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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Hempstead County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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John A. Brown, planter, Prescott, Ark. It is doubtless owing entirely to the industrious and persevering manner with which Mr. Brown has adhered to the pursuit of agriculture that he has risen to such a substantial position in farm affairs in this county. Like many other prominent citizens of the county, he owes his nativity to Tennessee, where his birth occurred in Madison County, April 20, 1845, and is the son of John O. and Mary A. (Hudson) Brown, the father a native of Tennessee, born in 1812, and the mother of North Carolina, born in 1815. The parents were married in Tennessee, in 1836, and of the family of eight children born to their union, four are now living: William M., Sarah E. (wife of Rev. John E. Lowdermilk, now residing in Prescott, Ark.), and Lucy A. The father emigrated from Tennessee to Arkansas, in 1858, and settled in Hempstead County, where he received his final summons in 1877. He was a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was a member of the Masonic order. The mother is living, makes her home with her son. John A., and is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. John A. Brown was married in Hempstead County, Ark., November 18, 1869, to Mrs. Catherine E. Spears, the daughter of John and Eliza C. Spears. Mr. and Mrs. Spears were natives of Tennessee, the former born in 1813, and the latter in 1818. They were married in Tennessee, about 1836, and became the parents of seven children, four of whom are now living: Catherine E., William F., McNary M., and Laura L. (wife of W. W. Black, a farmer living in this county). The father died in 1859, and the mother in 1862. The latter was a member of the Baptist Church. The parents emigrated from Tennessee to Arkansas, in 1850, and settled in Hempstead County. Mrs. Brown is a native of Tennessee, born November 27, 1848. By her union to Mr. Brown she became the mother of eight children, seven now living: Lula A., Mary E., Anna L., James M., Robert A., Carl and Ruth O. Mr. Brown is the owner of 240 acres of land, and has seventy-five acres under cultivation. In 1864 he enlisted in the cavalry, under Col. Cumins, and served until 1865. He is a member of the Masonic order, and in politics is with the Union Labor party. He and Mrs. Brown are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

 

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This family biography is one of 131 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Hempstead County, Arkansas published in 1890.  For the complete description, click here: Hempstead County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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