Biography of

William S. Brown, Co A

William S. Brown was born on December 8, 1841 in Ross County, Ohio. He was the son of William and Martha (Writtenhouse or Rittenhouse) Brown. He was the grandson of George and Mary (Stewart) Brown. Maternal Grandparents were Samuel and ______ (Smith) Writtenhouse. William's father was a native of Pennsylvania, moving the family to Ross county at some point before the birth of William. Putting aside his business and student pursuits, William answered the call of his country in June of 1861 by joining Company A of the 18th Ohio Volunteers that were at that time recruiting a company for a period of three years service. He was in all of the engagements of 1862, including the final battle of the year on December 31, 1862 at Stones River. Following the events of 1862, he was promoted to 1st Sergeant on January 23, 1863. He was wounded in the forearm by a gunshot wound and was disabled for a period of time. After recovering, he was with his unit until they were mustered out on November 9, 1864.

Returning to Ross County, he engaged in grain milling with his father and found the time to marry Miss Frances M. Middleton, daughter of Lawrence and Margaret (Brown) Middleton. Shortly thereafter, William and Frances moved to Illinois, and then on to Holt County, Missouri before finally settling in Brown County, Kansas. Somehow, during all the moves and wanderings, Frances and William were blessed with four children. They were Laura A, Jessie J., Nellie Belle, and Samuel Todd. Success came in the form of owning and managing a successful grain and beef farm. He was a township trustee and valued member of the Hiawatha Post, No. 130 of the G.A.R.

No further information is available.

(Information from the History of Brown County, Kansas.)