Holmes County
FLGenWeb
Anthony Brownell, 1808 – 1884, a Holmes County pioneer, settled in a portion
of Walton County that was later incorporated into Holmes. He and his descendants
have done much to shape the history of Holmes County.
Brownell built what
was probably Holmes County’s first resort hotel at Ponce de Leon Springs.
McKinnon, in his history of Walton County, described it like this:
"Now
as this spring came to be quite a resort, especially for the young people after
pleasure and lovemaking in the woods, it will be well to interject this though
here. Anthony Brownell, from the upper part of the county, built what was then a
large hotel, a neat double-pen round log house, rooms 18 feet by 18 feet, with a
12-foot hall between, nice shed rooms on one side and a 12-foot gallery on the
front. He had patronage, but the war came on and broke up his enterprise, and he
sold out the plant and the building fell into decay."
From 1853 to 1856,
Brownell of superintendent of schools and probate judge in Holmes County. At
that time, the two offices were combined.
Through the years, many of
Brownell’s descendants have served in public office in Holmes County. His only
son, Daniel Jackson Brownell, was sheriff shortly after the Civil War. Near the
end of the 1800s, a grandson, J M Brownell, was a county commissioner. Another
grandson, Angus Brownell, served as clerk of the court.
In recent years,
one of Brownell’s great-grandsons, Robert Earl Brown, served as county judge.
Another great-grandson, Charles Q Padgett, served as chairman of the Board of
County Commissioners.
A number of Brownell’s descendants have also taken
an interest in education. They include Dan W Padgett, John K Padgett, John
Brownell, Michael Stafford, Betty Lee, Beulah Benton and Marshall Holmes.
Daniel Jackson Brownell, 1832 – 1872, was
sheriff of Holmes County when the county seat was located at Cerro Gordo, on the
west side of the Choctawhatchee River.
He was shot in a duel fought in
1872 in which both participants were killed. I learned about the tragedy some
years ago when I was inspired by our country’s Bicentennial celebration to delve
into Holmes County’s past. I found many people who knew that both men were
killed, but no one could remember Brownell’s antagonist.
Some time later,
a relative remembered a rhyme about the duel and it gave the name of the other
duelist:
"Brownell killed Boutwell;
"Boutwell killed Brownell."
It’s hard to reconstruct what happened more than 100 years ago, but this is
the story as it was told to me:
Sheriff Brownell was at home with his
family when a disturbance occurred at the county seat. Someone came to tell the
sheriff about the situation, so he mounted his horse and left for Cerro Gordo,
the duel followed, and both of the men were killed.
Soon afterward, the
sheriff’s wife heard the sound of a galloping horse’s hoofs and remarked,
"Children, I heart your father coming." But what she heard was the hoof beats of
a horse bearing a messenger with the news that heir husband and father was dead.
Brownell’s wife was Christian Morrison, daughter of Allen and Mary Douglass
Morrison. The couple had six children, four boys and two girls. The sons were
John, Edward, Porter and Angus. One of the girls was named Kate and she married
a man named Boney Benton. I did not learn the name of the other daughter, as it
seems that she died at an early age.
All of the slain sheriff’s children
settled in Holmes County and played interesting roles in the county’s history.
John M Brownell, 1853 – 1940, a pioneer Holmes
Countian, was a farmer, rancher, turpentine man and merchant. In addition, he
found time to serve as postmaster of Fair Plan, Fla, in 1884, and in 1898, he
was appointed the first postmaster of Prosperity, Fla.
He was a public
servant, serving for many years as a county commissioner, a job that he held at
the time the county seat was moved from Cerro Gordo to Westville in 1894.
Brownell established a pattern of public service that was to be followed by many
of his descendants.
John M Brownell was the son of Daniel Jackson
Brownell, who was slain while serving as sheriff of Holmes County, and the
grandson of Anthony H Brownell, who was active in public life during Holmes
County’s infancy. He married Frances Isabelle Arrant and they were the parents
of 14 children.
Mr Brownell (Uncle John as he was familiarly
known) was one of Holmes County’s oldest settlers, having come to this section
as a young man. He was successful in business, engaging in farming, stock
raising and merchandising for many years. He was postmaster when the place of
his home was known as Prosperity.
The Brownell home was known for its
fine hospitality and many strangers and friends have enjoyed its kindly
associations and ample comforts. Mr Brownell was a friend to all in need. In an
unpretentious way he made himself helpful to many who alone are able to
appreciate his kindly spirit.
Like many of his period, he embodied the
rugged virtues of the pioneer. With the passing of these venerable people, the
world loses personalities of unique worth, unfortunately, too, a standard of
rugged honor that these times lamentably lack, and the future will sorely need.
Excerpts used with permission of publisher, Sue Cronkite, from Heart and History of Holmes County, by Anna Paget Wells. This 347-page book is full of info, stories, and pictures. It can be ordered from the Holmes County Advertiser, 112 E Virginia Avenue, Bonifay, FL 32425; phone 850-547-2270.
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This page was last updated
03/06/2024