<\/p>\n
Our account of the Brown brothers last week ended with the father and Martin still in Maine, Robert trying to keep his tin shop going in Wisconsin, and Horace and Abner on a farm in Iowa. By the middle of the summer in 1856 Horace had got his fill of the Iowa prairies and had started back for Maine On August 23, he wrote Martin from Oswego, N. Y.<\/p>\n
“It is now two months since I left Iowa, and neither of us has written. I have done little work this summer, but have traveled around to see what the others are doing and investigate my prospects. I first went to Ohio where there is some good land for farms, but I decided to go further east. When I left Iowa, I expected to stop and farm in Illinois, but since I was not well I decided to make tracks for the old home in Maine. On my way I stopped at Niagara Falls to see that gorgeous sight. The last of July I went to Ithaca, N.Y., where I took the steamboat up Cayuga Lake to Ontario County. I stopped to visit Henry Johnson at Clifton Springs. That spring looked splendid as nice, clean water as you ever saw boiling up from the rocks. But oh how it smells. I could compare it with nothing but rotten eggs. Still, the visitors drink it down as if they never had a drop of water before. Who are you going to make president this fall? Out in this part of New York state they are all for Fremont. The three different parties are very active. I have attended three Fremont meetings at each of which the hall was, crowded to overflowing.”<\/p>\n
As all who have studied American history in high school now know very well, that 1856 election ended in placing James Buchanan in the White House. The Fremont to which Brown referred was the noted explorer who headed the new Republican party in its first bid for the presidency. Four years later that party would nominate one of the greatest of American presidents, Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n
In that same summer the father of the four Brown brothers decided to leave Maine and join Abner in Iowa. That left Martin as the only male member of the family in Maine. To him the father wrote from Iowa: “We arrived here on Monday. Prairie City is growing fast with about 60 families already here. Farms are selling at $30 an acre. I have seen one lot on high land that makes my mouth water. Corn is 25 cents a bushel, oats the same, and wheat 60 cents. We are going into Abner’s place at M~scatine by way of the river. We have seen one prairie squirrel and a prairie chicken. They are somewhat larger than a Maine partridge with longer neck and darker collar. ”<\/p>\n
By the summer of 1856, Robert was still running his tin shop in Wisconsin. The plan to break up the partnership when Horace left had been abandoned, and Horace and Martin were still absentee partners. On July 6 Robert wrote to Martin: “We had a splendid Fourth of July celebration. About 5,000 people were here. Money is now tight and will be until after the harvest. Our storehouse has been completed for $400. Our shop work is getting behind because of the number of orders and the fact that I have had to spend a lot of time on the new building. As you are well aware, our partnership expires next April. I will now state in one sentence what I think. Horace and I can do business together no longer than it takes me to buy him out, or at least dissolve the partnership as far as he is concerned. I must do business in harmony or not at all. Horace claims to know more about the business than I do, when in truth he cannot mend a milk pan. My experience is of no account to him. He will not listen to reason, he constantly creates expenses rather than curtailing them. If any drudgery work needs to be done, I have to do it. I could stand all of this except for the sass he keeps up on my wife Emily. He resents the advice Mother told Emily to give him regarding female amenities. I will not put up with Horace any longer.”<\/p>\n
Almost the same time Horace wrote his own side of the controversy to the patient Martin. “On August 1 I delivered up my interest in the firm of R. J. Brown & Co. as far as real estate and goods are concerned. Robert paid me $100 down and gave me his note for $400, and I turned over to him my interest in land and stock. He assumes my share in the business. I think I shall stay here at least two months. Will you enter into some sort of partnership with me at some other place in the spring? If you will not form a partnership, will you loan me the money? I am determined to go into the tin business for myself, but it must be with some other partner than Robert.”<\/p>\n
Then, in the same letter, Horace referred to his differences with Robert’s wife, Emily. “You speak of my being too hasty in choosing a life partner. I am well aware that Emily and Robert have been communicating with you just to make trouble about what is none of their business. I certainly never have employed them to find me a wife. Their unwelcome and interfering behaviour is anything but Christian. They show no respect for themselves, to say nothing of their attitude toward me. I am fond of this woman’s company and she is fond of mine. What more do you want? Riches are no temptation to me whatever. I shall never marry for that reason. I am going to marry this woman as soon as I get into business for myself.”<\/p>\n
A week later Robert brought matters to a head with another letter to Martin. “Your letter gave me satisfaction because it opened my eyes to the facts. Last spring I could not understand why you did not take more interest in our business, but now I do understand. I had put $400 of my own money into the business in addition to my original investment of one-half. I have been the means of increasing the value of the investment that you and Horace made, increasing it more than twofold. In my former letter I thought I made it clear I did not want you to withdraw your money or consider your $150 just a loan to me. You are a partner and are entitled to your share of the profits. As you know, Horace has sold his interest to me and I have formed a new company. You intimate that Emily has been interfering in our business affairs. That is not true. She only did what Mother asked her to do in watching over our youngest brother. She has indeed counseled Horace against becoming seriously involved with a certain woman. There is a woman who, without much doubt, will soon be a member of the Brown family. The affair is now pretty well advanced. Horace visits her three or four times a week. All efforts to dissuade him have been in vain. When I returned from the East, that woman was doing housework for my wife, Emily, She was such a slovenly worker we had to get rid of her. We did not actually discharge her, but she knew of our dissatisfaction and left with some hurt feelings.<\/p>\n
Emily told Horace all she knew about the girl, which was enough to dissuade any sensible person from further involvement. Emily talked to Horace as a sister should. She assured him there were plenty of worthy girls to whom he had better turn his attentions. Horace was indignant and told Emily to mind her own business. So we leave him to fight his own battles and battles he will have in plenty with that woman. For two months he has not spoken a pleasant word to either of us. My big mistake was in inviting Horace here in the first place, and I was an even bigger fool to take him back after he had left me and had gone to Iowa. Now the farther away from me he is the better.”<\/p>\n
That correspondence makes only too plain what many a family has discovered to its sorrow – that disputes over one member’s marriage never does any good but results only in bitter feelings that often last for generations. The results are almost always the same. No man takes kindly to criticism of a girl in whom he is romantically interested. especially when both of the parties are over the age of 21. These Brown letters show us that such interference caused trouble long ago in the days of crinolines and hoop skirts just as it does these present days of blue jeans and bikinis. Nobody ever gets thanked for giving negative advice about marriage. ‘<\/p>\n
Now let us return to Brother Abner out in Iowa. His is the last letter in the collection. written on May 15. 1859. To Brother Martin he wrote: “On March 14 I received a letter from a man in Muscatine offering me two city lots in Cedar Falls. Iowa for the patent rights on my cultivator. (This is our first information that Abner was trying to market an invention of his own.) Two years ago those two lots were sold for $300 each and are now worth twice as much. so greatly has Cedar City expanded. My patent has only two more years to run and I am inclined to sell. I couldn’t go to Muscatine about the deal because I have no funds for travel.”<\/p>\n
Then Abner refers to another misfortune that had overtaken that persistently unlucky man. His wife and infant child had died. He wrote to Martin: “As fast as my wages came in, I had to send money to Muscatine to pay the funeral expenses of $75. I received the deeds to the two lots and gave up my patent rights, and I at once got the deeds recorded at Cedar Falls. Then I sold all the household goods except those given to my wife by her parents. Those I returned to them. I settled all my debts in Muscatine including $20 to the doctor, a debt which I cleared by letting him have all the hay in the
\nbarn, at least four tons. The Methodist Church of Muscatine helped me clear my affairs. They appointed a member to whom I gave power of attorney. and he succeeded in handling the sale of my property to relieve me of all local obligations. Everything is now so fixed that, in case of my death you will be heir to all I have. All papers confirming this are in the hands of Pastor lolood of the Muscatine Church. Whatever remains above the amount of the mortgage l owe to you, you will keep as my heir.<\/p>\n
“I returned to Prairie City early in March and paid Robert the money he let me have, $30, to pay my travel expenses to Iowa. I am now working here near Robert for $3.50 a week and my board. I still owe Robert $7 and it will take me two weeks more to pay him. Then it will take me three more weeks to get enough to take myself and my tools to some place for employment where I can get going again.<\/p>\n
“Do not think I came here to live on Robert. I told him so the minute I arrived. Emily has done everything in her power to make life pleasant for me. As for Robert, his intentions I am sure have been to treat me kindly and he has probably done so to the best of his ability, but that ability is limited. Not I, but God must be his judge.”<\/p>\n
It’ would be interesting to know how it all came out for the widower Abner, for the infatuated Horace and for the domineering Robert. Perhaps after all, the best and most fortunate brother was Martin who did not get the others’ itchy feet, but remained at the old home in Maine.<\/p>\n
And with that we must say goodbye until next week.<\/p>\n
Year: 1980<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #1231, Broadcast on February 24, 1980<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35324,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9952\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}