James Russell Brown

   Cause of his death was Arterio Schlerosis.³⁹⁵

  Medical Notes:

Duration of condition was 5 years prior to death.

Medical practitioner, Dr. G.W. Dow, attended James from Nov 10, 1926 to Dec 6, 1926
³⁹⁵

  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence: Stoney Lea, 1861, Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, Scotland. ³⁹⁶

• Emigration: from Scotland to Canada, 1869 May 4. ^63,395,397 At age 11, James R. Brown sailed from Glasgow to Quebec aboard the St. Patrick departing May 4th 1869 and arriving June 5th. He travelled with his sister Jean Cowie, brother-in-law David Cowie, nephew David Cowie and Neice Jane Cowie.

• Occupation: miller, 1871, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁶

• Residence, 1871, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁶ In 1871 he was living with the Wright family: John Wright (age 31, born in Scotland), Jemima (age 34 born in Ontario), James W. (age 7, born in Ontario), William M. (age 5, born in Ontario), Robert T (age 3, born in Ontario) and Thomas D. (age 1, born in Ontario)

• Residence: 854 - 1st Ave West, 1869-1926, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁵

• Occupation: miller, 1881, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁸

• Religion: C. Presbyterian, 1881, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁸

• Religion: Presbyterian, 1883 May 30, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹²

• Marriage: to Margaret Miller Brown, 1883 May 30, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁹ Married
In Owen Sound, on the 30th inst., at the residence of the bride's father, by the Rev. J.B. Clarkson, Mr. J.R. Brown, of the firm of John Wright & Co. to Maggie, only daughter of Wm. Miller, Esq.

• Occupation: employee of the firm of John Wright & Co., 1883 May 30, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁹

• Occupation: Merchant, 1884 Nov 30, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁰⁰

• Occupation: Merchant, 1886 Mar 15, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁸⁸

• Occupation: Grocer, 1896 Apr 13, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁶⁴

• Occupation: Merchant, 1898 May 16, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁰¹

• Residence: La Marchand Place, 1899 Apr 20, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁰²

• Occupation: Grocer, 1901, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁶³

• Religion: Methodist, 1901, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁶³

• Accomplishment: received a letter of congratulations from the Premier of Ontario, 1903 Jan 8, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ⁴⁰³ J.R. Brown, President Reform Ass'n.

Give my best thanks to the Liberals of Owen Sound for their splendid majority. You had a good candidate and you showed yourself worthy of him.

Geo. W. Ross.

• Residence: 854 1st Avenue West, 1924, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁰

• Property: Presqui'le Lighthouse, 1924-1926, Presqu'ile, Grey, Ontario, Canada. Presqu'ile (or 'amost an island') is a picturesque spot on the West shore of Owen Sound.

John Mackenzie of Sarawak, the first pioneer and laird o' Presqui' Isle, was the first keeper of the Presqu' Isle lighthouse. He moved to his farm at Presqu'ile in 1864 and before long had built a home and store close to the water. The MacKenzie family chose the Presqu'ile name after the Presqu'ile village in Scotland, where they lived prior to coming to Canada. With government assistance, John MacKenzie built a 400 foot long dock into the bay. Since Presqu'ile lay on a regular shipping route between Collingwood and Duluth, Minnestoa, the dock soond became a regular port of call for hundreds of ships heading west. Soon, Presqu'ile grew into a port of 400 people due to the increased trade. In 1870, 136 ships made port in Presqu'ile with exports valued at $3,000. By 1874, 343 ships visited with exports at $35,000. The village soon opened a wagon shop, blacksmith shop, sawmill, cooperage, tinsmithy, bake shop and in 1873, a lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built by the Department of Marine and Fisheries on lot number six of Centre Street which they had bought from Mackenzie for the sum of $1.00. The light was placed to guide ships into the dock and warm them of nearby hazards including the rocky reef extending from the tip of the peninsula and the sand bar at the approach to Owen Sound harbour.

Mackenzie was appointed on July 14, 1875 as keeper at an annual salary of $50 per annum. In addition to being the lighthouse keeper and postmaster, he also conducted a store and a large hay shipping business. In 1879 an oil house was added when Mackenzie expressed concern about storing oil in the lighthouse tower. In 1897, when the switch from wood to coal reduced the number of ships stopping in Presqu'ile, MacKenzie built a resort and amusement park on the site.

Mackenzie had two assistants: his youngest daughter Margaret and his collie Buller who would always fetch the lighthouse key and wake Mackenzie at the apprpriate hour.

There are many stories about the Presqu-ile lighthouse, but perhaps the most disasterous was the wreck of the Asia. On September 14, 1882, John MacKenzie tried to persuade the captain of the Asia not to proceed into the storm, but the captain went ahead and the Asia sank. Only two people survived. It was Georgian Bay's worst marine disaster.

Hugh Mackenzie took over the job of lighthouse keeper from his father in 1907 and held the position until 1910 when the Department of Marine and Fisheries discontinued the lighthouse's operation. At the time it was reported that although the lighthouse was still in fair condition, the wharf and households were in ruins.

In 1923, J.R.Brown offered ten dollars to purchase the property, claiming that the lighthouse should have been burned long ago. Desperate to sell the property, the Department accepted his offer and made a deed out to his wife, Margaret Ann Brown.

After purchasing the property, Mr. J.R. Brown built a verandah on one side of the lighthouse, eventually converting it to a summer cottage.

Brown later wrote to the Department complaining that "the Estate of the late John McKenzie original owner of the land, claims that I have no rights to enter upon the water front for any purpose even to take a pail of water. They claim they bought the water front 500 feet out into the lake and some 500 or 600 feet of shore line".

Presqu'Isle later became how of the United Church's Young People's Summer Camp. The lighthouse was eventually torn down in 1985. The lighthouse key is currently on display at the County of Grey-Owen Sound museum


Lighthouse details:
Location: 9 miles north of Owen Sound, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron
Nearest Town or City: Presqu'ile, Ontario, Canada
Built: 1873
Description: White square wooden tower, octagonal lantern
Height: 27 ft / 8.1m
Height of Focal Plane: 31
Light: Fixed white catoptric light, three mammoth flat-wick lamps, 16-inch reflectors
Visibility: 8 miles/ 12.8 kms
Additional: Storm signal station nearby on water; frame oil shed near light
Discontinued: 1910
Torn Down: 1985
Keepers: 1873-c1907 John Mackenzie. 1907-1910 Hugh H Mackenzie

• Occupation: Merchant, 1926 Dec 6, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. ³⁹⁵

• Cemetery: Greenwood Cemetery, G-S9-6-S-4, 1926 Dec 8, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada. Greenwood Cemetery Listing G-S9-6-S-4

James married Margaret Anne Miller, daughter of William Miller and Jane Hardy, on 1883 May 30 in Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada.³⁹² (Margaret Anne Miller was born on 1860 Dec 23 in Meadowvale, Peel, Ontario, Canada,⁶³ died on 1949 Jun 9 in Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada ⁵⁰ and was buried on 1949 Jun 11 in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada ⁵⁰.)