Biographical Sketch of Lewis C. BROWNBACK (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris <jmcdmorris@comcast.net>. *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Phila- delphia, PA, 1893, pp. 555-6. "LEWIS C. BROWNBACK, a highly esteemed farmer residing in the vicinity of Stonaker, this county, is a representative of an old and honored German family that has become numerous in Chester county. He is a son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Christman) Brownback, and was born January 29, 1837, in East Coventry township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was reared on his father's farm in that township, and attended the public schools of his neighborhood, where he received a good practical education. He mar- ried at the age of thirty-one, and farmed for his father on shares for six years, when at his father-in-law's request, May 12, 1874, he removed to the farm of the latter in East Vincent township. His father-in-law died August 31st of that year, and the fine farm of eighty-one acres of valuable land on which they now reside, became the property of Mrs. Brownback. This farm is now all highly improved and in a splendid state of cultivation. He also owns ten acres of timber land in South Coventry township, and ranks among the substantial and prosperous farmers of this section. In politics he is a republican, but in religious faith he follows the traditions of his family and is a strict member of the German Reformed church. "On April 30, 1867, Mr. Brownback was united in marriage with Mira Grubb, a daughter of George and Mariah Grubb, of Frederick township, Montgomery county, this State. To their union has been born a family of four chil- dren, two sons and two daughters: George G., Emma E., Jennie M. (deceased), and Lewis Marvin. "Lewis C. Brownback is a lineal descendant of Garret Brownback (originally Gerhard Brumbach), a native of Wurtemburg, in southeastern Germany, who immigrated to America in 1683 on the vessel Concord from Amsterdam, October 6, and settled in Germantown, near Philadelphia, and helped to build the first house in that place. In 1734 he removed to Chester county and set- tled near Bethel church, where Lazetta Garber now lives. He was the founder of Brownback's German Reformed church, which was built by him of logs in 1741, of which there is a drawing, and kept the first tavern on the north side of the Lancaster pike in Chester county, and took out the first license in Chester county, in the year 1736, where he became a large landowner, taking up one thousand acres partly in Vincent and partly in Coventry townships. It was on part of this land that the church which bore his name was afterward built. He married Mary Pepen, the youngest daughter of Howard Pepen and Elizabeth Rittenhouse, the daughter of Wil- liam Rittenhouse, a brother of David Rittenhouse, the famous American astronomer, and reared a family of two sons - Benjamin and Henry - and daughters, who became the wives of Richard Custard, John Benner, Frederick Bingaman, and John Munshower. When Garret Brownback settled here there was an Indian village, two hundred yards back of his house, which con- tained three hundred persons; he taught them to help him to work in the vicinity of his dwelling, the inhabitants of which frequently rendered him services in return for favors shown to them. For this work he gave them milk, potatoes and vegetables. He was born in 1662 and died about 1758, aged ninety-six years, and his remains lie entombed at the cemetery connected with the church he founded. He was succeeded at the tavern by tavern by his son, Benjamin, whose first wife was Mary Paul, the daughter of John Paul, and they had three sons: Henry, John and Edward. He con- tinued the business nearly thirty years. The latter served as a soldier - first lieutenant, August 21, 1776 - during the revolutionary war, and after his death his widow, Rachel Parker, his second wife, was robbed and murdered, but no clue to the assassin was ever obtained. He died April 15, 1837, aged eighty-five years and two months. "Henry Brownback (paternal great-grandfather) was born in East Coventry township, this county, about 1733, and received such education as was afforded by the schools of that early day. He lived all his life in that township, dying July 30, 1804, at the age of seventy-one years, five months and twelve days. By occupation he was a farmer, in religion a member of the German reformed church, and married Magdalena Paul, the daughter of John Paul, who died in 1766, aged thirty-five years and ten months. They reared a family of five children - three sons and two daughters - John, Peter, Benjamin, Annie Snyder and Susanna Prizer. "Peter Brownback (grandfather) was born October 3, 1764, in East Coventry township, where he passed his life quietly engaged in agricultural pur- suits, dying July 9, 1834, aged sixty-nine years, nine months and six days. He was a member of the State militia for many years and served actively during the great 'whisky insurrection' in western Pennsylvania. His wife who died December 12, 1853, aged eighty-eight years, was Susannah DeFrane, the daughter of Peter DeFrane, and they had a family of three sons: Peter, Jesse and John, the first and last now deceased. "Jesse Brownback (father) was also a native of East Coventry township, born March 18, 1807, where he still lives at the advanced age of eighty five years. Politically he is a democrat, as were all his ancestors, and a member of the German reformed church. On December 27, 1832, he married Elizabeth Christman, a daughter of Jacob Christman, of this county, and to them was born a family of eleven children, of whom one, Theodore, died December 7, 1842. Those surviving are: Penrose, Edith, Margaret, Jacob, Clementine, Anna, Garret, Martha, Frederick and Lewis C., the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Elizabeth Brownback died June 21, 1853, aged forty-one years, having been born October 23, 1812. "For much of the information given above we are indebted to L. C. Brown- back."