It's a rainy cold Sunday afternoon here in Connecticut and I thought you would enjoy reading about my new inspiration, a bit of history and about a discovery I made this afternoon that has almost brought me to tears. Yeah, I'm just a sentimental guy.
Meet Col. Thomas Jefferson Brown from Nicholasville, Kentucky. He has hung in my dining room for many years.
Years ago, I bought the above original 1829 drawing and the below photograph ca. 1880 of the drawing for twenty dollars. I framed the drawing and tucked the photograph into a cabinet. Pencil writing on the back of both identified the man as Thomas Jefferson Brown.
Also identified in pencil writing on the photograph's back was Thomas's grandson, Millard Mitchell. As an amateur genealogist, I searched and searched but never could place them in a location or find any information regarding either. There are literally hundreds of Thomas Jefferson Browns. So for years, I have sat at my dining room table and looked at this man who was so loved that someone paid to have a photograph made of the drawing. I regretted that I knew nothing about Thomas. I was cleaning out the cabinet this afternoon and ran across the photograph where I had tucked it away. I thought I would try googling again with the town's name of the photography studio and Thomas's name and this time it was a BINGO. Thomas came up along with one of his daughter's married name being Mitchell and matching the grandson's last name. Now I know it's the correct Thomas!! Now tell me Thomas Jefferson Brown wouldn't have been a strong progressive liberal!!
Joshua Brown was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He married Margaret Mansel. He was in the siege of Yorktown, and served for six months under the immediate supervision of General Washington. He came from Baltimore, Maryland, and landed in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1789. He had four sons: Col. Washington Brown, Preston Brown, Samuel Brown, and Col. Thomas Jefferson Brown. The two latter were both graduates of the Transylvania University............ Thomas Jefferson Brown came to Nicholasville and took charge of the hotel in 1836, He was a man of splendid appearance, six feet two inches in height, and on county militia days, in his fine uniform, and on his thoroughbred horse, in a suit of blue, with a red silk sash and golden epaulets, he impressed all who saw him with his superb physique. He studied medicine, but did not practice. He married Miss Mary J. Wallace, of Jessamine, and settled in Nicholasville, taking charge of the Central Hotel, where he died in 1849. He was reckoned as one of the most courteous men of the county. His kindly heart prompted him to many generous deeds and his helpfulness to the struggling and deserving left him many grateful and sincere mourners. He first urged the necessity of a public cemetery in Nicholasville, helped to lay off Maple Grove cemetery, and was the first person buried there. He and his wife dispensed kindly hospitality. They were charitable and humane, and created pleasing impressions on all who visited Nicholasville. They left a family who have always been prominent in county affairs. Miss Henrietta Brown, Mrs. Virginia Noland, and Mrs. Victoria Mitchell were daughters of Col. Brown.
When Col. Thomas Jefferson Brown looks down upon me tonight while I'm having dinner, I will assume if he could talk that he would ask me "Mister, what did you do today to help your fellow mankind?" I will pause every night now and hope that I can make him proud of me.