EDWARD SHERBURNE BROWN

Sacramento County

Biographies

EDWARD SHERBURNE BROWN

For twenty years a successful commercial man of Sacramento, Mr. Brown has exemplified throughout his career the qualities of manly ambition and wise judgment and in his practical interest in civic affairs has justly won a place among the most influential and highly respected citizens of his community.

Born October 24, 1869, in Sacramento, Mr. Brown is fully acquainted with the vast improvements which have taken place since that period, both in his home city and through the state in general, and although he has visited many attractive and beautiful sections of the United States, enjoys the conviction that California exceeds them all, not alone in climate, but in resources as well. His father John R. Brown, whose birth occurred in Brownville, N. Y., in 1833, attended West Point as a youth, and in the role of civil engineer came to California in 1860 to assist in the original survey of the Central Pacific Railroad between Sacramento and Reno. Afterward he was advance agent during the construction of the road until December, 1868, when he resigned to engage in the life insurance business in Sacramento. He became special agent for the Northwestern Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wis., and for a number of years filled that office, when he again entered the employ of the Central Pacific Railroad as agent and continued with the company until his death, which occurred in Sacramento February 7, 1884. Mr. Brown was prominent among the Masons, Redmen and Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and at his death was buried with Masonic honors. His wife, to whom he was united in marriage in the old Congregational Church on Sixth street in Sacramento, was formerly Miss Elizabeth MacMillan, born in Buffalo, N. Y., daughter of Hugh and Ann (Miller) MacMillan, natives of New York. Hugh MacMillan was a successful shipbuilder by trade. Mrs. Brown, who was widely beloved for her womanly sweetness and sympathy, passed away in January, 1902, after a life of great devotion to her husband and three children.

John Jacob Brown, the paternal grandfather of Edward S., occupied a prominent position throughout the war of 1812, having organized a company of which he became captain, later serving as general, and then, owing to his ability and devotion to duty, was appointed to the office of commander in chief of the United States army, faithfully performing his duties until his death in 1827.

At the age of fourteen, shortly after his father's death, Edward Sherburne Brown was forced to leave his studies, in which, however, owing to his concentrative ability, he had made rapid progress. He secured a position in the wholesale establishment of Lyon & Curtis. Five years later he transferred his services to Curtis Brothers & Company, and in 1892; in partnership with William M. Henderson and Charles E. Flye, under the firm name of Henderson, Brown & Flye, opened a wholesale fruit and produce store at Second and J streets; later Mr. Flye sold his interest to his associates, and in 1900, Mr. Henderson having withdrawn from the company, the firm was incorporated under the name of the Ennis-Brown Company, with Mr. Brown as president and Scott F. Ennis as secretary and treasurer. The company is now located at Front and J streets, now a prominent wholesale district. The old Pioneer Mill on the water front, formerly occupied by H. G. Smith & Co., has been used as a bean warehouse, and has large cleaning machinery. Thoroughly familiar with the work in which he has been so long engaged, Mr. Brown is considered an expert in that line, and his progressive methods are highly commended by his fellow citizens. He married in July, 1898, Lucy Elizabeth Purinton, a native of California, and to them have been born two sons and two daughters, viz: Kenneth A., Dorothy E., Edward S., and Virginia Anna. Mr. Brown is an active member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the Sutter Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Active in local politics, he maintains a deep interest in all matters pertaining to the development and improvement of the city and is conceded to be a man of broad, generous principles and well-directed energy.

Transcribed by Sally Kaleta.

Source: Willis, William L., History of Sacramento County, California, Pages 861-862. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1913.

Addendum

12/20/2013

There is a small paragraph in the middle of the biography that breaks it in the middle of the page which reads as follows.........

"John Jacob Brown, the paternal grandfather of Edward S., occupied a prominent position throughout the war of 1812, having organized a company of which he became captain, later serving as general, and then, owing to his ability and devotion to duty, was appointed to the office of commander in chief of the United States army, faithfully performing his duties until his death in 1827."

I regretfully here find it necessary to inform you that this information is a misrepresentation.......and just outright false.

I do realize that the source of the information is 100 years in age apparently but the source is mistaken for whatever reason.....and I shall provide you with source links thereso indicating.......The non factuality of each incorrect statement I address.

(1. ) "John Jacob Brown " as presented is a fictitious character creation as presented......

There was never a "Commander in Chief of the United States Army" named such

The following sources can be accessed to verify said......

http://www.history.army.mil/books/R&H/R&H-FM.htm
http://www.history.army.mil/books/CG&CSA/Brown-JJ.htm
http://history.house.gov/Institution/Gold-Medal/Gold-Medal-Recipients/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commanding_General_of_the_United_States_Army

( 2. ) The only ......"Commander in Chief of the United States Army" there ever was,

was, George Washington our first President, once again the links above shall verify this as well as........a discussion on the subject is entertained here but it is significantly

inapplicable to the time period of history in question.....and the other links are more directly specific and accurate. In fact after Washington's first service the title was eliminated and changed by Congressional Statute of the first or second congress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander-in-chief

( 3. ) The position then became known and designated by statute as........

United States Army Senior Officer once again I would refer to....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commanding_General_of_the_United_States_Army

And ask that you note who senior officer #'s 1,11,and 1, again are

there were eleven United States Army Senior Officer's

Then the statute of Congress once again changed the title in 1820, causing the office holder # 11 United States Army Senior Officer to change title and then become the first #1 Commanding General of The United States Army. While this may seem like trivial technicality to some and play on words ....If one were to actually join the services, they would find this is certainly relevant and something they very well should and would have to be aware of.

( 4. ) Whoever the author is attempting to refer to in the using of the name "John"

Would be completely foreign and unknown to the application of history as properly recorded and that to which they attempt to attach it to in more than one way.....

a......The only "John's" to ever hold the subject office or should be said as offices attempted to refer to,.... would be Senior officer # 2 John Doughty for 53 days and Commanding LT. General # 9 John Schofield for 7 yrs.

Once again the links sourced above confirm this.

( 5. ) All of the ensuing statement made by the author becomes entirely false by association to the name which is wrong and false and by the family lineage of the subject of the biography......which is also wrong and false......a careful review of the following sources and many other historical sources commonly available shall reveal the true identity of the attempted personification referenced and the true lineage of the subject of the biography and can be examined in these locations......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Brown

True identity and bio however incomplete a close effort.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4822

Correct Identity and Bio on the face of a memorial page of a site owned by ancestry.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=4822&PIpi=94003830

Correct Identity and Improved Bio ,but not a historical account of all five of his battle victories.

Created by myself.

http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/major-general-jacob-jennings-brown

Contains the National Intelligencer publication of the day and their descriptions of events and government activities surrounding his death and confirms the actual and real date of death, which is misrepresented by a year in the biography in question.

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7058348M/A_genealogical_record_of_the_Brown_family
( page 20 , Samuel Brown #55 third wife one issue #12 is John Rudd Brown,..... Brown # 67 )
Also notice that the lineage numerals for your biography subjects actual grandfather are 55,28,27,3,1 and not 42........

who was the brother of Samuel the actual paternal grandfather of Edward Sherburne Brown
John Rudd # 67 =Samuel Brown 55+12 issue=#67 John Rudd was the subjects father as the biography relates......42 Commanding General Jacob Jennings Brown never had a son who fathered the subjects father.......Jacob's brother Samuel did thus Jacob was never his grandfather and it was IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO BE BECAUSE HE DIED BEFORE JOHN RUDD WAS FATHERED

https://archive.org/details/genealogicalreco00penr

relevant pages from the same book from any of these links are 9 bottom, 10 top,13,16 top and 20 top........The 9 bottom shows the father 28 Samuel of #55 Samuel the brother OF Jacob 42 ,10 top shows the issue of them, 13 is the bio of Jacob and dates of birth and the actual date of death in 1828 which made it impossible for him to father the father of the subject of your biography which the biography actually makes it impossible also.......impossible plus an extra yr.......16 top shows 42 Jacob's actual issue,

20 shows the actual paternal grandfather of your biography subject and his grandmother and the year of birth impossibility ( 1869 ) is shown under your subjects father John Rudd Brown # 67 on page 26............ men who die in 1828 can not father a father of a bio subject in 1869........plus this amounts to an adulterous affair with a dead man.

and the library of Congress pages......permalink and catalog pages

http://lccn.loc.gov/09007308

Recorded in the Library of Congress by Statute...... CS71.B881896
catalogged and linked above and below.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1896 by GEO. H PENROSE,

http://www.masshist.org/jqadiaries/doc.cfm?id=jqad37_446

The page 446 linked above of President John Quincy Adams diary which confirms the date of death and the words expressed by him about Jacob 42 contained in the Family Book.

The subject of the biography was the grand nephew of the properly named

Commanding Major General of the United States Army who died in 1828

JACOB JENNINGS BROWN

John or Johnathan was never his name or a part of it .

Edward Sherburne Brown was never his grandson

Jacob never died in 1827 and he was never the father of Edwards father John or the bio subjects grandfather.

I should know, I also am Jacob's grand Nephew 4x

I descended from a brother of Jacob's also # 71 Major General Joseph White Brown.....appointed by President Andrew Jackson over the territory of Michigan before statehood known for the Blackhawk wars and founding Tecumseh Michigan....His son was Brigadier Egbert Benson Brown of the Civil War and he was the grandfather of my grandparent.

My full name is Timothy Simon my descent enumeration 1, 3 , 27, 28, 71,72-2-1-1-1-1. As recorded in our family book of 1895-6 ....my descent listing ends at 72-2-1. We have all the family documents from there forward.

On www.findagrave.com I am contributor SIMON (#48287527) I made a decision to work from the family book until it failed to produce further results combined with find a grave and other sources , I don't just wish to document the ladder of my tree I wish to locate as many of the graves of the family as possible and to find out if there are other descendants still left out there I realize in time I will have to utilize the data bases I have this far avoided but I have contacted a couple of side matriarch branches already but have not found signs of Brown's yet and my book is incomplete and our line is only one of 15.

Respectfully Simon mone4nuthin@live.com

Sacramento County Biographies