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File contributed to the Fulton County ILGenWeb Project
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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Fulton County
Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908

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The Biography of Alexander BROWN 

[Surnames: BROWN, DAWSON, HARVEY, JOHNS, MCDOUGAL, PITKIN, ROSS, STETSON, WHITE, YATES] 

BROWN, ALEXANDER 

    
A retired citizen of Farmington, whose first experience in that town dates back nearly 50 years, and who has passed the greater portion of his active life as a commercial traveler, was born in the State of New York in 1833. His mother's maiden name was Sarah McDougal, both parents were natives of New York State. In early manhood he made his way west to Illinois where in 1857 he located in Farmington, and was employed as a foreman on the Chicago, Burllington and Quincy RR under Contractor Wheeler. He supervised the work of putting in the "big fill" southwest of Farmington, where the Iowa Central Railway runs under the Burlington line. He next went to Pekin, Illinois and was foreman for Ross & Dawson, contractors on the Illinois River Railroad. Next he went to Elmwood, Knox Co. IL, and opened a merchant tailor shop which he continued until 1859 when he returned to Farmington, taking charge of the tailoring department of Yates & Stetson. In 1963 he located in Kirkwood, IL, where he engaged in the tailoring trade under the firm style of Brown & White. Selling out his interests four years later, he went to Altoona, IL, where he spent two years. In 1869 he settled in Chicago and there made his home for twenty-nine years, engaged as a traveling salesman for the paint manufacturing firm of George W. Pitkin and Co., and serving in the same capacity with H. W. Johns, a Chicago dealer in the same line, and for the Kellogg Oil, Paint, and Varnish Co. of Buffalo, NY. 
    
He has retired now to his comfortable residence on Vernon Street, Farmington. 
    
In 1895 Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Jane Harvey, who was born in IL, and they have one son. His religious belief is with the Presbyterian Church, and his fraternal connection is with the A.F.& M.