Sgt. Ebenezer Brown was born 6 December 1802 in Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, United States to William Brown (1766-1820) and Hannah Sweet (1774-1839) and died 26 January 1878 Draper, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Ann Weaver (1806-1842) 20 July 1823 in Dryden, Tompkins County, New York, United States. He married Phoebe Draper (1797-1879) 26 August 1842 in Pleasantville, Pike County, Illinois, United States. He married Elsie Samantha Pulsipher (1837-1877) 19 May 1853 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. He married Mary Elizabeth Wright (1837-1870) 29 October 1854 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States.
Biography
Ebenezer Brown was born in New York, December 6, 1802, the eighth child of William and Hannah Sweet Brown. The family moved to Crawford County, Pennsylvania where he spent much of his boyhood helping to dear heavily timbered land for farming.
On July 20, 1823 he married Ann Weaver by whom he had five children. He was baptized into the Latter-day Saints Church in 1835, and soon after, he with his family and a brother, William, came west with the Saints to Ohio and later to Missouri. Finally they settled in Quincy, Illinois where on the 20th of July, 1842 his wife died, leaving four children. Later he married a widow, Phoebe Draper Palmer.
Mormon Battalion Veteran
Participant in the march of The Mormon Battalion. This unit of the US Army served in the Mexican-American War and was the only religiously based infantry unit ever created by Presidential order. It consisted of nearly 500 men recruited exclusively from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormons). They undertook the longest infantry march in U.S. military history (as of 1847) and in the process marked out and creating the first continuous wagon road to California which linked the future states of New Mexico, Arizona, and California to the United States. Most members served an initial 12 month term (Jul 1846- Jul 1847) with some members re-enlisting for an additional 12 months afterwards.
Ebenezer Brown was among the five hundred men who answered the call of the Mormon Battalion. His wife, Phoebe, went along with them as laundress. His eldest daughter was married and the boys, Guernsey, Norman and John were left in her care. He was Second Sergeant in Company A.
After enduring the pangs of hunger and thirst, footsore from walking many miles without covering for their feet, making roads and building bridges as they went, they at last reached their destination. Gold having been found in California, he, with others, stayed there to work to get means to come on to Salt Lake. He arrived in Salt Lake the latter part of 1849 and found his family here to meet him.
1st Settler in Draper Utah
Meantime, Ebenezer's oldest son Gurnsey at age 22, together with his 19 year old sister, Harriet, and her husband Oliver Stratton, brought the family (Gurnsey's brothers, Norman 15, John Weaver 9, and Phebe's children) across the plains with the Willard Richards Wagon Company of 1848.
They met their father in Salt Lake in 1849. The cattle herd they had brought across the plains were taken south of Salt Lake for feed. Ebenezer and his family took up land south of Salt Lake City on what was called Willow Creek They built the first house in Draper in 1850.
First Settlers of Draper. Ebenezer Brown 1801-1878. Phebe Draper Palmer Brown 1797-1879. They arrived in 1849 after serving as members of The Mormon Battalion. This was part of their original homestead and site of the Draper Fort. Donated by the families and friends of George and Phebe Draper Palmer, Ebenezer and Ann Weaver Brown, Ebenezer and Elsie Samantha Pulsipher Brown, Ebenezer and Mary Elizabeth Wright Brown.
Statue (pictured) of Ebenezer and Phebe is placed at Fort Draper in their honor.Sculptured by Jason Millward. Dedicated July 23, 2001.
In 1850 they came to Draper, then called South Willow Creek, where he built the first home. He was also the first postmaster and served in the first bishopric. He passed away January 26, 1878 a faithful and fearless Latter-day Saint leader.
Marriage & Family
1st Marriage: Ann Weaver
Anne Weaver married Ebeneezer Brown as his first wife 23 July 1823 when he was 20 and she had not quite reached her 17th birthday. She lived in Etna and he in the ancient settlement of Willow Glen which is now part of Dryden Village.
Married Ann Weaver (1806-1842) in 1824 and moved with him to Illinois. She died in the same year as her last child. Daughter Ann was married and help care for her brothers when her father and new wife traveled west with the Mormon Battalion
- Joseph Gurnsey Brown (1824-1907) - married 16 year old Harriet Maria Young, the daughter of Lorenzo Dow and Persis Goodall Young. Later a rescuer of Willie Handcard company and married one of the young ladies in that group. Later missionary to England and called to settle the Moapa Valley.
- Harriett Ann Brown (1826-1871)
- Norman Brown (1830-1921)
- John Weaver Brown (1837-1860)
- Ann Brown (1842-1842)
2nd Marriage: Phebe Draper
Anne had been ill for quite some time (in 1842), to care for her Phoebe Draper (1797-1879) came to live at the Brown home. Phebe was a widow of Mr Palmer and mother of four children and sister of Ebenezer's friend Willaim Draper. She traveled with him in the Mormon Battalion. She had several children from her prior marriage, but none with Ebenezer.
3rd Marriage: Elsie Pulsipher
Elsie Samantha Pulsipher (1837-1877) - born to the famous Pulsipher LDS Family at Kirland Ohio
4th Marriage: Mary Wright
Mary Elizabeth Wright (1837-1870) - English Immigrant
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Joseph Gurnsey Brown (1824-1907) | 8 November 1824 Dryden, Tompkins County, New York, United States | 7 January 1907 Kanab, Kane County, Utah, United States | Harriet Maria Young (1834-1928) Esther Brown (1832-1881) Lovina Manhard (1838-1918) |
| Harriett Ann Brown (1826-1871) | |||
| Norman Brown (1830-1921) | |||
| John Weaver Brown (1837-1860) | |||
| Ann Brown (1842-1842) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ebenezer Brown (1854-1859) | |||
| Samantha Ann Brown (1856-1859) | |||
| Clarissa Brown (1859-1932) | |||
| David Pulsipher Brown (1861-1943) | |||
| Joseph Brown (1863-1865) | |||
| Eunice Brown (1865-1950) | |||
| Hyrum Brown (1867-1949) | |||
| Zina Diantha Brown (1869-1956) | |||
| Priscilla Brown (1872-1879) | |||
| Elisha Brown (1874-1925) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| William Wright Brown (1856-1941) | |||
| George Wright Brown (1858-1932) | |||
| Mary Elizabeth Brown (1859-1917) | |||
| Franklin Brown (1862-1862) | |||
| Julietta Brown (1864-1868) | |||
| Alfred Brown (1866-1866) | |||
| Chester Brown (1868-1868) | |||
| James Edward Brown (1870-1940) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elizabeth Brown (1792-1842) | |||
| William Brown (1795-1839) | |||
| Hannah Brown (1797-1889) | |||
| Polly Brown (1799-1847) | |||
| Ebenezer Brown (1802-1878) | 6 December 1802 Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, United States | 26 January 1878 Draper, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | Ann Weaver (1806-1842) Phoebe Draper (1797-1879) Elsie Samantha Pulsipher (1837-1877) Mary Elizabeth Wright (1837-1870) |
| Cornelia Brown (1803-1853) | |||
| Artemicia Brown (1805-1875) | |||
| Elisha Brown (1809-1877) | |||
| Priscilla Brown (1815-) | |||