Husband Samuel Queen Brown 1
Born: 19 Sep 1835 - Pleasantville, Oil Creek Twp, Venango Co, PA 2
Christened:
Died: 5 Oct 1909 - New York City, NY 3
Buried:
Father: John Brown (1789-1861) 4 5
Mother: Mary Ann Queen (1795-1875) 5 6
Marriage: 11 Jul 1865 3
Wife Nancy Elizabeth Lamb 7 8
Born: 28 Sep 1842 8
Christened:
Died: 27 Jun 1916 - New York City, NY 3
Buried:
Father: John Lamb (1806-1863) 9 10 11 12 13
Mother: Mary Bailey Smith ( -1849) 7 10 11
Children
1 M Dickson Queen Brown 3
Born: 2 Apr 1873 - Pleasantville, Oil Creek Twp, Venango Co, PA 3
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Samuel Queen Brown
He helped to establish the first bank at Pleasantville as a member of the firm of Mitchell & Brown, and later became president of the Pleasantville Bank, organized in December, 1872. His career broadened out, touching many things that had a decided bearing not only upon local affairs, but upon the commercial and industrial life of the nation. [CAB, 478]
He was married in the same ceremony as his brother Alexander; the brides were cousins.
He was never robust physically, but from an early age displayed the vigorous mentality which characterized him throughout life, being prepared to enter Allegheny College, at Meadville, when but thirteen years old. He completed the freshman year of the course with honors, but his health failing he was unable to continue his studies to graduation, being an invalid for several years. But the experience did not dampen his ambition, and as soon as strong enough he went to Pittsburgh and took a course in Duff's Commercial College, upon his return to Pleasantville devoting himself to assisting his father in the store, which by that time was an important trading center. He was so engaged at the time of the first oil excitement precipitated by the bringing in of the Drake well, and with typical clear-sightedness read a large meaning into the discovery. In fact he was soon in the oil “game,” he and a neighbor, John L. Mitchell, entering into partnership for more efficient operations. Their first important venture was made on the Buchanan Farms at the mouth of Cherry run, at what has ever since been known as Rouseville. One night young Brown went racing across the Pithole valley on his best horse, down Cherry run to Oil creek, and secured leases on the John and Archibald Buchanan farms, which might have been a difficult matter, as Mr. Buchanan had no special desire to lease. But when he learned that the Browns (Alexander W. Brown was also interested in this enterprise) were sons of John Brown he consented. The firm at once joined forces with Hon. Henry R. Rouse, of Enterprise (who with W. H. Abbott and others at Titusville constituted the firm which sank the second producing oil well in this territory), as Rouse, Mitchell & Brown, and kicked down a “spring pole” well, the third on Oil creek, which yielded ten barrels a day from the first sand, but was later drilled to the third sand and gave three hundred barrels a day for a long period. Five or six wells-among them a flowing well-were soon in operation, and it was in an explosion and resulting fire here at the Merrick well, on the evening of the day that it was brought in, that the untimely and tragic death of young Mr. Rouse occurred, with the loss of seventeen other lives, in April, 1861. This threw most of the responsibility of management upon Mr. Brown, but he proved equal to the steadily increasing burden and laid solid the foundations for the extensive operations which brought him fame and fortune. He continued in active association with the production until his firm and sub-lessees had drilled about a hundred wells, when he organized the business on a large scale, uniting the holdings on both farms in the Buchanan Farms Oil Company, capitalized at four million dollars, realizing a million dollars from his own interest. It was at this time that he established a broker's office in Philadelphia, and the year afterward, 1868, he opened another in New York City, for a long time spending alternate days at these offices by making the journey between the two cities at night. For a number of years he resided in Philadelphia, discontinuing his office in that city in 1889, and during the last twenty years of his life he made his home in New York City.
From the time that he opened his metropolitan offices Mr. Brown dealt extensively in oil stocks, doing a large brokerage business in oil and oil lands, leases, etc., and promoting various oil companies, and along with that he carried other large interests, his associations widening constantly. He was always closely associated with his home county both by business and personal ties. He obtained a charter for the Farmers' railroad, along Oil creek from Oil City to Shaffer, in the face of strong opposition, and being able at first to secure permission for a horse railroad only exerted himself for several years until he was successful in having it changed to steam power, when he disposed of the charter to Bishop, Bissell and others, who built the Oil Creek railroad. In 1862 he obtained a charter for a pipe line from the Tarr Farm to Oil City, being one of the first to see the advantages of that method of transporting oil, and a short line was laid in 1863, but owing to the impossibility of getting suitable pipe, leakage at the joints was so excessive that the first attempts were very discouraging, and the pond freshet system had to be depended upon for a couple of years longer, though obviously wasteful and expensive. It was a beginning, however, and the demand for proper pipe was soon supplied. Meantime, with two of his brothers, Mr. Brown opened a store at what is now Oil City, then the region about the Cornplanter post office, which was continued together with their Pleasantville store, the latter being subsequently operated as a wholesale and retail branch of the large New York City mercantile house in which he held partnership from 1866. In 1867 he went to Nevada, by way of Panama and San Francisco, and on the return trip, made in March, contracted such a severe cold as to bring on hemorrhages of the lungs. His recovery was slow, but greatly facilitated by a sojourn in the South during the following winter, and he took up his work again with all his old vigor. With the discovery of oil near Pleasantville he took an active part in the development of the territory, in which several hundred acres of his own lands were located, helped to establish the first bank at Pleasantville in company with David H. Mitchell, as member of the firm of Mitchell & Brown, and when it was superseded by the Pleasantville Banking Company, organized in December, 1872, became president of the new institution. He retained that position for thirty years, until the bank went out of existence. Mitchell & Brown were also active in various phases of oil production. In 1872, after the agitation against the South Improvement Company, Mr. Brown was elected a trustee of the Petroleum Producers' Agency, and later became a member of the business committee of that organization. In 1877 he was one of the active operators in the Enterprise district, and about the same time assisted in organizing the Seaboard Pipe Line. He was a leader in the formation of the Tide Water Pipe Line Company, Limited, which was organized Nov. 23, 1878, and soon afterward began the construction of its line, which was a success from the start. In 1881 Mr. Brown moved to Philadelphia to take charge of the financial management of the Chester Oil Company, a Tide Water refinery which was being built at Chester, Pa., and the next year the line was extended to Bayonne, N. J., the headquarters being established in New York City. Mr. Brown became one of the managers of The Tide Water Pipe Company, Limited, in 1886 and was associated with it in such capacity ever afterward, being chief executive from 1893 to 1908. When the Tide Water Oil Company was organized in 1888 he was elected president of that also, and held the office until May, 1908, from which time until his death he was chairman of the board of directors. He was also a director of the Associated Producers' Company from 1894 until October, 1908, and its president from 1903 to 1908, and was a dominating factor in the success of all these companies, being well qualified for the executive responsibilities vested in him. Mr. Brown represented the petroleum interests on the Second Geological Survey Commission of the State of Pennsylvania. In 1871 he received the honorary degree of A. M. from Princeton University, and in the course of his useful life had many other marks of esteem in recognition of the great part he played in advancing the industrial interests of the country. But nothing was more to his credit than the sincere regard which all his associates and employes had for him. It was an expression of well merited respect, gained in years of consistent justness and fairness in his dealings with them. His courtesy was unvarying, his consideration for others habitual, and the charm of his personality was felt by all alike.
From early manhood he was associated with the Presbyterian Church, serving as elder while he held membership at Pleasantville, and later transferring his allegiance to the Central Presbyterian Church in New York City. He not only gave generous support to his own denomination, but to others as well, and to all enterprises which he considered worthy in their aims. In political doctrine he was a Republican, and he held membership in the Union League at New York City and various other clubs. [CAB, 690]
General Notes: Wife - Nancy Elizabeth Lamb
Residing with her four children in New York City in 1918.