I
have known about Patrick’s tragic death since first reading the
David Brown
letter in the mid 1990’s. (See copy of letter to the left.1) Patrick was killed by a bull on a farm east
of Broken Bow, Custer County, Nebraska, in September, 1891. The letter mentioned a news article in the Custer County Republican that would give
further details. I obtained a copy from
the Custer County Historical Society. (See a copy right along with
a separate account from the Omaha World-Herald below.2)
It seems that Patrick was alone at the time of the accident. When first discovered, it was feared that
foul play was involved; however, injuries received (detailed in the article)
indicated he had been attacked by a bull that had just been returned to the
farm the day before. I expected to obtain
specific details of the accident. I did
not
expect to receive additional information that made it possible to further
Patrick’s story, and, indeed, the story of the Brown family.3
 |
| David Brown letter - top of page 4 (click to enlarge) |
 |
| Custer County Republican (click to enlarge) |
 |
| Omaha World-Herald (click to enlarge) |
I
received two other documents at the same time as the news article about
Patrick’s death - a marriage affidavit4
for a second marriage to Bridget Wilson, and the Petition for Letters of
Administration5
for Patrick’s estate as well as some information in the file for John B. Brown,
a son of Patrick. Recall how desperate
David Brown, the letter writer, was to discover the name of the father of the
Brown children and the maiden name of the mother, Hannah? He was close – very, very close when he
looked to Broken Bow for information about Patrick’s death. The marriage
affidavit (see right) shows the names of Patrick’s parents. (With this information David Brown would
likely have found the place of origin in Ireland. But then, he probably would not have written
the letter to my mother and I would not be telling the story now.) Bridget did not live long after she and
Patrick were married. She died about seven
months after their marriage, and, two years before Patrick’s accident.
 |
| 2nd marriage of Patrick (click to enlarge) |
While
the marriage affidavit provided a second confirmation of the names of the
parents of the Brown children, (the original source was the death certificate
for the youngest son, Thomas), the Petition for Letters of Administration (see left) gave the names of Patrick’s children and
where they were living in 1891, providing even more information to trace
Patrick and his family. It also
contained the signature of John Brown, second son of Patrick, and provided a
way to verify records for the rest of the children.
 |
| Petition for Letters of Administration (click to enlarge) |
It
is very understandable why Nebraska was attractive to the Brown family. Patrick and Anne had four sons, Patrick, John
B., David O., and James E. Farming
aspirations for men without financial means would have been difficult in the
Bloomington area. Land, if it was
available, while very productive, was also very expensive. Patrick, the oldest son, married and stayed
in the area around Bloomington, Illinois eventually working for the
railroad. The other three sons moved
away.
Newspapers
in the 1880s were full of information about “free” land available in the
West. The Pantagraph in Bloomington carried one such story on the front
page of its May 26, 1881 issue about “Nebraska’s Boom.”6 Stories were also
carried in the newspapers about families visiting home who had previously taken
advantage of lands available under The Homestead Act of 1862. First-hand knowledge would have been obtained
from them.
The
Homestead Act provided up to 160 acres of land, virtually free, for those
willing to move to the area and establish a permanent residence. The terms were simple. Anyone, male or female, was eligible provided
they were at least 21 years of age (or the head of a household), had never held
arms against the United States (which made Confederate soldiers ineligible),
and was a US citizen, either native born or naturalized. An application fee of $18.00 was
required. Once they had lived on the
“improved” land, which usually meant building a residence, most often a sod
house,
and farming
some portion of the acreage, for five years, they could file for a final
deed. If all requirements were met, they
were issued a land patent for their acreage.7 Coming from the
east where there was ample rain to sustain crops, the offer must have sounded
very rich to many who would not otherwise have had access to land ownership. However,
160 acres of “dry prairie” where one bad season could wipe out an entire
enterprise, posed a serious challenge for those not familiar with farming
methods needed to succeed in those conditions. As a result, as many as 60% of applications
were never completed.8 Other farms were abandoned, or sold after a
short time.
 |
| Custer County sod house |
US
Public Lands were mapped into a grid pattern using The Public Land Survey System
(PLSS), making is easy to identify a specific location that could then be sold
to individuals or “given” to homesteaders under the Homestead Act of 1862. Each
location contains a section, township, range, and meridian identifier.9 A section contains 640 acres and is further
divided into fourths identified by direction, i.e. the NW¼ of section x. PLSS townships are identified by a number and should not be confused with
civil townships used for local government that are always named.
Images
of patents for completed homestead applications are shown in the General Land
Records of the Bureau of Land Management.10
Complete files including copies of original application
papers for some completed Nebraska
claims are available at Fold3.11 Application papers for incomplete
applications are available through the National Archives, but the legal land
description must first be determined.12
Patrick,
and sons, John B., David O., and, perhaps, James E., (the youngest son who
would have been 21 in October, 1884),
completed all requirements and received
patents for land in Custer County, Nebraska.
John B. took out a homestead application in Berwyn Township (PLSS
section 6, township 16N, range 19W) in November 1883.13 (See Custer County Township map left.) The file contains several documents that
include his signature which, when compared to the signature on
the Petition for
Letters of Administration in the estate of his father, Patrick, verify this is
the same person. (See application document right.) Other documents in the file detail
improvements made to the property by the time he signed the final affidavit
including a 14 x 24 sod house, two stables, one frame and one sod, a cellar, a
well that was 107 feet deep, and a wind mill and pump tank. He also owned six horses, three head of
cattle, seventy head of hogs, two dogs and one cat. Household furnishings are
also listed. The final patent was signed
November 1, 1890.
 |
| Page from homestead application for John B Brown (click to enlarge) |
Patrick,
the father of the John, David, and James, also settled in Berwyn Township west
of John’s property and just a few miles east of the town of Broken Bow as
described in the news article about Patrick’s death. His
homestead, (sec. 6, twp. 
16N, range 19W), contained just 123 acres instead of the more usual full quarter section containing 160 acres. Part of this section may have already been sold, this may have been a more desirable location, or, since Patrick had downsized his Illinois property, he may not have wanted an entire quarter section. The final patent (see document left) is signed December 1890 making his entry into Nebraska at least December 1885. Unfortunately the original papers are not available online and would be interesting to see.14 Not only would the papers contain his entry date, but, since Patrick was foreign born, it would likely contain proof of his citizenship - when and where his naturalization took place.
16N, range 19W), contained just 123 acres instead of the more usual full quarter section containing 160 acres. Part of this section may have already been sold, this may have been a more desirable location, or, since Patrick had downsized his Illinois property, he may not have wanted an entire quarter section. The final patent (see document left) is signed December 1890 making his entry into Nebraska at least December 1885. Unfortunately the original papers are not available online and would be interesting to see.14 Not only would the papers contain his entry date, but, since Patrick was foreign born, it would likely contain proof of his citizenship - when and where his naturalization took place.
David
O. may have been the first of the Brown’s to settle in Nebraska. There is a final patent for him in
Westerville Township, (sec. 14, twp. 17N, range 18W), dated
December 1887 which means he would have started his application in 1882. The original papers for this claim are not
available online so we cannot compare signatures; however, David O. is shown in
the 1885 Nebraska State census in Westerville Township, from Ohio, age 24
making his birth year 1861. That is
close to information given in family records (birth year 1859 in Ohio). I believe this is the correct person.15
Records
for Westerville Township also show a patent for James E. Brown in section 2, close
to the homestead of David O. described above, that was finalized in March,
1890. James would have been just old
enough in March 1885 (using the five year residency requirement) to have
started the application process.
Original papers are in the National Archives and are not immediately
available to review. Because this is
located very close to David’s place, it may be an indication of a relationship to Patrick, John and David. However,
the “Petition” in Patrick’s estate file identifies James as living in Adrian,
Minnesota at the time of Patrick’s death in September, 1891. An examination of original papers would be
needed to make a final determination.
David
acquired more property in 1893, this time in Berwyn Township. In 1873, congress passed the Timber Culture
Act which allowed homesteaders to obtain an additional 160 acres of land
even
if they had taken advantage of the original Homestead Act. The only stipulation was that they plant
trees on at least one-fourth of the land.16 David took advantage of this
provision and acquired 160 acres bordering brother John’s homestead. See the geological survey map (right) of section six identifying the locations
of properties for Patrick, David and John.
 |
| Sec 6, Twp 16, R 19 (click to enlarge) |
About
1887 David married Agnes Price who also homesteaded in her own name in Custer
County, but in Kilfoil Township west of
Broken Bow along with her father and
brother. David acquired public lands in
this area also (sec. 29, twp 17N, range 21W). A map, indicating all possible properties
associated with the Brown family, is shown left. It is a survey map,
showing sections, townships, and ranges, with civil townships for Custer County
superimposed on it.17
Below is a summary of the Brown land
patents.
One final piece of information completes
Patrick’s story. David was a witness at
the marriage of his sister, Elizabeth, which took place in Merna, Illinois,
just east of Bloomington, on September 28, 1884.18 According to his
homestead application papers, David was living in Nebraska at that time. Perhaps David was visiting Illinois for his
sister’s wedding and convinced his father and brother, James, to return to
Nebraska with him? The dates in all of
the application papers seem to support this.
In
the next post, we will take a brief look at the nine children of Patrick and
Anne Burns Brown.
1. Brown, David Earl,
Kewanee, IL, 11 May 1943. Letter to Esther ________, Columbus, OH. Letter contains genealogical information for
the Brown Family from County Limerick.
2. “A Tragic
Death, Patrick Brown Killed by a Vicious Bull.”
Custer County Republican,
September 10, 1891.
“A Vicious Bovine. It
Crushes the Life Out of Its Master, Patrick O. Brown.” Omaha World-Herald, September
11, 1891, p.1. Available online at Newspapers.com
3. Talk about
serendipity! I called the Custer County
Historical Society (CCHS) sometime around 2005.
The conversation went something like this. Me: “I would like to request a copy of an
article in the Custer County Republican.”
CCHS: “We usually don’t take requests like this since it takes a lot of
time to locate an article.” Me: “But, I
have the exact date the article was run and the man died in unusual
circumstances.” CCHS: “OK, we can try. What is the information you have?” Me: “Patrick Brown died September 9, 1891 and
. . .” CCHS before I could finish the statement:
“. . . and was killed by a bull.”
Me: “Was the incident that
notorious?” CCHS: “No, I’m working on a
request from his wife’s family.” Me:
“His wife Anne?” CCHS: “No, his second
wife Bridget.” Me: “I didn’t know he was
married a second time.” CCHS: “He was,
but she didn’t live long. I have a copy
of the Custer County marriage record.
Would you like a copy of that?” Me,
jumping for joy: “Yes!” CCHS: “We also have a copy of the ‘Petition for
Letters of Administration.” Would you
like that as well?” And so, I received
information that helped uncover more of Patrick’s story.
4. Marriage
Record, Custer County, Nebraska, Mr. Patrick Brown to Mrs. Bridget Wilson,
Custer County Records, Book 2, p. 100.
The handwritten notation at the bottom is from the CCHS staff
identifying the date of Bridget’s death.
5. Custer County
Historical Society, copy of Petition for Letters of Administration for Patrick
Brown who died 9 Sep 1891. I do not know
the case number for Patrick’s Probate record. Custer County Nebraska probate records at
Family Search are only available from 1930. Several months ago, I requested additional
information about the probate record from the CCHS. To date, I have not received anything. When it is received, I will post the
information on the blog.
6. “Nebraska’s
Boom – A Condition of General Prosperity Reported From the State and its
Principal City.” The Pantagraph,
Bloomington, IL. Available online
through Newspapers.com. The article
tells of high crop production. It also
talks of new facilities, grain elevators and railroads, being constructed to
accommodate the influx of immigrants expected because of government
homesteads. “. . . all industries show a
healthy and prosperous condition, with labor in constant demand.”
7. Family Search
Wiki, Nebraska Land and Property,
available online at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Nebraska_Land_and_Property and Homestead
Records, Family Search Wiki, https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Homestead_Records
8. Ibid.
9. See http://nationalmap.gov/small_scale/a_plss.html for a
discussion of The Public land Survey System and how it is used to identify a
specific piece of property. A section is
a one square mile block of land containing 640 acres and is one thirty-sixth of
a township. A township, always numbered
in the PLSS, is a horizontal row of 36 sections, or a six-mile square area of land. A range is a vertical column of
townships. A principal meridian is a
meridian line (longitudinal) chosen as a starting point to section off a given
area. All of Nebraska is in the sixth
principal meridian.
10. Website for
the Bureau of Land Management for General Land Office Records is available
online at: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx?searchTabIndex=0&searchByTypeIndex=0. Identify the state you are interested in from
the drop-down box, and also select the appropriate county. Type is the last name in the “Names” section
and press “Enter.” A list of all persons
by that name who completed the
application process will be returned.
11. While Fold3
is generally a pay site, Nebraska Homestead Records are available for free at www.fold3.com. Select Non-military
Records, then Homestead Records, Nebraska, select the appropriate Land Office (the
name is shown on the final patent), then select the township, range, section,
and individual’s name.
12. Refer to the
Family Search Wiki for instructions pertaining to accessing incomplete
applications. https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Homestead_Records
13. The
application for John B. Brown is one of those available on Fold3 and is
available online at: https://www.fold3.com/browse/253/hDe05rrWTdbrYn98ko3SsPzW7GAw8qARhIX6cEC5OTd53zRkuBAztzp6k ) Note that the original application shows the
name of the town as “Janesville.” This
was an earlier name for Berwyn.
14. Note: The definitive location of Patrick’s property
cannot be determined until the original application can be reviewed. However, other factors, the proximity to
James’ homestead, and the location of Patrick’s farm given in the news article,
indicate this location. Moreover, only
one Patrick Brown is shown in the land patents for Custer County, unless there
is another application that was not completed.
15. There is
another confirmed homestead for David in Kilfoil Township (section 29, township
17N, range 21W) online that contains David’s signature. Papers for this claim could be used to
compare signatures.
16. Wikipedia,
Timber Culture Act, available online at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_Culture_Act
Red = Patrick
Blue = John; also David’s Timber Culture claim
Orange = James
Green = David
18. McLean County
Illinois Marriage Register, Elizabeth
Brown to John McDonald, Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Normal, IL.
