Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas) Page: 182
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story told to one of his daughters later in life
stated, "Before the Civil War, my father sent
me to the prairie with a herd of horses to graze
and I boarded with my future wife's parents,
Christian and Johannah Canuteson. At the
time, I did not notice her as she seemed so
much a child. I was seven years older."
As this area was a community of Norwegian
emigrants, very few of them could speak or
understand the English language. When the
Civil War broke out and Texas became a part
of the Confederacy, enlistment and conscrip-
tion began. Many Norwegian boys and men
were mustered in to occupational work that
did not require a knowledge of English. The
war was well under way and Martin Brown
wanted to enlist, especially since Capt.
Herndon, a brave soldier from his home town
and a man for whom he had worked, was
commanding a company and had asked him
to enlist when he was old enough. Martin was
so insistent that Capt. Herndon secured him
a job in a gun factory at Tyler. For about one
year Martin worked at this place until an
accident happened that blew off a part of a
finger. He became so ill from infection, they
put him in a hospital. Recuperating, he
returned to the family at Brownsboro. When
he was well, he determined to rejoin Capt.
Herndon's company which was stationed at
Velasco on Coastal Defense Guard Duty.
According to War Department records, he
enlisted as Private, 2nd Company D, 13th
Texas Infantry, C.S.A. in October, 1864. He
served on Coastal Defense until the war
ended in 1865. After being discharged, he and
others walked all the way back to Brownsbo-
ro.
Back home, there was nothing for him to
do. He became restless and took a notion to
travel. Having heard of a company that was
hiring men to work, taking cattle and horses
to California, Martin hiring on with this
company for work and also adventure. After
many experiences, they arrived in San Fran-
cisco, the end of the drive. Martin secured
work in a bakery for a time, then drifted on
to Stockton, California, fifty miles away.
From there he went to St. Louis, and then
back to Texas. It is supposed that on his way
back to Brownsboro, he stopped at the home
of his former neighbors, the Canutesons, then
living near Clifton. Renewing acquaintance
with the family, Martin became interested in
Helen, the girl grown up since leaving
Brownsboro.
Martin married Helen in 1870 and they
moved back to Henderson County and lived
there until 1879. Four children were born
there. In 1879 they returned to Bosque
County where they lived in the Turkey Creek
community until 1881. At that time the
Browns moved to the Bee Creek-Harmony
area and farmed. In 1919 they moved to
Meridian where they resided until their
deaths, Martin in 1933 and Helen in 1942.
To this union fourteen children were born:
(1) Mary, married Oscar Anderson, (2)
Charlie or C.A., married Cora Bronstad, (3)
Julius, married Emma Erickson, (4) Andry
Helen, married John M. Jenson, (5) Chris,
married Opal ?, (6) James, married Josie
Olson, (7) Oscar, married Clara Olson, (8)
Abraham, bachelor, (9) Josephine, married
Jewel A. Lindberg, (10) Alfred, married Ruth
Erickson, (11) Ophelia, married Jerry
Tidwell, (12) Alice, married Johnny Beach,
(13) Corniel, married Lucille Raley, and (14)
Ruth, married Asbury Hardwick.
182Martin and Helen were married 63 years
and at the time of her death, all fourteen
children were living. At this writing, three
daughters survive: Ophelia, 92; Alice, 91, and
Ruth, 86. Both Martin and Helen, who
reached the ages of 89 and 90, respectively,
are buried in the Norse Cemetery of Our
Savior's Lutheran Church.
by Odis R. (Happy) Jenson
BROWN, MILTON C. FAMILYn.
fI
Milton Brown Family: Milton, Lottie, Dorothy
Ann, Milton, Jr.
Milton Clyde Brown, son of Charley and
Cora Bronstad Brown, was born in Clifton in
1903. He began public and Sunday schools in
Clifton In 1913, the Brown Family moved to
a farm in the Harmony community. After
grade school, Milton went to Clifton Lu-
theran Academy, graduating in 1922. Tennie
Lottie Huse, daughter of T.L. and Selia
Tergerson Huse, was born on the "Huse
Mountain" in the Norse community in her
grandparents' home. When she was three
months old, her parents moved to their own
farm in the Mustang community, where
Lottie attended the local rural school and
later the Clifton College Academy.
Milton and Lottie married in 1924 and
moved to Gary, Indiana.There their daugh-
ter, Dorothy Ann, was born Christmas Eve,
1925. They returned to Bosque County in
1926 and lived with the C.A. Browns until
they eventually bought their own farm next
door. Milton and Lottie were both active in
church and community work.
Milton Jr. (Mickey) was born on the farm
in 1931. This was the time of Depression, so
the modest home was largely furnished with
hand-me-downs from both families. Conse-
quently, Mickey was born in the bed his
Great-Grandfather Huse died in.
Both children attended Harmony School
until it closed in 1939. Milton drove the
Clifton School bus and worked at the Purina
Feed Store while school was in session. Afterfarming for 16 years, the Browns moved to
Clifton. Milton continued working at Purina
Feed until he accumulated 21 years of service.
By this time the children had left home.
Milton purchased the Crossroads Grocery
and Station, where they lived for four years.
In 1974, they moved back to their house in
Clifton.
Meanwhile, daughter, Dorothy Ann, grad-
uated from Clifton High in 1943, Clifton Jr.
College in 1945, North Texas State Univer-
sity in 1947, and Peabody College for Teach-
ers (Masters) in Nashville, Tenn. in 1951. For
13 years, she taught in these Texas High
Schools: Morgan, Stamford, Itasca and La-
mar Consolidated. She now lives in Seguin
where she is active in all phases of school,
church and community affairs. She has had
several poems and short articles published,
and a book, 'We Sing to Thee', a story of
Clifton College. Dorothy taught at Clifton
College (1952-54), Texas College (1967-
1969), and Texas Lutheran College for the
past 20 years. She served two fall semesters
as exchange professor at Concordia Lutheran
College in Austin and has taught special
courses at Randolph AFB.
Mickey graduated a total of ten times,
always graduating with cum laude honors and
usually in the top three of his class. He is
presently awaiting his Ph.D. in Professional
Psychology. He received his Degree in The-
ology from the Lutheran Seminary, St. Paul,
Minn. in 1957. He served his internship in
Grace Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C.
There he met and married Hildegaard Luise
Hinck from Long Island, N.Y. Mickey served
as Chaplain in the Army for 21 years, with
two hitches in Germany and one in Vietnam.
He is retired from the Army and employed
by Washington State Hospital in Steilacoom,
Washington as a psychologist.
Mickey and Hildy have four daughters:
Kristin Luise (1957), married Greg Hahn,
who will receive his Ph.D. from the Univer-
sity of California in 1984. Kim Marie (1958),
like her sister Kristin, graduated from Pacific
Lutheran College. Kara Lee (1960) also
attended P.L.U. and is now with her hus-
band, Richard Brown, in Seoul, Korea. He
graduated from the University of Wash-
ington in Seattle. Richard is employed by
Clark Hatch Physical Fitness Center. Kelly
Ann (1967), a junior in high school, is still at
home. Her interests include horses. She has
won many trophies for both riding and
jumping.
This has been a busy family. Lottie has
done a variety of things. Active in chur-
chwork, she served as president of the Iowa
District of W.M.F. two years, held two offices
in Bosque County T.B. Association, helped
collect city taxes for two years, and chaired
the committee that founded the Nellie
Pederson Civic Library. Milton and Lottie
both taught Sunday School for more than 20
years. Their world travels included the Holy
Land, Egypt, the Orient and Europe where
they visited relatives in Norway. Dorothy has
traveled extensively in the United States.
Mickey's family accompanied him to Europe
and throughout the United States. So you
see, The MIlton C. Brown family has spread
its wings to many places from Bosque County
roots.
by Lottie Huse Brown..
a:
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Bosque County History Book Committee. Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas), book, 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91038/m1/198/?q=campbell: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.