This family history, tracing the struggles of previous generations from Colonial times down to the present time, pictures the heroic and at times torturous struggles of a courageous people who, with others of their times, helped to carve out a democratic nation from the vast wildernesses of America.

We express our appreciation to those who have been so helpful in securing information which has made possible the presentation of this family history; relatives, friends, "old-timers", Mr. Walter Lackey, Historian of Newton County, Arkansas, and the Postmaster of Compton, Arkansas.  Also included in our source of material has been old faded letters, census reports, Bible records, history, Santa Fe Railroad records, maps, etc., etc. it is presented to you as nearly correct as possible with the hope that not only will you enjoy it but that it will be a source of inspiration as well.

The biography of Susan Adeline Brown, daughter of James Curnutt, takes us back to the days of the Revolutionary War in 1781.  At this time there was living in England a family by the name of J. Johnson.  The size of the family is not known but the father and mother came to America in 1800.  They must have been persons of great courage for travel by boat in those days was hazardous.  Sea travel was dangerous for there were no lifeguard services on shore for protection of any kind after the boat set sail.  There were no storm warnings or weather bureaus.  When the traveler went to sea he never was sure when or if he would reach his destination.  Those whom they left behind had no way of hearing what happened to them until word might be brought back by a returning ship for it was not until one hundred twenty seven years later in 1924 that people could telephone from New York to London and our first broadcasting station KDKA was established in Pittsburg 120 years later in 1920 by Westinghouse.

Little is known of the early years of the life of the Johnson's in America.  They had one son, Thomas, born here.  There may have been other children.  Thomas Johnson married and he and his wife were among the first persons to struggle across the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains to settle in primitive Tennessee.  It is known, however, that the people who settled there at this time came from North Carolina.  These states provided the only crude trails to travel into this wilderness area.  They had been settled here prior to 1820.  It is interesting to note that during the War of 1812 between the United States and England that the Creek Indians, some of the most warlike of the several tribes of the Old Southwest, repeatedly attacked the small scattered frontier settlements of Tennessee and Kentucky.  The whites were so few in number that they were unable to defend themselves.  Andrew Jackson was sent by President James Monroe to lead an army against the Creek Indians.  He succeeded in defeating them in 1813 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  The breaking of the power of the Creeks caused the other Indian tribes to give up.  They sold their lands to the United States and moved across the Mississippi River to what is now Oklahoma.  The early American pioneers then came into the land vacated by the Indians.  Among these determined settlers were the Johnsons and another family by the name of Curnutt.

To Thomas Johnson and his wife was born on December 10, 1821, a daughter whom they named Nancy.  This was in a small settlement called Massey and is no longer listed on the map.  It is not known whether there were other children or not but most early families were large.

To the Curnutts, a god-fearing family, was born at least two children, James and Mary.  James met Nancy Johnson and they fell in love.  When Nancy was twenty-four years old, she married James Curnutt.  His birthdate was August 15, 1827.  The wedding was held in the bride's home.  James Curnutt had secured a large family Bible to start out their married life.  This Bible is now in the possession of a great grandson, Sigsbee Curnutt, Delmar Route, Harrison, Arkansas.  The Bible was reverently carried by the newly wedded couple on their trip from Tennessee to Arkansas.  It states therein that "James Curnutt of the first part and Nancy Johnson of the other part, on the 6th day of November 1845 were married at the residence of Thomas (Johnson) by C. C. Tipton, ordained minister.  Witness Thomas Johnson and Charles Carter."

At the time of their marriage, as mentioned previously, the economic problems in Tennessee as well as in Kentucky, were quite serious.  The two important crops were tobacco and cotton.  The wealthy men bought up most of the land and the planting, cultivating and harvesting was done by slaves.  It provided poor employment opportunities for the white working class.  As a result of trying to solve the problem, migration towards the west was attracting settlers in great numbers.  The newly wedded couple caught the fever of the times and decided to go to Arkansas where land was about to be thrown open to homesteaders.  Since there were no railroads or stagecoaches in this area until many years later, the only means of transportation was by covered wagons in large enough caravans for safety.  They crossed over much rugged country and out the southwestern tip of Tennessee to the Mississippi River.  Here the wagons were loaded on flat barges and taken across to the other side into Arkansas.  Mary, a sister of James Curnutt, made the trip with them and they settled in a small place called Carrolton in Carrol County, Arkansas.  This is not very far from Osage to which they later moved.  Mary married and her husband died.  Later she married Sam Thompson and he is the same person mentioned in some of the old letters written by Calvin Curnutt to his sister Adeline in which he mentions that his father was buried "next to Uncle Sam Thompson."

Nancy and James Curnutt had nine children listed as follows:

1. Josephine, who married Wash Taylor and their children were Tessie, George, William and Mary.

2. W. Calvin, born December 12, 1846.  He married Anne Reynolds who was born in 1843.  Their children were Lucindy, born February 3, 1869; James, born July 4, 1870; Joe, born November 10, 1872; Bill, born February 3, 1874; Thomas, born June 18, 1879; and a boy Fayette, born September 25, 1885.  Fayette's son, Sigsbee Curnutt and his wife, Ruth, live near Compton, Arkansas.  They have a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Jerryne Jones, and granddaughter, Claudia.  Fayettes daughter, Mrs. Clidie Davis, lives at Oxford, Kansas.  Fayette was a rural school teacher having taught in Boone, Newton and Carrol Counties in Arkansas for a total of forty-five years.  No doubt he will still be remembered by old timers there.  His wages were $20.00 a month and the term was three months.  He died November 24, 1951.

3. Martha, born 1848, married Will Villines and their children were Calvin, Reggie, Jim and Nancy.

4. Thomas, born in 1850 was drowned at 2 years of age.

5. Lindy (also called Lucindy), born in 1852, was frail and never married.  She died December 10, 1893.

 6. Merry Jane, born 1854, married Joe Gibbons.  They had four children; Sarah, Love, Dora and Bill. After the death of her husband she married Sam Eoff. They had seven children of which four are still living.  They are Jackson Eoff living at 725 North C Street, Rogers, Arkansas and two brothers, Jefferson and Fulbright Eoff, both living at 357 Ivan Street McFarland, California, and Mrs. Dannie Crewshaw at Stratford, California.

7. David, born 1856, married Betty Alread.  They had one boy, David who was killed by accidental gunfire.

8. Susan Adeline, born May 22, 1856, in Cedar County, Arkansas.  She married James Irving Brown.  Their children are listed as follows:

A. an unnamed child which was stillborn in December, 1878.

B. John McDonal Brown, born April 25, 1880.           He married Pearl Sample and their children were: Everett, (married to Ruth Bigham and they have a daughter Glenna) and a daughter Zita who has a daughter Phyllis.

C. Sarah Louise, born October 20, 1881 and died March 20, 1884 in Chico, California.

D. Miney Miles, born November 26, 1883, and died four days later.

E. Mary Susan, born August 29, 1885.  She married Will
Snow.  Their children were Will, Shirley and Louise.  Mary's husband died in 1918 during the flu epidemic and she later married George Kurz.  Mary passed away in April 1942.
 

< James Franklin and Gertrude (nee Hicks) Brown

 F. James Franklin, born August 23, 1887.  He married Gertrude Hicks.  Their children are Hazel, Frances and Mary.

G. Omia Melinda, born December 14, 1889.  She married Bert Chambers who passed away after their children were grown.  Their children are Mildred, Raymond, Hattie, Elbert, who died as a result of a woods accident at age twenty-one, Jessie and Larry.  Later Omia married Dr. J. P. Bray of Medford, Oregon.
 

 H. William Clarence, born February 29, 1892.  He married Teresa Frances Sams.  Their children are Clarisse, William (a policeman in Coos Bay, Oregon) who passed away June 17, 1961, and Adeline.

I. Bethuel, always called "Bee", born March 22, 1894, married Nellie Mae Sams, who passed away December 12, 1957.  They had one son, William.  Later Bee married Clara Lewis.

J. Ruth Elizabeth, born August 6, 1896, married Carl Dennhardt and their children are Curtis, William and Emma Louise.  Ruth passed away at Hauser, Oregon, March 22, 1952.

K. Martha Lucinda, born November 25, 1898, married Wilbur Chappel and their children are Fred, Barbara, Margarette, Faye, Lee, Louis and James Clifford who passed away in infancy.  Later Martha married Benny Ricmer.
 

9. Emmaline, born 1860, married Joe Barker.        One boy, James.

James Curnutt and family lived in several locations around Compton, but their most permanent home was located near Osage, Carrol County on what is now the Miles Armer farm.  The house was in the shape of our modern Quonset huts.  It was constructed of "bricks" made from adobe, mud, grass and reinforced by whatever they could secure in the way of hand-hewn timbers.  The house was large as the family consisted of the parents and 9 children, six girls and three boys.  The home was made in two parts; one section was the family living quarters and the other section held their big looms which were hand-made.  These looms were very important to the family life as it was here that all the bedding, clothing, rugs, yarns, etc. were made.

In the home of Emmaline, the high-light of the year was their Christmas celebration.  The family was practically outfitted in clothing made for the occasion.  Each of the girls had a new dress for the festivities.  To us, in this generation, this would not necessarily be such an important event, but in those times it represented more effort and work than we can imagine.  They raised their own wool and either raised cotton enough for their needs or traded for the same.  The wool had to be "carded" and spun into yarn.  Then the yarn had to be dyed for the right colors and this called for the use of much artistic planning and work.  Alder bark was used to prepare a beautiful golden yellow; the green moss hanging from the trees was treated and when finished made a dark blue color, and hemlock bark also produced interesting shades.  In the making of these dyes, lye had to be used and Adeline has described how this cracked their fingers and hands but they were willing to suffer this as the price of the new dresses.  Socks, sweaters, mittens and caps were made for the men folks as well as the women so there were gifts for the members of the family.

Christmas was a sacred event in the Curnutt household and was not marred by the spirit of commercialism which exists today.  Adeline's father was a God-fearing man and Christmas eve had its family gathering with the reading from the old family Bible of the birth of Christ.  Then there were religious songs with all the family participating while the 'Old Patriarch" accompanied them on his dulcimer.  No one sang with more religious fervor than the Curnutt family.  After other religious songs were sung, the evening took on a more festive air.  Although there was not the glint and glimmer of flashy trimmings and lights such as we have today, no home was happier than this rugged pioneer family.

In the home was an unusually large fireplace for the winters were oftimes severe and this had to be used for cooking as well as heating.  At one end of this fireplace there was set up a large heavy iron plate which they called their "stove top" and upon which they set their kettles and pots for cooking.  This plate was high enough off the fireplace floor so that live coals could be  raked under it.  To one side there was swung a crane which supported a large iron kettle for heating water.  Ashes were pulled up over the coals before the family retired so that making up a fire the following morning only required digging out the live coals and adding firewood.

Dirt floors were throughout the house but they were packed until they were as hard as hardwood.  Cleanliness was one of the virtues of the family and these floors were scrubbed with sand routinely.  All of the furniture was hand hewn and then rubbed with find sand until it was smooth and polished.  There were no windows such as we have as the early pioneers had no glass to use in them. open spaces for windows were left to be used in the summertime and closed during the winter.  Their doors were larger than ours today and when left open helped to let in additional light.  The family made their own candles and between these and the light from the big fireplace they managed to get along quite nicely.

Water had to be carried or 'troughed" from nearby springs or streams and with ten in the family it was no small chore.  They made their own soap.  The men folks farmed raising cotton, wheat, and stock including sheep from which they made their woolen garments.  They also raised their own tobacco and broom corn.  They made their own brooms.  The men also hunted and picked up any available jobs which were very scarce.  Wages at best did not exceed a dollar a day.  Often neighbors traded labor in their efforts to help each other.  In the letters written by Adeline's parents to her, they speak of the continued hard times.  There were oftimes droughts in the summer and snow, frost and heavy rains in the winter.  At one time wheat was selling at 40 to 50 cents a bushel, corn from 50 cents a bushel at the highest price to 15 cents in the fall.  Bacon sold from 10 to 15 cents a pound, cotton from 1 1/2 to 2 cents "in the seed", hogs 5 cents per pound and at one time beef was 'doing nothing', 1 1/2 cents per hundred.  Eggs brought in 4 cents a dozen.  So there was little to bring in 'money turnover' (as their letters expressed it).  At one time the little community was saved from virtual starvation by the coming of the railroad through the country which gave the men the opportunity to make railroad ties and thus earn enough to provide their most urgent needs.  In 1873 when Adeline was 15, a panic swept the entire country causing additional widespread suffering through the nation.  But in spite of all this, Adeline's father wrote in one of his letters, "Let us herewith be content.  I am thankful for anything while there is many in this world that are in harder circumstances to what we are."

The women spun, wove cloth from the cotton and wool which they raised, made their own sewing thread and yarn and the clothing for the family as well as rugs and bedding.  Their beautiful quilting is now almost a lost art.  Adeline's wool cards (instruments for combing fibers of wool, flax or cotton preparatory to spinning) are still in the family possession.  They made their own knitting needles, darning needles, etc.  They wove yarns in designs through ""towe" (burlap) sacks to make their rugs.

The family's meat problem was solved by smoking their products, pickling it or sometimes by frying it and putting it into containers of hot fat.  As these containers cooled, the fat became solid and thus excluded any air contacts and sealed them until used.  They made their own sausages and packed the same in animal tissues and when these were not available, containers were made from home-made light-weight cotton lengths formed in tubular shape and these were then stuffed and hung in the smokehouse to cure.  Fruits, whether raised, bought or traded for were mostly Dried after being peeled and quartered then strung by heavy needles upon lengths of cord and dried for future use.  Molasses and sorghum syrup were fairly cheap.

Education did not make fast headway in the South.  In the very sparsely settled areas there were only a very few public schools so the children had little educational opportunities but from the letters which Adeline received from her parents, it is evident that a great deal of learning had been handed down through the grandparents from England.  The general trend of public thought at that time was that it was not worth while to educate girls beyond the grammar grades because her interests should be centered in the home and it's management.  Colleges were for men only.  The few grammar schools which did exist for public use, did little more than teach the children to read, write and work simple arithmetic.  Adeline's father, himself quite musical, taught Adeline his knowledge of music and she became a good singer.  However, when she finally left home and was faced with the problem of writing to her parents and other members of the family, she realized the need for further education.  She therefore made the effort to teach herself the fundamentals of reading, writing and self-expression.  Her typewritten letters which she wrote in later years with failing eyesight, bear witness to her patience, determination and ability to succeed in the face of hardships.

The Curnutt family was a close-knit one.  The loss of the fourth child, Thomas, by drowning when he was two years old, had been their first big family tragedy.  Then Lindy, who was born next, was very frail and because of poor health was dwarfed in size.  She was always the concern of the rest of the family and they never ceased to be anxious for her welfare.  Adeline, especially, assumed the care for her.

The economic life of the family was marred by the national struggle over slavery which had become an increasingly sore issue between the North and the South.  On April 19, 1861, Fort Sumpter fell and the Civil War began.  Arkansas left the Union to join the Confederate States of America.  Six days later, President Lincoln declared a blockade of the Southern States' coastline and the South was shut off from the world.  Supplies and arms failed to reach the Confederacy.  Most of the cotton, which was the greatest crop of the South and the one from which Southerners received their income, could not be shipped abroad to be sold.  Each year as the War went on, the sufferings of the Curnutt family increased.  Since most of the battles were fought in the South, large regions were left in ruins.  Armies and desperadoes took advantage of the situation, went through the countryside destroying crops, butchering the cattle for food and taking all other food products which they could find in the homes or could conveniently carry away.  Adeline could recall three separate times when this happened to their family.  These particular raids were made by roving bands of desperadoes and the army as the Curnutt family were living outside the combat area.  The family was indeed destitute when they returned home.  On these occasions Adeline's parents took the family into the nearby woods where they lived on slippery elm bark, berries and whatever wildlife they could get by hunting or fishing.  When it was finally decided that it was safe to return home, the family again took up the struggle of living.  James Curnutt did not serve in the Civil War, he was 31 years old, had a large family to support and was never called for duty.

As the children married and left home, they settled in nearby communities and established their own homes.  There are many of their descendants still living there.  By 1878 they were all married except the frail child of the family.  James Curnutt turned his thoughts and efforts more fully to the fulfillment of his life's dream, the preaching of the Gospel throughout a wilderness area.  He was an itinerant preacher or circuit-rider.  He made his trips over the rough trails and dusty roads on his sure-footed mule.  He would be away from his home most of the summer and fall although frequently in the home between trips to see that all was well.  He preached "inspiration and exhortation to the living, gave comfort to the dying and conducted burial services" (quoted from his letters) wherever needed.  In his old family Bible there are still many of his hand-written obituaries of old pioneers whose last services he conducted.  In January of 1892 he wrote Adeline that he had been gone all summer and fall of the previous year and had already traveled 1850 miles, all on his faithful old mule and preached over two hundred sermons.  He finally sold his farm as Lindy and her mother were in failing health and they went to live with the daughter Mary who was living on the Horis Arlington place "above Will Villines."

James Curnutt's wife passed away on August 15, 1893 and a few months later on December 10th of the same year, Lindy was laid to rest beside her mother in the Low Gap Cemetery just above the grave of Will Villines.  The death of his wife was a heavy blow to the sixty year old circuit rider.  In his letter telling Adeline of her passing, he said, ""I am preaching all the time on a mission.  It seems to me that I am lost but I will say to you that I am obedient to the will of God.  I did all I could for her but as David said, "The Lord giveth though takest away; blessed be the name of the Lord." I am doing the best I can.:" Mary continued to care for her father who faithfully plodded along with his preaching for six more years until his death in January 1899.  He preached on the Saturday before he died, fulfilling as he always did his schedule of appointments.  He was a Free-Will Baptist minister.  He was holding revival services in an old building near Harrison and staying with his sister Mary when he was stricken.  He passed away on the following Thursday.  At that time he had only thirty cents left of the sale of his home and stock several years before.  He had received no salary and was dependent upon the hospitality of the people into whose homes or communities he might be preaching.  When this was not sufficient to meet his needs, he had to use his own money for expenses.  Mary bought a new suit for five dollars of her money and seven dollars from Cal. for a total of $12.00 for their father to be laid away in.  At that time the weather was threatening for it was in the early part of January.  So the immediate family planned the funeral service.  The son, Calvin, who had regularly held religious services in his home, conducted his father's last services as he had each year conducted memorial services over the graves of his mother and sister Lindy.  The old Circuit Rider resting on a quilt made by Calvin's wife, was buried as most of the pioneers were in those days, in a home-made casket.  He was laid to rest in the northwest corner of the Grubbs Spring Cemetery near Harrison.  Today a tall stone placed over his grave by the Masons and Odd Fellows (which he joined at Marble Springs in 1885), bears this inscription, "Rev.  James Curnutt born August 15, 1827 and died December 8, 1898." In compliance with his last request, the words of Second Timothy 4: 6, 7, and 8 were read over his grave; 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there s laid up for me a crown of righteousness-not to me only but to all those that also loved his appearing.' Thus ended the life of James Curnutt who, not only represented an era in the development of the rugged pioneer but also the passing of the days of the faithful old Circuit Riders.  To the writer, it would seem inappropriate not to pay tribute to the daughter, Merry Jane who, in her humble way, represents woman's part in the pioneer struggle, for she took her mother and the invalid sister Lindy and her father into her home to care for.  There were long weeks of illness before the mother passed away, followed by the worsening condition of Lindy who before her death became completely paralyzed and helpless.  It was to Merry Jane that the family turned in times of trial and tribulations to look for "the shelter in the time of storm."

It will, no doubt, seem strange to begin this family history by referring back to Daniel Boone, nevertheless, he did contribute much to the lives of our early forefathers.  He was a young hunter who lived on the North Carolina frontier and was a rugged, adventuresome type of individual.  He crossed the Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky in search of game and especially furs.  He saw great possibilities in this new territory and carried back to his home in North Carolina, exciting tales about the rich country beyond the mountains.  In fact, he was so enthused that he returned to Kentucky in 1769 and spent two whole years exploring the region and its possibilities.  His skirmishes with hostile bands of Indians on one hand and his ability to make friends with other tribes is well recorded in American history.

Upon his second return to North Carolina, Boone worked unceasingly promoting interest and making plans for a colony which he would lead into Kentucky.  In 1775 he felt that the time was ripe for the adventure and he led his family and a company of settlers into Kentucky where he founded Boonesboro.  Other settlers followed in the next few years and among these was a family by the name of Brown.  This oldest known pioneer of the Brown family was born about 1780 and he had previously lived in North Carolina.  This state had been settled by English colonies and it therefore establishes his nationality.  He and his wife came from North Carolina into Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap - the only existing passageway over the Appalachian Mountains at that time.  The year of their arrival is not known but all of these trips had to be made by covered wagon for there were no stagecoaches, railroads or boats in this area until many years later.  This particular trip was so rugged and hazardous that the Wagon masters frowned on the presence of small children in the caravans.  It can be assumed therefore that their son born in Kentucky, about 1802 was their first child and that the parents came into Kentucky about 1802.  Since it was quite the practice in those days to name the first male child after the father, it is probable that both father and son had the name of "James".  We note that there are five generations of 'James' in the family; James I. Brown, born 1822; James I. Brown, born 1856; James F. Brown, born 1887; James Brown McAllister, born 1943 and James Brown McAllister, born 1962.

Having arrived at their destination in Kentucky, the caravans settled in Boonesboro for it was the only safe refuge from Indian attack.  There was also the advantage of churches, crude though they were, and community life.  The town was built in the form of a rectangle for defense against attack.  At the corner a blockhouse was connected by palisades (fortifications formed by high stakes driven into the ground and pointed at the top) with cabins on either side.  The men cleared the land for crops, using the trees for their one room log cabins.  These cabins had dirt floors, packed hard, a fireplace at one end on which cooking was done as well as heating, high shaked roofs to afford a loft for the growing family and chimneys built of wood, stone and masses of mud.  Deer and wild fowl were plentiful and the women spun, wove cloth and made clothing.

During the War of 1812, the Creek Indians, one of the most war-like of the Old Southwest,, repeatedly attacked the small frontier settlement and the whites were so few in number that they had great difficulty in defending themselves.  So Andrew Jackson was sent to lead an army against them and he succeeded in defeating them in 1813 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  The breaking of the power of the Creeks caused the other Indians to give up.  They sold their lands to the United States and moved across the Mississippi River to what is now Oklahoma, leaving the pioneers in peace.

The son of the pioneer Browns was born about 1802.  He married and they in turn had a son born in 1822 who they named James Irving Brown.  As we previously stated it is not known if there were other children but most families were large.  Life in Kentucky was a hard struggle and as time went on it became a serious problem in that there was no provision for young men to make a living.  The two important crops were tobacco and cotton.  Wealthy men bought up the land and the planting, cultivating and harvesting was done by slave labor.  This left the white boys out of the employment field and as young James grew up, he was one of the many restless, and very frustrated young men.

Adeline Brown  is standing on the right, the picture is taken in front of the Island Mountain store. Martha, her daughter, is on the
left. The rest are Martha's children and grandchildren.

Living in the same vicinity of the Browns was a family by the name of Barnes.  Mrs. Barnes was the daughter of Barbara Sarette.  This was her maiden name and she was French.  Her married name is not known.  Barbarals daughter married a 'Barnes" and became the mother of Sarah Barnes who was born in 1838.  In 1854 James met Miss Sarah Barnes and they became engaged.  They were married in 1855.  At this time migration towards the west was attracting settlers in great numbers and the young couple decided to join one of the caravans.  Sarah's two brothers, Joe and Jonk and two sisters, one named Mary and the other one Ellen, also decided to go along.  This made six adults in their covered wagon.  The caravan moved out the southwestern tip of Kentucky and across the country to the Mississippi River, the journey taking weeks.  Here the wagons of the caravan were taken across on flat barges and the caravan moved on into Missouri.  The Brown family group settled in Cedar County, Missouri, possibly because the government had indicated a plan to open up much of this land to homesteaders.  Although the census report of 1880 gave the occupation of young Brown as a farmer, he was certainly not interested in it.  He had no particular trade or skill and, added to this, he was a restless, roving and adventurous type of person.  He was often gone from home for days and even weeks at a time and the family had a difficult time to survive.  But in spite of all their struggles the family managed in due time to file a homestead, build a livable cabin, a few head of stock and a small garden on which to raise food and even some crops.
     Then came the Civil War and life became one lived in great fear.  When James, Jr., the oldest child, was seven years old, Their home was raided three times by roving bands of marauders who took advantage of the absence of the young men who were away in service.  Their home was burned, their stock slaughtered for food and all food products which the family had raised were carried away.  Young James, his two younger sisters Betty and Nancy, together with the parents, were forced to flee and spent weeks in the woods living on the bark of trees, fish and wild game until such time as it was safe to return home and rebuild.

About 1866 the family, consisting of the parents, James 10, Betty 8, Nancy 6, William 5 and Martha one year old, moved to Newton County, Arkansas, and settled on what was then known as the Webb place.  The other children were born here.  There were very few public schools and these were not always located where the children could attend.  Usually what education the children received was through the mother but with a large family to care for, there was little time for routine teaching.  Such things as overalls were luxuries and in place of these, the boys wore long home-spun cotton garments much like a nightshirt.  They went barefoot except for a moccasin type slipper which was made from hides until they were old enough to trade labor for the price of shoes.  The boys were all very good swimmers and spent many happy days in the old swimming hole on the Buffalo River.  From the description of it as given by James Jr., it is the same place which is still so popular today and is located below Marble Falls at a little trailer camp named Pruitt.  This is not far from Jasper, Arkansas.

Girls had no opportunities for making careers in those days and they married much younger than now.  Nancy and Betty were married about 1876.  James, the oldest child, became engaged to the youngest daughter of James Curnutt, affectionately known as 'Preacher Jimmie', who lived in nearby Osage not far from Compton, it was from the still existing post-office there that his letters - still in the family possession- were mailed.  In addition to being a Circuit Rider, he was an expert hewer of timbers using the broad ax, which were used for building purposes for there were no mills or other sources from which to obtain these.  He covered his preaching territory on an old faithful mule.  James and Adeline were married February 7, 1878 in Carrol County, Arkansas.  So by June in 1880, the names of the three oldest children do not appear in the government census of that year.  Dora was born in the Fall of 1880, after the census report of that year.  Later in the same year James' father, who had been in poor health for some time, passed away.  William, 17, and Jerry 13, were able to help about the farm.  Martha had married that year and moved away from the home.  This left seven children; twin girls ten years of age, and five other children ranging from eight to two years for the mother  to care for.  Her husband was the first burial in the Brown Cemetery near Villines Chapel.  Their children are listed as
follows:

1. James Irving Brown, Jr. born February 18, 1856 in Cedar County, Missouri.  He married Susan Adeline Curnutt and their children are listed under the history of Adeline Curnutt Brown.

2. Betty, born 1858 in Cedar County Missouri, married Dan Hickman.  They had two children, Marian and Deen.

3. Nancy, born 1860 ion Cedar County, Missouri, married Tom Phillips.  They had one daughter named Mary.  Nancy died young and her husband married her sister Martha.

4. William, born April 3, 1863 in Cedar County, Missouri, married Delila Spencer.  They had four children, Aubrey and Claude, both now deceased, and Mrs. Delcie Trulove (P.O. Box 561, Myrtle Creek, Oregon and Mrs. Lenora Yark (1021 S. Third Street Pekin, Illinois.

5. Martha, born 1865 in Cedar County, Missouri, married Tom Phillips in 1880 when she was 15 years old.  They had eight children.

6. Jeremiah, always called Jerry, was born March 25, 1867 in Arkansas and March 29, 1931.  He first married Allie Spencer and there were three children by this marriage.  Following her death he married Cora Bell Barr.  There are nine living children as follows:
Mrs. Nellie Biles, Chandler, OK.
Mrs. Stella Biles, Jasper, AK
Mrs. Daisey Raney, Jasper, AK
Mrs. Sylvia Louis Purcell, Chico, CA
Mrs. Daphne Bartley, Pekin, IL
Mrs. Georgia Nicholas, Modesto, CA
Mrs. Wanda Hunerlach, Red Bluff, CA
Mr. Merle Brown, Richmond, CA
Mrs. Juanita Swarts, Chickasha, OK

7. & 8. A set of twins born 1869 in Arkansas did not survive.

9. Sarah (twin to Mary) born 1870 in Arkansas, Married Joe Pack.  They had a daughter Mary and two other children.

10. Mary (twin to Sarah) born 1870 in Arkansas, married Frank Cleveland.  She died at the birth of her first child.

11. Margaret born in 1872 in Arkansas married Dan Harris in Chico, CA in 1886.  There were three children, including a set of twins.  She died in Texas.

12. David, born 1873 in Arkansas, never married.  He died June 25, 1943 and is buried at Prineville, Oregon.

13. George, born 1875 in Arkansas, married Emma Carson Peterson.  She was the daughter of Thankful Carson who was captured by the Indians and later escaped when she was a little girl.  There is a book written about her in California History.  Their son David, lives in Chico, CA.

14. Arminta Ellen, Born 1876 in Arkansas, married George Cleveland of Chico.  Their children are:
Mrs. Ruth Wycoff, Ninshaw Stage, Magalia, CA
Mrs. Georgia Webb, Rio Dell, CA
Mrs. Irma Chambers, Chico, CA
Mr. Clark Cleveland, Ukiah, CA
Mr. Robert Cleveland, Chico, CA

15. John, born 1878 in Arkansas, died at an early age in March, 1884 as the result of measles and scarlet fever which he contracted on the train coming from Arkansas to California

16. Dora, Born 1880, in Arkansas, married in California to a man by the name of Waiters.  They had four children.  She died young and is buried in Chico.

Following the death of her husband, the widowed mother with the help of William and Jerry, struggled on at the farm trying to make a living for ten children.  As I write this I pause to reflect, "How could she have managed!" - this in days when there was no organized public welfare, no social securities or charities of any kind, just the superhuman drive to keep plodding on in order to care for those she loved.  No doubt, as you read this, the same thought occurs to you.  In the fall of 1883 she was faced with the task of harvesting her cotton crop.  Kind neighbors came in to help her while the mother worked in the field with the men.  William had been married that year to Delila Spencer on August 29, 1883, and his wife, thol only fifteen years old, helped the older girls cook the big dinner for the harvesters as well as care for the tiny baby Dora.

New changes in the family ties were occurring.  Mother Brown's brother Jonk, being an adventurous young man, went down to Mexico on a trip but through some sort of an incident, he accidentally broke the head off one of their golden gods.  To the superstitious Mexicans, this was an omen of bad luck and Jonk, knowing he would receive the death penalty if he were caught, fled back to the States and to Arkansas were he married.  He had three children, Joe (now deceased); and Mrs. Alma Bryant and Mrs. Eva Henderson, both now living in Arkansas.  Her sister Mary had married a man by the name of  'Hickman" and they had moved away.  Brother Joe and sister Ellen Buchanan and her husband had gone to Chico, CA to live.  All in all, Mother Brown felt pretty much alone.  She remembered that previous to her husband's death, he had taken a trip to California where his brother and sister-inlaws lived.  He did not stay long but did state on his return home that he had found some gold but due to the expense of the trip back, he had arrived home broke.  He described the country as wonderful and the opportunity for making a living very good.  Lured on by these glowing reports and the presence of her brother and sister there and also the realization that at forty-five years of age she was no longer able to manage the farm.  She sold her place for $800.00, a goodly sum in those days, and began her plans for moving to the west coast.  Nancy had passed away and Martha had married and wished to remain in Arkansas.  Jerry who was in love with Allie Spencer and only sixteen and therefore too young to marry, also wished to remain in Arkansas.  William, though recently married, was anxious to go to California but his bride's parents made him promise not to take her with him as she was only fifteen on June 28, 1883 and California seemed to them to be 'to far away." But in the back of William's mind was the thought that he would earn enough money in California to be able to pay her fare to the west coast as soon as she could come.

There were weeks and months of excited planning for only the bare necessities could be taken.  This was because most of the journey was to be made from Eureka Springs, Arkansas on the Santa Fe railroad which was completed to the west coast only that fall.  William and his sister Mary went on a few months ahead of the rest of the family.

In late February 1884 after the worst of the winter storms were past, the big covered wagon was packed for the remainder of the family which were to number fourteen passengers.  With the widowed mother was her oldest son, James, his wife Adeline and their two children, (Mac almost four years old and Sarah Louise two and a half years) William's wife whose parents had finally consented to her making the trip and who was so small that she passed for half-fare as one of the other children, Sarah 14, Margaret 12, David 11, George 9, Ellen 8, John about 6, and Dora 2 1/2.  Only dogged determination and unseen faith could have fortified this pioneer woman to set out with the responsibility of such a large group and so many of them small children.  It was necessary for them to take along a substantial amount of food which could be prepared on the train.

Friends and relatives were on hand to see them off.  Needless to say, it was a sad parting.  There was Martha who to her last days boasted that she was proud that "the Brown women all had good names; Jerry, torn between love for his departing mother, brothers and sisters and his love for his sweetheart Allie; friends with their enthusiastic wishes for happiness in their new life and neighbors remembering the days, some happy and some sorrowful which they had shared together.  Later in the Day William's sister-in-law, Mrs. Tom (Sadie) Braudrick on their way home found Jerry on the Mountainside at Sulphur Springs crying his heart out.  They took him home with them where he lived with them and other relatives until he was old enough to marry Allie.

 The westward journey started on a cold February day from Preacher Jimmie's home in Osage in the family covered wagon and he and his son, Calvin, took them to Eureka Springs, a distance of about fifty miles.  This took them about three and a half days.  It was no small chore cooking for so large a group over camp fires but everyone who was old enough to do so, did their share and enjoyed the trip and the promises it held for them.  The older children walked much of the way, thoroughly enjoying the new scenery and the spirit of adventure.  Arriving at Eureka Springs, Preacher Jimmie sorrowfully bid his daughter Adeline and James farewell, remarking as he did so that "because of poverty and the distance between them they would probably not meet again on this earth, but would be reunited in heaven." From Eureka Springs they connected with the Santa Fe Railroad which was making one of its earliest runs to the west coast.

It is interesting to note that the Indians make the first trails extending from the west coast to Santa Fe and points eastward.  Because of the steep mountains and the rugged terrain of the country they carefully picked out the best and safest routes for travel.  The stagecoaches which came later followed these same trails and the Sante Fe Railroad which came still later, practically parelled them also.  The stagecoaches were still running at the time the Brown family decided to come west but this form of travel was too complicated and expensive for a family group of fourteen.  The Eureka Chamber of Commerce has supplied us with the information that the first railroad out of Eureka Springs was a small line in 1882 which extended from Eureka Springs to Neosho, Missouri, where it made connections with the Kansas City Southern Line to Joplin, Missouri.  At that point connections were made with the Santa Fe Railroad for the trip to the west coast.  During the year 1882 this short railroad out of Eureka Springs was used for freight hauling only, but in 1883 passenger service was made available

During the last week of February 1884, the Brown family left Eureka Springs by this railroad, going to Neosho, Missouri and from there to Joplin, Missouri where they boarded the Santa Fe train.  This was a distance of about 150 miles.  It must have been hectic for Grandmother Brown and her large family making these transfer points with nine children ranging from 14 down to 2 1/2 years of age.  The locomotive used on this western trip was the newly Baldwin-built "Wm.  I. Strong."

There was no spare cash for sleeping quarters other than the seats on the train so they were bedded down on these as best they could arrange.  The cars were heated by big pot-bellied stoves but even this did not provide too much warmth as it still was winter time and very cold thru the mountain passes.  The trip took many days to complete and it was no small task to feed the group of fourteen persons from the home-packed lunch material which they had brought along.  But to all of them it was a wonderful trip, full of excitement, changing scenic beauties, Indian country, the Grand Canyon country of Arizona, the sagelands of the Mojave Desert in Southern California and finally up the west coast to Sacramento.  From here they took the stagecoach to Chico, California.  Needless to say, there was a happy reunion between Grandmother Brown and her group and William, Mary, Joe Barnes and the Buchanans.

Until they could get a home established the family stayed at the Buchanans.  But their happiness was soon turned to grief for the children had been exposed to measles and scarlet fever on the train and in less than two weeks after their arrival, one by one the children became ill.  William's wife, Delila, fifteen years old and frail, was so ill that her life was despaired of for days before she finally rallied and pulled through.  But little John and Sarah Louise, the daughter of James and Adeline, were victims of the disease and passed away.

After this tragedy, the Brown family left the Buchanan home where they had been so kindly befriended and settled on Butte Creek near an old mine.  The large fig trees are still there but the big old house is gone.  The mine which James and his brother William worked, is now the scene of occasional family picnics of a later generation.

Grandmother Brown later married Henry Ware but she was soon left a widow again.  During the following years some of the children married and settled around Chico, while others moved away, including James and Adeline with their son, Mac, who went to Oregon in a covered wagon in 1885.

David never married but looked after his mother and was always ready to help his family in times of need.  Dora married and had two sets of twins but was in poor health.  Dave spent a great deal of money securing medical services for her but she died early.  In July 1895 Grandmother Brown suffered a stroke.  Five months later on December 10th she suffered a second severe stroke and was taken to a hospital where she passed away two days later.  In a letter to the family, Dave wrote, 'We buried her nicely in Chico.  Thus ended the history of the pioneer Brown family which struggled bravely through almost a hundred years from 1800 to 1900 and extended from the east coast to the Golden West.  Though they lived humbly, they contributed their part to the development of our great nation.

And now, let us turn our thoughts back to the beginning of the married life of James and Adeline.  James and Adeline were married February 7, 1878 in Carrol County, Arkansas near the parent's home in Osage and here they lived for six years before going to the west coast.  Adeline was twenty years old and James was twenty-two.  This was thirteen years after the Civil War and life was still a struggle.  Adeline has told of their efforts to raise crops and in December of that first year of their marriage, a very severe cold spell was sweeping over that part of Arkansas as well as the whole South.  James was not a good farm manager-and the large onion crop which they had raised was in danger of being ruined if left unharvested.  They had depended upon the money from this crop to supply them with a trade-in for groceries for the winter.  Adeline, although aware of the approaching time of her child birth, worked all day gathering in the crop.  The following day she and James took the onions over a rugged road to the country store.  On the return trip home, Adeline gave birth to a still-born son while the team was fording the river.  It was late in the afternoon and they were confronted by the necessity of getting home before dark for the country through which they still had to pass was still a wilderness area.  Therefore the child was hastily buried a short distance from the river and the river rocks served as a headstone.  This was their first big tragedy.

On April 25, 1880, a second son was born and he was named John McDonal.  On October 20, 1881 a daughter, Sarah Louise, was added to the family.  About a year later, November 26, 1883, Miney Miles was born but she was very frail and died four days later.  In the meanwhile, James's father had died and his mother still had her five year old child Dora to raise.  Because of the stories she had heard of the west and it's ""glorious opportunities', the mother decided to move to Chico, California.  So she sold her farm for $800.00, a good price in those days, and she persuaded James and Adeline with their two children to go along with her.  In January or early February 1884 the fourteen of them bid farewell to the family and relatives with a heavy heart knowing that, as Adeline's father said, that because of "distance and poverty' they would probably never meet again in this world, but that they would meet in heaven.  Life in Arkansas for James and Adeline had been one of great hardships and they looked forward to more prosperous times in the "Golden West."

The first part of the trip was made by covered wagon from the vicinity of their old home to Eureka Springs.  A distance of about two hundred miles.  Here they sold the team and "outfit" and took one of the first small trains out of Eureka Springs which connected with the Santa Fe railroad.  The adults were much concerned about the trip ahead because of the stories of Indian attacks, hold-ups by desperadoes and Mormon massacres.  The puffing locomotives were barely able to pull the steep grades and the sharp turns and rough roadbeds made for a rough trip.  Mac was four years old and Sarah Louise was two and a half years old.  While going through the northern part of Arizona near the Utah border, there was some sort of a Mormon "incident" which delayed the group for a short time.  They made good time the rest of the trip to Sacramento.  From there they went by stage to Chico.  On March 20th of that year, little Sarah Louise died leaving Mac as the only child.  The mother of James stayed on in Chico until her death there a few years later.

During the next year and a half, James was able to buy a team of horses and a covered wagon and the family moved from Chico to eastern Oregon, barely getting settled before Mary Susan was born August 28, 1885.  This was in Burns, Harney County and there were now two children in the home.  The family left Burns the following year and made a short move to what was then called Burns Island, but is now called Harney Island.  Here Frank was born August 23, 1887.  In 1888 the old covered wagon was again packed for traveling and this time they moved to Linn County, Oregon.  The trip was complicated by the fact that both children had the measles and whooping cough.  Omia was born December 14, 1889 near Albany.  James, like his father before him, was of a restless disposition and before long had decided that the family should be on the move again.  This time it was a short trip to nearby Gates, Oregon on the Santiam River.  On February 29, 1892 Adeline had been working in the fields when she began to have labor pains so she hurried to the house, got things in readiness and with the help of James, William was born.  She rested that afternoon but got up and prepared supper.  In three days she was back at hard work again including putting out heavy washings.  Bethuel (always called Bee) was born March 22, 1894 on the Barzee place.  The family resided in Linn County for about seven years.

Adeline stated that here in Linn County she lived some of the happiest days of her life.  She joined the Methodist Church and became an active member of the women's sewing group of that church.  She lived here long enough to get acquainted and have close friends and to be called by name as she and her friends exchanged greetings on the street.  These might seem trivial things to us now but it meant much to her as the family had moved so often that she had not had the opportunity to make or meet friends.  She loved to sing the old church hymns, 'When the Roll is Called up Yonder,' 'Shall We Gather at the River', and many other old favorites she had first heard her father and mother sing in the old home in Arkansas.  Her children and grandchildren can well remember the familiar sight of seeing Adeline sitting in an old rocking chair, singing, tapping her feet and clapping her hands to the time of the music.

Since Mac was now twelve years old, he was the baby-sitter for the younger children when not in school.  Adeline went out to do domestic work including washing on the old wash-boards of that time, in order to aid in the needs of the growing family.  The father found carpenter work whenever he could.  He used to hold Bee on his knees and call him his Little Dutchman.  He was very interested in politics and liked nothing better than to get someone interested as they stood on a street corner, on the old board sidewalks, against a hitching post or around the old watering trough.  It might be the banker, the store owner or anyone from a higher or lower level of life-that never bothered him.  He was able to hold the center of interest in the conversation and strange to say, even if a lock of hair might be sticking through a much-worn hat, his trousers and shirt faded but clean, and a wad of chewing tobacco in one corner of his mouth, they all listened and discussed issues with him.  What a politician he would have made if he had been able to receive an education!  In earlier life probably because his father was not interested in religion, James was quite critical of religion in any phase.  But in his older age, he began to study the Bible and accepted it teachings.  He then became as much interested in sharing his religious beliefs with those he met with as much fervor as he had his political ideas.

About 1895 the family were on the move again by means of the covered wagon.  The old family cow was tied on behind and provided milk for the children.  This time their destination was Jacksonville, Oregon.  Frank entered school here at seven years of age.  His father was interested in gold mining, but as he had no money to buy a claim he traded the cow for one.  His average daily earnings were not over a dollar a day.   During the next few years the family moved about so often in this area that it would be impossible to list the locations in detail.  On one place they settled they decided to have a garden but there were many trees on the place.  They worked hard and cleared these out by boring holes in the trees at various angles and frequencies and making small fires in these holes so that the trees were gradually burned down.  A nice garden was planted but by time it was almost ready to use, the decision had been made to move again and the garden had to be abandoned.  One of the old cabins in which they lived was owned by a German named Baseler and was practically on the same location as the now famous "House of Mystery" located just south of Gold Hill on Sardine Creek but no mysterious phenomena was noticed at that time.

By 1896 the family was living on what was known as Rogue River Island.  This island, having an area of about thirty acres, was located across the Rogue River opposite the Old Lyman homestead which is still standing there.  Ruth was born here on August 6, 1896.  The father had no steady work but with the help of the oldest boy, Mac, he panned for gold around that area for four years.  Martha was also born here on November 25, 1898 and the family was now ten in size.  They lived in desperate circumstances and often the children had chills and ague.  There was not enough money to purchase shoes except for the father and Mac who had rubber boots because of their constant outdoor work.  Those of the younger children who were old enough to do so, helped in keeping the sluice boxes clear of the tailings. They were barefooted and often worked in freezing weather. All of the children showed the effects of malnutrition. This was the most difficult time of their lives for the Cleveland Panic of 1893 was still being felt across the entire nation.  Wages were cheap, work was scarce and it took a day's work to buy a sack of flour.  The Lyman's, their only neighbor, proved themselves good friends when circumstances became too bad and the children in dire need of food.  Adeline earned some money by doing housework for them.  Mrs. Lyman had an only child, Earnest, and she and her husband would like to have adopted Mary with her black curls and happy smile, but this the family would not listen to them.

With the family being practically destitute, James began to listen to the tales of life on the California Coast with its opportunities for work which would provide the family with a good living.  Therefore in September of 1899, when the baby Martha was nine months old, the old covered wagon was again packed for a long trip with the objective a location in the vicinity of Trinidad, California.  It took sixteen days to make the trip.  The older children did a great deal of walking.  However they didn't mind it for they were used to outdoor activities.  In fact, with so many new things to see along the road, the abundance of berries and other attractions, they were having a great picnic.  Sometimes they were so far ahead of the team that they retraced their way.  Adeline certainly had her hands full cooking for the family on an open campfire without benefit of grates or other appliances.  It was necessary to stop over at times, get out the tubs and washboard, carry water which had to be heated over an open fire and put out a washing for ten people, one of which was a baby.  Whenever green feed could be found along the road, stops were made to give the team time to rest and eat.  Since this was in September, green feed was scarce and they had to buy hay which cost about .25 cents a day.  Roads were rough compared to Highways of today

 When the family arrived in the Orick area, they stopped to camp and rest their team.  A passing freight team also stopped for the same purpose.  This team was driven by Charley Savage and Frank Hufford.  The drivers of the two teams entered into quite a lengthy conversation.  Upon learning that the family had no definite place to go to, Mr. Savage told James that he had a shack at the Schnaubelt place and he gave them permission to move into it until they could get settled elsewhere.  So the family settled there mid-way between Trinidad and Patrick's Point.

James had only 75 cents cash left upon his arrival and the family of ten were in need of food.  The father approached the owner of one of the two stores in Trinidad and explained his situation, asking for credit but he was coldly and bluntly refused.  James then went to the other store.  The owner, Cleatis Bell, who ran the old brick grocery store, listened attentively and then said, "Those children must be fed.  Take what groceries you need and when you find work, come in and pay me." This James did.  The family was soon settled in the small, crude structure which was constructed mainly of railroad ties.  They put their things in the middle of the room.  Because of the number of beds needed, small openings were cut here and there in the outside walls and what the boys referred to as "rabbit hutches" were build to provide space for bunk beds.  William and Bee started to school in the old Patricks Point school which was located at the present site north of Decker's Motel.  Frank had started school at Gates, Oregon.  In a short time Mr. Schnaubelt visited the family and stated he had bought the place and he gave James $20.00 for immediate possession.  An old house which was much better for the size of the family, was found in 'Old Trinidad' (located in the vicinity of the present wharf area.  The year was 1902 and this was "The Old Cottage House", the largest house in the area.  It was two stories and well built.  It had fancy "ginger-bread" trimmings and was brought around the Horn in 1852 from New York on a steamer.  It was in sections and had to be reassembled.

Why they did not stay here longer is not known but the next move was to what was the old Pete Hanses house, recently torn down.  Here they lived pending the building of a house at Gravely Flat midway between Trinidad and Patrick's Point.  About 1903 the house which James built, was completed and they moved in.  From here the family began to break up.  Mac married Pearl Sample, Omia married Bert Chambers and Mary became Mrs. Will Snow.

By 1911 Frank, William and Bee were working in the woods southeast of Trinidad in Camps 13 and 18.  It was necessary for the boys to leave school to support their family.  Wages for both was thirty dollars a month plus board and a cabin.  These cabins were crude affairs, unfinished and unfurnished.  Straw was used in the bunks and the boys supplied their own bedding.

Bee and William, both slender and "buddies" bunked together, Frank had another corner.  The third corner was occupied by an Austrian and the remaining corner was used to park the boys bicycles for this was their only means of transportation.  The trip to the woods was eleven miles and after getting as far as Trinidad, they pushed their bicycles the remaining distance of about five miles over the railroad track as there was no road.  They then had to push them back over the five miles to Trinidad to ride them home, from there.  They worked six days a week returning to Camp on Sunday nights.  The old Austrian had been told by the boys to allow no one else to move into the cabin, but on their return to Camp one Sunday night, they found that the woods boss had moved another bunk in which made five persons in the small cabin.  Apparently, the Austrian had been intimidated by the personality of the "boss" and the stranger moved in.  This meant that there was no place for the boy's bicycles to be stored.  In addition to this, the stranger was dirty, unshaven and "smelled to the high heavens".  The three boys were "up in the air".  So they held a consultation and decided that rather than tell the boss that the stranger couldn't stay there, they would be more diplomatic and would place the burden on the shoulders of the new arrival to move out.  After the new comer was bedded down for the night, the "activity" began.  The boys pretended to be drinking heavily and to be pretty drunk.  They got noisy, called each other names, pushed the chairs around and finally squared away for a "fight." They got out their knives and began a savage "brawl." In the meanwhile, the stranger pulled the covers over his head leaving only a small peek-hole to see what was going on.  He was frozen with fear.  A friend of the boys, Roy Hobson, who had stopped by on his way to his own cabin, quickly sensed the situation and got into the fun.  He crawled up onto the rough overhead beams of the cabin with his knife in his hand in a most threatening manner and accompanied by weird yells, looked piercingly straight down into the eyes of the terror stricken stranger.  Well, the "fight" was finally called off for the night and all hands went to bed, but the next morning the stranger was up early before anyone else, packed up his few belongings and was seen no more.

James F. Brown, Robert Hicks, George Ley, husband of Frances and their daughter Helen at the J.F.Brown residence between Trinidad and Patricks Point.  This house still stands.

In 1912, Frank married Gertrude Hicks and established his own home.  In the Spring of 1915, James and Adeline, accompanied by the two younger girls, Martha and Ruth, moved out near Island Mountain to take up a homestead on Chemese Creek.  They planted a big garden and it grew wonderfully well, but when the hot weather came on, there was not enough water in the creek and the garden wilted and dried out.  Then they moved up on Island Mountain and built a cabin there.  There was plenty of water and they raised all kinds of garden produce.  Island Mountain is about 100 miles south of Eureka on the railroad.  They lived here two years.  In the meantime Bee and William batched at the Patrick's Point home until June of 1915, when William married Frances Sams, the school teacher at the Point, and Bee went to live with his parents.  Ruth was married to Carl Dennhardt on March 18, 1915, at Garberville, and Martha was also married a short time thereafter to Wilbur Chappel.  This left James, Adeline and Bee alone and they moved to another homestead location on the top of Island Mountain.

There were 18 families scattered over the area with as much as 4 miles between them in some places.  The country was rough, having only a few rugged trails, and in the winter time when snow fell heavily, they were practically isolated.  Their nearest outside telephone service was at Drewery's, 4 miles away.  This place was headquarters for the main telephone line through there.  In emergencies, one had to make the trip there either on foot or horseback.  Groceries were secured from a small store at Harris and had to be packed in on horseback.

Frances, born Dec 23, 1916, Frank and Gertrude Browns second daughter. Frances passed away in Salem, Oregon in May, 2004 She left three children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In the Winter of 1916, the son, Frank, and his wife, Gertie, and their small daughter, Hazel, were one of the 18 families in the area.  They were expecting the birth of their second child when an unexpected winter storm began to move in.  Faced with the need of medical care for the emergency, Frank set out at two o'clock in the morning on foot for he had no horse to go to Drewery's to call the doctor in Garberville.  The storm increased in fury, and snow driven by the heavy wind began to pile in drifts. To add to the hardships, the lantern which he was carrying blew out and left him in the inky darkness.  Still he struggled on until he reached Drewery's and phoned a  doctor living in a city, but who felt he was needed in the rural area.  He assured Frank that he would start out immediately for it was an 18 mile trip from there to Frank's.  Frank then started back home and it was still dark and he had to  fight his way back through the heavy snow drifts.  Dr. Rossier started his trip in a horse and buggy, but when  the drifts became too deep for him to travel further in such a way he made the remainder of the trip on  horseback arriving at the little log cabin at five o'clock that afternoon.  The baby was born soon  thereafter, and for these services - after a thirty six mile round-trip through a hazardous storm, he  charged only $30.  He was a tribute to the sacrifices and services of the consecrated country doctor.

Because of situations like these, as well as a need for community contacts, James became interested in establishing a local telephone system which would serve the 18 families of the area.  While such services could not be tied in on the commercial line of the outside communities, it would serve to give them a way to contact each other.  The idea was eagerly accepted by all and each family agreed to provide the materials necessary to put such service into their homes.  Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward provides sources for much of the supplies, all of which had to be taken from the railroad at Harris and carried over the hills by horseback.  The big problem presented itself when they were faced with 4 miles of trail which had to be slashed up the steep slope of Island Mountain, plus the added expense of laying wire over so long a strip.  This was finally solved by using an old abandoned telegraph line which had once served this area.  Finally after a great deal of hard work the project was completed, and for a while at least, it was probably the busiest community "exchange" in existence.  An 18 party line was probably a record and everyone was anxious to try it out.  There was the temptation, especially on rainy days, to 'listen in" and get the news of the neighborhood.  One morning Frank was talking to a neighbor and he heard the click of phones being lifted off the hooks of the old wall phones.  His father, James, had a pet rooster which had an unusually loud capacity for crowing.  Frank heard and recognized the crowing in the background and he said, 'Good morning, dad." Then Frank heard his father mutter, 'Damn that rooster!", followed by the click of the phone being hurriedly put into place.

Amusing incidents happened from time to time.  One day when Frank and Bee were working together clearing a roadway, Bee developed a very bad migraine headache.  He became so ill that Frank urged him to go over and lie down in the shade of some brush until he felt better.  Reluctantly, Bee did so, but he had no sooner gotten comfortably settled when a bluejay discovered him.  Now, a bluejay is a bird of intense curiosity and here was a situation worth investigating.  So the bird flew over and settled on the limb of a tree directly over Bee.  He cocked his head first on one side and then on another.  Bee felt so ill that he wasn't inclined to pay any attention to the bird's behavior.  But the bluejay began an incessant chatter which seemed to say, "Come on over, fellow bird members and see what goes on here.' At any rate, they began arriving in singles and pairs, each one adding to the chattering.  Even a migraine headache couldn't meet this challenge and Bee gave up and returned to work - routed out by his curious feathered "friends."

The cabin in which James, Adeline and Bee lived in was perched at the top of a hill with quite a drop off the backside of it. One day the family was enjoying the warmth of the fire place with the old family cat sprawled out in front of it.  The fire got pretty hot and the cat was asleep until he felt the pain of heat on his tail.  He apparently thought that Bee who was standing near had stepped on his tail, for he looked up at him, gave a big ",'yowl" and when Bee didn't move, the cat decided to take action which he did by jumping out the rear open window of the house.  This catapulted him into the steep slope of the Mountainside where he gave a wonderful exhibition of space flying.

Life for James and Adeline on the homestead was an enjoyable one.  There was plenty of wild life including deer, wild hogs and grouse to eat.  Water in a nearby creek provided means of irrigation for gardens which produced abundant crops of tomatoes, corn, watermelons and various produce.  Stock roamed the Mountainside where there was plenty of feed.  An amusing true story is told by an actual witness regarding one of the cows.  It seemed that any stock which were found dead were devoured by the hogs who foraged the area usually feeding largely on acorns from the oak trees.  One day a big fat hog discovered the very quiet form of a cow lying on the hillside.  The hog approached the cow and looked the situation over and finally decided that to all appearances, the cow was indeed dead, but to be sure, he gently nudged the cow, but there was no response.  So he nudged the cow again, this time rather roughly but still there was no response.  So the animal decided the situation was his for action.  He braced himself and took a firm bite on the cowls leg.  Well, it seemed that she had been in deep slumber for with a wild snort of pain she came to her feet ready to charge.  The poor hog was so astonished that it let out a terrifying squeal, toppled over on his back in what seemed a faint and then coming to his feet, tore off across the trail squealing at every jump.  It was several days before it returned home.  Homesteading was a rugged form of living; calling for rugged pioneers to conquer its hazards.

World War I began in 1917, and Bee joined the Navy, and James and Adeline were left alone.  In 1917 also, William and his wife and baby moved to Portland where they were joined by Bee upon his completed Navy service.  In August, 1920, James and Adeline also moved to Portland - living for a while on 69th Street.  Here James made beautiful grandfather clocks; one which is still in William's possession and the other was given to Bee, but this later one was destroyed when Bee's house burned down in 1924.  James always had a talent for working with clocks and watches and almost all the children have a time-piece which he made.  From 1921 to 1936, they lived at 98th and Oak Street.  By this time, there were many grandchildren and James and Adeline were known as 'Grandma and Grandpa' to all.  Adeline was the Angel of Mercy on various occasions; helping the sick; assisting at the birth of grandchildren (in those days only the richest women went to hospitals for the birth of their children and the family doctors delivered babies in the homes) and even comforting in hours of death.  She liked to help her grandchildren with their problems and taught '"Pinky" the art of making camp biscuits so well that at one of his juvenile contests, he got the award for the best product.  During their 15 years there, they made many friends, and one time Grandma was presented at a big Montavilla Choral Society program where she demonstrated how the spinning wheel was used in olden times on a spinning wheel which James had made for the occasion.  This was followed by the choral group singing, '"There's an Old Spinning Wheel in the Parlor.”

On February 7th, 1924, at William's house, the couple celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with their many friends and relatives present.  The granddaughter, Adeline, and one of her little friends took the part of miniature bride and groom and sang, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." There was a renewal of the wedding ceremonies and the congratulations of all present.

In 1936, after 16 years in Portland, they moved to Butte, Oregon, where Grandma's health seemed much better.  They lived in a small house located between the two daughters, Mary and Omia.  There were trips to Diamond Lake with various members of the family meeting together.  Although the mosquito control was not as well handled in those days as they are now, who can forget the roaring campfires at night, the sunny days, the great long griddle loaded with fried fish, the pans heaped with hotcakes, Grandma's camp bread and biscuits and "Aunt Gertie's' surprise of big lemon cream pies.

Although nearing eighty years of age, Grandma took care of her large garden.  It was a picture not to be soon forgotten to see her sitting high on the platform over the well, watching the setting sun, her white hair shining, pumping water for long periods of time to keep her garden green and all the time singing the old songs she loved so well - mostly religious ones taught her by her father in the old home in Arkansas.  On May 30, 1938, a grand family reunion was held at the Grandparent's home at Butte Falls with a big family dinner with loads of fried chicken and whipped cream cakes.  There were 51 present.  Mac was the only one of the children who was unable to be there.  It was the last time the family was so nearly assembled.

In 1940, Grandfather suffered a stroke and was bedridden for 18 months before he passed away at the age of 86 years.  This was in December of 1941 amid the confusion following Pearl Harbor.  He was laid to rest in the little cemetery at Butte Falls.  Grandma then broke up housekeeping and she, with Mary and her husband, George Kurz, went to visit their children in California.  While at Island Mountain visiting Martha in the Spring following the death of James, Mary suddenly collapsed and passed away after a very brief illness.  Adeline then went to live with Frank and his wife, often going to Marthals in the summer and returning to the coast for the Winter.  She made beautiful quilts for her family and her hands were never idle.

In May of 1946, on her 90th birthday, 125 relatives and friends gathered at the Patrickls Point Schoolhouse to honor "Grandmother Brown' as she was known to the community, at a surprise pot-luck supper.  Guests took their places as long tables covered with pink tablecloths and decked with pink tapers, pink azaleas and forget-me-nots.  At the close of the dinner she was presented with a lovely wool blanket by the guests and there were numerous other gifts.  Grandma was then seated on a throne made for the occasion.  Dancing, in which she took part, followed with card games and swapping of stories of memories of the 'good old days'.  This event climaxed the highlight of her later years.

During the next year, Grandma Brown visited back and forth between Franks and Marthals.  In the summer of 1949, William and Frances took her home with them in Portland.  She was then ninety one years of age and beginning to show the signs of rapidly failing health.  William took her to visit Omia at Yelm, Washington and after a short visit there, she returned to William's home again.  Her eyesight began to fail rapidly, although she tried almost to the last to knit some baby stockings for her grandson, Kenny.  In the early part of 1950, the doctor advised the family that death was imminent and he felt she should be granted her request to be taken to Southern Oregon to visit and meet some of her children.  She was anxious to spend a night on Rogue River at the old Lyman Homestead across the river from the island where she and her family had spent so much of their life in earlier days.  So the trip was made in a trailer house and Grandma certainly enjoyed the trip down there as the weather was beautiful.  On the second morning after this, however, on March 9, 1950, she collapsed and passed away.  She was laid to rest in the little cemetery beside her husband and Mary at Butte Falls, Oregon.

Thus ended the lives of James and Adeline - faithful, hardworking, beloved pioneers whose children in the words of the Great Book can say, "Their children shall rise up and call them "blessed." The life history of these rugged pioneers have left us a pattern in the way of living so that we of this later generation with all our advanced learning, facilities, in our ways of travel, abundance in our home conveniences and opportunities too numerable to mention, would do well to emulate.