Conquerors of the West: Stalwart Mormon Pioneers Vol. 1Page 386-388
Submitted by Roger Rawson. Edited by Florence C. Youngberg

James Harvey Brown was born in a wagon box on the banks of the Mississippi River at Winter Quarters [Winter Quarters, Pottawattamie County, Iowa or was it Nebraska? on October 6, 1846]. [Harvey has the unique distinction of being the only child of Captain James Brown's large family of children, most of whom had been born in a log house in Illinois, that was born in a wagon box in a most uncomfortble situation, cold and stormy weather with no help except what the other members of the camp could give and they were all in about the same condition. The travelers stayed in Nebraska until the next spring. Due to the severity of the weather, six hundred Saints died and were buried in a small cemetery on the bluff of the river. Notwithstanding, the mortality among the Mormons, little James Harvey Brown and his mother [Sarah Steadwell] survived the ordeal and arrived well and hearty at Brownsville] later renamed as Ogden, Utah, along with his two brothers.  Sarah and her boys arrived in Salt Lake Valley on September 1848 with the Heber C. Kimball Company.

James Brown enlisted in the Mormon Battalion and became Captain of Company "C". He left from there on July 20, 1846. Before leaving he situated his families at various places in Iowa. His wife Abigail, for a while, was a Mt. Pisgah and his wives Esther Jones and Sarah with her three sons, Warren Wood, Charles Wood, and Joseph Wood were near the banks of Council Bluffs. Sarah was estranged from her first husband Samuel Wood [he died July 15,1882 at Liberty, Huron, Ohio] who had abandoned her and their children in.Sandusky, Ohio. Three of the children [Sylvester Wood, Emma Wood, George Wood] had died young.

Captain James Brown wrote to Abigail, one of his wives, dating the letter August 6, 1847 Salt Lake Valley. At the time he had just brought the three battalion detachments and some of the Mississippi Saints from Pueblo, Colorado. He was about to depart for California to collect pay from the United States government for these three detachments of the Battalion. Before he left for California, he was concerned about his families and wrote to Abigail Smith Abbott Brown.

In his letter, he mentions that he had heard from both his daughter Nancy and from his wife, Sarah. Both of these women wrote saying "they planned on coming to the Salt Lake Valley as soon as James could provide them with wagons and teams." The letter mentions that Heber C. Kimball had been in contact with the Brown families and he reported that Sarah had not been well.

In Abigail’s history it tells that James sent the necessary wagons and she, Abigail, made arrangements to send the Brown families remaining in Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley. Sarah and children came in the Brigham Young Company leaving June 1, 1848 and arriving in the Valley on September 20 - 24, 1848.

After Sarah and her family came into the Valley, she eventually moved to the Ogden area. It is not certain if she lived in Brown’s Fort, but if not, it was nearby. While there, she met Mr. Arthurmer or Ardemis Thomas Sprague, who was a blacksmith and had worked for James Brown.  Sarah divorced James, and in 1849 [September 1848] she married Mr. Sprague. Sarah became a mother of five more children. The family remained in Ogden for many years. She then divorced Mr. Sprague and married Alonzo Le Baron.

Sarah died March 18, 1893 in Trenton, Cache County, Utah. She is buried in the Cornish City Cemetery, Cache County, Utah. She died just before her seventy-ninth birthday on March 31.]

When Harvey, as he was known, was a young child his mother left his father and married again [to Ithamar Sprague, between May and September of 1848]. Harvey was left with his father and was reared by the other wives. Harvey learned early what hard work meant and his father dying in September 30, 1863, when Harvey was seventeen, left him to look out largely for himself. He later went to live with his mother Sarah in Huntsville, Utah.

Elizabeth Leah Williams Brown and James Harvey Brown

Photo Courtesy of Belva Moyle, and Albert and Joan Henefer Clark

Right Click mouse on image to view enlarged photo

Harvey married Elizabeth Leah Williams on February 14, 1870.  Elizabeth was born September 8, 1853 in Merthyr Tydfil, Glenmorganshire, South Wales, where she and her family were converted to the Gospel in 1855. A year later her father [William Williams 1822-1856 of Wales] died. When Elizabeth was eight years old she began working to help support her mother [Elizabeth Morgan Williams 1822-1893] and siblings. While working she learned the English language.

Elizabeth Leah Williams first heard the teachings of the Mormon Church when about thirteen years old and when fourteen, on September 12, 1867, was baptized by Thomas Powell, her stepfather, in spite of the ridicule directed at the Mormons. One year later she left Wales with her stepsister, Ann Powell, for Zion. They traveled from New York to Green River by train, then on to Utah by wagon. During their journey they were followed by Indians who stole their horses. In recovering them, one man was shot. In 1869 her mother and stepfather arrived in Utah and lived in Huntsville.

Elizabeth and Harvey made their home in Huntsville, Weber County, Utah where they reared a large family of twelve children. Elizabeth died April 25, 1934 in Ogden, Weber, Utah

Harvey grew to be a fine religious man.  Harvey loved music, played the bass violin, and had a fine tenor voice.  He was a farmer and blacksmith as well as cattleman. Harvey did some prospecting. He worked with the Indians as interpreter and helped them.[He spent much time in solving Indian problems which in those early days were sometimes very serious. He learned the Indian language and spoke it as freely as he did the English. In the spring of one year when the Indians came into the village, they were gaunt and hungry. Harvey arranged with the Bishop to provide meat and vegetables for the Indians and assisted in slaughtering their meat in his own backyard. The Indians were so hungry they would hardly wait until the steers stopped kicking before they had them cut up and cooking in large kettles with all kinds of vegetables and everybody helping to feed the hungry Indians.

On one occassion just before his wife's confinement with one of her babies, she found an Indian squaw in her kitchen cooking a beef steak which she had stolen from the cupboard.  When she saw Mrs. Brown she grabbed the steak from the stove and ran out on the porch and began eating it with the blood still dripping.

James Harvey Brown (white man on far right) with Bannock Shoshone Indians at Huntsville, Weber County, Utah
Photo courtesy of Belva Rawson Moyle
Right Click mouse on image - then click on view image - to see enlarged photo

In the fall of the year boilers full of corn were cooked for the Indians and the girls went from house to house to get donation of bread and other thing to feed the Indians.

Harvey and his faamily took the lead in taking care of the Indian needs. He was looked upon by them as their great friend.  He regarded them as his brothers. It was no uncommon thing for eight or ten Indians to sit at their table with him to eat.  After one of the big "feeds" they had a pow-wow, usually in Harvey's yard, and the villagers would come to watch them dance. Often they would sit on the porch and Harvey would smoke the pipe of peace wiht them.

At one time some Indians stole two blankets from the clothes line. Harvey went to the Indians and told them there would be trouble if the blankets were not returned. The chief went around among the Indians and found the blankets and returned them to the owner. Thus serious trouble was averted. In Church when an Indian would get up to speak, Harvey would interpret for him. Chief Little Soldier's wife, Judy, was a great friend of the whites and often stood between them and the Indians in case of trouble [See David Elias Browning biography for more about Chief Little Soldier].

He set a good example of love and kindness and concern for others.  He worked in the church as well as the community.  He lived in Ogden much of his life.

Photo is Courtesy of Belva Moyle and Albert and Joan Clark
Right Click mouse on image - then click on view image - to see enlarged photo

After a busy, well-spent life, James Harvey Brown passed away the 7th of October 1912.

Elizabeth Leah Williams Brown was a devoted, faithful, beloved wife and mother.  She and her husband shared the love and warmth of their home with rich and poor alike. They faced the hardships of pioneering with such courage that we, their posterity, thank God for our heritage.

Elizabeth pased away the 25th of April 1934 at the advanced age of eighty-one years.  Elizabeth and Harvey are both buried in Ogden where they had spent most of their married life.

Elizabeth Leah Williams Brown April 1934 Obituary courtesy of Albert & Joan Clark

Children of James Harvey Brown and Elizabeth Leah William Brown

1 Sarah Elizabeth Brown b. May 26, 1872. md. September 20, 1890 to William Wallace Richardson. Died February 21, 1936. 2 Mary Leah Brown b. March 4, 1874. md. November 15, 1893 to Daniel Benjamin Rawson. Died January 14, 1951 3 Rachel Ann Brown b. June 14, 1876. md. January 18, 1899 to (1)Albert Brown, (2) William Louis Brown Sr. Died October 6, 1952 4 James Harvey Brown, Jr. b. July 22, 1879. md. October 26, 1904, to Elsa Sabre Rawson. Died December 22, 1966. 5 Nellie May Brown b. October 28, 1880. md. March 25, 1903 to Cyrus Edgar Rawson. Died November 22, 1960. 6 Margaret Jane Maude Brown b April 10, 1883. md. September 11, 1907 to James I Kirby. Died March 13, 1964. 7 Ethel Pearl Brown b. December 17, 1884. md. April 26, 1917 to John Riniker. Died May 1, 1968. 8 Thomas William Brown b. November 22, 1886. md. October 31, 1910 to Mabel Armstrong. Died October 16, 1949. 9 Ellen Leona Brown b. April 15, 1889. md. September 20, 1911 to Claborn Joel White. Died July 16, 1967. 10 Wealthy Viola Brown b. October 15, 1890. md. September 23, 1909 to Daniel Bagley Willis. Died November 15, 1977. 11 Jessie Frank Brown b. September 9, 1893. md. November 23, 1920 to Alice Elizabeth Medell Died November 5, 1961. 12 Zina Myrtle Brown b. July 9, 1896. md. October 24, 1917 to Parley Morris Stoker. Died August 18, 1974. Right Click mouse on image - then click on view image - to see enlarged photo The three oldest daughters of James Harvey Brown and Elizabeth Leah Williams Brown, with their husbands and children some time around 1906. Back Row: William Wallace Richardson, Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Brown Richardson, Daniel Benjamin Rawson holding-------, Mary Leah Brown Rawson, Albert Brown holding James Albert Brown, Rachel Ann Brown Brown. Middle Row: unidentified children ot these families Rachel Ann Brown Brown Brown Photos courtesy of Albert Brown Clark and Joan Henefer Clark 1939 Newspaper Article courtesy of Albert & Joan Clark

Sources:

PAF - Archer files = Captain James Brown + Sarah Steadwell > James Harvey Brown.

Brown Book of Remembrance written by Hattie Jensen and / or Louetta Brown Tanner prior to 1948. Louetta Brown Tanner is the daughter of James Stephens Brown and Elizabeth Mary Clegg Brown.

[Bracketed], bold, corrections, additions, and photos added by Lucy Brown Archer

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