An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 308-309
	
	SAMUEL W. BROWN, one of the representative citizens and pioneers of Clarke
county, was born in Meade county, Kentucky, in 1819, a son of Samuel and
Henrietta (Hobbs) Brown, natives of Pennsylvania. Samuel, the tenth in a family
of eleven children, removed with his widowed mother and family to Knox county,
Illinois, when quite young, and was there reared and educated, completing his
course in the Knox County Academy in 1842. He was early inured to the hardships
of farm life, and followed that calling for many years. In 1849 he was elected
Sheriff of Knox county, for one term; then followed farming two years; and next
engaged in merchandising in Galesburg until 1857. He was the second Mayor of
that city, serving a term of two years. In 1857 Mr. Brown was elected a member
of the State Legislature for one term; following this he retired to private life
for a time, but in 1861 was appointed by Abraham Lincoln as Receiver of Public
Moneys in the United States Land Office at Vancouver. He came with his family,
via the Isthmus and San Francisco, and took up his residence in this city July
11, of the same year. He continued in office over twenty-one years, and during
that time also engaged in other enterprises.
	In 1861 our subject started the nursery business now conducted by Cook &
Son, which he personally superintended about twelve years, and then leased the
property. This is probably the largest and most complete nursery north of
California. Mr. Brown is also the possessor of a large amount of property in the
city limits of Vancouver and in the county. He was one of the chief promoters
and the first president of the Vancouver & Yakima Railroad, is vice-president of
the Vancouver Transportation Company, and has been connected with other
enterprises, both public and private. His life has been all active and
progressive one, has been prominently identified with the growth and prosperity
of this city from the first, has represented the city's official head, and has
been a member of the Town Council. Politically, he is a Republican, and in years
past took an active interest in politics. Mr. Brown's active business career was
cut short some few years ago, owing to ill health. He returned to the East with
his son, Edward, remaining there about fifteen months, and during nine months of
that time lay perfectly helpless at Battle Creek, Michigan, receiving treatment
in the Sanitarium of that city.
	He was joined in marriage, in Illinois, to Miss Harriet H. Miles, a native
of Indiana, and they have had three children, two now living: Charles, president
of the First National Bank, of Vancouver; and Edward L. Floyd M., died in 1863.
Mr. Brown met with a sore affliction in the loss of his estimable wife, who died
in this city in April, 1888.
	
Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in September 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer
	
	
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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
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individual featured in the biographies.