Theodore Allen Brown, first child of Joseph V. and Nancy (Bullard) 
Brown was born on February 7, 1902 at his family's home in the Blue 
Ridge Community of Hamilton County, Texas. He was given the family 
name of his maternal grandmother Cora, and great-grandfather Capt. John
Bryan Allen, CSA, who died in the tragic Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.
Ted was a softspoken man of medium build, with red hair and blue eyes. 
His words were well thought out before he spoke. He attended Blue Ridge
Schools, then Polytechnic High School in Ft. Worth. On Feb 4, 1930 at 
Melvin, Texas, he married Ruby Anne Renfro. One daughter was born of 
this union. Ted was an ordained Baptist Minister and graduate of Texas 
Christian University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 
Ft. Worth, and Eastern New Mexico University at Portales, NM. While in 
University and Seminary in the late 1940's, he preached and served as 
interim-Pastor for numerous small, country churches. His transportation
was a black 1932 Chevrolet Tudor sedan which he and his father had 
completely restored, and he had repainted with a spray gun powered by 
exhaust from a vacuum cleaner. New seat covers made it ideal for a 
country preacher-Seminary student. When the Chevrolet finally wore out,
he replaced it with a 1929 Model A Ford; Dependable transportation. 
After work on Saturday, they would travel hundreds of miles to various 
small out-of-the-way churches to conduct services the next day. They 
would stay overnight with a Deacon or steadfast "grandma" member, and 
sometimes the Church would give them enough offering money to buy 
gasoline for the trip home. But, it was service to God, not for 
finances. He taught in Roswell, NM, and in Indian schools for many 
years on the Mescalero-Apache and Navajo lands of Northern New Mexico, 
and often preached in Indian mission churches. He was also an 
accomplished pipe and steam-fitter which paid considerably better than 
teaching or preaching. Ted frequently worked in that trade, traveling 
as far away as Venezuela, earning extra income to help support his 
missionary work. After retirement, he made his home in Fredericksburg, 
Texas serving for over 30 years in the capacity of a Deacon, Outreach 
Administrator, and Sunday School teacher in First Baptist Church of 
Fredericksburg. Following his wife's death in 1989, he moved with his 
daughter to Ft. Worth. For over 55 years, Ted was a member of Orient 
Masonic Lodge No. 321 of Waverly, Ohio.  He died on May 21, 1998 in his
Ft. Worth home, and is buried at the Whittenton Cemetery, in Hamilton 
County, Texas.



Source: Nephew Gerry Gieger, Everman, Texas - Fall 1998
Posted: 16 October 1998