JOHN H. BROWN was born in East Tennessee, Knox County, May 6th, 1826. His father, Francis G. Brown, was born in West Virginia, January 8, 1802. He emigrated with his mother to East Tennessee about the year 1810. His father, and grandfather of John H., was born in Ireland, but came with his father's family to America when he was but six weeks old. Francis G. married Mary Bell. She was a native of Knox county, Tennessee. Nine children were born to them, all of whom are yet living. The father of the present sketch emigrated from Tennessee to Illinois in 1838, and settled on section 4 in Bird township, where he raised a crop, and in November of the same year purchased one hundred and sixty acres in section 18, where he remained until 1851, when he removed to the village of Chesterfield, where he died October 15th, 1878. The wife and mother of John H. died in 1864. John H. is the eldest son, and the second in the family. In his youth he had limited opportunities for receiving an education. He remained at home until he was twenty years of age. On the 20th of September, 1847, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha E. Husky, daughter of James and Rhoda Husky. They were native of Alabama, and emigrated to Illinois in 1834, and settled on section 5 in Bird township. James Husky died in September, 1845, and his wife in 1855. There have been six children born of John H. and Martha E. Brown, three of whom are living in Western Mound township, and Daisey, the youngest child, who is at home.

John H. Brown has been a resident of Bird township for forty-one years, and in all that time has been engaged in agricultural pursuits, stock-raising and grazing. Both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church. He is a democrat, and cast his first vote for Lewis Cass for President in 1848, and has voted with that party.