John Brown, Jr. was the oldest child of the abolitionist John Brown and his first wife Diantha Lusk.
Mr. Brown served with the Kansas 7th Cavalry as a Captain of Company K. In 1862 John Brown, Jr. moved to Put-in-Bay where he lived the remainder of his life. Mr. Brown died May 5, 1895 and he was buried on the Island with the full rites and ritual of the Science Lodge F & AM. The 1880 census lists Brown as grape grower and lived with his wife, Wealthy, and children John and Edith. Edith later married Thomas Alexander, an actor and mayor of Put-in-Bay for many years.
At Brown’s funeral services many individuals offered glowing eulogies for Mr. Brown. Judge E. M. Colver gave the eulogy. Judge Colver paid a glowing tribute to Mr. Brown, stating “his name was connected with the greatest pages of America’s history.” The judge continued, “He was a disciple of truth and his life exemplified that great truism, ‘an honest man is the noblest work of God’ ”
Sanduskian James M. French paid tribute to John Brown, Jr. on behalf of the people of color of Ohio. He spoke of the sacrificial spirit of the Brown family. “The lesson to be carried away is that we should have a renewed inspiration for progress and advancement in our civil and educational lives, to show our appreciation for what was done in our behalf.”
During the Civil War, Brown warned the Union troops on Johnson’s Island of the impending raid to free Confederate officers imprisoned there. Later, he organized a militia company to assist in the defense of the island. He filled his home with memorabilia of Kansas and his father and defended John, Sr.’s, character against all public criticism. It has been written that Brown, Jr. was aware of his father’s plan to conduct the raid at Harper’s Ferry. Brown, Jr. was instructed by his father to move “tools” for the raid to a secret location. In 1858, the “tools” were to Conneaut, Ohio and from there to Cherry Valle Village. The Senior Brown also instructed Brown, Jr. to recruit “likeminded” individuals from Pennsylvania in the areas of Gettysburg, Bedford, Chambersburg and Uniontown.
Brown also had a brother, Owen, who also participated in the assault on Harper’s Ferry. Owen escaped to Put-in-Bay where he remained for twenty years. Owen lived in a small cabin on his brother’s land; he spent the winter months on nearby Gibraltar Island serving as the caretaker of Jay Cooke’s summer home.
According to Roger Long, late of Port Clinton and a noted Civil War historian, the people of Put-in-Bay often noticed Owen carrying a basket with a checkered napkin as a cover. Most thought Owen was carrying his lunch while working for Jay Cooke. In reality, Owen was carrying a firearm to protect himself, if necessary.
The papers of John Brown, Jr., including many letters, are found at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. The Genealogical Project of the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society features a page on its website dedicated to the Brown Family.
Sources:
http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/mssfind/286/brownjohnjrwebpage++.htm. Retrieved Aug 19, 2012.
Sketches and Stories of the Lake Erie Islands. Ryall, Lydia J., The American Publishers Co., 1913.
