Brown, Henry H. (of Sangamon County, IL

Born: 1820-08-10 Potsdam, New York

Died: 1899-04-18 Decatur, Illinois

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Henry H. Brown was a clerk, businessman, merchant, and hotelier. Brown spent his youth in his native Potsdam, New York, attending and graduating from Potsdam Academy. He moved from his native New York to St. Louis, Missouri. He subsequently moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he involved himself in numerous business ventures. In 1849, Brown worked at Lewis, Adams, & Company's Springfield store. In 1850, he was employed as a clerk and owned real property valued at $1,200. In January 1851, Brown became proprietor of a boarding house close to the State Capitol. In March 1851, he teamed with Presco Wright and opened the mercantile firm of Wright & Brown. Their store contained dry goods and an assortment of chinaware, glass, and queensware, reportedly at low prices. The pair opened a store in Chatham in November 1855. Brown and Wright dissolved their partnership in March 1856, selling their stock to the firm of McCabe & VanNess. In December 1856, Brown became co-proprietor along with Israel P. Dana of Brown's Hotel in Springfield. In 1862, Brown moved to Decatur, Illinois, where he again involved himself in the dry goods business.

Brown married Julia S. Brown in December 1846. The couple had one son.

Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 13 August 1849, 2:2; 3 January 1851, 3:1; 8 March 1851, 3:1; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 24 November 1855, 2:4; 10 March 1856, 2:4; 29 December 1856, 2:4; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Springfield, Sangamon County, IL, 69;Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Sangamon County, 23 December 1846, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; The Morning Herald-Despatch (Decatur, IL), 19 April 1899, 5:2.