Born January 4, 1856 at Ogden, Weber, Utah, the son of Captain James Brown and Mary McRee Black Brown.

At the young age of eight, his father died suddenly due to an accident. His half brother, David "George" Black (23 years old), was a devoted brother and father to Joseph. A few years after this his mother sold her property in Ogden and moved to Brigham City with David and his family. She put all she owned in the United Order in Brigham City but became dissatisfied with conditions and they all moved back to Ogden. David moving to Huntsville and later to Ogden where his mother, Joseph, and Josephine lived then on the corner of what is now 28th and Washington Avenue.

Joseph attended the public school in Ogden and even at this age was noted for his independent attitude toward things in general and maintained his belife to the extent of physical resistance when necessary even though his assailent was of a more rugged and hunky build then he. Joseph worked at whatever a boy could find to do in those days. His wise mother seeing the need of something permanent and more profitable for her young son than just odd and uncertain jobs, decided to buy a farm in Idaho where her son David had located.

This she did, again pioneering in a new place, Oxford, Idaho, where there were less than fifty families and all houses but one log and dirt-roofed. The house on the farm she bought had three-room built Mexican style, with no communicating doors between them. One had to go out of doors from the kitchen to go into the bedroom and also into the combination grainary, chicken-coop and sleeping quarters for Joseph.

Joseph Smith Brown was born January 2, 1855 [1856], in Ogden, Weber, Utah. He is the son of Captain James Brown and Mary McRee Black Brown.


When Joseph was eight years old his father died suddenly [on September 30, 1863] due to an accident. This left this little boy without a father's care. But his half brother [George] David Black, who was twenty-three years old at the time was not only a devoted brother but was also a father to young Joseph. A few years after this his mother sold her property in Ogden and moved to Brigham City with David and his family. She put all she owned in the United Order in Brigham City but became dissatisfied with conditions and they all moved back to Ogden. David moving to Huntsville and later to Ogden where his mother, Joseph, and Josephine lived then on the corner of what is now 28th and Washington Avenue.


Joseph attended the public school in Ogden and even at this age was noted for his independent attitude toward things in general and maintained his belife to the extent of physical resistance when necessary even though his assailent was of a more rugged and hunky build then he. Jose;h worked at whatever a boy could find to do in those days. His wise mother seeing the need of something permanent and more profitable for her young son than just odd and uncertain jobs, decided to buy a farm in Idaho where her son David had located. This she did, again pioneerin in a new place, Oxford, Idaho, where there were less than fifty families and all houses but one log and dirt-roofed. The house on the farm she boufht had three room built Mexican style, with no communicating doors between them. One had to go out of doors from the kitchen to go into the bedroom and also into the combination grainary, chicken-coop and sleeping quarters for Joseph.

Joseph industrially tilled the soil in the season, and in the winter went away to work at grading on the Utah Northern railroad. Joseph came home for a week or so and and a big party in the log school house celebrated his homecoming for he was popular with the young folks. He took a lovely young girl, Sarah "Wealthy" Patten [daughter of William Cornwell Patten 1799-1883 and Wealthy Eddy 1810-1892] to the dance. They were later married on March 8, 1876 and had 10 children: Joseph Smith Brown Jr., Wealthy Amy Brown, Henry Alonza Brown, Mary Josephine Brown, James William Brown, George David Brown, Margaret Viola Brown, Leroy Patten Brown, Sidney Earl Brown and Wendell Eddy Brown.

Taken from the Life, Times & Family of Orson Pratt Brown
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Married 8 March 1876∼Son fo James Brown and Mary Mcree. Husband of Sarah Wealthy Patton