Obadiah Bruen Brown Family papers

Obadiah Bruen Brown (1779-1853) arrived in the city of Washington in 1807 as the first pastor of the First Baptist Church. Born in Newark New Jersey, Brown left home at the age of 17 to study with Baptist Reverend William Van Horne in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In 1807 at the age of 28, he preached several sermons at the First Baptist Church andy soon after was called to become the pastor. The same year Obadiah Brown become pastor he also began working at the Post Office Department and was elected chaplain of the House of Representatives. He started as a clerk in the Post Office and eventually held the position of Chief of the Contract Division. He married Elizabeth Riley Jackson in 1808. They had four children.

In 1820, Obadiah Brown was an active delegate to the Baptist General Convention in Philadelphia. The delegates to the convention decided to open a Baptist institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. On February 9, 1821, President James Monroe signed the legislation that passed Congress granting a charter for the Columbian College (now George Washington University) which opened later that year. Brown served as the first President of the Board of Trustees of the college and was an instrumental contributor to the first building fund.

Obadiah Brown died May 2, 1853 at age 73. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery as are his wife Elizabeth, son William and several grandchildren.

Other members of the Brown family included in this collection include William Van Horne Brown and Thomas B. Brown, Obadiah Brown's sons and George Whitfield Brown one of his grandson.

Most of the information about the Obadiah Brown in this biography comes from Russell Train's book The Train Family. This book relates much of the history of the Brown family. It is cataloged in the Special Collections and serves as a great resource for anyone researching the Obadiah Brown and the Brown family.