Josephine Vilate Brown is the daughter of Captain James Brown, Jr., and Mary McRee Black Brown. She was born on January 8, 1858 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, where most of her life was spent. When she was about ten years old her mother moved to Brigham City and entered into the United Order, taking her children Joseph and Josphine with her. Her son [George] David Black and family also went with her.
Mary McRee Brown later moved back to Ogden, and lived next door, north of Pool's Hotel on the corner of 25th Street and Grant Avenue, later moving to Oxford, Idaho, where she purchased a farm for her son Joseph, adjoining her son David's farm there.
Josephine grew up to be a beautiful young lady, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, rosy cheeks, a charming smile, and was popular with the young folks there.
In the fall of 1874 Josephine went to Ogden with her brother David and wife [Mary Hunt Black] to General Conference, and she stayed with her sister Eliza Brown Critchlow in Ogden until the last of January 1875. When she returned to Oxford an engaged to be married, happy, sparkling, young lady. She had met Henry J. Newman and it was a case of love at first sight. His engagement present was a beautiful fur cape and muff, which came in a very handy when she returned to the below zero weather in Oxford.
In the summer of 1875 she and her mother returned to Ogden and the 25th of October 1875 saw her married to Henry J. Newman in the Endowment House [in Salt Lake City]. A double wedding at the home of President Charles J. Middleton Sr. celebrated the happy event, for Henry's sister Dessie Newman married Charles Middleton, Jr. on the same date.
Henry and Josephine set up housekeeping in two rooms on the Bench, somewhere near Lester Park in Ogden. In the fall of 1876 they moved into the log room of her sister Eliza's home on Washington Avenue, near 29th Street, where most of Eliza's fourteen children were born. Eliza living in the other frame room, with a lean-to kitchen with her husband and family.
Grandma Mary lived with Josephine and Henry and on the 27th of December 1876 their first child was born, Mary Maria Newman.
Henry was a prosperous young business man in business with his father in tin smith manufacturing. He built a comforable home on Lincoln Avenue between 24th and 27th Streets, where several more children were born to them. [Eleven years after their marriage] While living in this house Henry entered into a polygamous marriage [on the 18th of March 1886 in Salt Lake City] with Mary [Mary Christinia Dorney or Darning who bore ten children for him] .
While Josephine was willing to have him do so, it being a tenet of their religion, yet was a great trial to her at times. She and Mary got along very well together and waited upon each other during their confinements. Henry bought a farm in Tremonton and took Mary there to live. She had a large family and on one occasion one of the babies was born in Josephine's home in Ogden, and they both had a baby a few days apart and each lay in her own bed in the same front room. The children of each one were devoted to the other mother. Later Josephine moved to Tremonton and did practical nursing for a number of years. She was active in Relief Sociaty and was always her own cheerful, charming self with a smile on her face even though at times her heart was very heavy. She died in her 56th year on April 4, 1917. She was the mother of twelve children, five girls and seven boys, one son and two daughters dying in childhood.
Mary Maria Stone, David Henry, (dead infant daugher), Joseph Jubilee, Margaret, (Effie May- child), Jefferson, Florence Shaffer, [Frederick, William, Earl] and Ernest.
[Children of Josephine Vilate Brown Newman and Henry James Newman, Jr.:
Mary Maria Newman Stone 1876-1959
David Henry Newman 1878-1879 - 8.5 months
Joseph Jubilee Newman 1880-1969
Margaret Pearl Newman 1882-1962
Frederick James Newman 1884-1965
William Brown Newman 1886-1936
Earl Brown Newman 1888-1961
Effie May Newman 1891-1899 - 8.5 years
Jefferson Brown Newman 1893-1969
Florence Brown Newman Shaffer1896-1979
daughter Newman 1898-1898
Ernest Brown Newman 1900-1973 ]
Sources:
PAF - Archer files
Brown Book of Remembrance written by Hattie Critchlow Jensen and Loella Brown Tanner prior to 1948.
[Bracketed], bold, corrections, and photos, added by Lucy Brown Archer
