Matthew A. Brown, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Matthew A. Brown
MATTHEW A. BROWN was born in Morgan Township, Purter County, Indiana, on November 29, 1864, the son of John and Sarah (Brown) Brown, both of whom were natives of Laporte County and settled in Porter County in 1848. They engaged in farming at what is known as the White Settlement in Morgan Township. The maternal grandfather was Rawsel Brown, and his marriage was to Miss Hayden. They came to Porter County in the early '80s and were well known in an earlier period. The paternal grandparents were John and Merion Brown of Glasgow, Scotland. Matthew A. Brown was one of seven children born to his parents, of whom he was the fourth in order of birth. The others are: John, formerly of Harvey, Illinois; William, for a number of years engaged in the hotel business; Mary, wife of M. J. Beach; Adam J., of Harvey, Illinois; George, who was killed by lightning October 15, 1878; and Louise, who died in infancy.
Matthew A. Brown attended the grade schools of Valparaiso, and shortly after leaving school was employed by the Powell Brothers Woolen Mills, and in 1884 began employment with a brother-in-law, M. J. Beach, in the plumbing business, where he remained eleven years. Leaving this association in 1895, he entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railroad, and in June of the same year he became a member of the Valparaiso police department, serving from 1898 to 1902. After a short absence from police duties, he again joined the Valparaiso department and in 1900 was appointed city marshal and chief of police. He served in this office until 1910, when he entered the service of the Street Railway Company, remaining in that service for one year. He then again joined the department of police, his entire service in this respect covering a period of twenty-five years.
His marriage was with Emma Podell, daughter of Richard and Emma (Fetter) Podell of Winamac, Indiana, and to this union were born three sons: Clarence R., who is cashier of the First National Bank of Gary; Floyd, ticket agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Gary; and Gerald, a student in Valparaiso. Matthew A. Brown is a member of the Fraternal Aid Union, and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Having had two sons in the WorId war service, he takes pardonable pride in postwar affairs; Clarence saw service in the Marine Corps for nineteen months overseas, and Floyd was a member of the Coast Artillery. Mr. Brown's father was also a valiant soldier, having served with Company B, One Hundred Fifty-first Indiana Infantry, for sixteen months.
Source: Cannon, Thomas H., H. H. Loring, and Charles J. Robb. 1927. History of the Lake and Calumet Region of Indiana Embracing the Counties of Lake, Porter and Laporte. Volume II. Indianapolis, Indiana: Historians' Association. 827 p.
Page(s) in Source: 250-251
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook