J.R. Brown, the son of Robert and Nancy (Hayes) Brown, was born in Fayette County, Tennessee, in 1832.  (Nothing is known of his first twenty-one years).  In October of 1854, he married Missouri Martin of Falls County, Texas.  In 1860, J. R. bought about 100 acres of land in Robertson County.  Their children: Alfred E. (see Alfred Earl Brown); John C., born 1858; Tennessee L. "Aunt Dink," 1870; Frank L., 1878.  The family lived in Robertson County until about 1876, when they came to Coleman County.

     In about 1875, John C. Brown became a cowboy in the area of Brownwood.  There he met another cowboy who had been in the area for sometime, named R. E. Harris.  John and his father, J. R., purchased 360 acres of land a few miles southeast of what much later became Burkett.  Much of the land was in Brown County.  Myrtle (Stanley) Brown, whose parents were M. M. and Mary (Baker) Stanley, came to Burkett in the 1890's.  They lived directly south of what is now the school house.  She married John C. Brown there in 1898.  She was 18 and he was 40.

     In the 1880's, J. R. became a County Commissioner and a Justice of the Peace. He became known about that time as Squire Brown of Burkett.  He and his son, John, were charter members of the Presbyterian Church at Burkett.  That church disbanded due to lack of membership, and I believe the building is now the Church of Christ.  My grandmother said that the family farm had a building on it where persons under arrest were kept.

     The 1900 Census lists Squire Brown's occupations as "landlord."  The Brown sons were listed as farmers.  I understand that Squire did move to "downtown" and maintained a sort of feed store.  Missouri Brown died in 1904 and Squire, February 12, 1913.  All of their children remained in Burkett until their deaths.