Frank Repass Brown Papers 1788-1975, undated.

Access and use

Location of collection:
Wytheville Community College
F.B. Kegley Library
Wytheville Community College
Smyth Hall, Room 103
1000 East Main Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
Contact for questions and access:
POC: William A. “Bill” Veselik
Phone: (276) 223-4876
POC: George Mattis
Phone: (276) 223-4744
Fax: (276) 223-4745

Summary

Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Papers are arranged into twelve series: Series I, Books, Religious (1788, 1828, undated); Series II, Cemetery Records (1898-1973, undated); Series III, Diaries, Personal (1905-1973); Series IV, Diaries, Vital Statistics (1896-1975); Series V, Ephemera (1815-1973); Series VI, Ledgers, Personal (1873-1975); Series VII, Ledgers, Genealogy (undated); Series VIII, Scrapbooks, Genealogy (undated); Series IX, Scrapbooks, Miscellaneous (undated); Series X, Scrapbooks, Local History (1896, 1913, undated); Series XI, Memoirs (1887-1960, undated); and Series XII, Photographs (undated).

Biographical / historical:

Frank Repass Brown, son of Michael Dallas Brown and Emily Repass Brown, was born on 27 March 1887 in Rural Retreat, Virginia. He attended school in Rural Retreat and business college in Kansas. He returned to Virginia and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Upon his graduation, he assumed management of the family farm in Rural Retreat and embarked upon a lifelong love and service in the field of agriculture. He was a charter member of the Rural Retreat Community Fair as well as a member of Future Farmers of America. He received an honorary degree from Future Farmers of America in recognition of his contributions to agriculture and farming in particular.

Brown shared his love of books and reading with many libraries in the region by making monetary and in-king donations of books and magazines. Rural Retreat High School Library, Marion College Library, and Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute (then Southwestern State Hospital) in Marion, Virginia benefitted from his generosity.

He was a lifelong member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rural Retreat and wrote a history of the church, Historical Sketch of St. Paul's Lutheran Congregation, 1776-1941. He served on the board of trustees for Marion College, a junior college for women, from 1924 to 1964

Brown collected and compiled lists of cemeteries in Wythe County, especially in the western portion. He also collected local history and kept several scrapbooks. Brown also recorded local weather, keeping records noting daily temperature and rainfall for over forty years. He also researched local history and genealogy of many area families.

Brown married Virginia Umberger in 1925; the couple had no children. He died on 12 October 1973 and is buried in Black Lick Cemetery. His collection was bequeathed to his niece, Martha Brown DeBord.

Acquisition information:
Donated by the estate of Martha Brown DeBord in September 2004.
Physical description:
3.5 linear feet..