Napoleon Bonaparte Brown
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| Napoleon Bonaparte Brown | |
 Napoleon Bonaparte Brown
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| Born | 1834 [1] Illinois |
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| Died | June 1, 1910 St Joseph, MO, United States |
| Occupation | Businessman and Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Katherine Fitzgibbons(second wife)[2] |
| Children | Earl Van Dom Brown |
Napoleon Bonaparte Brown(1834 - March 18, 1910) was a soldier, businessman, philanthropist,Physician, politician, and resident of Kansas and Missouri in the late 1800s and early 1900s until he died on March 18, 1910.[2] He is most known as the namesake and builder of the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas, a majestic opera house completed in 1907 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theatre has been called "the most elegant theater between Kansas City and Denver."[2]
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[edit] Early life
Brown was named after Napoleon Bonaparte by his parents James & Nancy Brown. The 1850 Pike County, Illinois census gives his age as 16 at that time. A later census (1900) in Concordia, KS gives his birthdate as Oct 1833.[3] He appeared to have two siblings: a brother, Benjamin age 14; and a sister named May or Mary aged 11 listed in the census as well.[4] Later military records list his hometown as Concord, Illinois in neighboring Morgan County.[5] until he resigned on January 17, 1865[6]
[edit] Military career
"Colonel" Brown enlisted in the 101st Illinois Infantry on January 3, 1864 and given the rank of Major (United States). Major Brown served in "B" Company[5] until he resigned on January 17, 1865[7]--the very day the 101st crossed into South Carolina from Georgia under General William Tecumseh Sherman.[5] Cloud county records show that he was paid the pension ($25.00) of a major.[8] After he retired from the military, he "promoted himself" to the rank of Colonel.[9]
[edit] Business & Philanthropy
Colonel Brown served in the state legislatures for both Kansas and Missouri[9] and was a prominent banker in Kansas during its early years of development as the owner of N. B. Brown & Co., founded in 1878[10] with a rumored "suitcase full of money" that he had with him upon his arrival.[9] Colonel Brown and is wife Katherine (Katie) then built Brownstone Hall,[11] a 23-room Victorian-style 5,000 square foot stone mansion built in Concordia in 1883.[12]
In 1905, Colonel Brown commissioned the building of the Brown Grand Theatre and entrusted its completion to his son, Earl Van Dom Brown. The theatre was completed in 1907.
[edit] References
- ^ 1850 Pike County, Illinois census at the age of 16-son of James & Nancy Brown
- ^ a b c Brown Grand Theatre Ladies Parlor. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ 1900 Cloud County, Kansas Census
- ^ 1850 Pike County, Illinois Census
- ^ a b c “The One Hundred-First Illinois”, Jacksonville Daily Journal (Jacksonville, Illinois via Illinois in the Civil War), Sunday, May 30, 1909, <http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/cw101-news.html>. Retrieved on 29 February 2008
- ^ Roster of Field and Staff 101st Illinois Infantry. rootsweb.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Roster of Field and Staff 101st Illinois Infantry. rootsweb.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Cloud County KS GenWeb. | publisher = Blue Skyways at the Kansas State Library | accessdate = 2008-02-29 }}
- ^ a b c History of the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas. Brown Grand Theater. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Cutler, William G. (1883), History of the State of Kansas: Cloud County, Chicago, IL: A. T. Andreas, <http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/cloud/cloud-co-p2.html#CONCORDIA>
- ^ "Kansas Historical Notes" . Kansas History Off the Press 43 (Summer 1977): 112–120. Kansas State Historical Society.
- ^ Hatteberg, Larry (November 9, 2003). Hatteberg's People: Caroline Gocke. KAKE. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- Bell, Rachel Lowrey (1998a). A Proud Past... A Pictorial History of Concordia, Kansas, Marceline, Missouri: D-Books Publishing.
- Emery, Janet Pease (1970a). It Takes People to Make a Town, Salina, Kansas: Arrow Printing Company. Library of Congress number 75-135688.
