23/54 PROJECT

Celebrating Black Appalachian Community

Brown

Hattie Mae Safewright Brown and Albert Eugene Brown built their home and raised nine children — Frances, Arlene, James Eugene (“Jean”), Linda Holmes, Carl (“Blackie”), Frank Edward (“Edd”), Raymond, Ray, and Hazel Brown Webb. Descendants remember Allisonia as a close-knit, welcoming community where families took pride in the land they owned and the lives they built together. Among Hattie and Albert’s children, Arlene (born 1938) and Frances (born 1939) were both included in the Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County (1947) lawsuit, signed by their mother in pursuit of equal education. Through generations, the Browns have carried forward that same sense of pride, perseverance, and devotion to family, leaving a legacy rooted in resilience and community.

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An interactive graphic of the quilt square. The linked information can also be found below.

In the square’s foreground, various fabrics are arranged into the shape of Pulaski County. The images, elements, and names of the family members are strategically placed to represent the physical location of where they lived, worked, got married, died, and more. In addition to the county map, there are two arrows on either side of the map. The arrow on the quilt’s left side points west towards Wythe, where Albert Eugene Brown was born. The other arrow points east towards Roanoke, where Frances Brown’s last known address was. Overall, the family spent most of their lives in Pulaski, which is prominently showcased by the quilt design.

Learn About the Brown Family

Named Participant List

Arlene, Frances, and their mother, Hattie M. Brown, were involved in the 1947 Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. Arlene was ten years old, and Frances was nine. The two likely attended the Rich Hill School in Allisonia, a historically segregated school for Black children in that part of the county. The image of the court transcript below reads “Arlene Brown and Frances Brown, infants, by Hattie M. Brown, their mother and next friend.”

Image of text from court transcript with names Arlene, Frances, and Hattie Brown
Corbin et al. v. County School Board of Pulaski County, VA. et al. Plaintiff List (courtesy of the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Virginia Roanoke Division)

Artifacts by Family Member

Hattie Mae Safewright Brown

Summary

Hattie Mae Safewright Brown was born on August 17, 1915, to parents John and Rena Ayers Safewright in Wythe, Virginia.1 In 1937, Hattie married Albert Eugene Brown in Pulaski, and the couple raised ten children2: Frances, Arlene, James, Carl, Linda, Raymond, Ray, Hazel, and Frank.3 Although not one of their biological children, Nicholas Brown — Hattie and Albert’s grandchild — was raised in their home and regarded within the family as part of the household. According to the 1940 Census, Albert worked as a laborer for the Works Progress Administration, and Hattie was a housewife.4 Hattie’s mother, Rena Ayers Safewright, also signed the 1947 lawsuit for her children, Hattie’s siblings, Sadie and Henry.

Symbolic Representation

Allisonia Text Image

The Brown family was formed in Allisonia, Virginia. Hattie and Albert raised their children there, many of whom stayed in the area throughout their adulthood. Located in the Southwest corner of Pulaski County, Allisonia was established in 1872. Allisonia was once a booming industrial center with several mining operations. After the end of its mining era, Allisonia mainly became uninhabited land.5 As of the 2020 Census, Allisonia’s population was one hundred and eleven. The pin on the square quilt represents Allisonia’s approximate location.6

Housewife Image

Frances Brown and Hattie Brown were housewives.7 8 These women uplifted their families by caring for their children and homes. Black women have served as the glue for many Black families throughout history, to the present.

Arlene Brown

Summary

Arlene Brown was born to parents Hattie and Albert Brown on April 22, 1938 in Allisonia, Virginia. Arlene eventually relocated to Westwood, New Jersey, where she passed in 2012.9

Symbolic Representation

Certificate of Marriage

Original signed marriage record from Pulaski County for Forrest Miller and Arlene Brown
Forrest Vernon Miller and Arlene Marie Brown Marriage Certificate circa 1956 (courtesy of Ancestry.com)

On March 31 1956, Arlene married Forrest Miller, son of Walter and Mattie Koger Miller of Allisonia, Rev. O.L. Johnson having officiated their wedding.10 According to a 1963 issue of the Southwest Times, Arlene played the music at Sandra Leigh Marshall’s wedding in Pennsylvania. 11 While the newspaper notes she played the piano, her sister Hazel remembers her as a singer rather than a pianist—an example of how archival records and family memory can reflect different facets of a person’s life.

Cement Block & Truck

According to their Marriage Certificate Forrest Miller, spouse of Arlene Brown’s occupation is listed as a concrete finisher. 12The quilt block symbolizes the hard work and craftsmanship he has put into his career.

Frances Brown

Summary

Frances Brown was born on August 16, 1939, in Allisonia to Hattie and Albert Brown.13 She married Theodore Brown of Allisonia and had eight children. According to family members, Frances was affectionately nicknamed “Boody,” and Theodore was called “Bub” by everyone he knew.14 Frances attended the Rich Hill Baptist Church in Allisonia, even after she relocated to Roanoke with Theodore, where she passed in 1980. 15

Symbolic Representation

An image of Frances Brown in 1973 was retrieved from a Southwest Times article in which Frances and other Pulaski residents were questioned if they felt “airline passengers should be subject to tighter security precautions…to insure fewer hijack attempts?” To which Frances is quoted saying “I would say yes,” in agreement with all others who offered their feedback. 16

Newspaper clipping with images of 6 people
Feedback Forum circa 1973 (courtesy of the Virginia Chronicle)17

Theodore David Brown

Summary

Theodore David Brown (“Dock”) was born on May 18, 1919, to Robert and Annie Redd-Brown of Allisonia. Theodore and Frances Brown married and had eight children: Pamela Meadows, Carolyn, Hattie, Tammie Williams, Daphne Howard, Diane Williams, James “Junior,” and David “Randy.” Theodore worked several jobs, one of which was his service as a Private First Class in the United States Army during World War II. According to his family, Theodore was an incredibly warm presence to be around—humble, giving, kind, and protective—with a playful thrill-seeker streak, and he loved to sing, dance, fish, tell stories, and tell jokes.

Man wearing a suit posed with his hands behind his back standing on a walkway in front of a neighborhood street lined by two cars
Theodore David Brown (courtesy of the Redd Family Scrapbook)18

Other Artifacts

Bower Funeral Home

The Bower, formerly Stricker’s Funeral Home, arranged several family members’ funerals, including Raymond19, Albert20, James21, Arlene22, Hattie23, and Frances24. Many of the family members are laid to rest in the Brown Family Cemetery in Allisonia; all nine of Hattie and Albert’s children, with the exception of Lindy, are buried there. In 1970, Stanley S. and Bessie Strickler sold their business to Mark and Helen Bower. The Bower family currently operates two funeral home branches in Pulaski and Dublin. This family-run business is committed to and takes pride in investing in the local community by conducting business with other regional partners.25 The community, including the Brown family, has relied on this business to care for their loved ones.

Sources

  1. Hattie Mae Safewright. Certificate of Birth. 36893. Commonwealth of Virginia State Board of Health–Bureau of Vital Statistics. Wythe County. August 1915. Accessed Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  2. Albert Brown and Hattie Safewright. Marriage Certificate. 3492. Commonwealth of Virginia. Pulaski, Virginia. February 9, 1937. Accessed Ancestry.com.  ↩︎
  3. “Deaths and Funerals, A.E. Brown,” The Southwest Times, August 8, 1975. 2. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive. ↩︎
  4. Department of Commerce–Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States. Pulaski, Virginia. Enumerated April 16, 1940. Sheet no. 4B. Entry for Albert Brown. ↩︎
  5. Smith, Conway Howard, The Land that is Pulaski County (In Virginia’s Highlands). The Pulaski County Library Board, 1981. ↩︎
  6. U.S. Census Bureau, “Allisonia CDP, Virginia,” Populations and People 2020 Decennial Census, https://data.census.gov/profile/Allisonia_CDP,_Virginia?g=160XX00US5101256. ↩︎
  7. Albert Brown and Hattie Safewright. Marriage Certificate. 3492. Commonwealth of Virginia. Pulaski, Virginia. February 9, 1937. Accessed Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  8. Frances Brown. Certificate of Death. 80041690. Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health–Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Roanoke, Virginia. January 15, 1981. Accessed Ancestry.com.  ↩︎
  9. “Obituaries, Arlene Marie Brown,” The Southwest Times, December 18, 2012. page 3. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive.  ↩︎
  10. Forest Vernon Miller and Arlene Marie Brown. Marriage Certificate. 7582. Commonwealth of Virginia. Pulaski, Virginia. March 31, 1956. Accessed on Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  11. “Sandra Leigh Marshall Marries Henry C. Cook,” The Southwest Times, March 3, 1963. 9. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive. ↩︎
  12. Forest Vernon Miller and Arlene Marie Brown. Marriage Certificate. 7582. Commonwealth of Virginia. Pulaski, Virginia. March 31, 1956. Accessed Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  13. Frances Brown. Certificate of Death. 80041690. Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health–Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Roanoke, Virginia. January 15, 1981. Accessed Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  14. “Theodore David Brown.” Redd Family Scrapbook/Papers. ↩︎
  15. “Deaths and Funerals, Mrs. Frances Brown.” The Southwest Times. December 12, 1980. 2. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive. ↩︎
  16. “Feedback: Frances Brown” The Southwest Times. January 3, 1973. 4. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive. ↩︎
  17. Ibid. ↩︎
  18. “Theodore David Brown.” Redd Family Scrapbooks/Papers. ↩︎
  19. Raymond Floyd Brown. Certificate of Death. 74006179. Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health–Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. Pulaski, Virginia. February 4,1974. Accessed Ancestry.com. ↩︎
  20. “Deaths And Funerals, A.E. Brown.” ↩︎
  21. “Area Deaths, James Eugene (Gene) Brown,” The Southwest Times. November 14, 2005. 2. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive.  ↩︎
  22. “Obituaries, Arlene Marie Brown.” ↩︎
  23. “Area Deaths, Hattie Mae Safewright Brown.” The Southwest Times. May 7, 2001. 2. Accessed Virginia Chronicle Library of Virginia Digital Newspaper Archive. ↩︎
  24. “Deaths and Funerals, Mrs. Frances Brown.” ↩︎
  25. Bower Funeral Home, “Who We Are: Our Story, History” 2006. https://www.bowerfuneralhome.com/history. ↩︎