Wayne County Biographies



Part of the Indiana Biographies Project



John Brooks, Sr.

John Brooks, Sr., was born in Stokes, now Forsyth, County, N. C., Nov. 18, 1806, second son of Jesse and Judith (Johnson) Brooks, the former of Welsh and the latter of English descent. They were the parents of ten children — Polly, David, Sarah (deceased), John, Matthew (deceased), Sicily, Elizabeth, Charity, Jesse W. and Alpha.

Our subject removed to Wayne County, Ind., in 1831, where he purchased ninety acres of land for $450; and settled near Economy, Perry Township, in 1833. He followed farming ten years, during which his parents moved to Wayne County, where his father died at the age of seventy-five years, his mother following a few years later, at about the same age. He was married in 1833, to Rachel, daughter of William and Damaris (Mills) Locke. They have two daughters — Betsy J. and Martha A. Mrs. Brooks died Aug. 24, 1843, after which Mr. Brooks sold his farm for $1,000, and purchased a farm north of Washington for $16.25 per acre, where he engaged in farming till 1870. He was again married in 1844, to Mary A., daughter of David and Anna (Henly) Johnson, of Morgan County, Ind. They have three children — Jesse W., formerly Cashier of the Citizens Bank of Hagerstown, Wayne County; Emma A., wife of William K. Bellows, of Indianapolis, and Flora B., wife of Martin Worl, of Henry County, Ind.





In 1870 Mr. Brooks sold his farm for $102 per acre, and purchased forty acres east of Washington for $150 per acre. He gave his children a liberal education. He and his wife are members of the Friends' church. Since locating near Washington Mr. Brooks has purchased a valuable farm of 160 acres, one mile east of his home place, for which he paid $65 per acre. He with a number of others chartered a bank at Hagerstown, known as the Citizens Bank, with a cash capital of $50,000. He was a Director of the bank, and for two years President, and has been connected with it from its organization in 1874 until its close in 1880. His son J. W. was also a stockholder, Director and Cashier, and when the bank closed he purchased the bank furnishing and organized a banking and exchange business, known as the Commercial Bank of Hagerstown, the firm name being J. W. Brooks & S. J. Ford. The former retired from the firm in the fall of 1880. In 1879 he, with a number of others, organized a life insurance association, incorporated as the Provident Life Association of Richmond, Ind., he being Vice-President and Treasurer. He was connected with it till in 1881, when he resigned. Mr. Brooks was one of the original organizers and stockholders of the "Richmond Industrial Association," organized May 12, 1870, at Richmond, Ind., and was a member of its first Board of Directors, and served for several years.

Source:
History of Wayne County, Indiana. Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Co. 1884. Volume 2