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This the young man decided to make
the turning point in his life. Since childhood
he had cherished a steadily growing
ambition to stand for himself in the world
of industry, and toward this end he had
been consistently planning, working and
saving. He saw that now the realization
was only a step, and taking that step he
started in business for himself. Stamford
appealed to him not only for its business
possibilities and desirable geographical
location, but as a place that met his ideals
as a home town, both for his own family
and for the families of the men he should
employ.
So, in 1899, in a very modest foundry,
manned by himself and his sons, he es-
tablished the business which has developed
past even his own expectations.
The business grew from the start, for it
was founded and carried on upon the sure
foundation of quality of product and
strictest honesty and courtesy. The busi-
ness enjoyed a natural, healthy growth,
although Mr. Brown was too conservative
to be aggressive in the sense in which that
term is now commonly used. But upon
such a solid and substantial basis he made
the name of Brown a valuable asset in
connection with brass foundry products.
Mr. Brown married Lena Eckert,
daughter of William Eckert. She was a
native of Bavaria, and came to New York
City at the age of seventeen to join her
brothers who had already established
homes in the New World. Mr. and Mrs.
Brown were the parents of two children
John, who succeeded his father in busi-
ness, and of whom extended mention follows
; and Joseph, born in 1891, who is
now serving his third enlistment in the
United States navy, where he has risen
from seaman to petty officer. The family
have for years been members of St.
Luke's Episcopal Church of Stamford.
John Brown, son of Christian and Lena
:
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
50
(Eckert) Brown, and the present head of
the Stamford industry founded by his
father, was born in New York City, May
2, 1889. He attended the public schools
of the city of Dayton, Ohio, for three
years, then the family came to Stamford
and there his formal education was com-
pleted. But Mr. Brown is a man who will
never cease to add to his already rich
store of information. He is keenly observant
of men and affairs, alert to and
tenacious of every particle of technical in-
formation. He learned his trade under
his father, but has been about the brass
foundry since he was eight years old, so
that even before he had completed his
schooling he had acquired considerable
practical knowledge of the trade. Chris-
tian Brown, during the last three years of
life, was subject to severe illnesses, and
his son John took charge of the business
during his absence from the foundry, then
upon his father's death succeeded him as
proprietor.
As soon as the entire control of the bus-
iness passed to him, John Brown began to
plan for expansion. The plant has grown
and developed under his aggressive management
until it has become one of the
important industries of Stamford. It now
occupies a two-story building 50x120 feet,
and employs on the average of twenty-
five to forty men. Mr. Brown has broad-
ened the scope of the work done at the
foundry, until now it includes a large
amount of marine engine work, and
bronze castings and aluminum work are
handled as well as brass. The brass pol-
ishing and plating department is also a
new development. He has taken a great
pride in equipping his foundry with the
most modern appliances, and also in doing
everything possible for the health and
comfort of the employees, in whom he
takes the personal interest that keeps
alive the spirit of good fellowship be-