Notable people · Abolitionist
Owen Brown
Born in Hudson, John Brown's son guarded arms at the Kennedy Farm during the Harpers Ferry raid, escaped, and lived at Put-in-Bay until 1885 before moving to California.
At a glance
- Born
- 1824-11-04
- Died
- 1889-01-08
- Known as
- Abolitionist
Life story
Owen Brown was born in Hudson, Ohio, in 1824, a son of John Brown. A childhood arm injury left him with a lasting disability, and his mother died when he was eight.
He joined his brothers in Kansas in 1855 and took part in the Pottawatomie killings in 1856. He was at the 1858 Chatham, Ontario meeting and acted as treasurer of Brown's group.
In 1859 he guarded weapons at the Kennedy Farm and was not at the armory when the raid failed. He escaped north. A Virginia grand jury indicted him in 1860, but Ohio's attorney general refused to extradite him.
He later worked as a caretaker on Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie (1877-85), then moved to Pasadena, California, where he died in 1889 and was buried on a hilltop he had chosen.
Timeline
- 1824-11-04: Born (Hudson, OH) source
- 1855: Settles near Osawatomie (Kansas) source
- 1856: Takes part in Pottawatomie killings (Kansas) source
- 1858: Chatham planning meeting; named treasurer (Chatham, Ontario) source
- 1859: Guards weapons at Kennedy Farm during raid; escapes (Maryland) source
- 1860: Indicted in Virginia; Ohio refuses extradition (Ohio) source
- 1877: Caretaker on Gibraltar Island (to 1885) (Put-in-Bay area, OH) source
- 1885: Moves to Pasadena (Pasadena, CA) source
- 1889-01-08: Dies of pneumonia (Pasadena, CA) source
What Owen is known for
- Harpers Ferry raider (escaped)
Honors and things named for them
- Burial site named a Los Angeles County historical landmark (2024)
Family
- father: John Brown
- mother: Dianthe Lusk
- grandfather: Owen Brown (b. 1771)
- brother: John Brown Jr.
- brother: Jason Brown
Ohio places
Where Owen Brown was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Hudson, Summit County ZIP 44236 · Hudson · Summit County
- Lived: Put-in-Bay, Ottawa County ZIP 43456 · Put-In-Bay · Ottawa County
Myths and corrections
- Disputed: His death date is given as January 8, 1889 by Wikipedia and as January 9 in an earlier account.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Owen Brown (abolitionist, born 1824) dates, Hudson birth, Put-in-Bay, California burial (Wikipedia, opened; pointer-level source)