Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 234
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4
John Brown’s Father and Second Wife Write to His Oldest Daughter from Ohio; John Brown Addresses It
John Brown’s Father and Second Wife Write to His Oldest Daughter from Ohio; John Brown Addresses It
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4
Description:

John Brown
Akron, OH, June 14-15, 1852
John Brown's Father and Second Wife Write to His Oldest Daughter from Ohio; John Brown Addresses It
ALS

Owen Brown and Mary A. Brown, the father and second wife of abolitionist John Brown, write to Ruth Brown Thompson from Akron, Ohio. Owen was Ruth's grandfather and Mary was her stepmother. She writes about the recent death of her baby boy, who died of whooping cough on May 17 at the age of 21 days, and the recent death of her father Charles Day (1777-1852).

[JOHN BROWN.] Owen Brown and Mary A. Brown, Autograph Letters Signed, to Ruth Brown Thompson, June 14 and 15, 1852, Akron, Ohio. Addressed by John Brown. 3 pp., 8" x 10". Expected folds; tear on third page from opening the original seal.

Complete Transcript
Akron June 14th 1852
Dear Ruth Thomson I am at your Fathers in middling health which is the case with all our Friends in these parts so far as I know. I was favored with the reading of the joint Letters of Mr Thomson and you to your Father by which I learnt your callamitys by drouth and fire, We ought to be carefull that earthly things do not stick so clostly to our souls that all will be exposed to the wrath of God. some time past I wrote to you and your promptness in answering me has indused me to ask a continuence in your correspondence, I feel a great intarist in the welfare of my grand Children and wish to see them walking in wisdoms paths. I hope they will shun all the bye paths that lead to death eternal, the word of God is our best gide may we read it much asking God to give us understanding. My family are very much scattered I have but little expectation of ever seeing all of them again it some times gives me pane to think of my unfaithfulness. I should like to have a personal acquantance with Mr Thomson perhaps you will make a visit in these parts while I live, if so I will ask for my share, We have not much news except such as has a wide circulation through the papers I will close beleaving these lines will be accompaned with others from your Family more usefull. From your affectionat old grand Parent.
Owen Brown

June 15 1852
Dear Ruth
It is through the goodness of God that I am able once more to sit up & write. I have not much to write about. Father wrote to you about the death of our dear little baby I did hate to give him up But the Lord gave & the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord. He lived just three weeks suffered very much for the last ten days with short hard breathing & cough. I was able to be up & have most of the care of him after he was taken sick. Two or three days after he died I was taken with a hard pain in my right side & chest spitting blood with some cough & was confined to my bed about two weeks had seven blisters applied to my side & chest am able now to be up about the house but not to do much have rode out two or three times. To day walked over to see Mrs Perkins baby only three days older than mine was. It had the measles to. They only had one to have the hoopping cough & they kept him away from home. Anne & Sarah have got pretty much over their cough. Father has had a very hard time. He has had the care of us all nights & been quite unwell himself. But he is better now & the rest of the family are well so far as this world is concerned. But how is it in regard to our future state. Are we seeking first the kingdom of heaven believeing that all other things shall be added. Oh I hope that you & Henry are I don't know as you have heard of the death of my Father who died last fall soon after I was out there. He did not seem to enjoy any thing but religion then allthough his mind had failed him very much. I think that we have good reason to believe that he has gone to an other & a better world. I should like to know how Mrs Jones is whether she is liveing or not. Anne says she is much obliged to you for the sugar you sent her & Sarah is quite anxious to know whether your baby has got red hair or not She says tell Ruth that big apple did not grow last year maybe it will this. Our folks commenced shearing sheep yesterday, & haying to day. I must quit for I am very tired. Give my love to Henry tell him I have not forgot his many kindnesses & to all the rest of the folks out their. So good bye for this time.
From your unworthy Mother
Mary A Brown

[Address by John Brown:] Mrs Ruth Thompson / North Elba / Essex Co / New York
[Postmark:] AKRON / JUN 16 / OHIO.

Owen Brown (1771-1856) was born in Connecticut to a Revolutionary War officer and his wife. In 1793, he married Ruth Mills (1772-1808), with whom he had at least eight children, including abolitionist John Brown. After her death, he married Sally Root (1789-1840) in 1809, and they had at least eight more children. In 1841, he married Lucy H. Drake Hinsdale (1796-1876). He moved to Hudson in northeastern Ohio, where he became a wealthy tanner, cattle breeder, and land speculator. A local justice of the peace and county commissioner, he was a staunch abolitionist and was active in the Underground Railroad. Frederick Douglass often stayed with the Brown family when he was lecturing in the area. He assisted in the construction of the first building for Western Reserve College. When that college took a more conservative turn in the politics of slavery, he aided Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, where he served as a trustee from 1835 to 1844. It became the first institution of higher learning to admit women and one of the first to admit African American students.

Mary A. Day Brown (1816-1884) was born in New York and moved to Pennsylvania with her parents. When she was a teenager, she occasionally went to the house of abolitionist John Brown (1800-1859) in New Richmond, Pennsylvania, to work on a spinning wheel. In 1833, she married John Brown, a widower previously married to Dianthe Lusk (1801-1832). She became stepmother to his five children with his first wife, and they had thirteen more children, although six did not survive to adulthood. They moved to Ohio in 1835 and to North Elba, New York in 1849. After two of her sons were killed in the raid on Harpers Ferry and her husband was hanged in Virginia, she remained in New York. In 1863, they began traveling to California, spending the winter in Iowa, and continuing on the California Trail until they reached California. She spent the rest of her life, except for an 1882 trip east, in California.

Ruth Brown Thompson (1829-1904) was born in Pennsylvania to abolitionist John Brown (1800-1859) and his first wife Dianthe Lusk Brown (d. 1832). In 1850, she married Henry Thompson (1822-1911), and they had at least five children. They lived in North Elba, New York, until the 1860s. They were living in Ohio in 1870, Wisconsin in 1880, and California by 1900.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

  • Dimensions: 8" x 10"
  • Medium: ALS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

July 16, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000