David Henry Brown was the son of Thomas M. and Elizabeth Taylor Brown; born near Winchester, Virginia.
In 1884, a year after marrying Rebecca Wood Birdsall, David, Rebecca, and their baby son Herbert moved to Genoa, Nebraska. In the 1890's David became one of a group to organize a cooperative colony and traveled south seeking a location to settle. In 1896 David, his wife, and seven children moved to Georgia as members of the Christian Commonwealth Colony located on an old plantation east of Columbus. After a year, David and a few other families became disillusioned with the colony. David, having traveled to Florida prior to settling in Georgia, returned to Florida and bought a tract of land located across from the Apalachicola Bay. In April 1898 now with eight children ranging in ages from 5 months to 14 years old, the Browns, along with four other families loaded household goods, farm machinery, horses, and poultry onto three barges and floated down the Chattahoochee River. Two weeks later, they reached their destination in Florida. The wood from the barges was used to build houses...the settlement of Eastpoint had been founded. On July 16, 1898, a post office was established in David Brown's family home with his wife Rebecca serving as postmistress. Mail arrived each week day morning from Apalachicola by the side-wheeled steamer Crescent City. One of the first crops David raised was sugar cane, converting it into molasses. David and two others organized the Southern Cooperative Association to develop the natural resources of the vicinity. David was a birthright member of the Society of Friends and always kept his membership in the Goose Creek Friends Meeting in Lincoln, Virginia.

Brother of Warner M. Brown (#45847677)