Robert Jarvis Brown was born on May 14, 1876 at Mineral Point, Washington County, Missouri to Alexander Donathan Brown and Rachel Sophia Boas Brown.  The family came to Texas in a covered wagon in 1880 and settled in Belknap Community in Young County where they owned and operated a general merchandise store, and A.D. Brown served as postmaster.  A year later, Rachel Sophia passed away, leaving her husband with a 5-year-old child.  A.D. later remarried, and stories are told that she was abusive to Robert, so at the age of 15, he left home and traveled to Bellevue, Clay County, Texas, where he was engaged in general merchandise business with Sid Webb.  Robert attended the former Trinity University, Waxahachie, Texas, and the Metropolitan Business College in Fort Worth.   He was a successful cattleman for 25 years.  During this time he met and married Martha Elizabeth Thurmond of Rhome, Wise County, Texas on December 5, 1905.  They lived on their ranch in Bellevue, Texas.    In 1910 they moved to Henrietta where he served as President of the Henrietta Schools Board of Education when the Junior High School building was erected in 1928.  He also served as President of the Henrietta Chamber of Commerce and owned and operated a Gulf Service Station in Henrietta for a number of years, after the cattle business had failed during the Great Depression Era.    He was a member of the Clay County Historical Survey Committee, the West Side Baptist Church, in Wichita Falls, and served as treasurer of the Jobe Sunday school Class at the church for many years.

Robert Jarvis Brown, a pioneer resident of Clay County, passed away on Wednesday May 9, 1973 in a Wichita Falls nursing home at the age of 96.  The REV. L.J. (Scotty) Newton, pastor of West Side Baptist Church, conducted his service.  Burial was in the Bellevue Cemetery, placed next to his wife, Martha.  Pallbearers included Edgar Boddy, William Burnside, Bryant Edwards, David Greer, Pete Moore, and Don Slagle.  Honorary pallbearers were the members of the Jobe Sunday school Class. His advice to young married couples was to: ”Never put all of your eggs in one basket”.