Joseph was born on 12 October 1830 to Joseph and Mary Ann Brown in Preston, Lancashire, England. His wife, Jane Richmond Brown, was born in Preston on 1 April 1834. Click here to see all about Preston, England.

      Mr. Brown decided to be a paper hanger and plasterer, and so worked seven years as an apprentice to get a diploma before he could start out for himself. While doing this he met and wooed Jane. When she was eighteen years of age they were married on 20 Dec 1851 in Preston. Jane and her folks were staunch Catholics, but Joseph had joined the Mormon Church and was baptized when eight years of age. He being the first child to be baptized in that part of the country. His one great desire was to come to the Great Salt Lake.

      After they were married they lived with Jane's parents, so they could both work in the knitting factories in Preston. Two children were born to them. Mary Ann Brown, 5 Sep 1852, and Elizabeth Brown, 10 April 1854. Jane worked as long as she could before and would start again as soon as she was able. Her Mother took care of the children. Jane would go home to nurse them while the machines were stopped for oiling. When Joseph and Jane decided to come to America, her folks felt very bad. Joseph and Jane left England 27 February 1855, sailing on the good ship Sidney. They had their two daughters, Mary Ann and Elizabeth.

      While on the ship they became acquainted with a family named Robert Baxter and his wife Jane. They had a baby, Willard Baxter, who became sea blind and Mrs. Brown helped take care of him, which endeared the two families together. When they reached America, they went different ways. Several years later they met again in Wellsville, Utah and became very dear friends.

      Joseph had a brother Joshua, who had left home for the sea when young. They had never heard from him until this crossing of the ocean. One day the ship began to fill with water. All were praying that something could be done when a sailor offered his life if necessary, to repair the trouble. After it had been repaired, the people were thanking him. Joseph found out it was his brother Joshua who had been a sailor for twelve years. He came to America with them.

      The Sidney docked at New Orleans, which was then the important gateway into America's vast interior. Leaving the ship the immigrants boarded Mississippi River boats and moved up stream to St. Louis, Missouri, and thence on to the outfitting post at Mormon Grove (near Atchison), Kansas to prepare themselves for the three month's trek across the plains.

      Joshua and Joseph worked to buy a yoke of oxen, a wagon and a cow, with which to cross the plains. They came in an independent company of Mr. Jack P. Seriat's and arrived the year before the handcart company. They had some experiences with the Indians in the Black Hills, and suffered the hardships of pioneer life. Joseph worked at his trade of plastering while in Salt Lake City, while here two children were born, Jane Richmond Brown, 1836, and Joseph Brown, 1838.

      An old friend of Joseph's, Bill Showell, wrote him to come to Nebraska City, as a new city was being built, and they needed men of his trade. Click here to see Nebraska City the home of Arbor Day.

      On their arrival they were met and taken to the home of this friend. Joseph became ill with Mountain Fever, which lasted one year. Soon after he became ill, his little daughter [Jane] died, which made him, feel very badly. He was delirious for six weeks and did not know the death of his small daughter until Joseph ask for her and the doctor told him. This was a great sorrow for him. They had a hard time to get what they needed until he was able to work. When Joseph Ieft England he had a valuable seal skin suit, which later he old to obtain food for his family. Five children were born to them in Nebraska City, Joseph, Sarah, Joshua, Robert and Marinda.

      They rented a farm a few miles out and hired a man to run it while he worked at his trade. This man, George Ward, later married their second daughter Elizabeth. While on the farm another daughter, Margaret (Maggie), was born. He then purchased a farm at Red Cloud, Nebraska. Here his three sons worked. One child Luette was born here making eleven children born to them.

      While at this farm they had trouble with grasshoppers. They would come in a black cloud and completely cover the sun. Mr. Brown would take the children out, and they would fight the hoppers with sticks and sacks to keep them off the garden. After the hoppers had destroyed everything, they would move to another place. Brother Brown did well at his trade and they did not suffer through their destruction.

      His brother, Joshua, wrote him to come to Utah, as they were building two Temples, one in Salt Lake and another in Logan. Joseph's fine workmanship can be seen in the decorations in these two Temples, and in the homes of his daughter Sarah at Wellsville. He moved back do Wellsville in 1876, homesteading a farm southeast of town. His boys took care of the farm, while he continued to work. He died at the farm, 3 December 1893, of diabetes at the age of 63 and was buried in Wellsville Cemetery.

      Mother Jane Richmond Brown lived at the farm at the time the Mt. Sterling Ward was organized in 1891. It was on October 18, 1905 that she was baptized by Elder Robert Redford. Later the eleven children were sealed to their father and mother. Mother Brown's Grandmother lived to be 110 years of age. Her mother was 97 and her husband's mother was 96. After moving from the farm, she made her home with her son Joseph and his wife Fanny in Wellsville. Jane Richmond Brown died 11 June 1917 at the age of 86 years and was buried next to her husband..

                  Written by their daughter Sarah Brown Stoddard.

Descendants of Joseph and Jane still live on this corner in Wellsville

From the above corner you can see all the property Joseph and Jane had in their homestead in Wellsville.

From here ...

... To the hills.

Debbie Holtzendorff and Von R. Brown visited Wellsville Cemetery in 2007 to see their graves.