The Children of John D Brown in the Newspapers

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

I don't think it is possible to stress how much information can be found in old newspapers, especially in the social news columns of the late 19th century and early 20th century. 

Newspaper editors knew back then that the way to sell newspapers was to report on local happenings. Bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and anniversaries were often reported in surprising detail. Those details, of course, were usually supplied by the participants themselves. 

The end result is that family researchers can glean interesting details about a family from these little articles and notices.

On 27 March 1888, John Deloss and Nancy (Johnson) Brown with three of their daughters attended the wedding of Clarence A McConkey and Grace Allan. They were among the handful of guests whose gifts were reported in the paper. The Brown's gifts seem to have been rather modest. John and Nancy have them a glass fruit stand, Viola Brown gave them a glass dish, and Florence and Kate Brown gave them a pair of towels. My guess is that Florence and Kate made the towels, which would have been the norm then and were often embroidered linen.

Some of these little articles are much more personal. For instance, the Brown children attended the Lincoln School in Nixon Township. Their final exams were administered in February of 1891, and their grades were reported to the newspapers for all to see! The girls had the highest grades: Kate with a 94 and Viola with a 93. Charles Brown had a respectable 84. Florence Brown was not included in this report because she was grown and married by this time. 

When school resumed in the fall of 1891, Viola Brown had the highest average in the fifth grade for the month of September.