John Kennedy BROWN

     John Kennedy BROWN, son of Francis Horatio BROWN and Frances May ABNEY, was born on 14 July 1914 in Brent, Bibb County, Alabama.¹

John Kennedy BROWN appeared on a census, enumerated 9 January 1920, in the household of his parents Francis Horatio BROWN and Frances May ABNEY in Macedonia, Chilton County, Alabama. He was five years old.²

He began his education by attending classes held at the Maplesville Baptist and Methodist Churches until the new Maplesville High School was built in 1924. That year he was in the 3rd and 4th grade class of Ms. Bessie Hayes. He later attended boarding school at Eldridge Baptist Academy in Walker County. His brother, Abney, had also attended this school. John played on the school's football team. He returned to Maplesville High School for his senior year. Later on he took engineering courses through a correspondence school to further his employment with the Alabama Highway Department.³

John Kennedy BROWN appeared on a census, enumerated 21 April 1930, in the household of his parents Francis Horatio BROWN and Frances May ABNEY in Maplesville, Chilton County, Alabama. John K. Brown was listed at a 15-year-old farmer. He was attending school.⁴ He was Division Engineer with the Alabama Highway Department between 1935 and 1976. He was first employed by the Highway Department in March 1935. He retired 31 Jan 1976 after 40 years service. He worked on highway construction across Alabama including Greensboro, Fayette, Clanton, Tuscaloosa, Mobile and Montgomery.

John appeared on a census enumerated 5 April 1940 in Greensboro, Hale County, Alabama. The household was listed as Sallie Borden, 62, widow, head of household; Wallace Bordon, 22, her son; John K. Brown, 25, lodger; and Bertram Barton, 30, lodger. John was listed as a laborer with a construction company with an income of $900. He had worked all 52 weeks in 1939. Barton was road machine operator with an income of $1200. Both were probably employed by the Alabama Highway Department. The house was at 1 Whelan Street in downtown Greensboro.

John was registered for the draft during World War II on 16 October 1940 while living in Maplesville, Chilton County, Alabama. He was 26 years old, born 14 Jul 1914 in Brent, Alabama. He was employed by the Alabama State Highway Department in Montgomery. He was discribed as 5'8", 158 libs., with brown eyes, brown hair and light complexion.⁵

John began military service at age 27 on 9 February 1942 in U. S. Naval Reserve Station, Birmingham, Alabama. At the time of his enlistment he was employed by the Alabama Hisghway Department. He served in the U. S. Navy Seabees, first in the 17th Naval Construction Battalion after leaving the Navy Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois. He served throughout the entire North Africa Campaign in the 120th Naval Construction Battalion. Later he was sent to Okinawa in the Pacific where he served in the Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 615 until the end of the war. He returned to the states aboard the battleship U. S. S. Alabama. This is confirmed in the history of the Alabama, "On 20 Sep 1945, Alabama stood out from Tokyo. At Okinawa she embarked some 3700 passengers for the U. S., thus doing her bit in the task of returning the Pacific veterans."

John married French Inez BURT, daughter of Irby Leon BURT and Birdie Clyde WATTS, on 6 September 1943 at Belview Heights Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama. Their wedding announcement reads: "Miss French Burt and John K. Brown, of Maplesville, Ala., were married at 8:30 Wednesday, Sept. 6, at the parsonage of Belview Heights Presbyterian Church with Dr. J. Allen Anderson officiating. Only members of the immediate family were present. The bride wore a soldier blue suit and her flowers were in a shoulder corsage. After a wedding trip, Mr. Brown returned to Davisville, R. I., where he is stationed with U. S. Navy and the bride will return to Centerville where she is employed."⁶

He ended military service on 21 October 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was honorarily discharged based on points system as a Carpenter's Mate- 2nd Class in the Seabees.

After the War, in 1945, Big Frank, and his brother John, opened Brown Brother's Supply Company in downtown Maplesville. John Brown soon sold his share to his brother Abney and returned to the Highway Department. Frank and Abney Brown built a new store in 1951. The store remained in operation until Frank's death in 2003. Abney had retired a few years earlier. For over fifty years the hardware store served as a meeting place for the men of Maplesville, and you could nearly always find a group gathered near the front of the store, seated on boxes and upturned spools of wire or rope, playing checkers or discussing sports and politics. Frank and Abney were also partners in farming and raising cattle on the Old Abney Place.⁷

John and French were living on 1 January 1948 in Marion, Alabama. That is based on a newspaper item that listed this as their residence at the time of a visit with her parents.

John Kennedy BROWN and French Inez BURT appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 1 April 1950 in Fayette, Fayette County, Alabama. The household was listed as John K. Brown, a 36 year old highway engineer, employed by the Alabama Highway Dept., and his wife, French I. Brown, age 36, housewife. They lived at 102 Temple Avenue, apartment 1 of 3. He had worked 48 the previous week.⁸

He appeared in a newspaper article 4 August 1955 in the Fayette County Times, published in Fayette, Alabama. "... Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Brown moved Monday into the [Ben] Enis home on Temple Avenue. Mrs. Clare Scharnagel moved into the apartment of Miss Julia Coggin which was formerly occupied by the Browns...." The return address on envelopes from 1950 and 1951 is 102 Temple Avenue. That appears to be a block of retail stores with apartments above them.

He appeared in a newspaper article 16 April 1959 in the The Union Banner, published in Clanton, Alabama. Welcome is extended to Mr. and Mrs. John K. Brown and four-year-old son, John Kennedy, who are making their home at 406 8th Street. They moved here from Fayette. Mr. Brown is employed by the state highway department.

On 26 October 1961 John Kennedy BROWN and French Inez BURT were living at 4402 30th Ave E, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.⁹

As of between 1963 and 1965, John Kennedy BROWN and French Inez BURT were living in Tillman's Corner, Mobile County, Alabama. They were the first owners of a house at 5920 Bavarian Drive South. It was within walking distant of W. C. Griggs Elementary School where there son attended 3rd through 5th grades. He was retired on 31 January 1976 in Prattville, Autauga County, Alabama. At the time of his retirement he was working in the Sixth Division Office in Montgomery. He had worked for the Alabama Highway Department of forty years..

John Kennedy BROWN died on 3 June 1995 at Veteran's Home in Alexander City, Alabama, at age 80. He was buried in Prattville Memorial Gardens.