Event

1801

Sept 30

Captain James Brown is born to James Brown and Mary Williams at Rowan County, N.C. of Scot-Irish descent. He had seven older siblings, Susan, Jane, Mary, Nancy, Obedience, Patsy, William, and a younger brother, Daniel.

1819

Starts teaching school in Rowan County, NC at age 18

1823

March 2

1^st wife - Married Martha Stephens age 17

Served as constable and sheriff in Rowan County, NC

1831

CJB moved to Illinois

May 18

Phoebe Abigail Abbott born at Hornellsville, Steuben County, NY to Stephen Joseph Abbott and Abigail Smith

1838

Spring

Capt. James Brown and Martha Stephens Brown baptized in the Mormon Church by local missionaries Jacob Foutz, Tarlton Lewis and David Evans.

Mormons were being driven out of Missouri at the time.

CJB built in a saw mill and a grist mill on the Skunk River near Augusta, Iowa

1840

Sept 28

Martha Stephens dies in Illinois while giving birth to ninth child, Moroni Brown

1841

Jan 25

2^nd wife - Married Susan Foutz age 18 in Adams County, Ill by Ezekiel Roberts

1842

Summer

Moved to Nauvoo

August 18

2^nd wife Susan Foutz dies at age of 19 from consumption or from childbirth of Alma a couple weeks before her death. Alma died 3 weeks later.

Nov 20

3^rd wife - Married the widow Ester Jones (Raptor or Roper) age 31 in Nauvoo, Ill. by Stephen Abbott. Met while on one of his missions.

1843

Oct 19

CJB best friend, Stephen Abbott catches pneumonia while on a mission in Wisconsin, He had been floating logs to earn money to send to his family in Nauvoo, he died on this date. Stephen left wife Abigail Smith Abbott and eight children.

1844

CJB on mission in North Carolina

June 27

Joseph and Hyrum Smith are martyred. CJB and his brother Daniel, take their rifles and headed to Missouri to kill Gov. Boggs. Rode all night then prayed, answer: "Vengeance is mine and I will repay. Return to your homes in peace."

1845

 Jan. 10

4^th wife - Married first polygamous wife, divorcee, Sarah Steadwell (Wood) age 31 in Nauvoo, Ill.

1846

Feb 8

5^th wife - Married his second polygamous wife, the widow Abigail Smith Abbott age 40 (had eight children by Stephen Abbott).

Spring

CJB and families are in Winter Quarters, Nebraska.

July 16

6^th wife - Married widow Mary McRee Black age 27 (had five children by Charles Black) and on the same day CJB was inducted into the U.S. Army. President Polk had declared war on Mexico. (New bride Mary Black Brown, her surviving child 5 year old George David Black, and two of CJB's sons by Martha Stephens, Alexander Brown (20) and Jesse Stowell Brown (18) marched over 3,000 miles with James during his command of Company "C" of the Mormon Battalion)

October

By the time the Battalion arrived at Santa Fe, New Mexico, many of them were sick. The sick ones were unable to continue on to California. They were discharged and Captain James Brown was put in charge over them and they wintered in Pueblo.

1847

July 29

CJB, Mary McRee, their three sons, and the Mormon Battalion Company "C" reaches the Great Salt Lake Valley five days after Brigham Young declares, "This is the right place."

1848

August 8

Brigham Young gives CJB Power of Attorney for the Mormon Church to go to Sacramento to collect the money owed to the battalion members from Paymaster Rich. CJB traveled with Gilbert Hunt, John Fowler, Abner Blackburn, William Criddle, Lysander Woodworth, Henry Fauls, James S. Brown, Sam Brannan and two of his sons Alexander and Jesse Brown. While at Sutter's Fort, CA a miner rushed in from the hills yelling "thar's gold in them thar hills." This was to be the beginning of the Gold Rush to California.

Winter

Winter set in before their return and they suffered terribly and nearly starved to death. The last few days they subsisted upon soup made by boiling the buckskin and leather from their saddles.

Winter

As CJB traveled northward around the Great Salt Lake he met Miles Goodyear. When CJB returned from California Brigham Young commenced helping CJB to purchase cabins and land from Miles Goodyear. CJB used his own funds, which were augmented by Church authorized battalion funds. The deed was said to cover all the land from the mouth of Weber Canyon, following the base of the mountain north to the Utah Hot Springs, then it went west to the Salt Lake along the shore to the point opposite Weber Canyon, then back east to the canyon. It included all the cabins, 75 goats, 75 cattle, 12 sheep, and 6 horses. Purchase price $1959.00 (some say $3,000), and was named Brownsville after CJB. The land was open to colonization without cost to the settlers. CJB retained only 200 acres for himself and his family. He moved into a hut formerly occupied by Jim Bridger on the Weber River.

1849

Feb 14

Brownsville Ward formed, CJB named Bishop.

CJB built two toll bridges, one over the Weber River, another over the Ogden River. He acted as assessor and collector of Weber Co.

1850

October 17

7^th wife - Married Phoebe Abigail Abbott age 19, daughter of Stephen and Abigail Abbott, at Ogden, UT. CJB is thirty years senior to her.
5^th wife Abigail and CJB separate due to CJB marriage to her daughter Phoebe.

1851

August 22

CJB and Phoebe's first child is born, Stephen Abbott Brown at Ogden, Weber, UT

Elected member of first Territorial Legislature

April 7

Elected member of City Council

1852

CJB called on a mission to British Guinea but due to extreme prejudice were not allowed to go, spent first part of mission in Panama. Later he went to New Orleans, then on to New York where he served as Emigration Agent for saints moving west to join Zion.

1853

Dec 22

CJB and Phoebe's son Stephen Abbott Brown died at age of 1 1/2 years

1854

Dec 26

8^th wife - Married widow Cecelia Henrietta Cornu (Robellez or Robellaz) age 29 (Charles Francois Robellez). Two sons born to this union.

1855

Feb 7

9^th wife - Married Mary Wollerton age 41. No children from this union.

CJB returned from mission in New York and into another term in the Territorial Legislature. Served for eight years.

October

CJB and Phoebe's second child is born, Phoebe Adelaide Brown at Ogden, Weber, UT

1856

Feb 17

10^th wife - Married Darthula Catherine Shupe between 18 and 22. No children from this union.

Sept 7

11^th wife - Married Lavinia Mitchell age 19. No children from this union.

1857

August 24

Deeded over to the church 12 Ogden lots

1859

September

12^th wife - Married widow Harriet Wood (Yancey) age 25. No children from this union.

1861

Sept 22

13^th wife - Married Maria Mitchell age 18. No children from this union.

1863

May 22

Orson Pratt Brown is born in Ogden, Utah to CJB and Phoebe Abigail Abbott Brown.

Sept - mid

At the pulpit of the Ogden Tabernacle, CJB stated, "Within a week I 'm going on a mission. I do not know whether it will be in the states, to England, or up here in the city cemetery, I am going."

Sept 25

CJB's shirtsleeve became caught in the gears of his molasses mill, then the huge cogs pulled in his arm. After regaining his balance he pulled his arm free with most of the muscles ripped from it. Gangrene quickly set in and he suffered in extreme pain till his death five days later. He told visiting friends, "Why this suffering doesn't compare with that of our Master, why should I complain, I go with the knowledge and understanding that I will continue in this great work of the Master, whom I have learned to know and love, our Savior, Jesus Christ."

Sept 30

CJB died on his sixty second birthday. Orson was only four months old.

1866

October 9

Phoebe Abbott Brown married Colonel William Nicol Fife in Ogden, UT. The following year on the November 2, 1867 her younger sister Cynthia also married Fife.

1877

Jan 16

9^th wife Mary Woolerton Brown died.

1882

Sept 14

8^th wife Cecelia Henrietta Cornu Robellez Brown died.

1889

July 23

5^th wife Abigail Smith Abbott died. Buried in Willard Cemetery, UT.

1893

March 18

4^th wife Sarah Steadwell Woods Brown Sprague LaBaron died.

1906

Nov 2

6^th wife Mary McRee Black Brown died. Mary is buried on the lot with her husband, Capt. James Brown in the Ogden City Cemetery.

1914

January 9

Phoebe Abigail Abbott Brown died and is buried at Thatcher, Graham County, Arizona

1923

Feb. 19

13^th wife Maria Mitchell died.

1947

July 29

At the 100-year anniversary since CJB brought a band of emigrants to the present site of Ogden, Utah, a monument was erected to the memory of CJB in Mayor Lorin Farr City Park in Ogden, Utah. The monument was created from polished granite with two bronze plaques containing a brief history of this great Mormon leader. As part of the celebration it was planned to have the Miles Goodyear cabin removed from Tabernacle Park to City Hall Square. In 1848 CJB purchased the cabin, the first Ogden dwelling. At the dedication of the monument, Mayor of Ogden, David S. Romney, stated," We are here to honor and salute a great American…one of whom the county is going to hold you responsible if you don't preserve the memory of those who made it possible to live in peace and prosperity under the stars and stripes."