Biographical / Historical Note
Lemuel C. Brown, orginally from Westchester County, New York, was a farmer in Watertown, Wisconsin. Hachaliah Brown, his younger brother, graduated from West Point in 1842 and joined the Fourth Artillery. He was stationed at various forts in the Northeast, South and Midwest, and fought at the Battle of Vera Cruz during the Mexican-American War.
Summary
Correspondence, legal documents and other papers. 26 ALS from Hachaliah Brown to Lemuel C. Brown, dating from 1840 to 1853, describe Hachaliah's military service, his posts and travels in Florida, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Louisiana and Georgia, and provide commentary on the affairs of the Brown family in Westchester, New York. Two letters in 1847 offer a detailed description of Brown's participation in the Battle of Vera Cruz and other skirmishes during the Mexican War. Also includes correspondence to Lemuel Brown and his wife, Lydia Ann, from other Brown family members including his sister, Elizabeth, and his mother, Clarissa Brown; several letters from Marie Browne in New York; a letter from Samuel A. Clifts and his wife to their nephew; an 1869 ALS from Eliza Jane Tompkins; and several letters regarding legal affairs including correspondence from the Brown's lawyer, W.O.L. Jewett. Personal and family papers include calculations related to Lemuel Brown's mortgage; several receipts; and deeds for land in Dodge County, Wisconsin, and Shelly, Missouri.