Brown family collection, 1838-1945

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Summary

Creators:
Brown (Family)
Abstract:
Collection of material compiled by Mrs. Ella Towne, John Brown's granddaughter, about him and the Brown family.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Brown family collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection of letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera pertaining to the abolitionist John Brown and his family, compiled by his granddaughter Ella Towne. There are letters written by John Brown's sons, John, Jr., Jason, Oliver, Frederick, and Owen Brown, from Kansas in 1855 to 1856 to the family back in North Elba, New York; they are chiefly addressed to Ruth Brown Thompson. The letters discuss family matters, business pursuits, the move to Kansas Territory, and the political situation in Kansas. Also included are typescript copies of letters of Samuel Adair from Osawatomie July 1855 to February 1859 to T.H. Hand and Stephen Davis. There are also letters dealing with honoring John Brown's memory, including a letter from Gerrit Smith to Ruth Brown Thompson in 1874. Also included are ephemera, typescript articles, photographs, addresses, etc. There is also a scrapbook made by Ella J. Towne for her daughter, Adeline Clausen, in December 1945, sound recordings of the address by Dr. J. W. Shirley on John Brown delivered on May 9, 1943 and of a radio program at John Brown's grave on July 4th, 1943, views of the Jason and Owen Brown's Las Casitas homestead, and photographs of the ceremony of re-internment of John Brown's body in Lake Placid, New York, in 1899.

Biographical / historical:

Ella Thompson Towne, of Pasadena, California, was the daughter of Ruth Brown Thompson, the eldest daughter of John Brown.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Eleanor Blangsted, March 1990.
Processing information:

Processed by Harriet McLune in 1990. In September 2023, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Brown family collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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