Alexander Brown is the son of Captain James Brown and Martha Stephens Brown, born on March 3, 1826 near Lexington, North Carolina.

Alexander became a convert to Mormonism with his father's family.  He was baptized in Adams County, Illinois in 1840 by Jacob Foutz. When he was about ten years old his parents moved to Brown County, Illinois, and later to Adams County, Illinois. There his father took up a large tract of land. In this sparsely populated country schools were scarce but he had learned to read and the rudiments of a common education with his father's assistance, who had been a school teacher in his younger days.

After his father's conversion to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. After his mother Martha's death on September 28,1840 buried near Kingston, Adams, North Carolina. Fourteen year old Alexander performed the labor of an adult in whatever there was to do. Largely, this was farming for that was the main occupation in those days of pioneering in a new coiuntry.

After the exodus from Nauvoo, with his father's family, his stepmother, Esther Jones Roper Brown, Abigail Abbott, and her family, whom his father had undertaken to emmigrate to the Utah valley, Alexander performed his duty well, driving ox teams, making camp, and the many tasks incurred in that memorable move to a place where they could worship God unmolested by enemies and blood-thirsty mobs.

Alexander started west with the general exodus of the Saints in 1846. When the Saints arrived at Council Bluffs, Iowa, volunteers were summoned for the United States war with Mexico. Alexander then enlisted, together with his father and a younger brother, Jesse Sowell Brown, in the Mormon Battalion. His father was commissioned Captain in Company "C", Alexander as 2nd Corporal, and his brother Jesse as private, served in their father's company and marched with that body of men to Santa Fe, New Mexico, there they were assigned to the sick detachment of 86 men who were ascertained unfit to travel to San Diego. Captain James Brown and and Lt. Elam Luddington of Company "B" were ordered to lead them to Pueblo, Colorado, arriving on November 17, 1846 and remaining there during the winter of 1846-1847 on the Arkansas River. A group of Mississippi saints wintered there with the.

They went through all the sufferings of that terrible march.  Alexander's special work was to ford the streams on his horse and search out the best place for the army to cross with their outfits. Being constantly wet he contracted rheumatism which made him lame for the rest of his life. One leg being shorter than the other and badly twisted, yet he never used crutches and continued farming as his vocation. Alexander and his brother, Jesse, continued with their father when he was ordered to bring the sick soldiers in the Batallion to the Salt Lake valley. This group arrived in Salt Lake July 29 or 30, 1847, five days after Brigham Young's first company arrived.

With them they brought resources of 29 wagons, 100 horses and mules, 300 head of cattle, and one carriage to strengthen the presence of the pioneers in the valley. They assisted in building the old fort, the first place of meeting in Salt Lake on what is now Tabernacle Square or the Temple block in Salt Lake City. They erected a bowery within two days after their arrival in the valley. The bowery was 40 feet by 28 feet in size. It consisted of vertical poles to form pillars then long poles were fastened with raw hide and wooden pegs to the top of the pillars. Timbers were laid over the top with brush and dirt completing the roof. The members of the battalion on their way to Santa Fe, had observed the rawhide wrapping method of construction in the Spanish mission structures.

"Hand of God Mural"
The James Brown family were the first Mormon settlers in the Weber Valley.  In the spring of 1848 Brown’s two sons, Alexander Brown and Jesse S. Brown, built a dam on Canfield Creek and turned water onto their land to raise wheat, corn, watermelon, cabbage, and turnips, thus becoming the first irrigators in Weber Valley. --Hunter, Milton R., “Beneath Ben Lomond’s Peak: A History of Weber County, 1824-1900”, Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1944, page 67.
--Painting by Maynard Dixon

On August 8, 1847 Brigham Young sent his father and brother Jesse, along with seven others, on a perilous trip to San Francisco to collect the pay due the battalion members from the United States Army Paymaster Rich.  Alexander remained in Utah to assist with army and pioneer matters.

The following February 1848, their father under the direction and counsel of the authorities bought the Miles Goodyear claim [Fort Buenaventura] in Weber County and moved his wife Mary Eliza Black Brown and baby, Mary Eliza, and Alex and Jesse to the fort on the Weber River. As Alex and Jesse preceeded their father two days, they plowed the first land that had ever been plowed in Weber County. The place where this first plowing was done was on a piece of ground lying between 28th and 29th streets of the present Ogden City survey, the land now being owned by James M. Brown on Washington Avenue (in 1920). The first furrow plowed ran east to west about fifty rods in length. They planted wheat

James Brown assigned his two sons, Alexander and Jess, to take care of the livestock at the fort, and to plant the crops. They were also assigned to construct a dam on Canfield Creek to turn water on the land and to irrigate the crops.

In the Spring of 1848, with cold weather, the crickets eating the crops, and the shortage of food, Alexander was sent to Fort Hall in southern Idaho to purchase flour. The trip was approximately 320 miles round trip. Accompanied by Thomas Williams and Ebenezer Haules, they all returned successful with each bringing 200 pounds of flour. Captain Brown kept 200 pounds for the settlement on the Weber River and sent 400 pounds to the needy pioneers in Salt Lake.

In the late 1850's Alexander bought a tract of land north of the Ogden River in a township called Lynn. Here he built a rock house where he reared his family and continued farming. This house still stands.

Children of Alexander Brown and Amanda McMurtrey Brown:

1- Mary Eliza Brown July 13, 1851 Sacramento, CA; d. 1931, md. Lyman Keyes
2- Phoebe Brown Dec 20, 1853 San Bernardino; d. 1853. lived 2 days
3- Alexander Brown, Jr. March 5, 1855 San Bernardino; d. 1887, md. Walker
4- James Lysander Brown February 13,1857 at Ogden-; md. Rachel Sylvia Rice of Farmington,UT on 3 July 1877
5- Amanda Louella Brown 1859-1889
6- Samuel Loami Brown, 1862-1912, md. Mary or Maria Layman
7- Lois Brown 1864- .
8- William Riley Brown 1868-
9- Effie Brown 1873-

In 1856 Alexander Brown was ordained a High Priest and set apart to act as a counselor to Bishop Chauncey W. West of the Ogden Third Ward.

"Alec", as his friends and family referred to Alexander, was a quiet unassuming man. He had little to say, and while he believed in the Gospel he was inactive in his later years. I had the privilege of boarding with him and Aunt Amanda while teaching in the Lynn School in 1861 and became well acquainted with the family who were living at home. The sons had married and were all away but Lousila, Lois, Effie, and Lysander's little girl Grace, composed the family, As I had been reared in a home where family prayers and blessings on the food was a custom, I asked Uncle Alex why he didn't ask the blessing on the food. He said he knew he should but he had gotten out of the habit. I suggested that he begin and let us all take our turn in asking the blessing. Aunt Amanda approved of it, so while I remained in the home we took turns in asking a blessing on the food and also in family prayers.

The 1880 U.S. Census shows Alexander and Amanda living in the Ogden 4th Ward. Living in the same household were Louisa (possibly Amanda Louella) age 20; Lois Brown (Hutchens) age 15; William Riley Brown age 12; Effie Brown age 6; Pearl Brown (possibly a granddaughter) age 4yrs.

July 6, 1898 Old Folks Day at Lagoon in Farmington, Utah

"A report of the July 1889 excursion to Ogden, Weber, Utah, was published in the Millennial Star for the British Saints so that they would know of the activities of the aged on this yearly celebration. Many of the participants were British converts.

"After C.R. Savage called the meeting to order, speeches were made by Governor A.L. Thomas followed by Mayor F.J. Kiesal [sic] and a short talk by George Goddard, and the following activities took place: "Old Lange Syne" was then sung by the company and they were addressed by President Wilford Woodruff who congratulated the aged on their having reached their present years with so good a degree of health and prosperity, and hoped they would not forget their duty to God and man, so that when they passed to the other side of the vail, they might be satisfied with their experience in this life and the reward in the next.....Alex Brown, of Lynne, who turned the first furrow in Weber County, took a gold medal.]

Right Click mouse on image to view enlarged photo

Photo Courtesy of Albert and Joan Henefer Clark
"To Alexander Brown of Lynne, For turning the first furrow in Weber County.
Awarded by ___ Police___"
From the Millennial Star 51 (July 22, 1889), page 453
Also in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Spring 1985, page 164.

 1847-1897

This medal was awarded to Alexander Brown and each of the First Pioneers of 1847, awarded in 1897.

Alexander spent the remainder of his life in Weber County where he passed away in Ogden on April 21 [22], 1910 and is buried at the Ogden City Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, six children, 27 grandchildren, and 26, great-grandchildren.

Amanda passed away on March 15, 1918 in Ogden, Weber, Utah [Mark Twain, Samuel Longhorne Clemens, passed away on the same day.]

Alexander Brown gravestone with Mormon Battalion Memorial Medallion
Ogden City Cemetery Located at 2A-11-33-1E

Daily Standard April 22, 1910 ONE OF THE PIONEERS DEAD Alexander Brown, one of the pioneers of Weber County and son of the late Captain James Brown, one of the pathfinders of the State of Utah and the great West, died at 9:30 o'clock last night at the family residence, 306 Second Street, of general debility. The deceased was born in Dawson [Davidson] County, North Carolina, March 3, 1826. He came to Utah in 1847, arriving in Salt Lake City, July 29th of that year with the Mormon Battalion, of which his father was the captain. In 1848 he came to Weber County to make his home, where he plowed the first furrow in the county. In the spring of 1849 he joined the rush to California and resided there until 1858 when he returned to Ogden, which he has made his home ever since. He is survived by three sons and three daughters. The funeral services will be held Sunay at 3:30 P.M. at the Lynn ward meeting house. The interment will be in the City cemetery. The surviving children are: James Lysander Brown of Idaho; Samuel Loami Brown of Ogden; Mrs. Lois Hutchens of Ogden; Wm. Riley Brown; and Mrs. Effie Allen of Ogden; 27 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock at the Lynne meeting house. The body may be viewed at the home Saturday evening and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Daily Standard April 23, 1910 ALEXANDER BROWN IS LAID TO REST Funeral services over the remains of Alexander Brown were held from the Lynn Ward meeting house at 3:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Bishop Turnquist conducting. The ward choir furnished excellent music "Lead Kindly Light" was rendered by Myrtle Leavitt and "Christian's Good Night" was jointly sung by Mabel Bramwell and Florence Olsen, Presidents L.W. Shurtliff and C.F. Middleton, Elder Joseph Parry, Bishop George Smuin and Thomas Irvine addressed the gathering, profuse in their praise of the faithful life and religious faith of the deceased, recalling in many instances their association during the pioneer days. The attendance more than filled the meeting house and many floral offerings were extended by the gathering. Interment was made in the city cemetery.

Photo Courtesy of Albert and Joan Clark

AMANDA McMURTREY BROWN

Amanda McMurty (or McMurtrey) was born 4 February 1834 in Washington„ Missouri. Her father was Samuel McMurtry (or McMurtrey) and he was born in Greenville, Green, Tennessee on 8 February 1797. Her mother was Julia Ann Morris and she was born 9 July 1812 in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Amanda was the oldest child in the family and her brothers and sisters were: Arminta, born about 1835 in Nauvoo, Illinois; Orminta, born about 1835 in Nauvoo; Edna, born about 1837 in Atchison, Missouri; Henrietta, born about 1839 in Nauvoo, Illinois; John William born about 1841 in Nauvoo, Illinois; Oscar, born about 1841 in Nauvoo, Illinois, and who died as a child; Oscar, born about 1844, and who died as a child; Chestina, born 27 January 1847 in Atchison, Missouri; llene, born about 1850 in Atchison, Missouri, and who died about 1857; and Zilla, who was born in 1860 in Blackfoot, Idaho.

I don’t know at this time, when Amanda came west or if she came to Utah or California.

Amanda married Alexander Brown. Alexander was born 3 March 1826 near Lexington, North Carolina, the son of Captain James Brown and Martha Stephens, He was a convert to Mormonism with his father's family and was baptized in Adams County, Illinois in 1840. His mother died in 28 September 1840 Kingston, Illinois.

During the gold excitement in 1849, Alexander went to California. There on 31 May 1850 Alexander Brown and Amanda McMurtry were married in San Bernadino, California. Their family numbered nine children, the two oldest were born in Sacramento. The young couple wanted to unite with the Utah Colonists in San Bernadino and their third child and first son was born in San Bernadino. The six youngest children were born in Ogden, Utah.:

They relocated by 1857 in Ogden to be nearer Alexander’s family and the Saints in Utah. They finally settled in the old Bingham Fort area on west Second Street in Ogden. The home they lived in is still standing today (1999). According to research done in the summer of 1998, the home today is a two part structure. The rear is a stone house with a ‘basement’ built in the late 1860’s by Art Stone. At the time it was the only house in that part of the county with a cellar. These rooms still have log floors and inner walls of adobe.

In 1873, Mr. Stone sold the rockhouse to Alexander and Amanda Brown. By the 1870’s, both Alexander and his brother Jesse resided on West Second Street and entertained neighborhood children with stories of their adventures with the Mormon Battalion.

April 20, 2004 - Richard Creeger (current owner) with Richard Moyle standing on the south side of Alexander Brown's house at 159 West Second Street in Ogden, Utah in Bingham's Fort.

(There is an interesting side note concerning this home. In 1918 Henry James built the front part of thedwelling connecting it to the existing stone building. In 1936 when Mrs. James was digging in the yard on the east side of the house, she uncovered the grave of a Jesuit priest. The grave contained a large rosary, cruets for holy water, items for performing mass, clothing of a Jesuit priest and a false tooth. All of the items had been burned, leading the neighborhood residents to speculate concerning the year and circumstances of his death.) The original home is used by the present occupants as a family room. It would be lovely if all the families who have lived in this home could tell us their stories.

Amanda was a beautiful woman. Her hair was dark and she had a very pleasant way about her. She was petite and very stylish. She and Alexander made a handsome couple and they were well thought of.

In Amanda’s last years, she had cancer in her face and one side of her face was badly affected. Her great-granddaughter, Lucille Woodfield Carver, remembered going to see her when she was a child. She sat in a rocking chair, facing the comer, with part of her face covered by a scarf.

Amanda's daughter, Lois Brown, married the boy across the street. His name was John Allan {Amos] Hutchens, son of William Birch Hutchens and Mary Eliza Stone Hutchens. William Hutchens had built a mother-in-law apartment on the east side of his home for his own mother-in-law, Mary Cruse Stone. Amanda went to live in this apart­ment across the street where she would be close to help with her needs. Amanda passed away 15 March 1918 and was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery next to her dear husband, Alexander.
[Author of above story may be Belva Rawson Moyle]

Children of Alexander Brown and Amanda McMurtrey Brown

1 Mary Eliza Brown Born: 13 July 1851 Died: 6 February 1931 2 Phoebe Brown Born: 20 Dec 1853 Died: 22 Dec 1853 3 Alexander Brown Jr. Born: 5 March 1854 md. Mary Elizabeth Walker 7 Apr 1875 Died: February 1887 4 James Lysander Brown Born: 13 Feb 1857 md: Rachael Sylvia Rice 15 Jun 1888 Died: 5 Amanda Louella Brown Born: 20 Sep 1859 Died: 6 February 1889 6 Samuel Loami Brown Born: 29 May 1862 md: Mary Maria Layman 13 June 1883 Died: 6 March 1912 7 Lois Brown Hutchens Born: 25 Dec 1864 md: John Amos Hutchens md: 25 Dec 1884 Died: 8 William Riley Brown Born: 30 August 1868 md: Tena Lewis Died: 9 Effie Brown Allen Born: 25 August 1873 md. Andy Allen Died:

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Sources:

PAF - Archer files = Captain James Brown (1) Martha Stephens > Alexander Brown.

The Mormon Battalion Film 1,697,614 #20, Located by Erold Clark Wiscombe

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 Brown. Cousin David Bingham Dee was in possession of this Brown Book of Remembrance and he told me he donated it around 1997 to the Church Genealogical Museum located west of the SLC Temple.

"Hand of God" painting of Alexander Brown and his brother, Jesse S. Brown, when they built the first irrigation canal in Weber County. Painting by Maynard Dixon. The Ensign, July 1997, Page 31. Courtesy of Museum of Art, Brigham Young University.

Richard Moyle for copy of Alexander's house. Submitted to this site by Erold C. Wiscombe.

"History of Alexander Brown - Member of the Mormon Battalion, Company C, 2nd Corporal, United States War with Mexico, Pioneer of the West" by Richard "W" Moyle.

Millennial Star 51 (July 22, 1889): 453.

"Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Volume III" by Andrew Jenson, Assistant Church Historian. Published by the Andrew Jenson History Company, and Printed by the Arrow Press in 1920 Salt Lake City, Utah. Page 608. Photocopy submitted to this webpage by Erold C. Wiscombe.

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