Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

J. Henry Brown Monuments. Order books, 1899-1920. Accession 23985, 24142, Business records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of J. Henry Brown & Son, Richmond, VA, on 5 June 1953 and 4 March 1954.

Biographical/Historical Information

J. Henry Brown (1859-1921) began operation as a stonemason in 1885 in partnership with Walter R. Harwood. Although the partnership with Harwood evidently did not continue, Brown operated a succession of businesses as a monumental architect and builder. At various times Brown was president or general manager of the Virginia Granit Company, Inc., the Capitol Granite and Marble Works, and J. Henry Brown and Son. In 1975 J. Henry Brown Monuments, Inc., became a division of Oakwood Monument Company.

Scope and Content

Order books, 1899-1920, of J. Henry Brown Monuments, Inc., of Richmond, Virginia, containing sketches of cemetery monuments and headstones, cornerstones, and date stones, with their dimensions, specifications and inscriptions. The name and address of the individual ordering the monument and the charges for the work are also included.

An index is available for the tombstone inscriptions contained in the first three volumes of the order books covering the period 1899-1907. Many of the individuals listed were born before Virginia began keeping vital statistics in 1853. Click here: J. Henry Brown Monuments database