Isaac Brown

It is a pleasure to record the life of any good man, whose deeds are those of pleasant memory; when united with incidents of great courage and bravery, admiration is created, and it is with increased delight that we review such characters. Our subject was the son of William and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Brown, and was born in Martin county, Indiana, October 5, 1843. The father came from Virginia and the mother from North Carolina. JVilliam Brown never knew his parents, for the father died four months before he was born and the mother when he was but seven days old. He was taken to Tennessee by an older brother on a farm. When about eighteen years of age he came to Lawrence county, Indiana, and was employed by Isaac Mitchell, for whom he worlked until August 22, 1833, and then married his daughter, Elizabeth. Buying a wild tract of land in Martin county, he moved thereto and soon had a respectable farm. In 1846 he sold out and moved to Greene county and settled on a farm in Wright township, where he remained until his death in 1SS9. His wife preceded him in 1876. They were members of the Baptist church. He was first a Whig and then a Republican in politics. They had twelve children: Fanny, Jacob and Sarah, deceased; Isaac, our subject; Harrison and Joseph, living in Wright township; Nancy, wife of Joseph Humphrey, now living in Spencer, Owen county; James; Anna, deceased wife of Benjamin Shaughter; George is on the old homestead in Wright township; Noah and Mary Jane, the oldest of the family, died in Nartin county.

Our subject was raised on a farm, receiving a limited common school education. In his early day’ there was still in use the puncheon floor, stick chimney and greased paper 6or windows. The first school he ever attended was taught by Elder Harring, an old Baptist minister. He was only three years old when he came with his family to Greene county, and with the esception of his army life has lived in this county ever since. In September, 1861, he enlisted in the Thirteenth Indiana Light Artillery and served with it until clischarged at Indianapolis, July 11, 1865, where he was mustered in nearly four years before. He first went into camp at Louisville, Kentucky, and drilled for the fight at Fort Donelson. But owing to the intemperance of the captain they were not in the fight. Retuming to Indianapolis, the captain was dishonorably discharged and a new one elected in his place. Returning to their Louisville camp for a short drill, they were then sent to Henderson, Kentucky, and participated in the battle there. They then marched to Shepherdsville, and then with three regiments of cavalry and two of artillery took after Morgan in his raid, and had a little skirmish with him south of Louisville, also at Frankfort, and followed him in a constant running fight for twenty-one days to Cumberland Gap. They were then ordered back to Elizabethtown; then marched to Gallatin, Tennessee, and occupied Fort Thomas for some time, and were used principally as scouts all over the country for nearly a year. They were then sent to Hartsville, Tennessee. At Murfreesboro a part of the force was imprisoned, but finally released, and finally returned to Indianapolis. In the spring of 1863 they were again sent to Tennessee and engaged in the fights at Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga and Atlanta. After reconnoitering about Atlanta they were then returned to Nashville to assist General “Pap” Thomas, and in the fight with Hood’s army they marched and fought almost continuously for forty clays and nights. The remainder of the service after returning to Chattanooga was occupying various points until their return to Indianapolis, where in a few months they received their discharge. Much might be said in detail of their soldier life, but this brief review only suggests its intense activity.

On his return from the war he first engaged in the saw-mill business in Sullivan, Monroe and Greene counties. Selling out to his partner, he bought a farm in Sullivan county, later a farm in Wright township, on which he stayed until 1888, when he removed to Switz City.

On January 2, 1867, our subject was married to Phoebe Clark, daughter of Thomas and Rhoda Clark, early pioneers of Greene county. She was born in Owen county, October 2, 1839, and died May.31, 1905. They had the following children---Ulysses M., who lives in Terre Haute; Ella, wife of Emmett Gray, now living in Terre Haute ; Elizabeth Inez! who died in infancy ; Anna, deceased; Nora, who lives at home, keeping house for her father. He is A Baptist in church affiliations and a Republican politically. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

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"Biographical Memoirs of Greene County, Ind. with Reminiscences of Pioneer Days", B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis, IN, 1908, Vol. 2 pg. 716-19

Last updated 8.11.2009