Alvin and Calvin Brown

Right Click mouse on image - then click on view image - to see enlarged photo

Alvin Brown married on October 28, 1899 at Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho, to Beulah May Matteson, who was born in Harper County, Kansas on March 21, 1882 to William Comstock Matteson and Hattie Matteson Harper (Bucher). Her family came to Grey's Lake, Idaho in 1899. [The Matteson family had a supply wagon that was driven by William's daughter, Beulah May. They trailed a milkcow for milk. When they got to Soda Springs, one horse died, so William sent the family on to Idaho Falls with one wagon and the only horse. He was unable to locate another horse to pull the second wagon, so he arrived in Idaho Falls with the old cow pulling the wagon.

William Matteson, [son of Ezra Dean Matteson 1819-1857 and Emma Verona Comstock 1826-1857], had a horse-drawn carriage that he traveled back and forth from Idaho to Florida in. It was a real sharp looking little carriage with fringe around the top.

William went to Florida to shoot alligators and "swamp rattlers" for the skins, Which he tanned and sold for good prices. On the way back to Idaho, he would use some of the skins to cover bibles, photo albums, etc. for people along the way. It is said that he did real nice work too, using big snake skins that were wide enough to cover a book. He kept the skins rolled up into big rolls.

He also kept tools in his carriage to mend pots and pans for people while he traveled. He used to sell "Mend-Its", which consisted of two washers and a flat screw to mend holes in dishpans and kettles.

William Matteson had other ways to earn money on his annual trips to Florida. He sold eyeglasses, and even had the equipment to test his customer's eyes. Another popular item was his own healing salve that he made up and sold.

In his later years he raised bees, and sold honey for about eight years throughout the entire Snake River Valley.

Beulah and Alvin met and married in Ogden where she had answered his newspaper advertisement seeking a wife. Twelve children were born to the couple.

Back: Beulah May Brown (Stricklan), Baby: Albert Comstock Brown, DuShane Harwood Brown
Front with dog: Dorothy Lucetta Brown Rackham Larson
at Axe Canyon, Dillon Montana c. 1909

Children of Alvin Wilson Brown and Beulah Matteson Brown

1 Alvin Andrew Brown Born: 11 March 1901 at Gray's Lake, Bonneville, Idaho Died: 12 March 1901 at Gray's Lake, Bonneville, Idaho

2 DuShane Harwood Brown Born: 17 February 1902 at Ogden, Weber, Utah Married: ?? Died: (Alive in 2006 Living in Carmen, Lemhi, Idaho)

3 Beulah May Brown Born: 1904 Idaho Falls, Idaho Married: Chester H. Stricklan on 1923 8 children Died: 1988 at Salmon, Lemhi,Idaho

4 Dorothy Lucetta Brown Born: 1906 at Dillon, Beaverhead, Montana Married: (1) Mr. Larson before 1945 (2) Henry Frederick Rackham Jr. 4 children Died: 1984 at Ogden, Weber, Utah

5 Albert Comstock Brown Born: 1908 at Dillon, Beaverhead, Montana Died: After 1945 of May, Custer, Idaho

6 Merrill Reeves Brown Born: 1910 at Bellevue, Lincoln, Montana Died: (Alive in 2006 Living in Vale, Malheur, Oregon)

7 David Wilson Brown Born: 1912 at Ammon, Bonneville, Idaho Married Mary Hill Died: After 1945 of May, Custer, Idaho

8 Joy Muriel Brown Born: 1914 at Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho Married Dan Burkholder Died: after 1945 of San Pablo, Contra Costa, California

9 Claire Marguerite Brown Born: 1916 at Idaho, Bonneville, Idaho Married: Delbert Betty on 29 June 1935 Died: (Alive in 2006 Of Shoshone County, Idaho)

10 Patrick McKinley Brown Born: 1918 at Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho Married: (1) Doris (div) (2) Sheila Marie Murran on February 15, 1942 Died: After 1945, stationed overseas with US Army

11 Jennie Beatrice Brown Born: 1920 at Idaho Falls, Bonneville, Idaho Married: Willard Eugene. Draney Died: (alive 2006 of Ogden, Weber, Utah)

12 Lewis Orson Brown Born: 1924 at Salmon, Lemhi, Idaho Died: After 1945, stationed overseas with US Navy

Part of Alvin Wilson Brown and Beulah May Matteson Brown Family c. 1920
David Wilson Brown, Beulah May Brown, Mom (Beulah), Dorothy Lucetta Brown, "Ab" Albert Francis Brown holding Jennie Beatrice Brown,
Front Row: Joy Muriel Brown, Clair Marguriet Brown
Photo Courtesy Erold Clark Wiscombe
Right Click mouse on image - then click on view image - to see enlarged photo

Alvin Brown brought his family to Lemhi County in July 1921, arriving with a sheep camp wagon, a light spring wagon, and six saddle horses. The Browns spent their first summer up the Lemhi helping various ranchers with their haying, threshing and later, potato picking.

[It seems that Henry Frederick Rackham married Margaret Ellis b. 1897, together they had the youngest child shown above, Jim Ellis Rackham born around 1831.]

"Beulah Brown came from Idaho Falls to Limhi County, Idaho in July 1921, with her parents, Alvin Brown and Beulah May Matteson Brown, and ten brothers and sisters. She was seventeen years old at the time, and rode horseback the entire trip. It took them several days to make the trip, stopping in Roberts, Mud Lake, and Leadore, fishing and camping along the way.

At that time, the town of Junction was just being moved to where Leadore is now. There were only a few old buildings that had been moved in, one of which was a grocery store. The store was fully stocked with canned and dry good that had been there for at least ten years.

They stopped to shop, thinking that they could get some extra shoes. The store had hundreds of pairs of ladies shoes, but they had dried up until the heels were dropping off. It was such a shame to see so much stuff go to waste. The family bought two pairs of the best looking shoes for twenty-five cents each. They were so rotten that the eyelets brok loose when they went to lace them up.

After camping a few days on Timber Creek, the family traveled on towards Tendoy, helping various ranchers with their haying and threshing. Beulah cooked for crews on the N.F. Carlson Ranch and Robertson's for one dollar a day. She then went to cook for N.F. Carlson's son at Tendoy, where she cooked in a sheepcamp wagon, and used a Dutch overn.  When that job was done, Beulah cooked for McNab's, the Babcock Ranch, and McKinneys.

In 1923, Beulah May Brown married Chester H. Stricklan, who was born in Lebanon, Smith, Kansas on March 15, 1891. He was the son of William Stricklan, who was born in 1843, and Nancy Tout Stricklan, who was born in 1846.

The couple first lived on the Carpenter Ranch at Tendoy, Lemhi, Idaho with Chester's brother and wife, Jack Stricklan and Minnie Sticklan. Their first two children, Blanch Lucille Stricklan, born in 1924, and William Alvin Stricklan, born in 1926, were born while they lived on the Carpenter Ranch. Lucille being born on the Ranch, and Bill born in Salmon, Lemhi, Idaho.

The family later moved to the Matt Stewart Ranch, now Snook's Ranch. Two more sons were born while they lived there, Maynard Duane "Smokey" Stricklan was born in 1927, and Raymond C. Stricklan was born in Salmon in 1929.

The Stricklans moved several more times, living on the Keystone Ranch up Carmen Creek, up Kirtley Creek, now Cockrells, Kirtley Creek near the schoolhouse, and then to a house by the railroad tracks across from the old flour mill (Millers now). Two more sons were born in this house; Richard Dix Stricklan in 1934, and Robert Wendell Stricklan in 1936.

From there, the family moved to Wallace Creek (Maxwells), into town one winter, then to a house owned by Steve Harp, located across the Lemhi River, and after that to a house up on the bar, where Bielbys live.  A daughter, Evalyn May Stricklan was born in this house in 1940.

The Stricklan family later moved to the lower Salmon Hot Springs Ranch, then to the main Hot Springs, where the family ran the swimming pool and rented out rooms. Another daughter, Gayla Marie Stricklan was born at Stines' Maternity Hospital in 1945, while they lived in this house.

The next move was to the Ibach Ranch up the river, and later to Midway, where the family ran the gas station. In 1950 they moved to Salmon, buying a house built by Lanny Heffner. Chester and Beulah lived in this house until their deaths in 1975 and 1988."

"Sheila Marie Murran was a Norwegian, blonde hair and blue eyes, very beautiful woman. She was thought to have been raised by her grandmother. Sheila was about 15 years old, very young when she left home. She was pregnant (possibly by her sister's husband) but not very far along when she first met the Brown family.

Uncle Ab (Albert Francis Brown) was a policeman in Ogden, and somehow met this young girl who had no place to go. Ab took her to a boarding house that was run by Dorothy Brown Rackham Larson. That is where Patrick McKinley Brown met her. Aunt Jenny Brown lived in Ogden at the time, and she said that they had seen Sheila one time with a blonde haired man who also looked like he could be Norwegian.

I have on record that Patrick McKinley Brown's first marriage was to a Doris ? , and they were divorced in Idaho Falls, Idaho in 1942.  Patrick married Sheila Marie Murran on February 15, 1942. Pat took Sheila to Salmon and his mother Beulah May Brown cared for her through her pregnancy and the birth of her baby girl.

Lorraine Brown was born October 22 (16?), 1942 in Salmon, Lemhi, Idaho. Sheila was said to have a tattoo of a bluebird in a very private place that was discovered when the baby was born. Apparently not many knew about the tattoo, so it was a surprise to those who took care of her at the Stine Maternity Home.

Patrick was in the service and he was sent overseas to Iran. Sheila and baby Lorraine continued to stay with the Alvin Brown family while Patrick was gone, and he sent her money every month. She worked in Salmon at a restaurant, and when she left Salmon, the checks were all neatly stacked in her dresser drawer - she never cashed a single one.

It was not known where Sheila went when she left Salmon. She left her little girl, Lorraine, in the care of Grandma Brown. Lorraine remained with her until she was adopted by her Uncle David Wilson Brown and his wife, Mary Hill Brown. She was three or four years old at the time.

According to what I remember, Grandma Brown received a letter from Sheila's grandmother, inquiring about her, but Grandma did not write back, for fear that the family would take Lorraine from her. Grandma Brown passed away October 1, 1946, and that is when Dave adopted her. Lorraine was very fair-skinned with very blonde hair and blue eyes, soft-spoken and very attractive. What a wonderful cousin she was to me and my sister. We realize now that she was more like our sister, and we miss her still.

Lorraine's mother, Sheila, was seen by family only one more time that we know of. My mother Beulah Stricklan said that she saw her one day in town and talked to her. Mother said that Sheila was not well, and told her about a lump under her arm. It is believed that she died from cancer.

Our cousin Lorraine passed away also from cancer on June 25, 1989 in Twin Falls, Idaho. She married Neil Howard on April 1, 1960 at the Salmon Methodist Church in Salmon, Idaho.  They had one daughter, Lisa. Neil and Lorraine divorced and she married Jerry Sherer. From this union were born Jeri Lynn Sherer and Dottie May Scherer." [author unknown]

Center: Lewis Shane Draney, son of Jennie Beatrice Brown Draney and Willard Eugene Draney (1920-1989)

Claire Marguriet Brown Betty with her sister Jennie Beatrice Brown Draney c. 2004

Beulah May Brown Stricklan
Daughter of Alvin Brown
Salmon, Lemhi, Idaho

Lucy and Mikey: Our Cabin on Williams Lake in Salmon, Idaho - September 1973

Copyright 1994 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org