Josephine Vilate Brown is the daughter of Captain James Brown, Jr., and Mary McRee Black Brown.  She was born on January 8, 1858 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, where most of her life was spent. When she was about ten years old her mother moved to Brigham City and entered into the United Order, taking her children Joseph and Josphine with her. Her son [George] David Black and family also went with her.

Mary McRee Brown later moved back to Ogden, and lived next door, north of Pool's Hotel on the corner of 25th Street and Grant Avenue, later moving to Oxford, Idaho, where she purchased a farm for her son Joseph, adjoining her son David's farm there.

Josephine grew up to be a beautiful young lady, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, rosy cheeks, a charming smile, and was popular with the young folks there.

In the fall of 1874 Josephine went to Ogden with her brother David and wife [Mary Hunt Black] to General Conference, and she stayed with her sister Eliza Brown Critchlow in Ogden until the last of January 1875. When she returned to Oxford an engaged to be married, happy, sparkling, young lady. She had met Henry J. Newman and it was a case of love at first sight. His engagement present was a beautiful fur cape and muff, which came in a very handy when she returned to the below zero weather in Oxford.

Henry James Newman, 1875Josephine Vilate Brown Newman

In the summer of 1875 she and her mother returned to Ogden and the 25th of October 1875 saw her married to Henry J. Newman in the Endowment House [in Salt Lake City]. A double wedding at the home of President Charles J. Middleton Sr. celebrated the happy event, for Henry's sister Dessie Newman married Charles Middleton, Jr. on the same date.

Henry and Josephine set up housekeeping in two rooms on the Bench, somewhere near Lester Park in Ogden. In the fall of 1876 they moved into the log room of her sister Eliza's home on Washington Avenue, near 29th Street, where most of Eliza's fourteen children were born. Eliza living in the other frame room, with a lean-to kitchen with her husband and family.

Grandma Mary lived with Josephine and Henry and on the 27th of December 1876 their first child was born, Mary Maria Newman.

Henry was a prosperous young business man in business with his father in tin smith manufacturing. He built a comforable home on Lincoln Avenue between 24th and 27th Streets, where several more children were born to them. [Eleven years after their marriage] While living in this house Henry entered into a polygamous marriage [on the 18th of March 1886 in Salt Lake City] with Mary [Mary Christinia Dorney or Darning who bore ten children for him] .

While Josephine was willing to have him do so, it being a tenet of their religion, yet was a great trial to her at times. She and Mary got along very well together and waited upon each other during their confinements. Henry bought a farm in Tremonton and took Mary there to live. She had a large family and on one occasion one of the babies was born in Josephine's home in Ogden, and they both had a baby a few days apart and each lay in her own bed in the same front room. The children of each one were devoted to the other mother. Later Josephine moved to Tremonton and did practical nursing for a number of years. She was active in Relief Sociaty and was always her own cheerful, charming self with a smile on her face even though at times her heart was very heavy. She died in her 56th year on April 4, 1917. She was the mother of twelve children, five girls and seven boys, one son and two daughters dying in childhood.

Mary Maria Stone, David Henry, (dead infant daugher), Joseph Jubilee, Margaret, (Effie May- child), Jefferson, Florence Shaffer, [Frederick, William, Earl] and Ernest.

Children of Josephine Vilate Brown Newman and Henry James Newman, Jr.:

1 Mary Maria Newman Stone Born: 11 January 1876 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Bernard Spencer Stone on 13 October 1897 Died: 1 November 1959 Ogden, Weber, Utah

2 David Henry Newman Born: 27 Oct 1878 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Child Died: 12 June 1879

3 Joseph Jubilee Newman Born: 22 April 1880 at Ogden Weber, Utah Married: Died: 5 May 1969 at Salt Lake City, Utah

4 Margaret Pearl Newman Born: 26 July 1882 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: George Bowcutt Died: 17 January 1942 at Tremonton, Box Elder, Utah

5 Frederick James Newman Born: 5 August 1884 Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Died: 2 May 1965 at Ogden, Weber, Utah

6 William Brown Newman Born: 13 September 1886 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Died: 5 June 1936

7 Earl Brown Newman Born: 8 November 1888 At Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Died: 9 November 1961 at Ogden, Weber, Utah

8 Effie May Newman Born: 9 May 1891 Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Child Died: 5 November 1899

9 Jefferson Brown Newman Born: 23 October 1893 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Died: 1 August 1969 at Ogden, Weber, Utah

10 Florence Brown Newman Born: 28 April 1896 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Charles M. Schaffer on Died: 1 November 1979

11 daughter Newman Born: April 1898 Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Child Died: April 1898 at Ogden, Weber, Utah

12 Ernest Brown Newman Born: 23 January 1900 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: Died: 5 August 1973 at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

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Sources:

PAF - Archer files = Captian James Brown + (6) Mary McRee > Josephine Vilate Brown.

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

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

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org