Los Angeles
County
Biographies
WILLIAM AUGUSTUS BROWN
Coming to California when a young man of twenty-four years, William A. Brown has spent the greater part of his life in Los Angeles, where he is well known by reason of the prestige which he has long enjoyed as a funeral director, and also because of his charitable work. He was born in York, Sumter county, Alabama, July 18, 1870, a son of John G. and Elizabeth (Calvin) Brown, who were natives of Edinburgh, Scotland.
William A. Brown was reared on his father’s farm and acquired his early instruction at home. At Birmingham, Alabama, he enrolled in Howard College and was one of the outstanding students of that institution of learning, which awarded him the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1893. Leaving the south in 1894, he travelled westward to the Pacific coast and located in Los Angeles. He became a conductor for the Los Angeles Railroad when the electric line was opened to Pasadena and remained with the road until 1901, after which he was an employe [sic] of the Mullen & Bluett Clothing Company for about a decade. Desirous of making a change, he embarked in the undertaking business under his own name in 1911 and time has proved the wisdom of his decision, for his efforts have been attended by a gratifying measure of success. He has devoted twenty-three years to mortuary service, perfecting a highly efficient organization, and is accounted one of the foremost representatives of his line of business in Los Angeles. He has spared no expense in securing the most appropriate and best equipment for the beautiful funeral home which he owns and conducts at 1815 South Flower street. Modern and complete in all of its appointments, his establishment covers an area of one hundred by one hundred and fifty feet and contains forty-one rooms and three chapels.
In 1898 at Fort Worth, Texas, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Ida Wylie, a native of Alabama and a daughter of Oliver Wylie. Three children were born to them: W. Wylie, who is connected with his father’s business; Gertrude, a school teacher; and Phillip A., who is at home.
Mr. Brown belongs to Utopia Lodge, No. 537, F. and A. M.; Signet Chapter, R. A. M.; Golden West Commandery, No. 43, K. T. and Al Maliakah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He worships in the First Baptist Church and is a member of its board and union missions. Sympathetic and kind-hearted, he has given liberally of his substance to those in need and delights in alleviating the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate and afflicted. He is esteemed for his philanthropic work, his public spirit and his probity and business ability. Mrs. Brown is a Daughter of the Confederacy, a member of the Ebell Club and a prominent figure in the social life of her city.
Transcribed by K.V. Bunker.
Source: California
of the South Vol. V,
by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 693-694,
Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles,
Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2013 K.V. Bunker.
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BIOGRAPHIES