Harold Brown was born on December 24, 1863 to John Carter Brown (1797-1874) and Sophia Augusta Brown (1825-1909). He had one older brother, John Nicholas Brown (1861-1900) and one younger sister, Sophia Augusta Brown (1867-1947). Harold was educated at home by private tutors, one of whom was Brown alumnus and faculty member William Carey Poland. After his father's death in 1874 he spent many years living in Europe with his family. Harold entered Brown University in 1885 but withdrew after one year to pursue other interests.
In 1888 Harold and his brother John Nicholas Brown formed a business partnership called J.N. & H. Brown. The brothers invested in real estate and mortgage lending with the advice of George W.R. Matteson. Even though Harold was not primarily interested in a business career he was nonetheless thorough and careful in business affairs. For example, one letter written in May of 1885 to George Matteson asked for Mr. Matteson's expertise in interpreting a letter Harold had received concerning a mortgage since "need I say it is like Hebrew to me". Another letter from 1892 concerned a series of bills he had received from Houghton, Mifflin and Co. in Boston. After paying the full amount of the bill for $1006.85 he wrote:
"In #374 I think there is a slight error of 25 cents arising from a mistake in calculation. If it is so the 25 cents may be returned to me and the bill so corrected before return. It is a small matter, but the bill might as well be made perfectly right."
Harold contributed to many charitable and civic organizations. In 1888 he donated $100,000 to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He also made generous contributions to St. Ansgarius Church (a Swedish Episcopal church), to Grace Church in Providence and to St. Columba's Chapel in Middletown, R.I. He was a member of numerous clubs both in New York and Rhode Island. He owned a box at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. His collections of French Empire furniture and objects with Napoleonic associations are now in the museum of the Rhode Island School of Design and are described as a highlight of the department's holdings.
On October 4, 1892 Harold married Georgette Wetmore Sherman (1872-1960). She was the daughter of William Watts Sherman (1842-1912) and Anne Wetmore (1848-1884). Anne Wetmore was the sister of Rhode Island Senator (and Governor) George Peabody Wetmore, whose family owned the Chateau-Sur-Mer estate in Newport. After the death of his wife Anne, William Watts Sherman married Harold's sister Sophia in 1885.
In 1893 Harold purchased the Walter H. Burns estate on Bellevue Avenue in Newport and hired the architect Dudley Newton to design and build his home there. Ogden Codman was employed to design and furnish the interior in the Empire Style. In 1899 Harold purchased the three-acre George Nugent-William T. Ropes estate on Coggeshall and Bateman Avenues in Newport.
Harold and Georgette sailed for England on the liner RMS Oceanic on April 18,1900. Soon after arriving they received news that his brother John had passed away in New York City on May 1. Harold returned home on the first steamer available, the Oceanic, while Georgette followed several days later on the RMS Campania. While at sea Harold became gravely ill. When he arrived in New York on May 9 he was taken by ambulance to the Hotel Netherland, where his mother was living. He died the next day, May 10, of complications from pleurisy, pneumonia and erysipelas (Providence Journal, May 11, 1900). Georgette did not know of her husband's sudden death until she arrived in New York on Saturday, May 12. She was met at the revenue cutter by her father, who carried with him "a complete outfit of widow's weeds, which Mrs. Brown wore when leaving the ship." (New York Times, May 13, 1900)
After the funeral at St. John's Church, Harold was buried in the Brown family plot in the North Burial Ground in Providence on May 14, 1900.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested..
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
This collection contains material dated from 1878 to 1920. Most is dated from late 1884 to 1900. It consists of personal and business correspondence to and from Harold Brown, various legal documents, correspondence related to Harold's purchase of property in Newport and the construction of his home there, a large number of bills addressed to Harold and to members of his family, two unpublished manuscripts, two cashbooks and a detailed accounting of his estate by his executors.
The largest part of Harold Brown's papers consists of additional material discovered in 2006. It was originally found in tightly folded bundles which were labeled "St. Columba's"(Series 3, Subseries C), "Letters" (now Series 3, Subseries I. Personal investments), "Bills Paid" (now Series 3, Subseries J. Miscellaneous bills paid), and "Vouchers for Debts" (Series 5, Subseries B). This material, from the years 1884 to 1900, provides a description of the everyday financial activities of a wealthy household in the late 19th century as well as some insight into the interests and activities of Harold Brown.
The material concerning the trust income from the John Carter Brown estate, Harold's personal investments, the cashbooks and the itemized accounting of Harold's estate provide detailed information about the sources and disposition of Harold's personal wealth and that of his family. Evidence of his many charitable, civic, and social activities can be seen in most of the material, especially in Series 2. Legal and Series 3. Financial papers and correspondence.
Information concerning Harold's purchase of the Walter H. Burns estate and the George Nugent-William T. Ropes estate in Newport is contained in Series 3, Subseries G. Real estate, as well as in Series 5, Subseries B. Vouchers for debts. Correspondence to and from the architect Dudley Newton and contracts with numerous builders and contractors are included.
Other correspondence in these series conveys a sense of the social climate of the times. For example, a letter from Herter Brothers in New York, dated September 1894, has printed on its letterhead "All agreements are conditional on the non-occurrence of strikes."
The collection is arranged into the following series:
The collection is housed in four boxes. Boxes 3X and 4X contain oversize material.
Materials in Box 3X are from:
Materials in Box 4X are from:
Harold Brown papers, Ms. 2007.006, Brown University Library.
The Harold Brown papers were donated to the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Study of American Civilization by the heirs of John Nicholas Brown in 1992. They were transferred by the John Nicholas Brown Center to the Brown University Library in 2006. Additional material discovered in 2006 was added to the collection in 2007.
Several related materials are held by the Brown University Library:
Related collections at other institutions include:
Harold Brown Collection. Rhode Island School of Design Museum
This series contains three letters written by Harold Brown. Two, dated 1878 and 1879, are to his cousin Desmond Fitzgerald and were written while Harold was in France. The third letter, dated March 1889, is to his brother John Nicolas Brown regarding tickets to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Additional personal correspondence both to and from Harold Brown may be found in Series 3. Financial papers and correspondence and in Series 5. Estate of Harold Brown.
This series contains documents related to copyright, power of attorney, the lease of a safety deposit box, the deed of gift from Harold Brown to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and an ante-nuptial agreement between Harold’s sister Sophia Augusta Brown and her husband William Watts Sherman.
This is by far the largest series in Harold Brown’s papers. Most of it consists of additional material found in a wooden box labeled 1839-40 at the John Nicolas Brown Center. Nine bundles of tightly folder papers labeled “Letters” (now Subseries I. Personal investments), “Bills Paid” (now Subseries J. Miscellaneous bills paid) and “St. Columba’s Chapel" (Subseries C) have been integrated into this series. The bundle labeled “Vouchers for Debts” is now in Series 5. Estate of Harold Brown, Subseries B.
While most of this material is related to business affairs, it also includes correspondence concerning various personal matters such as club memberships and charitable contributions.
This subseries contains a personal letter to Harold Brown from F.W. Wing dated July 1891. A second letter dated September 1900 confirmed that Grace church had accepted $1500 from Harold Brown's estate as an endowment fund for the general use of the church. The church also agreed that pew number 39 belonging to Harold Brown would "be ever kept and maintained as a free pew". Additional material concerning Grace Church may be found in Subseries I and J.
This subseries contains an annual report for St. Elizabeth’s Home dated November 1887, a letter acknowledging receipt of a donation from Harold Brown for $10,000 and an undated letter concerning the financial policies of the Home.
This subseries contains material dated from 1886 to 1889 related to Harold’s contributions to St. Columba’s Chapel in Middletown, R.I. They include the original itemized contract for the pipe organ from Hilbourne L. Roosevelt in New York City.
This subseries contains material concerning the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and St. Ansgarius Church in Providence. It is dated from November 1898 to January 1899. Additional material concerning the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and St. Ansgarius Church may be found in Subseries I and J.
This folder contains correspondence regarding the interpretation of Harold Brown’s deed of gift to the Society.
This folder contains two letters, dated May 1891 and April 1898, regarding Harold Brown’s agreement to build the church.
This subseries contains letters dated from January 1885 to February 1891, informing Harold Brown that he had been elected a member of the corporation of Butler Hospital for the Insane, the Providence Institution for Savings, Rhode Island Hospital, and St. Mary’s Orphanage. Additional material concerning his civic activities may be found in Subseries I and J.
This subseries contains letters confirming Harold Brown’s election to membership in the Newport Natural History Society, the Newport Reading Room and the Coaching Club of New York. They are dated from 1885 to 1892. Additional material concerning Harold’s memberships may be found in Subseries I and J.
This subseries contains documents and correspondence related to Harold Brown’s purchase of the Walter H. Burns estate on Bellevue Ave. in Newport in 1893, the construction of his home there, and his purchase of the George Nugent-William T. Ropes estate in Newport in 1899. It consists of eleven folders. Seven are related to the Burns estate, three concern the Nugent-Ropes estate and one contains miscellaneous correspondence from and to Harold Brown.
This subseries includes material related to the ownership of property, stock and mortgages inherited by Harold from his father.
This material, originally found in bundles labeled “Letters”, is dated from 1885 to 1888. Most of it concerns financial matters, chiefly investments in mortgage loans in several Midwestern states. The more personal correspondence sheds some light on Harold Brown’s interests and activities. One can find, for example, that he was asked to be the president of the Ashton Cricket Club in 1888, that he contributed to the Providence Fireman’s Relief Fund, and that his interest in family history led him to ask the firm of Stone, Carpenter and Willson to conduct an inventory of all the Brown family monuments in the North Burial Ground in Providence, including measurements, sketches and rubbings of the monument stones.
These bills are dated from November 1884 to April 1892. A few have no date but were left in the order in which they were found. Many of the bills with earlier dates are addressed to Mrs. John Carter Brown or to John Nicholas Brown. Most are on letterhead stationery. A few are handwritten in pencil on small pieces of lined paper. Some are in French.
These thirty folders provide an enormous amount of detail about the everyday expenses of the Brown family. They include, but are not limited to, itemized bills from stables, carriage makers, wine merchants, grocers, jewelers and landscapers. One may discover, for example, that a matched pair of bay carriage horses named Charley and Prince cost $1000 in 1885 and that their railroad fare from Westerly, R.I. to Providence was $5.20. Three cases of Mouton Rothschild 1878 cost $120 in 1892. Five “house treatments” by Dr. J.P. Brooks, which included the use of massage and electricity, cost $15.
These receipts also contain information about Harold’s charitable contributions and personal expenses. For example, he contributed to the Providence Branch of the Indian Rights Association, of which his brother John was once Treasurer, and in 1885 to the fund “for the completion of the pedestal for the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty”. He owned a pew in Grace Church in Providence which carried an annual fee of $27. The receipts which he saved from the Union League Club in New York City not only list what he ordered for meals but also include the fare, date and destination of his carriage rides in the city.
This series contains two softbound manuscripts written by Harold Brown.
This volume, which is not dated, provides a detailed accounting of the manufacture of cotton textiles at the No. 4 Mill in Ashton (Cumberland) Rhode Island. The mill provided a fine grade of cotton cloth called Londsdale Cambric Muslins.
This is an unpublished, handwritten novel by Harold Brown. The date on the title page is August 1885. The story concerns the young heir to the Aldrich fortune and his romance with a woman of whom his mother does not approve. Several of the pages have small drawings in ink of some of the characters in the story.
This series consists of correspondence related to issues concerning Harold's property in Newport after his death, bills received and paid by his estate, a detailed accounting of his estate by his executors, and two cashbooks.
This subseries contains two sets of letters. The first consists of seven letters from the Newport Water Works asking permission of the Harold Brown estate to lay a water main next to his property on Hazard Avenue. They were written in the summer of 1900.
The second set contains eight letters, dated from 1906 to 1920, concerning a dispute over the property line of the estate. One letter is water damaged and illegible.
This subseries consists of bill receipts and letters numbered 1 through 84. Numbers 18, 25 and 73 are missing. Two are numbered 24 and two are numbered 74. The bills were paid by Harold’s estate after his death on May 10, 1900.
The material in this subseries is similar to that in Subseries I and J of Series 3. It contains both personal and business correspondence. One example is the letter Harold wrote to Rev. W.H.P. Faunce, President of Brown University, offering to contribute $25,000 to the endowment fund of 1900. Another letter, dated June 23, 1900, accompanied a bill from the firm of C. Asprey and Sons in London. It expressed “their sincere regret and sympathy with Mr. Harold Brown and his mother on account of the great loss they have sustained by the death of Mr. John Nicholas Brown." This letter arrived well after Harold's death in May of that year.
This subseries consists of a typewritten inventory of Harold Brown’s estate by his executors Sophia Augusta (Brown) Sherman and George W.R. Matteson. It includes an itemized list of all income and gains, debts, legacies and expenses, and the final distribution of the estate, including a detailed accounting of the expenses for Harold’s funeral.
This subseries consists of two large cashbooks. The first is for the years 1888-1900 and is entitled "Statements: Harold Brown". The second, for the years 1901-1905, is entitled "Estate of Harold Brown: Georgette Brown Trust". Both contain lists of expenses and financial assets. Loose papers found in these books are enclosed in a folder inside the back cover of the volume in which they were found.