Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Brown My name is Gwen Kelly Dingler and I am happy tonight to represent my family in the induction of my great-great grandfather Benjamin Franklin Brown into the Louisiana Loggers Hall of Fame Frank Brown, as he was known, was born in 1868 in Summersville, Missouri. In the Census of 1900, when Frank would have been 32 years old, he was listed as a resident of Carter County, Missouri along with his wife and five children. His occupation was listed as "log hauler". He must have lived in a logging community, because 42 of his neighbors were listed as being employed in the logging industry. Just two years later, in 1902, Frank Brown and his father, John George Brown had followed the mills to Louisiana. They settled for a brief time at Alberta in Bienville Parish near Castor, Louisiana. It was here that Frank and his wife had a baby son who was born and died in this community. The infant is buried in the Old Castor Cemetery. Frank then moved his family to Sabine Parish where they settled in Fisher. In 1908 at the age of 40, Frank was employed as woods foreman by the Noble Lumber Company at Noble Louisiana. While the family was in the area, a logger working for Brown by the name of Ed Terrell, met and married Brown's daughter, my great-grandmother Mae Brown Terrell. Papa, as my great-grandmother called Frank, was opposed to the marriage at first, but later came around. I remember stories Mammy, my great-grandmother, told me about those days in the logging industry. It was a dangerous business with mules and oxen used to haul the logs from the woods. Many times men and beasts were bogged in mud and accidents were common. Frank Brown lived and worked in Louisiana until the 1950's before returning to Missouri when he was in his eighties. It was after he returned to Missouri that my family, along with my great-grandmother, traveled to Missouri to see Papa Brown. I have memories of playing on his high front porch and being somewhat leery of the old man in the plaid shirt. But that day, five generations of Frank Brown's family were together. Benjamin Franklin Brown died in Salem, Missouri at the age of 93. Several of Frank Brown's descendants have continued to make their living in the forestry industry. A great-grandson, Will Dark retired as procurement forester for Boise Southern in DeRidder, Louisiana. Great-grandson, Tom Kelly, keeps information about the forestry industry in the public eye through the Piney Woods Journal right here in Dodson; and great-great-great grandson Jonathan Thomas Dingler, my son, works in forestry management with the Campbell Group in Lufkin, Texas. |