Moses Brown Su Vived His Brothers Many Years
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At R I s H s S held a meeting of the hode land i torical ociety , B . T uesda v n O 18 1892 A s J s LL. y e eni g, ctober , , ugu tine one , , P M s s B s read a aper on o e rown ; at the conclu ion of which , the m B . a ff M r. W s w s W . following re olution o ered by eeden , and , k E M r A s M . after highly complimentary remar s by . ma a aton and P s R s wa s s re ident oger , unanimou ly adopted R E SOL E D T h a ks S V , t the than of the ociety be , and are hereby t n l B . hi s s A s J s LL. s ab e pre ented to ugu i e one , , for and cholarly sk a n d s v s M s s B etch of the life er ice of o e rown , and that a copy s s v s S of the ame be reque ted for the archi e of the ociety , that it may s erve to honor and perpetuate the memory of on e of s s S was z the founder of thi ociety , who an eminent citi en of the S ffi s tate , and an e cient promoter of the cau e of education and of humanity . E x tract from the records . A M O S PE R R S ecre a ' , t ry . — NOT E Letters referred to in this document are nearly a l l in the C R l l S abinet of the hode Is and Historica ociety . MOSES B ROW N . Those gentle , unobtrusive people , who, without o f seeking the attention and applause men , have nevertheless contributed to their liberties and their education , and have assisted them to better food and clothing, are now beginning to receive that recognition and appreciation which , until recently , was reserved exclusively for politicians , martial - heroes , and demi gods . These are the true delvers who remove the obstacles from human progress . a re These the moral heroes It may be said , in * - There is more h eroism in s el f denial than in deeds of arms . S en eca . ” o f i s ' A Ma n ' l The true epic our times not rms and the , but Too s ” l k — a rl l e c C . and the Man , an infinite y wider ind of epi y The time wil l come when the science of destruction shal l bend before the arts of peace ; when the genius which mul tipl ie s our pow s f ers , which creates new product , which di fuses comfort and happiness th e a s l s h a l l l among great m s of the peop e , occupy , in the g enera k h k estimation of man ind , t at ran which reason and common sense i —A ra o now assign to t . g . of the trite words Swift, without detracting from ' a noble profession , that whoever can make two of a of ears corn , or two bl des grass , to grow upon of on e a spot ground where only grew before , will of do s deserve better mankind, and more es ential service to his country th a n the whole race of poli ” i i a n t c s put together . Industry, invention and education , have fitted out re fin e the cottage with comforts , luxuries and ments not possible until recently in the homes of un re princes . The humblest person by the most p n ow tending fireside, at a minimum cost, may of or study the wisdom the ancients , the marvel l f n ous achievements o his o w generation . The city of Providence, fortunate in its situa - tion at the head waters of Narragansett Bay , thrice fortunate in its birth of freedom and soul 16 3 6 liberty in , was most highly favored in the character and quality of its founders . But in all that group of sterling , famous men , W who were the colleagues of Roger illiams , not a bl e one was more , upright and spotless than the Rev . Chad Brown . And the descendants of that heavenly minded ma n have had greater influence upon the fortunes of this city than the offspring h li of any ot er man vmg or dead . w Moses Bro n , in direct lineage from Chad or Brown , was born in near Providence , Septem 7 23 173 8 ber , , and lived here until his death , Sep 6 1836 - tember , , almost ninety eight years . His long life covered nearly on e - half of the existence of then , both the colony and State . He was the o f youngest son James and Hope Brown . His o r brothers were Nicholas, Joseph and John , as tradition says , the colored servant called them ' M i ” os e . from their sports , Nickie , Josie , Jonnie , r Moses Brown su vived his brothers many years . h He left sc ool at thirteen , having lost his father, and went to live with his uncle , Obadiah Brown , 1764 whose daughter, Anna, he married , in . He received considerable property from his uncle , who made his share of his estate the same as that of either of his children . And a further sum also came to him by his marriage . This marriage was n a n d blessed by a so two daughters . The daughter W 1794 Sarah became the wife of illiam Almy , in , the other daughter died in infancy . His only son , 1822 of fift Obadiah Brown , died in , at the age y * two years , his father surviving him fourteen years . Obadiah Brown a n d William Almy were partners ' of with Samuel Slater, the Father American 1792 1822. Manufactures , thirty years , from to They manufactured the first pure cotton goods in i . this country , under the Arkwr ght invention * 28 7 XI V . S e e L W s Vol . etter of Noah orce ter , , p 8 The warps were previously linen . And Moses - . Brown was the foster parent of the enterprise . He exhibited in childhood that rare judgment , that fine quality of discrimination in men and things , which distinguished him through life . He took pride in old age in th e following illustra tive anecdote : A cargo of molasses was being dis d charge , and the children were allowed with their spoons and bright tin pails to catch the dripping molasses . A customer asked the merchant which k ' ' I ’ w ” was the best cas he had don t kno , he ' replied ; ask that little Mo- sas- us faced Moses ” ou Brown ; he will tell y . He was a Freemason , and , indeed , was secretary f 1 o 76 9 . the lodge eleven years, until Then was ' heard , as all through his life , Moses Brown will ” 17 0 . 6 be there at the hour He was, in , admitted f to be a freeman , with full privileges of su frage . It marks a change in customs and sentiment , 176 2 that he was authorized , in , to secure thirty thousand dollars , by lottery , to pave the streets of this city , and that he himself was a director in that lottery . It is not so remarkable , however, when we remember that the best people made use to or of such means raise money for churches , for w any other common good . It, ho ever, shows his public spirit . The Brown brothers were in partnership ten 9 176 3 years, from , and did a very large and suc f * ce s s ul business . n 1773 Moses Brown lost his wife , An a, in , when - f he was thirty five years o age . He married twice 1779 d afterwards ; first, Mary Olney, in , who ied 1798 1799 in , Phoebe Lockwood , in , who died in - of 1808 . The last twenty eight years his life he was unmarried . Moses Brown and Stephen Hopkins assisted of V Joseph Brown in observing the transit enus , 7 in 1 69 . This was done so accurately that the United States C oast Survey has since found the results very satisfactory . Joseph Brown expended five hundred dollars upon this observation , and n o the location is w called Transit street . Moses Brown had a special taste and aptitude for mathe e W mathi s , and , like George ashington , was an a of ccomplished surveyor land , and possessed an - elegant London made compass . 1769 This same year, , Moses Brown moved the of th e Assembly, wh ich he was a member, to have northern line of the State rectified . But Rhode Island had so long neglected her interests , that, although she contended one hundred and fifty years in all , she lost, and Massachusetts gained a district over one-fifth of the present size of Rhode * ' Increa s ed means and increa s ed lei s ure are the two c ivil i z ers of ” man . 10 a of Island . He was member the Committee which reported the line to the Assembly to be four miles north of the present boundary . He represented this town in the Assembly more 1764 than seven years from , at that period when bitter and strained relations began to exist between the colony and mother country . There was fierce W strife , also, between ard and Hopkins , and , although Hopkins was on e of his nearest and W dearest friends, and the ard faction had reason w to feel that his sympathies ere against them , yet, of with a full measure public confidence , he was - again and again re elected without opposition .