Moroni Brown was the 8th son of Captain James Brown and Martha Stephens Brown. He was born on September 25, 1840 near Kingston, Adams County, Illinois. His mother died when he was born and subsequently was raised by his father's two sisters, Mary Polly Brown [1789]and Nancy Brown [1792]. These sisters lived with Captain Brown's family. When his father's family moved to Utah in 1848, eight year old Moroni did not make the journey with them. He lived with his two aunts until Moroni married Eveline C. Conover [Connover] and had established a home of his own, then Aunt Polly and Aunt Nancy lived with them.
Moroni was of a religious turn of mind and, no doubt, was active in the lesser Priesthood activities although in those early days no record of any consequence was preserved along this line. In his early manhood, Moroni taught school and engaged in Farming and had a small fruit tree nursery.
Moroni married Eveline Cindralla Conover on March 6, 1863 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had eight children, five sons and three daughters. One daughter, Rosetta, died in infancy.
Moroni Brown and Eveline Cindrella Conover Brown had eight children:
Moroni Alonzo Brown b. 7 June 1864 in Ogden; unmarried; d. c.1900.
Heber James Brown b. 9 Dec 1865, Ogden; d. 30 Dec 1898, suicide by morphine.
Homer Wilson Brown b. 9 Nov 1867, Ogden; unmarried; d. 19 Aug 1904
Rosetta Brown b. 25 Oct 1869, Ogden; d. 20 Sep 1870 near CJB at Ogden City Cem.
Lillie May Brown b. 26 Mar 1871, Ogden; md. Nies or Niece; d. 7 July 1914
Alpheus Brown b. 16 July 1873, Ogden, d. 1897/1898
Golden Conover Brown b. 5 April 1876, Ogden; md. 1 Jun 1903 Lillian Champneys; d. 20 Dec 1936 [ or/also Golden Connover Brown born around 1865 in Salt Lake City, married Lorrene around 1885 in Salt Lake City.]
Kittie Eveline Brown b 20 June 1880, Ogden; md. 15 Sept 1900 to Lloyd D. Royer
Eveline Cindrella Conover was born May 6, 1846 in Nauvoo, Illinois, the daughter of Peter Wilson Conover and Eveline Golden from Kentucky. Her parents were among the first pioneers of Utah. Eveline had a sister named Sarah Conover Weaver. Believing in all the principals of the gospel including the principle of plural marriage she consented to her husbnd taking another wife - whose home was next door to hers. Evaline and Frances were like sisters and waited upon each other at the birth of their children. Eveline's children calling Frances "Frankie" and Frances' children calling Eveline "Bah" (the baby interpretation of "Ma") which from infancy Frances' children had heard Evaline's oldest children call their mother.
Eveline Cindralla Conover.......Moroni Brown..........Frances Mariah Porter
Despite her busy life as wife and mother, Eveline was an active worker in the Relief Society when it was first organized in the old First Ward. She was Second counselor to President Martha Garner Critchlow, wife of Bishop B.C. Critchlow. She was a fine neighbor and loyal friend. She had much sorrow in her life which she bore bravely and always carried a smiling face and had a cheerful attitude under all circumstances. Eveline Conover Brown died January 16, 1911 in Ogden where she had continuously lived since her marriage.
On March 22, 1875 Moroni married in polygamy Frances Mariah Porter, a school teacher of top repute in Ogden, Utah. This second wife of Moroni Brown was born September 4, 1852 in Livingston County, New York, the daughter of Nahum B. Porter and Rachel Murray Porter. Frances came with her parents to Salt Lake City in 1863, crossing the plains with a party of emigrants. She was baptized in 1864 in the Jordan River and soon after the Porter family moved to Ogden where they lived for many years. Frances taught school there until she married Moroni Brown on March 22, 1875 in the Endowment house as his plural wife. She was welcomed into the family by Moroni's first wife, Eveline, and his relatives. She was a faithful Latter-day Saint and was active in the different auxiliary organizations of the Church. For seventeen years she was Secretary of the Relief Society in the old First Ward and was President of the Y.L.M.I.A. [Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association] for several years and a block teacher as long a she was able to get around. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, all lived to adulthood and married.
Moroni Brown and Frances Mariah Porter Brown's Children:
Ernest Porter Brown b. 25 Dec 1875, Ogden; md. Hedvig Elizabeth Garff 24 Sep 1902 Logan, Cache, Utah; d. 19 July 1909 Ogden
Frances Lulu Brown b. 6 April 1877, Ogden; md.(1) Jesse F. Brown SLC, md.(2) John O'Neil 7 Nov 1901; d. 21 Feb 1939
Myrtle Brown b. 13 Dec 1878,Ogden,; md. Robert Joseph Schultz 25 Nov 1913, 2 children; d. 6 Sep 1952
Florence Brown b. 8 April 1880 Ogden; md. Richard Isaac Mills 8 Apr 1921, 4 children; d. 26 Feb 1962
Dr. Archie Lee Brown b. 27 Feb 1884 Ogden, md.(1)Florence Rozella Thorne 12 Apr 1909 SLC, 10 children; md(2) Ethel Carlston 25 Sep 1938; d. 19 Sep 1953 SLC
 Dr. Archie Lee Brown 1884-1953
Ora Dean Brown b. 27 Aug 1885 Ogden; md.(1) Emily Olivia Jensen 8 Apr 1915, one child; md.(2) Mary Ethel Carlston 26 Jan 1955, SLC (Archie's widow?); d.20 Aug 1968
Bernice Brown b. 7 Dec 1890 Ogden; md. William O. Erickson 21 Nov 1912; d. 29 Sept 1950{52}
Moroni served and completed four missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first was to England where he was President of the Manchester Conference. On this mission he introduced Ben E. Rich into the missionary work being his first conference president. A warm friendship was formed between them that lasted while they lived.
In Moroni's seventy-fourth year he was called as a special counselor to President Ben E. Rich of the Eastern States Mission which was the most outstanding and enjoyable experience of his life.
In Moroni's early days doctors were an almost unknown quantity and people were obliged to resort to Almanac remedies and old women's herb concoctions and superstitions. Neighbors helped each other. Moroni Brown, who had above the average in self-obtained education and initiative, was in constand demand when a tooth need to be pulled and pulled it was. He had some forceps with which he did his best, to the terror of the patient. When smallpox raged, he would vaccinate everone free of cost, taking the serum from one arm to another patient. He did his doctoring gratis. His only desire was to be helpful. Had circumstances been favorable in those early days, I am sure he would have been a doctor of medicine of the very best kind.
[When men in the Church who had polgamous wives were imprisoned in the penitentiary, Moroni Brown served six months as a prisoner [beginning on May 15, 1885, released on January 13, 1886] and paid a $300 fine.
Polygamist Prisoners at Utah Penitentiary on August 12, 1885
(1) F.A. Brown, (2 )Freddy Self, (3) Moroni Brown, (4) Amos Milton Musser,
(5)Geo. H. Kellog, (6) Parley P. Pratt, (7) Rudgar Clawson, (8) Job Pingree
Photo contributed by Erold Clark Wiscombe
On July 30, 1892 in the Fourth District Court, at Ogden, the cases of many person charged with polygamy, adultery, and unlawful cohabitation, were dismissed, on motion of U. S. Marshall Eli H. Parson, who reported that it ws impossible to secure evidence sufficient to justify a conviction, Moroni was among this group of men..]
Moroni's church activities were varied and many. He was Superintendent of the 1st Ward, Ogden Sunday Schools for twenty-five years and was Senior President of th 76th Quorum of Seventies at the time of his death which occurred on August 14, 1916.
Moroni's outstanding characteristics were firmness, loyalty, and a strong determination to do his duty as he saw it.
After the death of her husband, Frances maintained her old home in Ogden for many years. During this time her second daughter, Myrtle Brown [Schultz], lost her husband [Robert Joseph Schlutz, date?, had two children] and came home to live with her mother. They kept up the old home until 1933 when she and Myrtle disposed of the home and moved to Salt Lake City. Here they maintained a small apartment near the Temple Block so that Myrtle could devote her time and attention to genealogy and temple work. After several years in this apartment the health of both Frances and Myrtle failed and it became necessary for them to move into the home of another daughter, Florence Brown Mills [married Richard Isaac Mills, Jr. in 1921], where she continued to live until the day she, Frances Mariah Porter Brown, died, September 19, 1938. Her funeral was conducted at the White Chapel Mortuary, Salt Lake CIty, and the body was taken to Ogden where short services were held at the gravesite after which she ws buried in the Ogden City Cemetery by the side of her husband, Moroni Brown.
Sources:
PAF - Archer files = Captain James Brown + (1) Martha Stephens > Moroni Brown
PAF - Archer files = Captain James Brown + (7) Phoebe Abigail Abbott > Orson Pratt Brown
Brown Book of Remembrance written by Hattie Critchlow Jensen and Loella Brown Tanner prior to 1948.
Additional research and corrections by Erold Clark Wiscombe.
[Bracketed], bold, corrections, additions, and photos added by Lucy Brown Archer
See Other version: "Moroni Brown" written by his daughter Florence Brown Mills probably using Hattie Jensen's writings.
Copyright 2001 www.orsonprattbrown.com
Moroni Brown c. 1880
Photo from Erold C. Wiscombe
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