About James Brown

James Brown married the widow of Strethill Yarwood. He brought his young family to the United States from England about 1838. They landed at New Orleans, then continued their journey northward by river boat up the Mississippi River to Warsaw, Illinois, where from about 1838 to 1842, James operated a general store. James also owned about 160 acres of land there. James fell ill and the family went down river to St. Louis, Missouri, where James presumably died about 1847, even though there is a record of a receipt "of James Brown" dated in 1849.

It appears James was a generous man. Existing records indicate he loaned passage money to two women on Feb. 15, 1842; a Mrs. Coffin and Sarah Buckley.

Children of Mary Massey and James Brown are:

5 i. Mary Brown, born January 10, 1836 in Cheshire, England; died March 20, 1914 on a farm near Cantril, Van Buren County, Iowa.

6 ii. Sarah Brown, born September 8, 1838 in England; died May 28, 1904 in Wiley Farm, Van Buren County, Iowa. Buried at Prall Cemetery near Cantril, Van Buren County, Iowa. Sarah worked for a family in Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa as a housekeeper. She never married. She became ill and left Keokuk to spend her last years at the Wiley farm where her sister, Mary Brown Wiley, took care of her until her death.