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day, September 26,1977by Andrew GenzoliRohnerville w friendlyto John s Brown widowWhen Susie Van Kirk undertakes a research assignment, she does a complete job She has just completed a survey. “Rohnerville Historic District,” for Winzler Kelly, con suiting engineers The study was undertaken pursuant to the National Historic Preservation act and funded by city of Fortuna. State Water Resources Control Board and the U S Environmental Protection AgencyAlmost any survey or study, these days, is prefaced with the historical contents of an area to give those involved a closer view of their project It is a good way to go. and as far as I am concerned, just that many more people get closer to our heritage and the facets of local historyThere is an introduction to Rohnerville, the story of Mt SI Joseph College. John J Montgomery, Bishop Milton Wright The Eel River Jockey Club, the Rohnerville Herald, while a closer view of individual history and incidents are to he found in Mrs Van Kirk's study of structures t homes) —wmany of which are truly historicI have been, and still am, deeply interested in the story of Mary Ann Brown, the wife of John Brown of Harper ’s Ferry fame, w ho came to Rohnerville to make her home It is not a hidden storv, for it has been talked about over the generations sometimes correctly, a good many timeserroneously Historians in recent years have been ironing out the kinks and putting the events in proper perspective ‘‘Regardless of the obvious folly of Harper's Ferry, its impact on this country cannot be minimized. '' Mrs Van Kirk writes “Moderate southerners who had been restrained in the move towards secession were won over to the radicalside in fear their lives and property were no longer safe from north«*rn intrusion Harper’s Ferry alone may not have been significant but coming as it did at the end of a long line ofcatalysts for America's Civil War0The family members who had suffered personal losses and poverty in Brown's lifetime were to suffer other sorrows alter his death Salmon Brown wrote in an article publishedin 1913Following the dark days at Harper’s Ferry, the suffering of mother and family was intense Despised bitterly by all who sympathized with slavery and considered as the victims of a righteous w rath by many of the North, our family was long buffeted from pillar to post Efforts to forget were fruitless The passing years did not beat the horrible wounds made by the country father had tried so hard to help to a plane of higher livingThe move to Rohnerville“Amid such sentiments, the possibility of a better life elsi*where seemed worth a try Traveling aimost the width of the continent, from upper New York state to California, Brown's widow Mary her three daughters, and Salmon and his family, came by wagon to Red Bluff Six years later, John Brown s family arrived in RohnervilleMary purchased a lot on Church Street, where she had a house built for herself and her two daughters. Sara, 24, and Ellen, lb Her oldest daughter, Anne, had marned Samuel Adams a blacksmith from Ohio, while the family lived in Red Bluff They had also come to Rohnerville, purchasing land on Campion s Lane not far from Mary's hoi*e Salmon Brown and his family lived adjacent to Mary on the west Although John Brown s letters have been preserved and published as have reminiscences written by his son. John Brown. Jr . and daughter. Ruth Thompson, along with two published articles by Salmon Brown, there are apparently no published letters of Mary Brown That her life was filled with pain and sorrow is certain At 16 she marned a man twice her age and assumed responsibility for his five children. the oldest of whom w as only four years her juniorI’hore were 13 children born of this marriage but nnlvgrew to adulthood She lost two sons and her husband at Harper's Ferry ,Y ound comfort in Rnhnerv ill*Susie Van Kirk continues: Surrounded by her children and grandchildren, perhaps Mary found a more pleasant life in the little northern California community of Rohnerville Ellen and her schoolteacher husband, James Fablinger and their children lived with Mary and Sarah in the big house at the intersection of Church and Brown streets Salmon ana -- — * —— - w ■Annie lived with their families nearby The Browns began taking part m their new community — Salmon introduced blmided stock into the county just as his father had 50 yearsbefore in Pennsylvania Sara i Sadie participated in thelocal Sons of Temperance Lodge Mary made friends andmay have served as midwife on occasion But distance hadnot screened them from public scrutiny as they had hopedOn May 27, 1871. The Humboldt Times, the following letter appearedthatMr Editor Having been startled and deeply -rmed by a report circulated without our knowledge.destitute condition, and believing that a public denial of such a report is due us we take this method of saying to all whom it may concern that John Brown s family, or those of them m California are all well and are doing well, and wish to maintain decent self respect and merit theui Having ordinary sagacity if possible Thepeople of Massachusetts have been misinformed, andhave raised and sent to our mother one hundred and fifty dollars, but we have taken measure some two weeks agoto have such unnecessary collection stoppedSalmon Brown Sara Brown Rohnerville, May 21, 1871 *Salmon Brown seemed better able to provide for I mother and his family than his father had been In time, I sheep business was expanded to a 3.000 acre ranch Bridgeville where he ran about 2,000 head Perhaps his me trom Rohnerville prompted Mary to pull up stakes again this time to settle in Santa Clara CduntyMrs Van Kirk, concludes “It is rather amazing that the family of a nationally known John Brown, whose life and activities were so distant from California's northcoast.found their way to Kohnerville. And even today. Mary Brown s descendants — a son and grandchildren of Annie Brown Adams still reside in Humboldt County, not far from the little community which welcomed John Brown’s family so many years ago ”Story for today“I’m so worried, doctor, cried the little lady in the psychiatrist's office “My poor husband sits around blowing smoke through his nose“Now. now,” soothed the doc. that's nothing Lots of smokers do that.”“But, doctor, my man doesn’t smoke'” ,
Newspaper Details
Eureka Times Standard
Eureka, California, US
Mon, Sep 26, 1977
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel E.
FL, USA 16 Feb 2022
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