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Chase County Kansas Historical Sketches
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Randall Brown and related families
Brown, Harris, Pruden, Driggs, Blanton, Gilman
In checking out the Nellie Brown of Chase County, I found there were no ties to the Nellie Brown that married William Blanton of Morris county. But in the research there was so much information gathered, I am presenting it here. Lorna Marvin
Randall Brown was born in Vermont. He is listed on the 1850 Strafford, Orange, Vermont. Chloe Brown age 50 is head of the household. Randall age 19, male, farmer, born Vermont; Royal age 17, Male, farmer, born Vermont; Herman, age 16, male, born Vermont, William, age 19, male, born Vermont; and Charles, age 9, male, born Vermont.
Chloe A Brown also is listed on the 1860 Strafford, Orange, Vermont. However, only Herman, William and Charles are listed with Chloe. Randall had gone to Kansas.
Sometime between 1850 and 1860 Bela Harris came to Strafford, Orange, Vermont from Manchester, New Hampshire.
On 1850 Manchester, Hillsborough, New Hampshire Census the following is listed:
Bela Harris Age 46 (born 1804) male, Mechanic, born in New Hampsire.
Betsey Harris age 37, female born in Massachusetts.
Simon Harris, age 8 male born in New Hampshire.
Caroline Harris, age 15 female born in New Hampshire.
Louisa Harris, age 13, female born in New Hampshire,
and last Dorcas A, age 3, female, born in New Hampshire.
The 1860 Strafford, Orange, Vermont census we find Bella Harris:
Bella Harris , Age 55, male born in New Hampshire;
Betsey Harris, Age 47, female, born in Massachusetts;
Simon B Harris, age 18, male, born in New Hampshire;
Dorcas A, Age, 13, female, born in New Hampshire;
and last Frank, Age 2, male, born in Vermont.
In Kansas, on the 1860 Verdigris, Madison Center, Kansas Census we find Randal Brown and Louisa Harris Brown.
Randal Brown age 27, Male farmer, born in Vermont;
Louisa Brown, age 22, female forn in New Hampshire;
John Gilman, Age 26 male and born in Vermont.
John Gilman also was from Strafford, Orange, Vermont. He was living with Louisa and Randal. Whether he was related or just a friend is not known. He was born to Ezekiel and Betsy Gilman.
On the 1850 Strafford, Orange, Vermont Census it lists the following:
Ezekiel Gilman, age 53, male farmer, born in Vermont;
Betsy Gilman, age 45, female born in Vermont;
John L Gilman, age 21 male, farmer, born in Vermont;
Sarah Gilman, age 18, female, born in Vermont;
Lyman D Gilman, age 15, male, farmer born in Vermont.
On the 1870 John Gilman is a farmer with William W Shaw and large family living with him. A young daughter Mary E age 19, born in Ohio became John Gilman's wife and on the 1880 census they have a large family of their own living in Shell Rock on the same farm.
Also as neighbor is a Harvey Norton, who has ties to the Strafford, Orange, Vermont community. Harvey's son Fredrick remains a neighbor to Randall and Louisa during their stay in Shell Rock. They are found on the 1880 Census in Shell Rock.
By the 1870 Lane Township, Greenwood, Kansas Census, Louisa's Father shows living with Randall Brown and Louisa H. They also have a Son, Randall and a daughter Nellie.
1870 Lane township, Greenwood, Kansas Census lists the following:
Brown, Randall, Age 29, Male, farmer born in Vermont;
Louisa H age 34 female, born New Hampshire;
Randall age 6, male, born Kansas;
Nellie, Age 4, female, born Kansas,
Harris, Bella, Age 66, Male, Farmer, born New Hampshire,
Brown, William, age 32, farmer, born Vermont;
Brown, Ellen M age, 25 female, born Vermont;
Brown, Nathaniel, Age 7, male, born Vermont;
Brown, Jennie J, Age 5, Female, born Vermont;
Brown, Frederick E, Age 3, male, born Vermont;
Brown, Edwin E, Age 1, Male born Vermont.
William and his family must have arrived during the year of 1869 or 1870.
This is Randall's brother and his wife, Ellen. In 1880 we find them in Elmendaro Township, Lyon, Kansas. This is just across the boarder of Greenwood County and just east of Chase County.
In the early history of Greenwood County, Randall Brown was at the first elections of the County and was elected to a County Commissioner and served during 1862-1863.
Randall Brown is buried in the Shell Rock Cemetery. Louisa cannot be located and possibly is also buried at the Shell Rock Cemetery. We find that her parents Bela and Betsey Harris are listed at the same location of Shell Rock, Greenwood, Kansas in 1880 and their son Frank is a laborer for the Mary J Long farm at Shell Rock also.
So what happened to Randall P Jr and Nellie J Brown? Randall Jr. has not been located. However we find that Nellie Brown is listed as a step-daughter in the Hiram and Sarah Pruden Driggs household in Pleasant, Coffey, Kansas in 1880.
One researcher believed that Randall Sr Brown and Sarah Pruden Driggs had been married but on the 1900 Springer, Oklahoma Census Sarah Driggs says that Hiram Driggs and her have been married 25 years and that Sarah had three children and only one is living in 1900. Sarah Pruden and Hiram Driggs were married 1 Mar 1877 in Emporia, Lyon, Kansas. Hiram was born in New York and Sarah in born in Illinois.
1850 Lagrange, Brown, Illinois lists the following:
Josiah or Joseph Pruden, Age 40, Male, New Jersey;
Betsy Pruden, Age 36, female, born New Jersey;
Nancy Pruden, Age 16, female born New Jersey;
Hannah Pruden, Age 14, female born Illinois;
Sharlott Pruden, Age 12, female, born Illinois;
Sarah Pruden, Age 10, female, born Illinois;
Betsy Pruden, Age 8, female, born Illinois;
Esther J Pruden, Age 4, female, born Illinois;
John Pruden, Age 1, male, born Illinois
In 1854 another son David Pruden born 1860 was born to Josiah Ayers Pruden and Betsy (Elizabeth Norris) Pruden. Josiah wa born in 1810 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey and Elizabeth Norris was born in 1810 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey also. This fact is taken from the 1880 Census of Pleasant, Coffey, Kansas.
Hiram Driggs had been married previously to Evaline Lewis who was born 09 Nov 1836 in Middlesex, Yates, New York. They were married 18 Jun 1954 in Anderson county, Kansas. They had the following Children:
Orville Lorenzo Driggs, born 9 Jul 1856 in Anderson Co, Kansas; William Melville Driggs born 19 Apr 1862 in Anderson Co., Kansas; Lewis Elsworth Driggs, born 1 Ict 1865 in Council Grove, Morris, Kansas; and Ola Hiram Driggs, born 17 Sep 1868 in Coffey County, Kansas, and Dora Elevina Driggs, born 21 Dec 1875 in Coffey Co. Kansas.
From the 1900 Morris County, Kansas Census, Evaline Driggs is listed with Dora her daughter married to Walter H Riley. She is 66 years old and lists herself as divorced the mother of one child and one child living. However, on the 1910 Sparks, Lincoln, Oklahoma Census she is listed as the mother-in law of Walter Riley showing she is divorced and the mother of five children and five are living. It is recorded that she died 15 Sep 1911 in Logan, Kansas.
Hiram Driggs and Evaline appears on the Avon, Coffey County 1870 Census. William is 6 years old and Lewis is 4 years old and Ola is 2 years old.
1880 Pleasant, Coffey Kansas Census has the following:
Hiram Driggs, farmer, Age 44, born in New York,
Sarah Driggs, wife, female, age 40 born in Illinois;
Melville Driggs, son, male, age 18 born in Kansas;
Ola Driggs, son. male, age 11, born in Kansas;
David Pruden, farmer, Brother in law, Age 26 born Illinois;
Bessie Pruden, Sister, female, Age 20 born in Canada;
and Nellie Brown, step daughter, age 14, born in Kansas.
Bessie must have been Hiram's Sister and married Sarah's brother.
By 1885 Nellie J Brown had married William T Blanton. William was born Apr 20 1861. He was killed in a car accident Jun 05 1934, and buried in the Dunlap, Morris, Kansas Cemetery. Nellie was born Jul 1865 and died in 1953.
The Valley, Morris, Kansas 1900 census lists the following:
William T Blanton head, male, born Jul 1865, age 39 and married for 15 years, Born in Tennessee;
Nellie J, wife, female, born Jul 1865, Age 34, married for 15 years, the mother of 8 children and six are living,
born in Kansas;
Edith N, daughter, female, born Nov 1885, age 14, born in Kansas;
Maggie, was a daughter not listed on the census and must have been one of the children that had died;
David, son, male, born Sep 1888, age 11, born Kansas;
Clarence H, son male, born Dec 1889, age 10, born Kansas;
Emmett H Born Nov 1891, age 8, born Kansas;
John S, born Jul 1894, Age 5, born Kansas;
Samuel L, born Sep 1896, Age 3, born Kansas;
There is another child not listed which needs to be identified.
Also in Valley, Morris, Kansas we find Sarah Pruden Driggs' brother, David Pruden. By this time, Hiram's sister, Bessie is not listed with David but a wife of only six years named Ruth. They have two daughter, Bessie and Sadie.
Hiram and Sarah Pruden Driggs are now in Springer, Oklahoma on the 1900 Census:
Hiram is listed as born Aug 1834, male Age 65, married for 25 years, and born in New York;
Sarah is wife, female, born Feb 1836, Age 63, married for 25 years and mother of three children and one living.
Bertha, daughter born Aug 1881, Age 18 and single born in Kansas. Her birth is recorded as Aug 10 1881. She used the name of Birdie.
From the Jones, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Cemetery we have the following information:
Hiram Driggs, born 1834 and died 1903
Sarah Driggs, born 1840 and died 1915
Ola H Driggs, Born Sep 17 1871 and Died Jul 12 1929
Ada C Driggs, born Jan 7 1896 and died May 14 1899
Cora M Driggs, born Nov 18 1871 and died Apr 06 1936
Roy A Driggs, born Aug 05 1901 and died Nov 11 1905
Randall and Louisa must have had a direct influence upon their family and neighbors in Vermont. Not only did William, Randall's brother, and Louisa's parents, the Bela Harris family but also his friend, John Gilman was influcence to come to Shell Rock. Also next door to Louisa's family, Bela Harris, was a Walcott family and their son Royal E Walcott came to Shell Rock. Living with him were also two sons of the Brown family all these families were from Strafford, Orange, Vermont. Shell Rock remained their residence for generations.
by Lorna Marvin
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