Lanny Brown
The 3rd-great grandson of John and Magdalena Brown, Lanny Brown was born on a multi-generational farm in Fenwick (South Pelham), Ontario. One of four children, Lanny shares stories of growing up with his siblings on Downalane Farm. At 89 years old, Lanny can remember many of the jobs he used to do as a kid — threshing grain, husking walnuts, and selling apples. These special stories help us understand how Brown descendants relate to their family legacy as Loyalist descendants still living in Niagara. They reflect the rural sensibilities that many families experienced in the mid-20th century, including interactions with their neighbours and surrounding communities, social norms, and everyday farm life.
Ancestry Notes:
Lanny Brown and Liz Brown Porritt are siblings. Alan Brown is their distant cousin!
This interview was conducted in Lanny’s home in Forest, ON, on November 14, 2024.
Childhood Memories
Lanny Brown grew up on Downalane Farm, with no running water or modern plumbing. The farm was so named by his father Ernest Brown, being located down a quarter-mile long lane off the main River Road in South Pelham. The property was originally purchased by John Brown II (1789 -1874) in 1840 and passed down to his son Henry (1819-1869) who started living there following his marriage in 1844, and remained in the family for 174 years until 2018.
Lanny’s stories of rural Niagara in the 1930s and 40s reflect a simpler time. He talks about Brown Family reunions as highlights of his childhood — fleeting moments where he and his family would leave the farm to spend time with aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Young Adult Years
L to R: Siblings Robert, Richard, Lanny, and Elizabeth Brown pose together in an early type of farm loader bucket, c. 1943. Photo courtesy of Lanny Brown.
Lanny and his late wife, Audrey, of whom he speaks fondly, had 6 children and lived in Welland for many years. They moved to Forest, Ontario in 2002 to live out their retirement years near their children and grandchildren. Lanny’s eldest daughter Ruth Hodgson was present for this interview.
Lanny Brown being interviewed by Sara Nixon, with daughter Ruth Hodgson observing. Nov, 2024.
Brothers Robert Brown (L) and Lanny Brown (R), c. 1939. Photo courtesy of Lanny Brown.
Lanny’s childhood days of playing hockey on the Welland River slowly evolved into his teenage and young adult years where he reminisces about square dancing in Wainfleet with the Junior Farmers, grabbing a $0.25 milkshake in Turners Corners, and putting his arm around his girlfriend (later to become his wife) at the St. Catharines Drive-In theatre. Disagreements with family over a change in religious denomination led to the end of his time on the family farm, and he began working for a local dairy. Shortly after getting married, he began employment at a steel mill, where he worked til he retired in 1994.