Each property is first discussed in relation to John Wilson Brand , the oldest known owner. He married Martha Ellen Slipher.
- 80 acres in the southern portion of Section 35 of Perry Township.
The plat map lists the owner as "J. W. Brand." John Wilson Brand is the
only person that matches these initials in 1877. John W. Brand died in
1887. In the 1888 plat map, 53.34 acres of this property was owned by
his son, Perry
D. Brand. Perry still owned this land in circa 1941. This property
was farmland when I was growing up, both for growing corn and at time
for cattle. Perry married (1) Elnora
K. Smith and (2) Jennie
Ann Baer.
- 120 acres in the northwest corner of Section 36 of Perry Township. The plat map lists the owner as "J. Brand." This could be John Wilson Brand or his first cousin, John Brand (1841-1908). Most likely, this is John Wilson Brand's property, as his brother, Isaac Brand, owned it in the 1888 plat map. The 1878 and 1888 maps show a home on this land. This property is still primarily farmland, with a newer home in the same location.
- 40.78 acres in the northern portion of Section 2 of Sheffield Township in 1878. The plat map lists the owner as "J. W. Brand." John Wilson Brand is the only person that matches these initials in 1878. In the 1888 plat map, this property was owned by his son, Perry Brand. Both maps show a home on this location that is no longer there.
In the 1870 and 1880 census, John Wilson Brand and his wife, Martha Ellen Slipher, lived in Boone County, IN.
The census lists John as a farmer, but his biography states that he was also a Reverend. This would suggest he was sent somewhere else to preach, but kept the land he owned (or perhaps inherited) in Tippecanoe County.
John's son Perry D Brand and Perry's first wife, Elnora K. Smith, lived with John and Martha in the 1880 census. This suggests that, while they owned the land, they likely rented it out to others to farm. In this time, traveling from Boone County to Tippecanoe County to farm would be difficult by horse. It's also possible they had livestock and that they hired someone else to care for it. John's brother, Isaac, owned property in the northeast corner of Section 35 of Perry Township -- it's also possible that he farmed the land.
In the 1919 Prairie Farmer's Directory, Perry was listed as the tenant of 80 acres in Section 8 of Sheffield Township. This is interesting, since he apparently still owned property in Perry and Sheffield Townships. The owner of the land he farmed was Martha E. Brand, which is logically his mother, Martha Ellen Slipher Brand. He raised Duroc Jersey hogs at this time.
In 1888, an M. A. Brand owns 179 acres in Section 8 of Sheffield Township, including the 80 acres described above. This was likely Mary Wilson Brand, the widow of John Brand, who died in 1852.. This assumes that the middle initial of "A" is incorrect on the plat map, or that I have an error on Mary's middle name.
The circa 1941 plat map shows "Mary Brand, et al" as the owners of the 80 acres which Perry farmed. I'm not sure who this would be. Perry has no heirs named Mary. His grandson, Wilson J. Brand, Jr., married Mary Bowers, but both were still living in 1941. "Et al" implies shared ownership. It's also possible that Martha's name was still on the land title, along with her heirs, and that there is a mistake on the plat map. This seems the most likely.
Burials:
- John Wilson Brand and Martha Ellen Slipher are buried in the Oxford Cemetery.
- Perry D. Brand, Elnora K. Smith and Jennie Leibenguth are buried in the Dayton Cemetery.
