Jason Brown
Abolitionist. Born: January 19, 1823, Hudson, Summit County, Ohio. Died: December 24, 1912, Akron, Summit County, Ohio.
Jason Brown was born in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio, on January 19, 1823 to John Brown and Dianthe (Lusk) Brown.
He married Ellen Sherbondy in Summit County, Ohio, on July 11, 1847.
He traveled with four of his brothers to Kansas Territory. While his brothers Frederick, Owen, and Salmon traveled by land, Brown and his brother John Brown, Jr. traveled by boat along with their families. On the way to Kansas, his son Austin became ill with cholera and died.
He was not involved in the Potawatomie Massacre in Franklin County as were his father and several of his brothers. He was taken prisoner by Captain H. C. Pate, commander of a proslavery militia, in connection with the murders. He was turned over to federal authority, Captain Thomas J. Wood, and held under armed guard in Paola to await investigation.
Their father, John Brown, plotted a rescue. His troops overtook proslavery men in the Battle of Black Jack near Palmyra on June 2, 1856. The elder Brown captured Pate and his men, provisions, horses, mules, and equipment. He agreed to release the prisoners in exchange for his sons. A proslavery court in Lecompton later released Jason.
Brown was not present at the attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia.)
In the 1880s Brown, his sister Ruth, her husband Henry, and his brother Owen, moved to Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California. He disliked cities, but loved being outdoors.
He died in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, on December 24, 1912.
Entry: Jason Brown
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: July 2016
Date Modified: November 2019
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
