JOHN BROWN, NOTORIOUS TORY CRIMINAL

John Brown, notorious Tory Criminal, because of a crime committed in
England, migrated to the United States to escape punishment. The exact
date has not been established, but one of the oldest men of the
community said it was during Revolutionary War days. Brown settled in
the lower edge of Burke County, N.C. adjoining No. 11 Township,
Cleveland County, being about two miles from the Cleveland County Line.
Natives of this section say that he built a rock house just north of
Ben's Knob in the southern part of South Mountains where he maintained
headquarters for his robberies in Burke and Cleveland Counties.

Brown was evidently single; no trace of a woman being connected with his
criminal activities according to the story as related by different
people of the community. However, he had a Negro servant, a slave, who
waited on his personally.

According to tradition handed down from father to son, John Brown
accumulated a half bushel of gold. It is reported that the Negro
servant said, after Brown's death, that John Brown blindfolded him and
hid his treasure of gold two or three miles away from the rock House out
in the wood. Since his day, the people have searched for this treasure;
but there is no record of it ever being found. The people of this
section tore down the rock House in search of this half bushel of gold
he had obtained by his robberies. The rocks are still there to show
this fact. It is known as "The Old Brown Rock House Place." One man
said that big rocks had been dynamited in search of Brown's hidden gold.

John Brown's notorious robberies were terminated when he entered a widow
woman's house and was killed by her son.

NOTE: For further investigation correspondence may be had with the
following persons: Robert Fortenberry, Casar, N.C. R. #1; Mr. Wesley
Smith, Casar, N.C., R#1; Mr. George White, 82, Casar, N.C. Also, Prof.
L. B. Cain, Principal of the Casar High School, Casar. N.C. Data by
Anson G. Melton, worker

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This cemetery is among the many Cleveland cemeteries included on the Cleveland Count WPA Cemeteries CD,
copyrighted 2008, by Ann K. Propst and Derick S. Hartshorn.
All listings and cemeteries listings were made prior to 1940 and represent the conditions of that time.
All information has been donated to the NCGenWeb Project but authors retain copyright protection under law.
It may be referenced and briefly exerpted under the universal fair use doctrine.
For a copy of the complete Cleveland County WPA Cemetery Survey CD, see http://www.hartshorn.us/CWPA.htm