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From: <>
Subject: [BROWN-L] Thomas Brown, KY
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 14:36:14 -0400

The following information was copied from Henry P. Scalf's collection on
file at Allara Library at Pikeville, KY.
It was previous published a eastern Kentucky newspaper.

Floyd County Historical Notes
by Henry P. Scalf

In 1789 Nathaniel and Thomas C. Brown came to Kentucky and settled in what
was then Fleming County. The Brown brothers in a few years moved to Floyd
County settling near the mouth of Paint Creek. Little is know of Nathaniel
but his brother, Thomas C. was active in early Floyd county affairs. There
was another Thomas Brown who settled in the present Shelby county. For a
contribution on this Thomas Brown of Shelby we are indebted to the
serialized memoirs of Mrs. Sarah Posey Brown in the Shelby News,
Shelbyville, KY, entitled "Down Memory's Lane". A strong inference exists
that all three were of the same Brown family. The excerpt from Mrs. Brown's
memories follows:

"Another story of the early history of Shelbyville came to me through my
husband. His grandfather, Thomas Brown, emigrated to America from Ireland
when a young man and entered the mercantile business in the city of
Philadelphia where he remained for several yeas. While there he became
acquainted with several "western" merchants. From them he obtained such
glowing accounts of Kentucky and the large profits to be made in selling
goods in that "western" state that he left Philadelphia for Kentucky with a
stock of goods which was hauled in wagons to Pittsburgh and from thence
transported in keel or flat boats down the river to Westport, Kentucky."

"In 1910 he moved his goods back thirty miles to the village of
Shelbyville. While living in Shelbyville, he walked early one morning out
to Clear Creek which flows along the foot of the hill upon which
Shelbyville is situated."

"Now while sauntering this creek's margin, he heard from just around the
point of a hill a noise and outcry as if from someone in trouble. He
hastened to the spot and found a young man (I forget his name) engaged in a
life and death struggle with a deer, a two year old buck, which had with
feet and horns cut the man so badly that he could render no help to Brown.
Brown tackled the deer; it was a long and obstinate fight. During the
struggle, however, the buck go so close to the man lying on the ground that
he grabbed it's leg. This delayed the fight until Brown could open his
knife with which he succeeded in killing the animal."

Judith Tickel Need

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