Born in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana, 3 May 1851. He married on 25 March 1881 in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, Jane [Jennie] Gillfillan, daughter of Alexander Monroe and Maria Storm Gillfillan. He was a farmer, certainly he was in Oklahoma, but Howard's birth certificate lists his father’s occupation as “merchant.” His children were all born in Watseka, Illinois, as follows:
Roxy 3/6/1883–3/7/1883
Edna 4/29/84–7/22/70 m 6/7/03 Carl Benson
Howard Storm 10/15/86–1/27/45 m. 6/28/12 May Melvin
Ada 10/1/88–7/20/52 m. 8/31/10 J. Morgan Bush
Henry V. 1/21/91–10/27/25 m. 8/31/10 Gertrde Waggoner
Ralph 11/6/93–9/12/18 m. 4/25/16 Alice Wilkins
The following culled from Bicentennial Families, Ross Co. (Ohio) edition, 1976, may explain why they moved to Illinois.:
Grandmother Browne was the daughter of Alexander Monroe Gillfillan and Maria Storm, born Ross County, Ohio, 17 August 1835. John Storm, Maria's father, owned 120 acres of land three miles east of the town of Watseka, in Iroquois County, Illinois. John Gillfillan, Alexander's younger brother, whose first wife was Sarah Ann Storm, sister of Maria, lived on the property for several years before moving to another farm, southeast of Belmont Church.
They lived on two other farms in the vicinity of Woodland. The Storm connection with Illinois would give them a reason to move there.
The family moved from Iroquois County, Illinois, to Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma, in September, 1904. I do not know the reason; possibly the location was determined by sister Maude Williams living there. Sister Della, a spinster, also lived in Guthrie. She boarded in 1905 at 413 E. Perkins and worked for the county assessor. [Guthrie City Directory, 1905] Shortly thereafter, in 1905, they moved to a 160 acre farm in Kay County, Round Grove township, 9 miles west of Ponca City. Grandfather Browne died in 1920, before I was born. I remember the farm as a child. Grandmother Browne ran the farm after grandfather’s death with the help of Aunt Edna.
My father, who was by then in practice in Ponca City, helped financially, but they sold the farm in 1937. The family used to go out there for holidays, and my sisters and I were united with our cousins Morgan and Frank Bush from Tonkawa, and Edna, Christine, and Ben Benson. I was very much the littlest but still can remember how they used to eat—the table was set as if for farmhands.
In spite of Grandmother’s efforts, and my father’s financial help, they lost the farm during the depression. Grandmother moved to Tonkawa to live with Aunt Ada, and died there 8 January 1934. Aunt Edna tried unsuccessfully to run it until 1937. The nearest neighbors in Grandmother’s day were Bert West and Ben Duvall.
Update 1992: I pinpointed the old farm by going to Albright Title & Trust. The statistics are as follows:
The farm is the southwest quarter of section 20 of Round Grove Township. Title was registered to R.W. Browne March 14, 1905 from William R. Thornton, who registered it March 13, 1902 from the original patentee, John W.Barnum.
Each settler had to pay for his claim, $2.50 per acre for land in the eastern section, $1.50 in the central and $1.00 in the western. Most never paid for their land as Congress nullified the payments in May, 1900.
The DAR published a collection of “Old Settler anecdotes” in 1939 called The Last Run. The only reference to Grandfather Browne is in one called “Chickaskia Valley Pioneers.”
“Among the old time residents who established themselves on the rich lands of the Chickaskia River bottom was Theodore Esch, coming from Dexter, Kansas. He also was an early cattleman. E.R. Green staked his claim three miles east of Tonkawa and later sold his claim to Frank K.
Thornton. Mr. Thornton is active in the wheat growers' association and is president of the Farmers’ Cooperative Elevator of this city (Tonkawa). Ed Timmons came from Indiana in the early day and purchased his farm where he raised high bred horses. Mrs. Sarah Owens came from Indiana and weathered the hardships of a pioneer alone, as Mr. Owens passed away after they arrived in Oklahoma. W.E. (Dad) Penny staked his claim along the river and built his dugout on the river bank , which stood for years and years, and since has crumbled with the washing of the river banks. R.L. Winebrener of West Virginia is one of the pioneers who lost his claim to a contestant but bought a farm joining it and still lives on this farm. J.T. Bicksler, a successful farmer, came from Iowa. Charles Harris, making the race on his bay saddle horse, staked a claim and lived there until the last few years of his life. Robert Brown (sic) came here from Illinois and settled the farm on which the Round Grove schoolhouse is located. Mr. Brown added much to the substantial growth of the community. W.A. Schaffer staked his farm close to Autwine and was among the successful farmers. Frank Smith staked his claim north of Autwine. Frank Phelps’ farm was located west of Autwine. Mr. Phelps had one of the first picnic groves and many a good time can be recalled by the pioneers of Phelps’ Grove. A.M. Guild [Aunt Nellie Gilfillan Guild’s husband] came from Illinois and later returned to that state to make their home. John Crume was an active farmer coming from Indiana.”
It may have been the presence of Aunt Nellie that drew Grandfather and Grandmother Browne to settle in this particular place
Title passed to Grandmother Browne March 21, 1921, after Grandfather’s death. She died in 1934; title passed to Father through probate in November 26, 1937. He sold it immediately to Fred Pfeiffer in December 11, 1937.
Grandfather had borrowed money from the Federal Land Bank and the farm was sold to pay off the mortgage.
The farm was between the Chikaskia River and Duck Creek, which used to flood in the Spring, as did Bois d’Arc ("Bodock”) creek, making the road from Ponca impassable. The house and outbuildings are gone now, but the prairie windmill still stands and the farm is still under cultivation as part of a larger farm.
From Masonic records at5 Masonic Temple, Guthrie, Oklahoma:
Browne, R.W. 32 deg., Tonkawa, Oklahoma
DOB May 3rd, 1851, POB Anderson, Indiana
Occ. Farmer Elected Dec. 4. 1919
Hat size 7 1/4
Will No. 8995
Ht. 6' 0"
Eyes Blue
Hair Gray
Tonkawa Lodge 157
Received degrees Jan 20, 1920
Died Sept. 16, 1920, Tonkawa, Oklahoma
