Blog no. 55

Maj. George Campbell “Campbell” Brown was born on November 27, 1840, most likely in Nashville, Davidson County, TN, to James Percy Brown and Elizabeth MacKay “Lizinka” Campbell. He had two siblings. Their names were Percy Brown and Harriot Stoddert “Hattie” (Brown) Turner. Campbell came from a very prominent family of TN.

On August 1, 1861, Campbell enlisted into the 4th Tennessee Infantry of the confederate army as a captain. Then, or sometime after, he was promoted to major and was appointed to become one of Lt. Gen. Richard Stoddert Ewell’s aides. During that time, Ewell was in love with Campbell’s mother (who was also Richard’s first cousin) Lizinka and knew that if he let anything happen to Campbell, he could never look at the young soldier’s mother again. After Ewell and Lizinka’s marriage and throughout the entire war, Campbell was safe because of Ewell’s actions. 

Campbell, even before the war started, was already making his mark in Spring Hill, TN history. When the Civil War started, Campbell was the mayor of Spring Hill, TN. Though being the mayor for what seemed to have been a short period of time, he was one of the earliest mayors in the history of a then small town in TN.

On September 11, 1866, in Maury County, TN, Campbell married Susan Rebecca Polk. They had five children, and their names were Lucius Polk Brown, Dr. Richard Ewell “Ewell” Brown, George Campbell Brown Jr., James Percy Brown, and Lizinka Campbell Brown. 

Campbell’s grandfather, George Washington Campbell, who was a Senator, U.S. Representative, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, etc., upon the marriage of Campbell’s parents, gave them a manor in Spring Hill, TN. Lizinka, after the death of Campbell’s father, took over the ownership of the manor, which was later ran by Ewell after his and Lizinka’s marriage. Campbell inherited the manor after their deaths in 1872.

Sadly, on August 30, 1893, in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan, Campbell committed suicide by shooting himself in the head because of the loss of about $50,000. He was buried in Saint John’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, in Ashwood, Maury County, TN. Campbell may not be remembered today by Spring Hill, TN natives, but he definitely made his mark in the city’s history. 

Special thanks to Alicia Fitts for additional information to this blog.