History of Brownville, (Jefferson County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Nathan W. Brown, soldier, was born at Brownville, N.Y., Jan. 15, 1819, son of Major-General Jacob Brown. In September, 1849, he received the appointment of major and paymaster in the army, and served in Florida until 1850. The following five years he was on duty in California, and then went to New York city, where he served from 1855 to 1857. In 1858 he was again sent to Florida, and for two years following was at Fort Kearney, Nebraska. In 1860 he was assigned to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was with General Sturgis when he evacuated the fort in April, 1861. He was in Missouri in charge of the pay department, and in l864 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and deputy paymaster-general; and in 1866 colonel and assistant paymaster-gen-eral. March 13, 1865, he was brevetted colonel, and Oct. 15, 1867, brigadier-general for his services during the civil war. In 1869 he served at St. Louis, and was placed in charge of the pay district of the Missouri. In 1880 he was appointed paymaster-general with the rank of brigadier-general, and was retired Feb. 6, 1882, being more than sixty-two years old. He died March 4, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Thompson S. Brown, civil engineer, was born at Brownville, N. Y., in 1807; son of Major Samuel Brown and a nephew of Jacob Brown, major-general commanding the United States army. Its was graduated at West Point in 1825, and after serving for a time as professor of mathematics at the military academy, and as assistant engineer in the construction of Fort Adams, R. I., he was appointed aids-de-camp on the staff of his uncle. He resigned the service in 1836 to become engineer-in-chief of the Buffalo and Erie railroad, and was thus occupied from 1836 to 1838, being at the same time employed by the United States government to superintend the harbor improvements on Lake Erie. From 1838 to 1842 he was chief engineer of the western division of the New York and Erie railway, and of the entire road from 1842 to 1849. He was in the service of the Czar of Russia as consulting engineer of railroads from 1849 to 1854, and died at Naples, Italy, June 30, 1855.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor