Lorenzo and Mary Brown were married March 9, 1871 and purchased 80 acres of land on the county line about 4 miles west of Richmond. They built a house, started breaking ground, fencing off pasture and started their family. In 1875 they add another 200 acres to their farm. In April 1878 the Browns moved to Richmond. By 1880 his enterprises included raising, buying and selling livestock, a blacksmith and wagon shop, general store including dry goods and lumberyard and builders hardware. He was involved with raising funds for the new church. He along with William Dorman had a meat market and ice house, which handled 30 or 40 tons of ice. He also had a number of corn cribs and warehouses. I have no idea how many he employed, but in 1880 he was definitely the largest employer in the area. This was the year he sold his farm 4 miles west of town. Lorenzo Brown saw a need in 1885 to get the plot of land west of town that was being used as a cemetery made official and in 1886 it was chartered with the state. The Browns purchased the first lot of the newly chartered cemetery not realizing they would be using it a year later for their 5 year old son, Herbert. Lorenzo and Mary spent 57 years together about 20 of it around Richmond. They had 13 children, 8 or 9 of whom were born in the Richmond area. Mary died in 1928 and Lorenzo in 1930 both were brought back to Richmond for burial. Buried here with them and Herbert are their two oldest daughters and a son-in-law, Rena and her husband Chalmer Higdon and Winfred Kincaid. Both of whom were probably married in Richmond.

-Dennis Peters Richmond Community Museum