One Township's Yesterdays Chapter XXVI  

BROWNLEE

The BROWNLEEs of Union Township and elsewhere trace their ancestry back to James, who came to America in early days from the highlands of Scotland and who married JEAN RANKIN in Pennsylvania. His son James served in the first Indiana Assembly.

VINCENT BROWNLEE was among the first settlers in the northeastern part of the township, and was officially listed as having come prior to 1840. He arrived in '36. The house where school was first taught in this township was located in Section 11.

The land was then owned and occupied by VINCENT BROWNLEE, later by JEREMIAH MOSHER, and later still by ELSWORTH THOMPSON. HUGH afterward taught school in the new log schoolhouse built near by.

Around 1880, a small parcel of land was in the name of VINCENT BROWNLEE, located in tile [the] southwestern corner of Section 13, oil [of] the dirt road leading east from Lake Maxinkuckee at the K. K. CULVER cottage.

VINCENT BROWNLEE was among the petitioners for the organization of Union Township.

JOHNSON BROWNLEE was one of the settlers before 1840 in the territory of what is now Center, Bourbon and West Townships.

The BROWNLEEs were also among the first families of the neighborhood south of Lake Maxinkuckee in which was located the Mt. Pleasant school. LIZZIE BROWNLEE, in somewhat later years, taught school there.