"An Illustrated History of Whitman County, state of Washington." San Francisco:
W. H. Lever, 1901.  p. 464.
 
SAMUEL BROWN

     Among the men whose brain and brawn have contributed materially to the
growth and development of Oakesdale and vicinity is he whose career we must now
present in brief outline. He has ever manifested a broad-minded and liberal
public spirit, always taking his stand with the progressive forces of the place
and showing a willingness to do his part for the general good. His standing in
the community is an enviable one, the esteem and respect of his neighbors being
his in abundant measure.
     Our subject is a native of Pennsylvania, born October 30, 1833.   He grew
to manhood and was educated there, but as soon as his minority was fully passed
emigrated to California, via the isthmus. He was engaged in the Golden state for
many years in the exciting search for the key to nature's vaults, though with
what success we are not informed. In 1861, however, he removed to Oregon and
changed his business to the more domestic one of farming. He was one of the
prominent agriculturists of Salem prairie until 1885, which year is the date of
his advent to Whitman county.   Locating in the vicinity of Oakesdale, he
purchased four hundred and eighty acres adjoining the town, and to the
cultivation and improvement of this splendid tract he has given a portion of his
time and attention ever since. In 1888 he assisted in the organization of the
First National Bank of Oakesdale, of which institution he was elected president.
This responsible office he held continuously until 1897, when the bank retired
from business.
     Fraternally Mr. Brown is affiliated with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. In the state of Oregon, in March, 1862, he married Susanna Swegle, a
daughter of Charles Swegle, and a native of Fulton county, Illinois. She died in
Oregon in 1868, leaving two sons, Charles A., a stockman in California, and
Frank E., a farmer two miles west of Oakesdale.   In 1870, our subject
contracted a second marriage, the lady being Mary A. Addison, a native of Port
Byron, Illinois, and they have two children, Nellie C., wife of C. E. Coonradt,
of Oakesdale, and Robert S., a farmer.
     Mr. Brown is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and has
been for thirty-two years.

 

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Submitted to the Washington Biographies Project in April 2010 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.