Dr. Brower was born in Leesville, Carroll county, Ohio, August 17, 1838. His father, Joseph Brower, was a native of Westmoreland count, Pennsylvania, born in 1811, and when six years of age was taken to Carroll county, Ohio, by his parents. His father purchased a section of land where the city of Columbus now stands but was afterward persuaded to sell out and bought land in Carroll county. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, serving as a colonel in the second contest with England, and it was after that war, in 1817, that he left the Keystone state for Ohio. His son, Joseph Brower, was reared on a farm and throughout his entire life carried on general agricultural pursuits. He married Polly Chinneth Jackson, whose father, John Jackson, was a cousin of General Andrew Jackson, the sixth president of the United States. He, too, was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving throughout the war as a captain under Andrew Jackson. At the battle of New Orleans he picked up a sword.

Mrs. Brower was born near Hagerstown, Ohio, and in early womanhood gave her hand in marriage to Joseph Brower. His death occurred in 1876, while the wife died in 1878.

John J. Brower was educated at a private academy near Hagerstown, Ohio. His father was in very limited financial circumstances and, owing to this, he left home at the age of about sever years and cared for himself until twelve years of age, spending this time in the employ of a physician. At this juncture a fortunate circumstance occurred. He won the attention and interest of a Mr. Carr, a wealthy resident of Leesville, who had lost all his children and, becoming interested in young Brower, made a proposition to educate him for a professional career provided that Mr. Brower would repay the money later. He eagerly accepted Mr. Carr’s offer and became a student in the academy at Hagerstown, Ohio, where he was graduated at the age of sixteen years. He then took up the study of medicine at New Hagerstown, Ohio, in the office of Custer & Stocton, practitioners of the regular school, and afterward pursued his reading under the direction of Dr. Lathers, of Leesville. He began practicing medicine in that town in 1858 and when he entered upon his professional career was nineteen hundred dollars in debt. This would have utterly discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit and determination but he believed he could "make good" and bent every energy toward discharging his financial obligations. He enjoyed a moderate practice at Leesville until 1866, when he located to West Lafayette, Coshocton county. In the meantime he had taken up the study of eclectic medicine under Dr. Joseph S. Burr for two years and began practice at Lafayette as a partner of his preceptor. He also studied homeopathy with Dr. Burr’s wife, who was a practitioner of that school, and attended the Starling Medical College at Columbus in 1865-6. In 1868-9 he was a student in the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, and was graduated with the M.D. degree in February, 1869. In the fall of 1866 he went to Canal Lewisville in Coshocton county, where he continued in practice until 1874. His first year’s earning there were only about six hundred dollars. This was very discouraging but in the second year his practice netted him over two thousand dollars. In the year 1874 he became a resident of Coshocton and the first year his practice brought him three thousand dollars. Since that time his business has constantly increased in volume and importance and he has always enjoyed a reputation for honorable and conscientious professional service. He now confines his attention to office practice but for a long period was the family physician in many a household in Coshocton and other parts of the county. He belongs to the Ohio Eclectic Medical Society and in professional lines is a man of broad learning and marked capability.

Dr. Brower has been married three times. On the 10^th of February, 1858, he wedded Miss Susan E. Benedum, of Leesville, Ohio, who died in 1883. They were the parents of three children, of whom the eldest is still living, Lucy Ida, who was born in February, 1862, and is he wife of George Kitchens, of Coshocton. In 1884 Dr. Brower wedded Martha Stockman, of this city. On the 7^th of December, 1886, Miss Lillie Benedum, of Leesville, became his wife and is still living.

Dr. Brower has been an extensive traveler, visiting every state in the Union and also traveling over the British Dominion from Newfoundland west, and through old Mexico. He possesses and observing eye and retentive memory and in his travels has gained abroad and comprehensive knowledge of the places that he has visited, while his reminiscences of his trips enrich his conversation and afford him many delightful memories. Dr. Brower has now reached he age of three score years and ten, but is still an active man and one whose creditable life record well merits the respect and good will which are uniformly given him.
 

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