Jacob Jennings Brown

Jacob Jennings Brown


(born May 9, 1775 in Bucks County, PA - died February 24, 1828 in Washington, D.C.)

General Brown lived in Brownville for 22 years.

Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Samuel and Abi (White) Brown. His parents, being prosperous, sent Jacob and his older brother John to an academy in Trenton, PA. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1790 (or had to leave school in 1791 because his father had lost much money in poor speculations). After that he taught school and then was a land surveyor in Ohio.

In 1798 Jacob Brown moved to New York City and became headmaster of a Quaker School (he was raised as a Quaker) there. While there he wrote political articles for New York newspapers, which brought him to the attention of Alexander Hamilton, who appointed him his military secretary. Jacob then became acquainted with Gouverneur Morris (2nd Cont'l. Congress and signer of the Constitution) and later named his son Gouverneur Brown.

During his acquaintance with Morris the man introduced him to some wealthy French land speculators. These speculators owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land in upstate New York.

Jacob agreed to make a prospecting trip to the area and in return he received a large tract of land near Black River (what is now Brownville).

After clearing some land and building a log cabin in what is now Brownville area, at the mouth of Philamel Creek; he sent for his parents and family in Bucks County, PA. On May 27th, 1799 the rest of the family made the harrowing journey to what was mostly unbroken wilds.

In 1809, Jacob Brown was the colonel of a local militia; then promoted by the governor to brigadier general of the New York state militia, a rank he held when the War of 1812 began. Though he opposed the war, he organized the defenses in the Great Lakes region. He defeated the British at the Battle of Sackets Harbor on May 29, 1813. The next year his army captured Fort Erie on Ontario. He was wounded twice at the Battle of Lundy's Lane, one of the bloodiest of the war for both sides. His successes in the northwest made him a national hero.

After the war, the Army was cut and in 1821, he was the only major-general in the service. At that point President James Monroe made him commanding general-in-chief of the army of the United States, selected over Andrew Jackson. He and his family moved to Washington, D.C but he was unable to do much in the post because of a stroke. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1828 at age 52 in poor health.

The Brown Mansion; his former house and a great limestone mansion, is now a civic center and village meeting place. The Town and Village of Brownville are named for him.