BROWN, THOMAS
, was born Feb. 4, 1792, in South Carolina. Martha Thaxton was born May 4, 1791, in South Carolina also. They were married there, and moved to Allen county, Ky., where they had five children, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Oct 7, 1827, in what is now Fancy Creek township, where they had one child. Of their six children--JEMIMA, born June 1, 1811, in Allen county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Thomas Sales. They had two children. MARGARET married William McClelland. See his name. GEORGE T. married Susannah Gardner. She died, and he married Mrs. Elizabeth Turley, whose maiden name was Cline. They have two children, THOMAS and MARGARET. George T. Sales enlisted in 1861 for three years, in Co. C, 7th Ill. Inf. He was a Lieutenant, served full term, and was honorably discharged. He lives near Athens, Ill. Thomas Sales died, and his widow married Philip Crickmour, who also died. Mrs. Jemima Crickmour now (1874) lives with her sister, Mrs. James McClelland.
Aunt Jemima--as she is called by the young people--related to the writer a good joke on herself, which serves to illustrate the manners and customs of the people at the time she come to the country. She says that when the weather was sufficiently warm to admit of it, the young people, upon going to any public meeting, would carry their shoes and stockings until they approached their destination, when they would stop and put them on. As soon as they passed out of view, on leaving, they would again stop, take them off, and carry them home in their hands. This was done in order to make them last as long as possible. She thought it a singular custom; but after seeing her associates practice it a few times, decided to try it herself. She was then about sixteen years of age. Religious meetings were held at private houses. She started on a Sunday morning to attend a meeting at the house of a neighbor, carrying her shoes and stockings in her hands. A short distance from the house she put them on, entered the meeting, and all passed off well until she started on the return, when a young gentleman accosted her at the door, and asked permission to accompany her home. This placed her in a quandary. If she wore her shoes the entire distance, it would wear them out so much earlier; if she stopped and took them off, there was reason to fear it would frighten her beau away. She was not long in deciding to wear the shoes and keep the beau. Economy in that line was thus brought to a sudden termination.
JAMES, born Nov., 1813, in Allen county, Ky. He was married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth Scott. They have three children, and live in Kansas. At the time of the "deep snow" he was but sixteen years old. It became necessary for him to carry a grist to mill on horseback. He found the traveling quite difficult, in consequence of the crust on the snow cutting the legs of his horse. A shawl belonging to some of the female portion of the family had been wrapped about his person to keep him from freezing. He tore that in two pieces, took off his suspenders, and with them tied a half of the shawl on each of the forward legs of the horse, about where the snow crust would strike them. In that way he was enabled to bring home a supply of breadstuff for the family.
JOHN, born March 4, 1815, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county in 1842.
ELIZABETH, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to William Cutwright. She died, leaving one son, DANIEL, who enlisted in the first call for 75,000 men, in 1861, and died in the army.
MARY, born Dec. 25, 1818, in Allen county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to James McClelland. See his name.
ROBERT T., born Aug. 21, 1831, in Sangamon county, married Dec. 28, 1848, to Edna M. Dunlap, who was born Jan. 13, 1832. They had seven children; the eldest died young. THOMAS, born Oct. 10, 1851, married Oct. 23, 1872, to Hattie L. Short, and live in Fancy Creek township. MARY E., JAMES F., ALEXANDER, MARGERY I., ROBERT U. and JOHN A., live with their mother. Robert T. Brown died Feb. 6, 1866, and his widow lives near Sherman.
Mrs. Martha Brown died Sept. 11, 1862, and Thomas Brown died July 23, 1868, both in Sangamon county. Their children remember that the first corn Mr. Brown raised in the county for sale, was hauled away by Abraham Lincoln, as the hired man of John Taylor, who owned the land where they lived.