Brown County KSGenWeb is a free genealogical site about the history of the Kansas county.
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which is a member of USGenWeb®.
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President Pierce signed on May 30th, 1854, an Act of
Congress allowing for a territorial organization of the Territories
of Kansas and Nebraska. In a report of the Secretary of the State
Board of Agriculture, the statement was made that the county was
named in honor of Hon. Albert G. Brown, of Mississippi, who was a
United States Senator at the time of the passage of the
Kansas-Nebraska bill. Later the following year the Legislature met
and passed an act that would distribute a portion of the territory
into counties and naming the counties thus laid off.
Brown county was organized in 1855. Hiawatha was incorporated
in 1857 and became the Brown county seat in 1858. The county was named
for Albert G. Browne, of Mississippi, who had been Senator and member of
the House of Representatives from that state, was United States Senator
at the date of the Act organizing Kansas Territory, was relected for six
years in 1859, but withdrew with Jefferson Davis on the secession of the
Southern states. The name is properly spelled with an e in the original
statute, but on the county seal the e was left off--accidently,
probably. All later statues present the name without the final e.
Brown County
is situated in the northeastern portion of Kansas, being located in
the first tier of counties, from Nebraska. Doniphan County lies to
the east, Atchison and Jackson counties to the south, and Nemaha
county to the west. Prior to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska
bill there was as far as is known, no settlement of whites in this
county. The first records state that Thurston Chase and James
Gibbobs staked claims on Wolf Creek on May 11, 1854, and made some
improvements to the land, but returned to the east in less that a
month. In June of the same year W.C. Foster came to Brown County,
but passed through and settled in the eastern part of Nemaha County,
having been informed that this section was a part of the Indian
Trust Lands. On learning of his error he returned to Brown County
the fall of the same year. Some Brown County Kansas
Firsts
First territorial election was held Sept., 17,
1855
First County Clerk was James Waterson, who was appointed in 1857
First Register of Deeds was D. Peebles who was elected in 1861
First Probate Judge was W.W. Guthrie elected in 1861
First county courthouse was built in Claytonville, but by April
1858 removed to presented day county seat of Hiawatha.
Brown County KSGenWeb is a free genealogical site about the history of the Kansas county.
It is a member of KSGenWeb,
which is a member of USGenWeb®.
We hope you find helpful clues for your research of Brown County ancestors. 