DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Reverend John Brown, Clara Barton, and the drought that tested West Texas to its bones. Now, you want to talk about a man who showed up at exactly the right moment in exactly the wrong weather — pull up a chair. John Brown was born in 1842, came over from Scotland, made his way through theological studies in New York, and then kept right on heading west.
He married Mary Jane Matthews Larn near Fort Griffin, and in 1884 he became minister of Albany Presbyterian Church. That timing is something to sit with. Because just as he was settlin' into his pulpit, West Texas farmers and ranchers were already losing ground to a prolonged drought.
The land was drying up, and so were the options. Local leaders looked around for somebody to send east — somebody to go knock on the doors of banks and institutions and make the case that people out here were in real trouble. They chose John Brown.
In August of 1886, he departed for the eastern cities. Now here's where the story gets interesting, and a little thorny. As Brown traveled, newspaper editors publicized his quest.
Word spread. And that is exactly what certain parties did not want to hear. Texas editors, land promoters, railroad promoters — they drew their ire and aimed it straight at the Reverend Brown.
The fear was plain enough: bad publicity meant bad business, and they had no interest in the rest of the country thinking twice about investing in Texas. But Brown kept going. Thanks to his efforts, several railroad cars of seed wheat were sent to Texas.
On top of that, eastern Presbyterian churches collected several thousand dollars. The man had gone out with a hat and come back with a harvest of help. And then he did something that not everybody would have thought to do.
Believing it was just as appropriate to seek drought relief as to ask for aid following hurricanes, Brown appealed to Clara Barton and the American Red Cross. That argument — that a slow disaster deserves the same attention as a sudden one — was not small. It was a case that had to be made.
Back home, at the request of twenty-one counties, Brown addressed the Texas Legislature. A bill passed authorizing relief funds, and Governor L.S. — Sul — Ross signed it into law. Meanwhile, the Red Cross was already moving.
Clothing, household goods, and tools were sent to Albany. And then, in January of 1887, Clara Barton herself arrived. She toured Shackelford, Stephens, Young, and Callahan counties — four counties of drought-worn land and worn-down people — and she saw what she came to see.
On her way home, she stopped at the Dallas Morning News, left a personal check for twenty dollars, and encouraged the editor to solicit funds to help the drought-stricken farmers. Twenty dollars and a personal request from Clara Barton. That is not nothing.
In 1887, John Brown moved from Albany to Massachusetts, where he served in the state legislature. And later — a man who had lived it — he sat down and wrote a book. He called it Twenty-Five Years a Parson in the Wild West.
The title says it all, really. He didn't just preach in the wild west. He fought for it, all the way to the eastern seaboard and back, and he brought Clara Barton with him when he came.
What the marker says
Scottish immigrant John Brown (1842-1903) moved west following his theological studies in New York. He married Mary Jane Matthews Larn near Fort Griffin and in 1884 became minister of Albany Presbyterian Church, just as West Texas farmers and ranchers were struggling to survive the effects of a prolonged drought. Local leaders selected Brown to represent them in seeking funds for the purchase of seed wheat for small farmers. Brown departed in August 1886 to appeal to financial institutions in eastern cities. Newspaper editors publicized his quest as he traveled, and he soon drew the ire of Texas editors and land and railroad promoters who feared the publicity would harm the state's economic development. Thanks to his efforts, however, several railroad cars of seed wheat were sent to Texas, as well as several thousand dollars collected by eastern Presbyterian churches. Believing it was as appropriate to ask for drought relief as to seek aid following hurricanes, Brown appealed to Clara Barton and the American Red Cross. Brown returned home, and at the request of twenty-one counties addressed the Texas Legislature. A bill passed authorizing relief funds and Gov. L.S. (Sul) Ross signed in into law. Meanwhile, the Red Cross sent clothing, household goods and tools to Albany. In January 1887, Clara Barton arrived to tour Shackelford, Stephens, Young and Callahan counties. On her way home, she visited the Dallas Morning News and lef a personal church for $20, encouraging the editor to solicit funds to help the drought-stricken farmers. In 1887, John Brown moved from Albany to Massachusetts, where he served in the state legislature. He later wrote a book entitled Twenty-Five Years a Parson in the Wild West. (2006)