Son of Solomon Drown and Fannie

Married Sarah Ranson Tarbell, abt 1836, Oswego, Wayne, New York. She died in Oswego, Wayne, New York.

Children - David Tarbell Drown, James A. Drown, Carlos Drown

Married Hannah Mercey Currier, 13 Sep 1846, Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa

Daughter - Elizabeth Drown

Charles Drown was shot and killed by Bill Hickman. Josiah Arnold was also shot during the same incident and died several days later. They share the same tombstone with the surname SNELL representing the monument. Those names scribed on the marker are:

* Clara Elizabeth Quilley Read Cook Snell, daughter of Samuel George Read and Elizabeth Georgina Quilley. Wife of William Greenley Cook and John Snell.;
* Ella Miriam Hanks, daughter of Ephraim Knowlton Hanks and Thisbe Quilley Read, niece of Clara Elizabeth Quilley Read Cook Snell;
* Milbrough Alicia Cook Richards Weyher, daughter of Clara Quilley Read Cook Snell and William Greenley Cook;
* Charles Madison Drown, shot by some unknown person, 28 Aug 1859, friend of Josiah Arnold;
* Samuel Willard Richards (son of Elizabeth Georgina Cook Richards Crawshaw and grandson of Clara Elizabeth Quilley Read Cook Snell);
* John A. Borlase, step-bro-in-law to Josiah Arnold, died St. Mary's hospital, born in Cornwall, England, died 5 Jan 1881, cause of death is homicide, shot by D. Jenkins;
* Josiah Arnold, father-in-law to Alicia Quilley Read Arnold, shot by some unknown person along with Charles Drown;
* Hyrum Chester Arnold, son of Josiah Arnold;
* John Snell, second husband to Clara Quilley Read Cook Snell;
* William Greenley Cook, first husband to Clara Quilley Read Cook Snell;
* Georgina Arnold, baby daughter to Alicia Quilley Read and Orson Pratt Arnold, niece of Clara Elizabeth Quilley Read Cook Snell. (Georgina's head marker is where her parents are buried but Georgina is buried where the Snell marker is placed).

NOTE: A restoration of the grave was done May, 1997. The monument had been broken by the large tree branches. Steel dowels were drilled into the center piece, then glued and the monument moved two feet to the east; HISTORIAN: Sherry Smith.
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Deseret News Article, August 31, 1859, No. 26, Vol 1X, Page 1

Another Horrid Murder - It seems that crime in this city is on the increase, and that there is no end as yet to the shedding of blood.

After the murder of pile on 11th last there was no fatal assault made upon anyone within the limits of the corporation, so far as our knowledge extends, till Saturday evening last, when between the hours of nine and ten, a company of five or six went to the house of Mr. Eddy, in the rear of Martin's meat market, East Temple street, where Mr. Charles M. Drown, and Josiah Arnold, with their wives, who reside some twelve miles south of the City, had put up to spend the night and coming Sabbath, and called for Mr. Drown to come out doors. Suspecting, as we are informed, that all might be right, from some threats that had been previously made, Drown did not choose to obey the call. An assault was then made upon the house by the crowd, some fifteen or twenty shots fired into the front room through the door and the window, one of the balls passing through the body of Drown inflicting a mortal wound of which he died the next day. Mr. Arnold was also shot through one thigh, but fortunately it is only a flesh wound. (Josiah died September 2, 1859 of gangrene as a result of this wound). There were several other persons in the adjacent room at the time including Mrs. Drown, Mrs. Arnold and Mrs. Eddy, who escaped unhurt. Arnold having a pistol upon his person, fired into the crowd. When one of them exclaimed "let us go, I am shot," whereupon they immediately fled without detection, the whole having been done in a few seconds. So far as we have been informed, no arrest have as yet been made, but we understand that Drown was visited by Judge Sinclair, immediately after the fatal affray, and that an affidavit was made by the dying man in which certain facts are alleged that will in all probability lead to the detection, and arrest of those who thus committed one of the most outrageous and diabolical acts of which man can be guilty, and so far as we have heard, without any provocation whatever.

There is a strong possibility that one of the party died of the wound received by the firing of Arnold's pistol in a short time after the occurrence, but nothing very definite is known of the matter. The citizens had nearly all retired to rest, and the night was so dark that it would have been hardly possible to have recognized a person passing through the streets, and no more favorable opportunity could have been had for committing a deed of the kind, and getting away undetected, than was taken by those who in violation of law, both human and divine, must have coolly resolved on taking the life of a fellow human being, and then consummated the hellish deed as related.

We hope that the affair will be thoroughly investigated, and the offenders brought to condign punishment. if those who assume to exercise exclusive jurisdiction in such matters, would do their duty faithfully, such occurrences would soon cease to disgrace this once peaceful and happy territory.

History - Charles Drown, had a most colorful history, first noted when he was released from jail by Joseph Smith, because of illness. On 24 of June 1847, he left Winter Quarters in an expedition against the Indians. Again at Winter Quarters, 18 July 1847, Charles Drown was tried by a church court for stealing, but honorably acquitted. Hosea Stout, who reported this court stated the "This is Charles M. Drown who remained behind the general migration from Nauvoo & during the summer of 1846, was caught & cruelly mistreated by the mob as he attempted to harvest his crops." Their record of coming to Utah seems generally unkempt. Charles Drown is listed as crossing the plains in 1849 with Ezra T. Benson's Co. (5th Co.) Drown was 34 years old, & was listed with James Drown & David Tarbell, 12 years old in company B. David Tarbell, states they, himself, his father, stepmother, & half-sister migrated in 1848 to Salt Lake & were in Salt Lake for 2 years. In the gold excitement of 1851, they went to Sacramento, California until 1858 & then to West Jordon.

In 1850, Charles Drown with Hannah Mercy, Susan, Mary Ann & Elizabeth are listed & the record shows Elizabeth to have been born in Indian Territory. 07 January 1851, Ordinance by the General Assembly; Be it ordained by the General Assembly of the state of Deseret, that the exclusive right to control the water in Little Cottonwood Canyon, is hereby, granted to Benjamin Clapp & Charles Drown, for Mill purposes. Said Clapp & Drown are required to make & keep in good repair a road into said canyon, to the acceptance of the State Commissioner of roads---(they) may charge not to exceed twenty-five cents per load, for wood & poles that may be taken from the canyon---are required to keep an accurate account of all receipts have cancelled the expenditures on the road, it shall be free to the public...They may have exclusive control of the timber, to supply a saw mill that they may erect on said creek... (no) prevention of the waters of said creek to be used for irrigation. These rights (timber & water) were revoked by the legislature in 1853. Charles Drown, drinks, fought with Rodney DeGrass (his stepson, Hannah Mercy's son) but fills a mission for the LDS Church in California. In 1852, Charles M. Drown, owned 160 acres in Pleasant Valley. Charles was an Innkeeper with a liquor license, this was still 1852, with him, were David Drown, 14 years old, born in Iowa, Hannah Mercy Currier Swasey Drown, 48 years old, born in Vermont, Mary Ann Swasey Drown, 13 years old, born in Iowa, Elizabeth Drown, 3 years old, born in Iowa, Rodney DeGrass Swasey, 21 years old, born in Vermont & Loretta Scoville Swasey 18 years old, born in Illinois & Charles Swasey one year old, born in California. (Rodney & Loretta S. Son)
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Chapter from the Current History of a Territory of the United States—Utter Defeat of Legal Courts and Criminal Tribunals. SALT LAKE CITY Thursday, Sept. 1, 1859.

The United States District Court for the Third Judicial District, the Hon. CHAS E. SINCLAIR presiding, met in this city on Monday' the 25th day of July last, in the office of the Secretary of State for the Territory.

Wednesday, the 10th of Aug, the civil docket called, the first case brought up for trial had lain over from the last Term against BILL HICKMAN, the notorious Danite leader, on a note of hand for some $480, drawn about five years ago, and remaining unpaid. The plaintiff, whose name was CHARLES M. DROWN, has lived during the greater portion of that time in California, and had not had the opportunity until now of enforcing the payment of the note. This suit at the time created no special interest beyond the fact of the temerity displayed by the plaintiff in daring to sue BILL HICKMAN.

By consent of parties, the right to a jury was waived, and the case submitted to the Judge. Upon hearing the evidence in the case and the argument of counsel on both sides, the Judge unhesitatingly rendered judgment against HICKMAN, and in favor of DROWN.

Subsequent events, which I shall presently refer to, rendered this an important case. After the judgment in this case was rendered, an effort was made by HICKMAN'S counsel to obtain a new trial, which was overruled by the Court. Immediately after Court adjourned on Friday the Marshal was directed by Mr. DROWN'S counsel to stay the execution issued against BILL HICKMAN one week, as HICKMAN had informed him he intended to settle the matter so that it would not be necessary to serve the execution.

On Saturday, Jul 20th (1859), DROWN, who lives some 16 miles south of this city, came to town on business, accompanied by JOSIAH ARNOLD, his neighbor, and the principal witness in his suit against HICKMAN. That afternoon HICKMAN was riding about town, accompanied by some eight or nine of his gang of Danites, and several persons then remarked that there was mischief brewing. At about 10 o'clock that night the city was startled by the rapid firing of pistol shots on Main-street. Some thirty shots were fired within two minutes. Upon inquiry, we learned that at that time HICKMAN and his gang rode up to the house of Mr. EDDY, on Main-street, in the most thickly settled part of the city, where DROWN and ARNOLD were stopping for the night, and called for DROWN to come out. DROWN refused to do so; whereupon the party broke down both the front and back doors of the house and commenced firing in upon DROWN and ARNOLD, shooting the former fatally through the abdomen, so that he died early the next morning, and the latter through the fleshy part of the thigh. ARNOLD, in the en-counter, retained his self-possession sufficiently to fire his revolver at the assailants five times, and one of them was heard to exclaim, "I am shot!"

After committing this bold and dreadful murder, the party mounted their horses and rode around town unmolested. At about 3 o'clock that same night, Mr. SPENCER and his family, living one block from the house in which DROWN was murdered, were woke up by an unusual noise in front of the house. Looking out of the window, they saw two men clenched in a struggle. Presently one of them fell, groaning as if dying, and the other one ran off. The wounded man, with a desperate effort, got up and staggered across the pavement into the street, where he again fell, and, as Mr. SPENCER is positive, died. Mr. Spencer was afraid to go out and assist the wounded man, or to see who it was, but determined to watch the body until morning. Just before daybreak, however, three men came and carried off the body.

In the morning the Marshal, being apprised of the fact, visited the place and found a large pool of blood, and a hat lying near the spot. It is a matter of conjecture who this man was; whether it was some new victim who was killed with a knife, or whether it was one of the assailing party who was fatally wounded by a shot from ARNOLD'S pistol, and was endeavoring to get off undiscovered.

Thus during the past short session of the Court three men have become victims to their efforts to obtain justice before it. By the murder of one of these a suit brought against the Church leaders was most easily disposed of. By the murder of another and the wounding of his companion, a timely lesson was given to the people of the Territory, that it was death to dare to make use of a United States Court in obtaining redress for the wrongs committed upon them by the "destroying angels" of the Church.

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1849, Age at Departure: 46. Evidence from newspaper records proves that the Drown family traveled to Utah in 1849. A secondary source states that they came with the 1849 Ezra T. Benson Company, but further research is needed to confirm the name of the company they traveled with.

The obituary of David Tarvel Drown states that he came to Utah in 1849 with his father, stepmother and half-sister.

His birth and death dates are confirmed by is gravestone.His travel to Utah is also mentioned in his son's obituary.