Spotlight on: Junius Earl Brown

Junius Earl Brown

12 May 1893 MS - 11 Jan 1955 WA

Son of Jasper Pascal Brown & Rose E Brumfield

Husband of Armetha Blades

Father of 2 sons

My Great Uncle

Brother of my Grandfather, Roy Jessie Brown

'Ora' & Junius

Junius Earl Brown was born 12 May 1893 in Osyka, Pike County, Mississippi.[i]He married Armetha and they had two sons: Joseph Pershing Brown and Everett Earl Brown.[ii]

            Fortunately my father, Delbert Keith Brown, referred to his uncle as “Uncle June”. Searching for records under both the names Junius and June turned up many results. He can be found in Mississippi and Louisiana. 

            The World War I draft card described Junius as “farmer, medium tall, brown eyes, black hair.”[iii]

In 1930 the family lived next door to his parents. Junius rented a farm. Their son, Everett, who was ten years old, lived at home.[iv]

For Thanksgiving 1945, Junius and his wife; his niece, Thiry Brown; his nephew, Bernarr; his son, Everett and wife, were all together at the home of Junius’ son, Joseph and his wife. They gathered in the Progress, MS area.[v]

Mr. and Mrs. Everett Brown, Mr. and Mrs. June Brown, Miss Thiry Brown and Bernard Reynolds were Thanksgiving guests in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe E. Brown.[vi]

Junius can be found in several states. According to Ivy R. (Mark) Brown, Junius and family lived with them in Rittman, Ohio “for a while.” Ivy was married to Roy Jesse Brown, brother of Junius.[vii]It is unknown precisely when they lived in Ohio. However, in 1945 Junius’ son, Everett Earl Brown, was living in Akron, OH and was employed as a ‘Rubber worker’.  On 8 July 1945 Everett married Maxine Bissell, daughter of Otha Bissell and Ruby McMillian.[viii]There are also references to this Brown family living in or, at least visiting, California, Arizona, Idaho and Washington.

In April and May 1946 Junius and his wife were in California.

Mr. and Mrs. June Brown returned recently [to Progress, Pike, MS] after spending several weeks in California.[ix]

In 1948 Junius was in Arizona.

June Brown returned recently from Arizona to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jap Brown.[x]

            In June 1950 Junius and his wife must have been living in Mississippi because the funeral services for his father “were held at the home of a son, June Brown.”[xi]In October 1950 Junius and his wife went to Idaho.

            Mr. and Mrs. June Brown have gone to Moscow, Idaho to visit a son of Mrs. Brown.[xii]

         Junius Earl Brown died 11 January 1955 in Washington. The obituary mentions him living in Idaho and Washington.

Funeral is Today for Former Resident. Kellogg, Idaho, Jan. 13 – Funeral services for Junius E. Brown, 61, retired Clarkston, Wash. Carpenter and former Kellogg resident, who died in Spokane Tuesday, will be held in McGlade Chapel here at 3 p. m. Friday and burial will be in Greenwood cemetery. Brown’s survivors include the widow, Ora; two sons, Joe in New Orleans and Everett, Alko, Tenn., one brother and two sisters.[xiii]

            His son, Joseph Pershing Brown, died in 1993.

Joseph P. “Joe” Brown, 74 of the Progress Community, died March 5, 1993, at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb. Visitation will be until 12:30 pm today at Mr. Brown’s home at Route 4, Box 134, Magnolia. Funeral services will be at 2 pm today at Progress Baptist Church with the Rev. Billy Ray Simmons and the Rev. Wilton Miller officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Capps Funeral Home of Tylertown is in charge of arrangements. He also was preceded in death by his wife, Norma Rea McDaniel Brown, and one son, Joe Earl Brown. He is survived by two daughters, Aline Knippers and Kathy Fortenberry, both of Magnolia; one son, Robert “Mickey” Brown of Magnolia; one brother, Everett Brown of Spencer, W. Va.; 11 grandchildren, eight grandchildren and two nephews. Pall bearers will be George Simmons, Fay Smith, Robert Knippers, Edgar Knippers, Hollis Holmes, Hugh Brown and Willie Knippers.[xiv]

Do you know more about June?

Please reach out to me.

cgbp[at]nycap.rr.com

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[i]Banks, Ray, comp. World War I Civilian Draft Registrations. [database on-line] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000; Junius Earl Brown.

[ii]Brown Family Papers; 1700's to 1900's; Gathered by Rayleen Hall Brown from Various Family Members; in possession of author; Includes Alford, Brown, Dillon, Fortenberry, Kennington, Ott & Smith.

[iii]World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-18; ancestry.com; Junius Earl Brown.

[iv]1930 US Census, LA, Washington; ancestry.com; Junius Brown family.

[v]Progress (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 3 Dec 1945) 2; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[vi]Progress (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 3 Dec 1945) 2; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[vii]Interview with Ivy R. (Mark) Brown by author; September 1993; N.Y.

[viii]Marriage Record for Everett E. Brown and Maxine Bissell. 1945, Volume 102, #565 (Summit, OH). 

[ix]Progress News (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 9 May 1946) 4; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[x]Progress News (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 4 March 1948) 4; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[xi]McComb Enterprise-Journal. (15 June 1950 Retrieved February 4, 2017, from newspapers.com; page 3.

[xii]Progress News (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 3 Oct 1950) 6; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[xiii]Funeral is Today for Former Resident (Spokane, WA: The Spokesman Review, 14 January 1955) 28; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2020.

[xiv]Joseph P. Brown (McComb, MS: Enterprise-Journal, 7 March 1993) 12; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed February 2018.