Robert Alexander Brown was a native
of Virginia, born in Culpepper County, near
Brandywine Station, February 22, 1833 He
grew up working with cotton, cattle, horses
and mules Upon coming to Texas at age 17
he located in Galveston and was employed as
a salesman in a mercantile business
When the Civil War broke out, he returned
to the family plantation in his native state
and county and volunteered defending the
cause of the Confederate States He was a
member of the famous Black-Horse Cavalry
of Virginia under Jeb Stuart and as a soldier
served with distinguished bravery in various
battles defending the Confederate capitol
until his capture in the Valley of the Potomac
in 1864
After the Civil War, he was released and
returned to Galveston where he entered
the cotton export business and became a
commission merchant These ancestors
farmed cotton and traded mules back and
forth from Missouri
They later moved to Calvert, Texas where
Robert Herndon (R.H.) Brown, the oldest
son, was in the cattle business Records show
he sold Angus bulls in the 1890s and even
sent a boat load of cattle to Cuba in 1895
R H Brown moved to Jack County,
Texas where he had a small ranch and his
son R A Brown was born in 1902 When
the Fort Worth Stockyards opened in 1903,
R H Brown sold the ranch and bought an
interest in a cattle commission company
there That same year he started buying land
in Throckmorton County
1906 —
R.H. Brown brought the first
registered Hereford cattle toThrockmorton
County and started selling bulls there
R A Brown grew up working at the Fort
Worth Stockyards and during the summers
worked at the ranch in Throckmorton
1917 —
At the age of 15, R A Brown
enrolled
in
school
at
Woodson, TX
so that he could
stay and help
at the ranch
through
the
severe drought
Feed was scarce
and cows were
thin going into
that extremely
cold winter and
cows began to
die R A helped
skin
cows
(instead of going to school) and hauled
wagon loads of hides to Abilene, some 60
miles away, trading them for cotton seed
cake to feed the remaining cattle
1922 —
R A Brown, a student at Texas
A&M, was a member of the collegiate
polo team He quit school to return to the
ranch due to his father’s declining health
and economic hardships
1929 —
R H Brown dies from a long
bout with cancer The Great Depression
hits The family advises R A to give up
the ranch Instead he got his mother and
his sisters to deed their
parts of the ranch to
him so he could borrow
enough money to save
it (He managed to get
the debt paid off in
the 1940’s and deeded
their land back to
them.)
1931 —
R A Brown
marries the former
Valda Thomas whose
parents were also
ranchers, Mr and Mrs
D B Thomas
1934 —
D B Thomas dies and R A
Brown assumes management of the
Thomas Ranch as well as the Brown Ranch
raising commercial as well as registered
Hereford cattle and selling Hereford bulls
1936 —
R. A. Brown Jr. (Rob) was born
and grew up working on the ranch
1950-57 —
Ranch destocks from
900 to 125 head of cattle on 18,000
acres because of severe drought
1957 —
R. A. (Rob) Brown Jr. and
Peggy Donnell marry. The Donnells,
a long time ranching family, settled
in neighboring Young County in 1876
1958 —
After graduating from Texas Tech
Rob and Peggy return to Throckmorton to
work with his parents on the ranch Their
first daughter, Betsy, was born.
1960 —
Rob A Brown was born Rob had
the foresight to start a mesquite woodchip
company in Throckmorton and started
marketing it for cooking to give that unique
mesquite flavor.
1965 —
Rob & R A agreed to start
crossbreeding the commercial Hereford
cows with Brown Swiss A week later R
A died from a sudden heart attack Rob
closed the wood company and took over
management of the ranch
1967 & 1969 —
Marianne & Donnell
Brown were born The crossbred calves
were 100 pounds heavier at weaning,
but were discounted in the market place
because of the brindle, gray and dun color
1970—
Simmental took the place of Brown
Swiss in the crossbreeding program which
cured the color and marketing problems,
while keeping the 100 pounds of additional
weaning weight and also improving
percentage calf crop The herd was bred up
to purebred Simmental and started selling
Simmental & Simmental Hybrid bulls
1974 —
Rob serves as the 4th President of
American Simmental Association
R. A. Brown
R. A. Brown,
Jr. “Rob”
8
A Century of Heritage
