Gleason to the Sons of Veterans of the G.A.R in Marlborough, the soldiers realized the bell was the official property of the United States Government, and to take the bell back home, they would need to have permission from the Provast Marshall. So they hid the bell in the river, until they could obtain that permission. Accounts tell that the soldiers did obtain this permission and retrieved the bell and continued on their original mission.

Elizabeth Little Ensminger

While camped near Williamsport, Maryland, the soldiers befriended the family of William and Elizabeth Ensminger. William Thomas Ensminger was born in Williamsport, Maryland, on the 30th of November 1822. Elizabeth Little Ensminger was born in Clear Springs, Maryland on the 19th of February 1836. William died on 26th or April 1873, and Elizabeth Little Ensminger lived out her life on the farm. In 1874 she married George W Snyder.

When the Company was ordered to continue into enemy territory, the men knew that they could not feasibly carry a 700 pound bell with them into battle, so they asked the Ensminger's to hold onto the bell for them. Elizabeth Ensminger promised the boys she would take care of the bell until they returned for it.

Many of the young men in Company 1 of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteers died during the war, and no one returned to the Ensminger farm to retrieve the bell. During the Battle of Antietam, the Ensminger's had the bell buried in their yard to hide it from sight. Seven years later, in 1869, they recovered the bell and rehung it on the stand the young soldiers had built for it in 1861. And there it remained for many more years.

The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) John A Rawlings Post #43 was established in Marlborough in 1868. The G.A.R held annual meetings, called encampments, where Veterans of the Union Army congregated together for support, recognition and a chance to social with other Veterans. The encampment for 1892 was held in Washington, DC, just 80 miles from the Ensminger farm. Some of the original members of Company 1 of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteers attended the encampment and decided to travel the 80 miles to visit the Esnminger farm.

They located the farm, and the matron of the household, now Elizabeth Snyder, and she not only remembered "her boys" but insisted that they spend the night and talk about old times. The subject of the bell was raised, and the men were quite surprised to learn that not only had Elizabeth protected the bell during the Civil War, but she was still protecting it 30 years!

Marlborough Historical Society Archives

Money was raised, and the bell was shipped from Williamsport, PA to Marlborough, MA, where it was hung on the front of the G.A.R. building, and ownership was given to the John A. Rawlins Bldg. Assoc., with clauses prohibiting the sale, or loaning of the bell to anyone. This ownership continues through today. The bell hung on the building for many years.

In 1968 the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce voted to build an official bell tower for the celebrated bell. The tower was completed in September and the bell has resided in the large brick tower ever since.


Joan Hartly Abshire

****

The newest controversy has been raised by a commercial real estate broker from Charleston, WV named Howard Swint.

Swint believes, and is willing to take his case to court, that the bell is the property of Harpers Ferry, belongs in the bell tower of "The John Brown Fort" and should be returned to Harpers Ferry post haste. He states that there is no documentation on file that granted permission to the Company 1 of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteers to take possession of the bell and remove it to Massachusetts. The late Boyd Sutler, historian and John Brown scholar, also researched the "John Brown Bell" earlier this century, and he also concluded that he could not find the reported paperwork.

But, paperwork can and does get lost, misplaced and misfiled all the time (the indictment of Rev White for shooting Frederick Brown was just recently found in an old cardboard box at an historical society). Papers get lost, files get misfiled, records get distroyed either by natural disaster or for lack of storage space. How many people in the twentieth century would know the significance of a request to move a bell in 1862? It could have been trashed, for all we know. Swint is basing his case on the fact that there is no known paperwork for the transfer.

But items get stolen, transferred, moved, taken, lost, destroyed and mishandled during war. This is a very sad fact of war, even today. This is why our troops take control of national treasures and museums in the Middle East, so we can prevent wholesale looting, smashing and mismanagement of items of value. Swint's argument is that the bell should be returned because it was stolen from a National Armory. If that is true, do we return everything that was "stolen" during the Civil War? As Louis Decaro, Jr. points out on his blog,

"Shouldn't the State of Virginia return John Brown's papers to Alice Keesey Mecoy and other Brown family descendants? The point is lots of stuff gets stolen by superior force in times of conflict and a case can be made for this stuff to be returned. But the city of Marlborough may wonder why they should be expected to do so, simply because some folks in West Virginia want "their" bell returned."

I find the entire "Bell Controversy" perplexing. John Brown had nothing to do with the bell - the only connection is that it hung in the fire house (now known as John Brown Fort) in Harper's Ferry when John Brown was there. He did not ring it, he did not touch it, I doubt he even gave it a passing thought. So why are people so insistent that "it must be brought home to Harpers Ferry?"

I am proud to show off my "John Brown treasures" - a piece of the Adair house, John Brown Jr's military manual, Annie's photograph. But why is the bell linked to my ancestor? Why is it so important to Swift, and others to return the bell?

I did quite a bit of research on the "John Brown Bell" years ago when I first heard about it. I thought it was an interesting story and one that I could publish easily, since at the time, I thought it was a wide open basically un-researched subject. While doing research, I found a wonderful publication by Joan Abshire that I highly recommend,

Joan Abshire

"The John Brown Bell
The journey of the second-most important bell in American history, from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to Marlborough Massachusetts."

From what I have read about the bell, it is well respected and treated with honor in Marlborough. Probably with much more honor and respect than any bell in America, other than the Liberty Bell.

The bell is just a bell to me, no more and no less than that. I do not see any connection to Grandpa, or any need to return to it to Harpers Ferry.

****

The myth of John Brown Ringing the Bell -- while it makes for a great story and a wonderful visual; John Brown getting the weapons gathered together, and as he and his men are leaving the armory ringing the bell to alert the local slaves that the uprising has begun! - it is not feasible. Had John Brown succeeded in his plan, the town of Harpers Ferry would not have been aware of him and his men, yet ringing the fire alarm bell would have woken the entire town and alerted everyone in the area to the fact that something was wrong. After all his methodical planning, I do not see John Brown willing to make that much noise. Below is an explanation as to the start of the myth, from Joan Abshire's book:

"4. The bell was going to be rung to summon the slaves
I really feel badly about this one because I think it would be so neat if it was true. But it just isn’t. I couldn’t find the least little shred of evidence that pointed to that conclusion. I think someone made it up, possibly my friend James Gleason, because his account is the first place that it appears. The fact is that the bell is never mentioned at all in any of the other accounts I read, except the book put out by the G.A.R. and the newspaper clippings that copied it. And in fact, one of the rangers at the park who went out of his way to help me, was of the same opinion. "

Ruth Brown reflected fondly on the memory of her father

2011-09-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

This article was written by Grady Atwater, administrator of the John Brown State Historic Site in Osawatomie Kansas. After the article, I have added some genealogical information about Ruth.

Osawatomie Graphic News (link to original article)

John Brown’s daughter, Ruth, remembered her father as a loving, but sometimes stern father with whom she was very close. F.B. Sanborn quoted Ruth Brown in The Life and Letters of John Brown, published in 1891, who stated of John Brown “Whenever he and I were alone, he never failed to give me the best of advice, just as a true and anxious mother would give a daughter. He always seemed interested in my work, and would come around to look at it, when I was sewing or knitting; and when I was learning to spin he always praised me, if he saw that I was improving. He used to say: ‘Try to do whatever you do in the very best possible manner.’”

Ruth Brown also stated that John Brown was a tender, affectionate father, and told of her baptism as a child “The first recollection I have of father was being carried through a piece of woods on Sunday, to attend a meeting held at a neighbor’s house. After we had been at the house a little while, father and mother stood up and held us, while a minister put water on our faces. After we sat down, father wiped my face with a brown silk handkerchief with yellow spots on it in diamond shape. It seemed beautiful to me, and I thought how good he was to wipe my face with that pretty handkerchief. He showed me a great deal of tenderness in that and other ways.”

However, John Brown was stern with his children at times, but Brown’s views on child rearing changed as he grew older, and he became gentler with children. Ruth Brown stated “He sometimes seemed very stern and strict with me; yet his tenderness made me forget that he was stern.” Ruth Brown offered this insight into how John Brown’s view of rearing children changed as he grew older, for she reported “He told me, a few years before his death, to reason calmly with my children when they had done wrong, and in that way to encourage them to be truthful; and to never punish them, whatever they had done, if they told the truth about it.” Ruth Brown further related that John Brown told her, “If I had my life to live over again, I should do very differently with my children. I meant to do right, but I can see now where I failed.”

John Brown had a reputation for being a cold father who was so dedicated to the abolitionist cause that he was distant from his family. The reality is that John Brown was a loving father who cared deeply about his children. His views of child rearing children changed over time, and he learned to be more tender in dealing with children as he grew older. John Brown had many facets, and being a loving father was a shining aspect of his personality.—

Grady Atwater is the John Brown State Historic Site Administrator
Content © 2011. NPG Newspapers Inc, KCCommunityNews.com

Ruth Brown, the first daughter born to John Brown and Dianthe Lusk Brown, was born on the 18th of February 1829 in New Richmond, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. She married Henry W. Thompson in North Elba, Essex County, New York on the 26th of September, 1850. The Thompsons were neighbors of the Browns in North Elba, also known as Timbucktoo.

Ruth gave birth to 6 children, 4 of which grew to adulthood. The family moved to Put-In-Bay Ohio, to be near Ruth's brother John Brown, Jr in the 1860's. In 1884 the Thompson family moved westward to Pasadena California, and both Ruth and Henry lived out their lives there. Ruth left this mortal realm on 18th of January 1904 at the age of 75 years of age, and Henry followed her to heaven on the 8th of February 1911. They are both buried in the Mt View Cemetery in Pasadena California.


Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Photo Credit James Edward Hodges

Request for short strong statements against Slavery from strong women

2011-09-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Friend of John Brown,

As the great great great granddaughter of John Brown, the abolitionist of Harpers Ferry fame, I continue to fight his fight eradicating slavery in not only America, but throughout the world.

I am proud to serve on the Advisory Board of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, which is fighting to end the incidence of human trafficking and modern day slavery around the world. As you probably know, this is a crime that disproportionately affects women and girls. In an attempt to unite the voices of women of influence, we are gathering statements from around the world to publish collectively on December 2nd - the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. I'm writing to request one such statement from you.

A description of our effort can be found on this link to a Huffington Post:

If you are willing to write a statement for publication, please forward it to me by September 30, 2011. Thank you in advance for adding your voice to the chorus of strong women fighting against slavery.

Warm regards,

Alice Mecoy

Great great great granddaughter of John Brown

amecoy75002@yahoo.com
or
jbrownkin@yahoo.com

PS here is the website of the Frederick Douglas Family Foundation if you would like to see more of our great work.

www.fdff.org

Alice Keesey Mecoy
amecoy75002@yahoo.com
     or jbrownkin@yahoo.com
469-371-5987 cell
Visit my blog http://johnbrownkin.blogspot.com/

Great-Great-Great Grand Daughter of John Brown, Abolitionist
Alice Keesey Mecoy
Daughter of Paul Keesey
Son of Beatrice Cook
   Daughter of Bertha Adams
    Daughter of Annie Brown
     Daughter of John Brown, Abolitionist

Artcle on John Brown Jr. in Port Clinton News Herald

2011-09-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Kristina Smith Horn, a reporter for the Port Clinton News Herald, who was doing a story on John Brown Jr. and his life in the Put-In-Bay area of Ohio. Below is the article and the link to the article. At the end I have added some of my own photos.

Graves of John Brown Jr family

Standing up for freedom

Historic Put-in-Bay figure used non-violent approach to fight slavery

5:04 AM, Aug. 27, 2011

Written by

Kristina Smith Horn

PUT-IN-BAY -- Though his father would be the family member best remembered and debated as a historical figure, John Brown Jr. also was a force in the anti-slavery movement.

John Brown Jr. served the Union in the Civil War, was jailed in the Wild West where he vocally opposed slavery and helped organize John Brown Sr.'s famous raid on Harpers Ferry, Va.

He distinguished himself through his non-violent, reasoned approach to fighting slavery, said Amy Huston of Put-in-Bay, a local historian.

"I would say that he was a man who thought about the means being ethical as well as the end," Huston said. "He tried to do the right thing."

At Put-in-Bay, he remains a well-known historical figure for a variety of reasons besides his famous father, including his Civil War service that included defending the Lake Erie Islands and his family's role in South Bass Island history.

Bleeding Kansas

Brown Jr. and his siblings inherited their father's disdain for slavery and desire to see it end.
"The clan raised by John Brown was the only white family in pre-Civil War America willing both to live with black people and to die for them," according to the book "John Brown Abolitionist" by David S. Reynolds.

In the 1850s, Brown Jr. -- a native of Hudson -- and some of his brothers moved to Kansas, partly for economic reasons, according to the book. While there, they distinguished themselves as staunchly anti-slavery, an unpopular view in the territory that was plagued with violence between those who wanted Kansas to be a free state and those who wanted slavery there, according to the book.

The Browns felt they needed to carry weapons for protection, Reynolds wrote. When they realized they didn't have enough guns, they wrote to Brown Sr. for help, said Alice Keesey Mecoy of Allen, Texas, Brown Jr.'s great-great grandniece.

He came to Kansas with supplies and found his sons living in tents, she said. So he decided to stay on and help them get settled in proper cabins.

The state, known as "Bleeding Kansas," was near anarchy at the time. Border ruffians, people from Missouri who rode into Kansas to cast illegal votes for pro-slavery candidates, and slavery supporters sometimes shot abolitionists on sight, according to the book.

Laws were passed that allowed anyone who had an abolitionist publication or who wrote for one to be sentenced to hard labor. Death was the penalty for anyone who induced slaves to revolt, according to the book.

"Yesterday, I told a man who I since learn has a slave here that no man has a right to hold a slave in Kansas, that I called on him to witness that I had broken the law and that I still intend to do so at all times and at all places and further that if any officer should attempt to arrest me for a violation and should put his villainous hands on me, I would surely kill him so help me God," Brown Jr. wrote to his family in September 1856.

In 1856, Brown Sr. and a small group -- not including Brown Jr. -- went on a killing spree in Pottawatomie Creek, Kan., in retaliation for the pro-slavery faction's actions, which included looting part of Lawrence, Kan., and destroying a hotel there, according to the book.

In the middle of the night, the small party stopped at homes, took five men prisoner and then killed them with swords, Reynolds wrote. Although Brown Jr. was not involved, he would pay for what his father's group had done.

"A messenger had preceded (Brown Sr. and his party) with the news that five pro-slavery men had been 'horribly cut and mangled' on the Pottawatomie and that old John Brown did it," according to the book. "John Jr. was at first exultant, but soon became confused and then deranged."

Jail and Harpers Ferry

After the incident, the members of the Brown family fled into hiding. A band of Missourians believed Brown Jr. was involved and captured him, according to the book.

They forced Brown Jr. to walk nine miles to jail behind horses, according to Huston and Mecoy. At some points, he grew too tired to run and was dragged, Huston said.

"His wrists and upper arms were bound tightly behind him, and a 40-foot rope was tied around him so that he could be tugged," according to the book. "His arms were bleeding and so swollen that the rope around them was no longer visible. His feet had been severely lacerated by flints from creek bottoms that had punctured his boots."

Brown Jr. had scars around his wrists for the rest of his life, and he referred to them as his "slave bracelets," Huston said. While held prisoner, he was often in a manic state, according to the book.
A few months after his arrest, Brown Jr. was released. The horrors of Bleeding Kansas later caused friends to commit Brown Jr. to the Northern Ohio Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Cleveland State Hospital.

In a letter to his family written in December 1867, shortly before he was released from the asylum, Brown Jr. said he felt the march to jail and other violence in Kansas caused his illness.
"I have had physicians here, they have so explained the relation of the shock," he wrote. "... I am now well-satisfied I should not be here if that did not occur."

After Bleeding Kansas came the raid on Harpers Ferry, a town in Virginia -- now West Virginia -- where Brown Sr. had planned to steal weapons from an arsenal in town, free the slaves and move them to a settlement in the mountains. The group invaded the town and took some people prisoner, but the plan ultimately failed when Brown Sr. and his followers were captured by then-Col. Robert E. Lee. Brown Sr. was later hanged.

Although Brown Jr. did not participate in the raid, he did help organize it. He sent weapons to his father and his father's men, Mecoy said. He also went to Canada to recruit men for the raid, she said.
"Obviously, he believed in what (Brown Sr.) was doing because he helped him," Mecoy said.
Brown Jr., however, did not know the details of the operation.

"The news of the attack on Harpers Ferry surprised me both on account of the place upon which it had been made and the time when it occurred, as I had not anticipated it to be at so early a period," he was later quoted as saying, according to Ohio Historical Society records in Huston's collection.

Still, the event made the members of the Brown family well-known, Huston said.
"Harpers Ferry put him into the spotlight for the rest of his life," she said.

Civil War service

In 1861, Brown Jr. pledged to fight for the Union cause and joined the Seventh Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Co. K. After about a year, he was honorably discharged because he suffered from sciatica, a disorder that causes pain in the hip and thigh, Huston said.

In July 1862, he wrote to a friend describing how sleeping on the frozen ground throughout the winter seemed to cause the illness.

"One of my limbs is entirely useless," Huston quoted him as saying in the letter. "It is confined chiefly to my right hip, rendering me unable to step without the aid of crutches and a cane."
After he left the Army, he and his family moved to Put-in-Bay. But that was not the end of his Civil War service.

During the war, a boat from Canada called the "Island Queen" headed for Middle Bass Island, and Brown Jr. learned Confederates might be aboard and planning to break out their fellow rebels being held at the prison on Johnson's Island, according to an article by Roger Long, of Port Clinton, in the March 1987 edition of "Blue and Grey Magazine."

Brown Jr. quickly gathered some volunteers and set out in a rowboat for the mainland.
"The water was especially rough that night, and it took the rowers an inordinate time to fight the currents while keeping a lookout for pirates," according to the article.

They rowed to Catawba Island and then walked to Johnson's Island, which included crossing two channels. By dawn, they arrived at the prison, where guards were already awaiting a Confederate invasion, according to the article.

Brown Jr. volunteered for duty. Ultimately, he was not needed because the Confederates' plan fell apart.
The experience, however, prompted him to write the commander at Johnson's Island and request permission to form a militia at Put-in-Bay in 1864, Huston said. The militia was called Brown's Independent Company of Infantry, she said.

The state armed the men with rifles, bayonets and other weapons, and the group's call was to protect the islands and defend commerce on the lake, she said.

John Brown Jr.

Life at Put-in-Bay

While living on South Bass Island, Brown Jr. had a variety of jobs.

He surveyed lands for lots that would be used for farming, Huston said. He also grew grapes for the wine business and was interested in geology.

Later he was justice of the peace in Put-in-Bay, which was like being an associate judge, Huston said.

Brown Jr. also dined with Civil War financier Jay Cooke at Cooke's Castle on nearby Gibraltar Island.

"Brown was well-liked by his island neighbors, who looked up to him as a heroic and learned man," according to biographical information from the Encyclopedia Britannica Library Research Services in Chicago that Huston has in her Brown Jr. historical collection.

Brown's daughter, Edith, married an actor named Thomas Alexander, who later became mayor of Put-in-Bay. The couple owned the Crescent Tavern, which remains a popular stop in the village's downtown.

The Alexanders had no children, and neither did Brown Jr.'s son, John III. Brown Jr. and his wife and children and Thomas Alexander are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery on South Bass Island.

"John Brown Jr. was a very interesting man, very level-headed," Mecoy said. "He had a very hard life. He was very proud of what he did accomplish."

Email Kristina Smith Horn at mkhorn@gannett.com

Link to original article

Per Email I received from Kristina Smith Horn on Sept. 5, 2011, the photos in the original article were incorrectly attributed to Horn. The photos are courtesy of the Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio.

Below are close up photos of the grave sites of the John Brown Jr family at the Crown Hill Cemetery on South Bass Island, Put-In-Bay Ohio taken by my son Manfred Mecoy.

John Brown Jr


Wealthy Hotchkiss Brown


Thomas Alexander and Edith May Brown Alexander

John Brown the 3rd

Proof that slaves did "Rise Up and Support Brown" at Harpers Ferry?

2011-08-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

Interesting post on Civil War Scholars [dot] com about all the suspicious fires that were reported in and around Harpers Ferry and Charlestown West Virginia after John Brown's capture, trial and subsequent hanging.

The post is titled "A Dozen Set Fires a Sign of Slave Resistance?" and is a thought provoking read. Why were there so many fires in the area during the wet and cold winter months? Were slaves, escaped slaves, freedmen, and abolitionists the arsonists behind the fires? Were the fires arson at all, or just the result of accidents, lightning, and kicked over lanterns? Does make you wonder.......

Responses to Moving of Owen Brown's Grave

2011-06-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some of the responses that I have received from my last post.

From my dad on Facebook (thanks for reading my blog Dad)
Paul Keesey I agree on a don't do it vote.

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Dear Alice,

Once again you have given clarity and tenderness to a perspective on a Brown Family thought. I thank you for it. It definitely changed my perspective and believe that it will give others new insight as well.

Clearly, Owen's grave is not as abandoned and neglected as understood, and that there are conscientious stewards who are assuming respectful responsibility for the site.

With appreciation for your forthrightness,
Dot

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Dear Alice,

Thank you for so eloquently and powerfully responding to the well-intended, I'm sure, query about re-interring Owen's body. You have taught me a lot in this one email and have shown tremendous strength, sensitivity, and integrity.

School goes until Monday, and after that my summer vacation begins. I would love to catch up with you next week, or soon thereafter, about the JBL! board and all that entails. Do you want to suggest a day and time when I can call you next week?

Yours truly,
Martha

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Thanks everyone, most especially Alice, for helping me (and others who were unaware) learn this issue has been considered and resolved.

I'm happy to know that NYS thought of this, and made the request, and very, very appreciative of the response from everyone who took the time to steer me in the right direction.

Bob Shear

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Dear Alice,

I have never seen anything as moving about family migration in my life. This is what is called in history language a seminal statement.

Bob Shear, your "californiadreams" are the ideal center for a movement to protect and honor Owen's grave. It will be tough because of the nastiness of the owner. Has he been approached to have a nonprofit organization buy the grave location?

This morning, just before I read Alice's letter, a newspaper article floated to the top of my never-ending pile of things to organize. It is from the Los Angeles Times, September 1989. (exact date not on the photocopy, a gift from someone). "Descendants Seek Historical Status for Tombstone of John Brown's Son." It is by Times staff writer Richard Simon.

The descendants (in 1989) are Eleanor Blangstead and Adeline Craig. We know that Mrs. Blangstead is possibly still alive, very aged, because Lou DeCaro has written about a conversation with her. Photographs belonging to Adeline Craig made their way to the Gilder-Lehrman Collection in the 1990s. This is hard to ascertain because Gilder-Lehrman are uncooperative about who owned their original documents. They let this one slip by.

Ruth Brown Thompson and Henry Thompson are buried in the Mountain View cemetery in Pasadena. I hope that is close enough to you, Bob, to continue research and find a way to get historical status for Owen Brown's grave.

I'll do what I can from northern California -- but your best bet is still the National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Jean Libby

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Please do not move Owen Brown's gravesite

2011-06-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

The subject of moving Owen Brown from his grave site on Brown's Peak outside Altadena CA, to be reburied at North Elba, NY has been raised again. In his email dated 6/20/11 Bob Shear wrote

"Before I go back, I'm hoping to find some interest in returning Owen Brown's remains to North Elba. Right now, Owen is in an unmarked, desecrated grave on private property in the forest above Pasadena. The story and pics are on the page I did on my website a couple of years ago to commemorate 1859.
Would it be possible to get together some people on the New York end to demand that Owen be brought home? While I'm in Buffalo I would be able to do some legwork here if anyone in the state connected with the UGRR effort might get interested. I can also do what can be done on the Pasadena end when I get home.
Please tell me there are people in New York who want to do something about this."

Bob Shear

Lou DeCaro -- friend, student of John Brown, and clergyman -- responded with this:

"Dear Friends,

Speaking as both a devoted student of Brown and as a clergyman, I would be happy to support the reinterment of Owen Brown at the John Brown Farm ON THE CONDITION that the Brown family descendants (known and accessible) are in favor of it. Owen Brown went to California and lived out his days there by his own volition and was buried there by his family. Unless there is historical evidence of Owen expressing the wish to be buried back in North Elba, I don't think this is first a matter for our decision, no matter how well intended and devoted we are to the Brown legacy. It is first a Brown family matter. Since Owen had no children, obviously this involves gaining the consensus of relatives, like Alice, who are near kin to Owen. We who love John Brown so passionately can easily turn this into a cause, especially since that ogre who owns the land has brought ruin to Owen's gravesite. But the Browns went west and if any of them are to be disinterred and brought back east, I would not be willing to support any effort doing so without first making a reasonable effort to gain the support from accessible Brown family descendants. If they are not in favor of it, then neither am I. If they are in favor of it, then I'd be fully supportive and think this is the right season to do it. But let's not let our personal sentiments and enthusiasm lead."

Yours in truth,
Lou DeCaro Jr.

Many of my friends and John Brown supporters voiced agreement with Lou's sentiments. I thank you all for your input. My thoughts are below:

Many years ago, Brendon Mills, Ranger/Curator of the John Brown Farm in North Elba, contacted me regarding my giving permission to have Owen Brown's body disinterred, and brought to North Elba for burial. At that time, I was more than happy to say yes to this unique request. My reasons were, I thought, sound – the man who owes the land has fenced off the site; Owen died without heirs; the headstone was missing; what difference could it make where Owen was buried?

I was very naïve back then, to say the least. I am no longer in agreement with the plan to have Owen's body moved, and will adamantly oppose any plans to do so. My reasons are below.

At the time of the first request, I had only attended a couple of funerals, and had not visited many cemeteries. Now, after years of studying the Brown's and working so closely with the genealogy, I find that the very act of visiting the graves of my ancestors invokes strong feelings and emotions that are at times overwhelming and indescribable. While I am sure that the feelings would be the same no matter where Owen rests, I feel that the original place of burial is an important part of the history not only of the family, but of America as well.

Buried near the top of what locals called "Brown's Peak," Owen is at home. He lived there for many years, interacting with the prominent citizens of the neighboring towns. He was one of the 21 founding settlers of Altadena, and well respected. Close to 2000 mourners attended his funeral in town and around 300 braved the treacherous route up the mountain for the graveside service. In 1900, attendance at the dedication of the stone gravestone was high, as was the picnic held on Brown's Peak to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of John Brown's birth. The people of Altadena and surrounding areas are proud to have a "son of the liberator" buried there.

The Sierra Club near Altadena took the landowners to court twice to ensure continued free access to the gravesite. In 2006 they succeeded – based on previous historical access; the property owner lost and now must allow any and all who wish to visit the gravesite complete access. In 2008, The Sierra Club rebuilt the trail up to the former sites of Owen and Jason's cabins and the gravesite.

If we move Owen, where do we stop? Do we go to Put-In-Bay Ohio and remove John Jr. from his final resting spot? What about Frederick, who died during the Osawatomie uprising, do we remove him to North Elba? What of Brown's wives, Dianthe and Mary, shall we uproot them as well? Do we move only the sons, who fought beside Brown; all eight children who outlived "the old man"; or do we also move all of the little children that were lost along the way? If we move the Brown's, do we also move the family members? Where would this end?

American history is full of stories about the movement and scattering of family members. Gravesites show us the routes taken by our ancestors as their lives flowed and ebbed with the changing times. By moving Owen, we would disrupt the profound impact he, and others like him, had on the world as they moved through their lives.

My answer is no, please do not move Owen Brown from the resting place he himself chose.

Alice Keesey Mecoy

Great great grand niece of Owen Brown


Feb 1907 by Gerald Brown

Dedication of stone marker 1898

Grave site in 2001


Grave site in 2009

2006 MLK Day hike to Owen Brown's grave

My Son Went To Put In Bay Ohio And Took Pictures For Me!!!!

2011-06-18T19:26:00.000-05:00

John Brown, Jr., his wife Wealthy and their ten year old son, John Brown III, moved to Put In Bay, Ohio in 1862. They would remain there for the duration of their lives. The family is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery at Put In Bay, Ohio.

My son, John Brown's great great great great grandson, Manfred, is spending the weekend in Put In Bay with friends. He took time to go to the Crown Hill Cemetery and take pictures of the family graves for me. Thanks son!

USA Today 4/8/2011 - Descendants deal with legacies of their forebears

2011-05-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

America's greatest conflict echoes through generations

Descendants deal with legacies of their forebears

By Rick Hampson
USA TODAY

Two of every three Americans have an ancestor who lived through the Civil War. It helps explain why so many people — re-enactors, treasure hunters, genealogists, collectors, hobbyists, preservationists, tourists, battlefield rats — feel so connected to a war that began 150 years ago.

"It's our war. All the blood fell on our soil," says Lloyd Garrison, 79, great-great-grandson of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. He says the war even has a contagious, old-time glamour.

The great-great-grandson of the abolitionist's ideological opponent, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, agrees. "Americans are fascinated by the individuals who fought," says Bertram Hayes-Davis, 62. "They want to know more about what these people did, who they were and what they went through."

Today, descendants such as Garrison and Hayes-Davis underscore our link to a struggle that shaped the nation as much as the arrival of the Mayflower or the victory at Yorktown.

The Civil War ended slavery, strengthened the federal republic and allowed settlement of the West; it pioneered an industrial style of "total war," which included mass production of weapons and the systematic destruction of Southern agriculture; it killed about 620,000 combatants — nearly as many Americans as all the other wars the country has fought combined.

Like many other Americans, descendants of the war's great figures have discovered and grown into their Civil War legacies. They raise issues that still divide us: Why was the war fought? What did it achieve? Was Davis a traitor? Was Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant a drunk?

Over the next four years, the nation will observe the Civil War sesquicentennial with ceremonies, books, recordings, films, lectures, exhibitions, concerts and encampments. The war began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, S.C., on April 12, 1861, and ended with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Va., on April 9, 1865, six days before the assassination of President Lincoln.

About 100 children of Union and Confederate veterans are still alive. Roughly 18 million Americans — one in 17 — have an ancestor who fought in Blue or Gray, Ancestry.com says.

Among these, a few have the kind of forebears who stand on pedestals and hang over fireplaces. Although Abraham Lincoln's last direct descendant died in 1985, other famous lines and names from the war live on.
Robert E. Lee V is athletic director and football coach at the Potomac School outside Washington. His father, Robert E. Lee IV, is a retired distillery executive whose accent hints at the city where he was raised: New York.

J.E.B. Stuart IV, a retired Army colonel and great-great-grandson of Lee's cavalry general, lives in Richmond, Va., where his son J.E.B. V is an orthopedic surgeon.

Ulysses S. Grant V, the general's last surviving great-grandson, died last month at 90. He is survived by his son, Ulysses S. Grant VI. VII has yet to appear, but J.E.B. Stuart VI is a sophomore in college. Robert E. Lee VI is in grade school.

Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's great-great-grandson, Henry Shaffner, 75, is a professional songwriter who married the daughter of a Lincoln buff and has lived for the past half-century in Philadelphia.
In some families, a famous Civil War connection isn't to be exploited, touted or sometimes even mentioned. Shaffner says that growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C., "we were told, 'Don't rely on your ancestors.' It was something you didn't talk about much."

Pauline Johnson, 83, says she didn't even learn she was the great-grandniece of Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman until she was 25. Johnson says she's mystified why her parents never told her about the Tubman connection; she learned from her aunt. She treasures her one tangible link to Tubman: a black dress with white lace sleeves and collar she found hanging in a closet in her parents' house in Auburn, N.Y., after they died. It had a label with Tubman's name on it.

Alice Mecoy, 51, wasn't told she was John Brown's great-great-granddaughter until she was 16; her parents were embarrassed by the anti-slavery zealot who in 1859 attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what is now West Virginia.

When Dred Scott Madison II was a boy, few outside his family realized the kid called "Scott" was descended from the man whose 1857 Supreme Court case strengthened slavery's legal underpinnings and set the stage for the war. That anonymity is gone, says Madison, 52, an air-traffic controller who was embarrassed the other day when a college president in San Antonio fawned over him when they were introduced: "People see the name and go, 'Wow!' But it's not as if I did something. I'm just part of the gene pool."

Madison tells his kids — including Dred Scott Madison III, 22 — "Don't blow this up. You've done nothing yet. Earn your own accolades."

A famous family name, Lloyd Garrison says, "puts a little pressure on you to live up to the standard."
His son Sam, 45, says that when he thinks about how his ancestor fought slavery as early as the 1820s, "I've asked, 'Would I have done the same thing?' "

He says he tries to emulate Garrison's spirit in small ways. When he and his wife decided to move out of New York City, they chose Maplewood, N.J., one of the region's most diverse communities. As a real estate agent, he likes to help people buy a first home there, including black and same-sex couples who might not be welcome everywhere.

How do you pass on the legacy? "I don't want to trumpet William Lloyd too much. I don't want to overburden my grandchildren," says Lloyd Garrison, who has seven. "But it's important for them to know that blood runs in their veins."

Every generation discovers anew the meaning of that blood. Here are three examples of how it works.
In his great-great-grandson, the top Union Civil War general and the second Republican president has an unlikely if effective champion: a gay Democrat who as a young man jumped for joy when the military draft was abolished (his call-up number was 4) and who as an adult opposed "don't ask, don't tell."
In some ways, says Ulysses Grant Dietz, 55, curator of decorative arts at the Newark Museum, he's not an ideal spokesman for Ulysses S. Grant.

When he was a boy in Syracuse, N.Y., Dietz was called "Grant," not "Ulysses," and switched to the latter in prep school only "because weird names were in."

He was unengaged with his legacy until 1994, when he lent his name to a lawsuit to force the National Park Service to remedy years of neglect and vandalism of Grant's Tomb in New York City.

After Dietz threatened to have Grant's body moved to Illinois, the Park Service undertook a $1.8 million restoration project. The tomb fight forced Dietz to read up on Grant. He was so impressed he decided that, having helped restore his ancestor's tomb, he would try to restore his reputation.

People know Grant was a winner, but there are also stories that he was a drunk, a poor student, a crude military strategist who benefited from superior numbers, a political incompetent who presided over a corrupt presidential administration.

In speeches and personal appearances, Dietz counterattacks, explaining that Grant could not tolerate alcohol and drank excessively only on occasion, and only when separated from the family to whom he was devoted.
He says Grant was in the middle of his class at West Point (though not at the top, like Lee); that other Union generals who enjoyed Grant's numerical superiority failed; and that the corruption that soiled his administration stemmed from an explosion in private wealth and corporate power that would have overwhelmed any president.

On the plus side, he says, Grant saved the Union, made the United States a world power and tried harder than anyone else to reconstruct a South in which blacks could be equal to whites.

He failed, and Dietz bristles at the mention of "neo-Confederate" ideology, which holds that the South fought for states' rights, not slavery, and that it had the legal and moral right to secede.

"I think the Confederate flag should be banned. To me, it's like the Nazi flag," he says.
"The South was wrong, and they got what they deserved. (President) Grant wanted to make sure after the war that blacks had a place. His smacking Southerners around to make that happen doesn't bother me at all."
Dietz is a member of his town's race relations board and this year gave the Martin Luther King Jr. Day sermon at his church.

In 2008, he wrote an opinion piece in The Star-Ledger of Newark arguing in favor of gay marriage. (Dietz and his partner, Gary Berger, were joined in a civil union ceremony several years ago. They have two adopted children, one of whose middle name is Ulysses.)

Dietz says his social and political views were formed before he knew much about Grant, but "learning more about Grant's personal integrity and sense of justice affirmed what I had become as an adult and just made me feel prouder of being his descendant."

At a reunion in Mississippi 35 years ago, the descendants of Jefferson Davis formed a family association and elected a president: a bearded, longhaired geology graduate student born and raised in Colorado. Bertram Hayes-Davis had at least one qualification others lacked: his hyphenated surname, created by an act of the Mississippi Legislature on Feb 21, 1890, to preserve the name of the president of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis had six children, but only his daughter Margaret married (to a man named Hayes) and had children.
In his ancestor, Hayes-Davis found his calling: to show that Davis' life was about more than slavery. Because Davis led the Confederacy, he says, "everything else about him was obliterated" — West Point graduate, successful planter, member of the U.S. House and Senate, wounded Mexican war veteran, early advocate of the transcontinental railroad and secretary of War (1853-1857).

Hayes-Davis says it's not just Davis who is misunderstood; Confederates in general are tarred by slavery. "What about everything else they did?" he asks. "We want to tell the world we still have that integrity and those values today."

Those values include states' rights. Hayes-Davis is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which calls the South's secession in 1860-61 "the Second American Revolution," motivated not by slavery but "the preservation of liberty and freedom." Over the past three decades, Hayes-Davis has made more than 1,000 speeches and appearances, many at the kinds of functions where Dixie is sung, the Confederate flag is flown, and the Confederate "Lost Cause" is mourned.

He says that if Americans knew Davis better, they'd respect him more: "Ignorance is our barrier. It's what we get up for every day. This is something I believe in."

When he sought support for observations of Davis' 200th birthday in 2008, he was rebuffed by dozens of museums and organizations. Even Mississippi, where Davis lived, declined to establish a bicentennial commission.

Hayes-Davis, who lives in Dallas, has a son and a daughter. He hopes the family name will continue, because even though Davis has hundreds of great-great-great-grandchildren, "it means more when one of the descendants has the name."

Kenneth Morris says he realized his great-great-great-grandfather would not be the last abolitionist in the family when he discovered that slavery hadn't ended with the Civil War.

A friend showed him a magazine article about how slavery in various forms around the world, including indentured servitude, forced labor and sex slavery, affected more people than in 1861.
It hit him: What better person to fight modern slavery than a descendant of Frederick Douglass? What better way to preserve Douglass' memory?

Douglass, a slave who fled to freedom in the North in 1838, became the most influential black abolitionist of the 19th century. But to the young Ken Morris, he was the old man with "the wild white hair" and the fierce expression, glaring down from the painting on the wall. "It scared me," recalls Morris, 48. "He looked mean."
The Douglass link was played down by Morris' parents, possibly because his own grandfather, who had struggled to live in the great man's shadow, had committed suicide. "There'd been pressure on males in the family to be the next Frederick Douglass," he says. As an adult, he turned down requests to speak or appear as a Douglass descendant. He raised his family in Riverside, Calif., established himself as a travel marketer, and disengaged from a legacy that, he says, "I took for granted."

There were stirrings. After seeing the TV series Roots, he says, "I wondered if I'd lived during that time, whether I would have been an abolitionist. I thought so, but I could never prove it." Finally, when he saw the article about modern slavery, "I couldn't walk away."

He phased out his marketing career and joined his mother, Nettie, in 2007 to found the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, which goes into schools seeking to create "modern abolitionists" to fight global slavery.
Morris says he's as motivated by his two teenage daughters as his famous ancestor: "When I found out young girls were in brothels in Asia forced to be sex slaves, how could I do nothing and look my daughters in the eye? I had this platform my ancestor built through struggle and sacrifice. To not do something would have been a crime."