EBENEZER LAKIN BROWN. Having reached the advanced age of ninety years, lacking only four days, and seen the fruits of his long and useful labors in abundant production around him, crowned with the veneration of his fellow citizens as a pioneer and one of the fathers of the state, and serene in the consciousness that he had never knowingly neglected a duty or wronged a fellow being, this honored patriarch surrendered his earthly trust on April 12, 1899, at the behest of the great Disposer of human events, and was laid to rest in the soil he had helped to redeem from the wilderness and transform into comeliness and bountiful fertility. He was born on April 16, 1809, at Plymouth, Vt., the son of Thomas and Sally (Parker) Brown, of pure New England stock. His father was the fourth in descent from John Brown, of Hawkden, Suffolk county, England, who, on April 24, 1655, married Esther Makepeace, of Boston, Lincoln county, of the same country. They immediately sailed for America, and on their arrival in this country settled at Watertown, Mass. Mr. Brown's mother was born at Westford, that state. From her he inherited the scholarly tastes and love of books which were the joy of his life and the solace of his declining years. She was well educated, and being naturally of a quick and strong mental organism, she improved her opportunities to the utmost, becoming a well read and accomplished lady according to the fashion of her day. She was very fond of the English classics, and was accustomed to repeat long passages from them to her children, and in this way the taste of her son was formed and his intellectual activity quickened. The father, on the other hand, was a man of great physical vigor, and was throughout his life from boyhood inured to hard labor with no opportunities for advanced education. In the character of the son the rugged virtues of his father and the fine sensibilities and sparkling intelligence of his mother were duly and harmoniously commingled. And on this basis he builded a manhood and achieved a career admirable to all who had discriminating knowledge of them and to the people among whom he lived serviceable to an unusual degree. The family comprised eleven children, all of whom except a son named Joseph, who died at the age of ten years, grew to maturity and had families of their own. Ebenezer was a slight and delicate youth, of nervous temperament, fond of books and study and keenly observant of all the products and the ways of nature. Although he did not take kindly to the arduous life on a rocky New England farm, he did his duty faithfully, according to his strength, of the paternal homestead, and there grew to manhood amid the inspiring scenery of the Green Mountain region, alternating his labors with reading and such recreations as the neighborhood afforded in the way of hunting and fishing. When he reached man's estate, filled with ambition for an independent career, and in quest of broader fields of opportunity, he left the family rooftree and made his way to the wilds of Michigan. Being well pleased with this section of the country, after a visit of a few weeks at the home of an uncle at Ann Arbor, he returned to Vermont for the winter and to make preparations for a change of residence to this state. The next year, which was 1831, he arrived at Schoolcraft in this county on November 5th, determined to make his permanent home there; and there for almost seventy years he resided, his life intimately interwoven with the growth of institutions, the development of the state and the progress of events. He had many and varied experiences on his way to his new home, and for years after his arrival he was confronted with all the perils and opposed by all the difficulties incident to the most strenuous and trying frontier life. For a long time he engaged in mercantile pursuits and in his business he had his share of troubles and difficulties, but his resolute spirit triumphed over them all and in time he became prosperous and substantially wealthy. He also took an active and leading part in public affairs in the primitive community, where men of force, breadth. of view and culture were at a high premium of appreciation, and in 1837 he was elected a member of the board of county commissioners, following this service in 1840 by membership in the state house of representatives, which at that time met at Detroit. He was then a Whig in politics, but with the organization of the Republican party, which embodied in its principles his most pronounced convictions on the subjects of negro slavery and the liquor traffic, he joined that organization, and in 1854 was elected to the State senate as its candidate. In this body he had as colleagues Mr. Conger, of St. Clair, and Austin Blair, of Jackson, but able and distinguished as they and other members of the senate were, he held his place abreast with them and ranked as their equal in intellectual power, breadth and force of character and knowledge of public affairs. In the spring of 1857, he was elected regent of the State University for a term of six years, during which he rendered valuable service to the institution and through it to the people of the state. Again in 1878 he was chosen to the state senate, and with his service there he closed his public career, refusing to stand for another term ; for dear as was the state of his adoption to him, and deeply interested as he was in all that pertained to its enduring welfare, he was strongly averse to political life and official station, declaring on one occasion, "there is so much that is mean and degrading in the methods employed to obtain office, that I abhor the whole thing." On January 5, 1837, he was married to Miss Amelia W. Scott. They had four children, of whom the only survivor is their daughter, Amelia Ada. Her mother died on October 9, 1848, and four years afterward he married Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hineburg, Vt., who bore him three sons, Edward Miles, George Lakin and Addison Makepeace, the second of whom died in boyhood. Edward is professor of English literature in the University of Cincinnati and Addison is secretary of the State Agricultural College at Lansing. The father was a man of fine literature culture, well tutored in the Latin classics, and had a delicate and beautiful fancy that found frequent expression in poetry of a high order, not written for publication, but often finding its way into print. After his death the state senate passed the following tribute of respect to his memory:
Whereas, The senate has learned with sorrow and deep regret, of the death of Hon. E. Lakin Brown. a former member of the senate, one of the pioneers of the state, and father of the present senator from the ninth senatorial district; Born at Rutland, Vt., on April 16, 1809, deceased was one of the sturdy old New England stock that in the early 'forties entered the wilderness which is now this great state, and did so much to clear the way for its present great richness and prosperity. In 1840 Mr. Brown was elected to a seat in the Michigan legislature on the Whig ticket, but later he joined the Republican party, and in 1854 was elected to the state senate from the twenty-first district. During this session he was active in securing the passage of a strong prohibitory liquor law, and a law concerning the return of fugitive slaves, the tenor of which was in accord with the advanced sentiment of the Republican party. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the board of regents of the Michigan State University, filling the position capably for six years. He had filled many positions of trust and honor in his county and village, and in all the official positions that he filled, and throughout his career as a private citizen, he exemplified the Christian gentleman, prudent and careful in the discharge of his duties, and manifested the integrity and sterling qualities of a long, honorable and successful business and private life. Therefore, be it Resolved, that we deem it fitting to express the feeling of sorrow which is entertained at the death of the late E. Lakin Brown, and extend to his family our heartfelt sympathy. Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions be suitably engrossed and delivered to the family of the deceased, as a tribute of the senate to the deceased, and to his worth as an officer of the state and an honorable private citizen. Adopted by the senate April 19, 1899. R. B. Loomis, President pro tem. Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. / David Fisher and Frank Little, editors. P. 513-15
Michigan, Men of Progress (abstract from bio on son Addison Makepeace Brown)
E. Lakin Brown was a name familiar in Michigan affairs forty years ago. Mr. Brown was a representative in the Legislature in 1841, a Senator in 1855 and again in 1879, and a Regent of the University from 1858 to 1864. He came from Plymouth, Vt., in 1831, settling in Schoolcraft, Michigan. Mr. Brown was twice married, first in 1837 to Amelia W. Scott, and again in 1852, to Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hinesburg, Vt. To them were born three children, Edward Miles Brown, now professor of English Literature in the University of Cincinnati; George Lakin (deceased) and Addison Makepeace, born at Schoolcraft, February 15, 1859.
Whereas, The senate has learned with sorrow and deep regret, of the death of Hon. E. Lakin Brown. a former member of the senate, one of the pioneers of the state, and father of the present senator from the ninth senatorial district; Born at Rutland, Vt., on April 16, 1809, deceased was one of the sturdy old New England stock that in the early 'forties entered the wilderness which is now this great state, and did so much to clear the way for its present great richness and prosperity. In 1840 Mr. Brown was elected to a seat in the Michigan legislature on the Whig ticket, but later he joined the Republican party, and in 1854 was elected to the state senate from the twenty-first district. During this session he was active in securing the passage of a strong prohibitory liquor law, and a law concerning the return of fugitive slaves, the tenor of which was in accord with the advanced sentiment of the Republican party. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the board of regents of the Michigan State University, filling the position capably for six years. He had filled many positions of trust and honor in his county and village, and in all the official positions that he filled, and throughout his career as a private citizen, he exemplified the Christian gentleman, prudent and careful in the discharge of his duties, and manifested the integrity and sterling qualities of a long, honorable and successful business and private life. Therefore, be it Resolved, that we deem it fitting to express the feeling of sorrow which is entertained at the death of the late E. Lakin Brown, and extend to his family our heartfelt sympathy. Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions be suitably engrossed and delivered to the family of the deceased, as a tribute of the senate to the deceased, and to his worth as an officer of the state and an honorable private citizen. Adopted by the senate April 19, 1899. R. B. Loomis, President pro tem. Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. / David Fisher and Frank Little, editors. P. 513-15
Michigan, Men of Progress (abstract from bio on son Addison Makepeace Brown)
E. Lakin Brown was a name familiar in Michigan affairs forty years ago. Mr. Brown was a representative in the Legislature in 1841, a Senator in 1855 and again in 1879, and a Regent of the University from 1858 to 1864. He came from Plymouth, Vt., in 1831, settling in Schoolcraft, Michigan. Mr. Brown was twice married, first in 1837 to Amelia W. Scott, and again in 1852, to Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hinesburg, Vt. To them were born three children, Edward Miles Brown, now professor of English Literature in the University of Cincinnati; George Lakin (deceased) and Addison Makepeace, born at Schoolcraft, February 15, 1859.
EBENEZER LAKIN BROWN. Having reached the advanced age of ninety years, lacking only four days, and seen the fruits of his long and useful labors in abundant production around him, crowned with the veneration of his fellow citizens as a pioneer and one of the fathers of the state, and serene in the consciousness that he had never knowingly neglected a duty or wronged a fellow being, this honored patriarch surrendered his earthly trust on April 12, 1899, at the behest of the great Disposer of human events, and was laid to rest in the soil he had helped to redeem from the wilderness and transform into comeliness and bountiful fertility. He was born on April 16, 1809, at Plymouth, Vt., the son of Thomas and Sally (Parker) Brown, of pure New England stock. His father was the fourth in descent from John Brown, of Hawkden, Suffolk county, England, who, on April 24, 1655, married Esther Makepeace, of Boston, Lincoln county, of the same country. They immediately sailed for America, and on their arrival in this country settled at Watertown, Mass. Mr. Brown's mother was born at Westford, that state. From her he inherited the scholarly tastes and love of books which were the joy of his life and the solace of his declining years. She was well educated, and being naturally of a quick and strong mental organism, she improved her opportunities to the utmost, becoming a well read and accomplished lady according to the fashion of her day. She was very fond of the English classics, and was accustomed to repeat long passages from them to her children, and in this way the taste of her son was formed and his intellectual activity quickened. The father, on the other hand, was a man of great physical vigor, and was throughout his life from boyhood inured to hard labor with no opportunities for advanced education. In the character of the son the rugged virtues of his father and the fine sensibilities and sparkling intelligence of his mother were duly and harmoniously commingled. And on this basis he builded a manhood and achieved a career admirable to all who had discriminating knowledge of them and to the people among whom he lived serviceable to an unusual degree. The family comprised eleven children, all of whom except a son named Joseph, who died at the age of ten years, grew to maturity and had families of their own. Ebenezer was a slight and delicate youth, of nervous temperament, fond of books and study and keenly observant of all the products and the ways of nature. Although he did not take kindly to the arduous life on a rocky New England farm, he did his duty faithfully, according to his strength, of the paternal homestead, and there grew to manhood amid the inspiring scenery of the Green Mountain region, alternating his labors with reading and such recreations as the neighborhood afforded in the way of hunting and fishing. When he reached man's estate, filled with ambition for an independent career, and in quest of broader fields of opportunity, he left the family rooftree and made his way to the wilds of Michigan. Being well pleased with this section of the country, after a visit of a few weeks at the home of an uncle at Ann Arbor, he returned to Vermont for the winter and to make preparations for a change of residence to this state. The next year, which was 1831, he arrived at Schoolcraft in this county on November 5th, determined to make his permanent home there; and there for almost seventy years he resided, his life intimately interwoven with the growth of institutions, the development of the state and the progress of events. He had many and varied experiences on his way to his new home, and for years after his arrival he was confronted with all the perils and opposed by all the difficulties incident to the most strenuous and trying frontier life. For a long time he engaged in mercantile pursuits and in his business he had his share of troubles and difficulties, but his resolute spirit triumphed over them all and in time he became prosperous and substantially wealthy. He also took an active and leading part in public affairs in the primitive community, where men of force, breadth. of view and culture were at a high premium of appreciation, and in 1837 he was elected a member of the board of county commissioners, following this service in 1840 by membership in the state house of representatives, which at that time met at Detroit. He was then a Whig in politics, but with the organization of the Republican party, which embodied in its principles his most pronounced convictions on the subjects of negro slavery and the liquor traffic, he joined that organization, and in 1854 was elected to the State senate as its candidate. In this body he had as colleagues Mr. Conger, of St. Clair, and Austin Blair, of Jackson, but able and distinguished as they and other members of the senate were, he held his place abreast with them and ranked as their equal in intellectual power, breadth and force of character and knowledge of public affairs. In the spring of 1857, he was elected regent of the State University for a term of six years, during which he rendered valuable service to the institution and through it to the people of the state. Again in 1878 he was chosen to the state senate, and with his service there he closed his public career, refusing to stand for another term ; for dear as was the state of his adoption to him, and deeply interested as he was in all that pertained to its enduring welfare, he was strongly averse to political life and official station, declaring on one occasion, "there is so much that is mean and degrading in the methods employed to obtain office, that I abhor the whole thing." On January 5, 1837, he was married to Miss Amelia W. Scott. They had four children, of whom the only survivor is their daughter, Amelia Ada. Her mother died on October 9, 1848, and four years afterward he married Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hineburg, Vt., who bore him three sons, Edward Miles, George Lakin and Addison Makepeace, the second of whom died in boyhood. Edward is professor of English literature in the University of Cincinnati and Addison is secretary of the State Agricultural College at Lansing. The father was a man of fine literature culture, well tutored in the Latin classics, and had a delicate and beautiful fancy that found frequent expression in poetry of a high order, not written for publication, but often finding its way into print. After his death the state senate passed the following tribute of respect to his memory:
Whereas, The senate has learned with sorrow and deep regret, of the death of Hon. E. Lakin Brown. a former member of the senate, one of the pioneers of the state, and father of the present senator from the ninth senatorial district; Born at Rutland, Vt., on April 16, 1809, deceased was one of the sturdy old New England stock that in the early 'forties entered the wilderness which is now this great state, and did so much to clear the way for its present great richness and prosperity. In 1840 Mr. Brown was elected to a seat in the Michigan legislature on the Whig ticket, but later he joined the Republican party, and in 1854 was elected to the state senate from the twenty-first district. During this session he was active in securing the passage of a strong prohibitory liquor law, and a law concerning the return of fugitive slaves, the tenor of which was in accord with the advanced sentiment of the Republican party. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the board of regents of the Michigan State University, filling the position capably for six years. He had filled many positions of trust and honor in his county and village, and in all the official positions that he filled, and throughout his career as a private citizen, he exemplified the Christian gentleman, prudent and careful in the discharge of his duties, and manifested the integrity and sterling qualities of a long, honorable and successful business and private life. Therefore, be it Resolved, that we deem it fitting to express the feeling of sorrow which is entertained at the death of the late E. Lakin Brown, and extend to his family our heartfelt sympathy. Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions be suitably engrossed and delivered to the family of the deceased, as a tribute of the senate to the deceased, and to his worth as an officer of the state and an honorable private citizen. Adopted by the senate April 19, 1899. R. B. Loomis, President pro tem. Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. / David Fisher and Frank Little, editors. P. 513-15
Michigan, Men of Progress (abstract from bio on son Addison Makepeace Brown)
E. Lakin Brown was a name familiar in Michigan affairs forty years ago. Mr. Brown was a representative in the Legislature in 1841, a Senator in 1855 and again in 1879, and a Regent of the University from 1858 to 1864. He came from Plymouth, Vt., in 1831, settling in Schoolcraft, Michigan. Mr. Brown was twice married, first in 1837 to Amelia W. Scott, and again in 1852, to Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hinesburg, Vt. To them were born three children, Edward Miles Brown, now professor of English Literature in the University of Cincinnati; George Lakin (deceased) and Addison Makepeace, born at Schoolcraft, February 15, 1859.
Whereas, The senate has learned with sorrow and deep regret, of the death of Hon. E. Lakin Brown. a former member of the senate, one of the pioneers of the state, and father of the present senator from the ninth senatorial district; Born at Rutland, Vt., on April 16, 1809, deceased was one of the sturdy old New England stock that in the early 'forties entered the wilderness which is now this great state, and did so much to clear the way for its present great richness and prosperity. In 1840 Mr. Brown was elected to a seat in the Michigan legislature on the Whig ticket, but later he joined the Republican party, and in 1854 was elected to the state senate from the twenty-first district. During this session he was active in securing the passage of a strong prohibitory liquor law, and a law concerning the return of fugitive slaves, the tenor of which was in accord with the advanced sentiment of the Republican party. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the board of regents of the Michigan State University, filling the position capably for six years. He had filled many positions of trust and honor in his county and village, and in all the official positions that he filled, and throughout his career as a private citizen, he exemplified the Christian gentleman, prudent and careful in the discharge of his duties, and manifested the integrity and sterling qualities of a long, honorable and successful business and private life. Therefore, be it Resolved, that we deem it fitting to express the feeling of sorrow which is entertained at the death of the late E. Lakin Brown, and extend to his family our heartfelt sympathy. Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions be suitably engrossed and delivered to the family of the deceased, as a tribute of the senate to the deceased, and to his worth as an officer of the state and an honorable private citizen. Adopted by the senate April 19, 1899. R. B. Loomis, President pro tem. Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. / David Fisher and Frank Little, editors. P. 513-15
Michigan, Men of Progress (abstract from bio on son Addison Makepeace Brown)
E. Lakin Brown was a name familiar in Michigan affairs forty years ago. Mr. Brown was a representative in the Legislature in 1841, a Senator in 1855 and again in 1879, and a Regent of the University from 1858 to 1864. He came from Plymouth, Vt., in 1831, settling in Schoolcraft, Michigan. Mr. Brown was twice married, first in 1837 to Amelia W. Scott, and again in 1852, to Miss Mary Ann Miles, of Hinesburg, Vt. To them were born three children, Edward Miles Brown, now professor of English Literature in the University of Cincinnati; George Lakin (deceased) and Addison Makepeace, born at Schoolcraft, February 15, 1859.
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