In the course of doing genealogy research, I sometimes come across things that don’t directly relate to our family history, but have a certain appeal that I think is worth sharing. In other words, I’m posting this because I like it!
One of the resources I have found for Porter County, Indiana is Hardesty’s Atlas of Porter County, Indiana from 1876, available on the Library of Congress website. Not only are the maps well-drawn and informative, but there is a wealth of historical information as well as some beautiful illustrations. From time to time I will post some of these illustrations.
As far as I know there is no connection between the George Brown of this illustration and the Casbon family. The illustration does give some indication of the landscape and rural life in Porter County in the mid-1870s, although I suspect George Brown was better off than many of his fellow farmers. Here is his biography from an 1882 reference:
GEORGE BROWN was born in Cumberland County, England, December 28, 1828, and is a son of George and Jane (Myers) Brown. His parents were born, reared and married in England, where they both died. George Brown came to America, in company with a sister and brother-in-law, in 1852. For awhile he remained in the State of New York, from where he came first to La Porte, and afterward to Porter County, Ind., and settled where he now resides, and where he is one of the largest land-owners, possessing about nine hundred acres. On July 17, 1855, he was married to Charity A. Carter. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Brown consists of ten children—Mary J., wife of J. Brewer ; Josiah, John F., Jerome, George M., James, Elizabeth C, Charles W., Anna M. and Carrie. Mr. Brown is a member of Chesterton Lodge, No. 379, A., F. & A. M., also of Westville Lodge, No. 176, I. O. O. F. In politics, he is a stanch Democrat, but liberal in local affairs. [1]