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, 1928-1958. Accession 23985, 24142, 54133, Business records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Order books, 1899-1920, gift of J. Henry Brown & Son, Richmond, VA, on 5 June 1953 and 4 March 1954. Order books, 1928-1958, gift of Ryan K. Smith, Richmond, VA, on 12 February 2024.

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. Brown also served as president or general manager of the Virginia Granite Company, Inc., and Capitol Granite and Marble Works. After Brown's death, his son, Earl Lyndhurst Brown (1898-1957) served as president of Capitol Granite and Marble Works before reviving J. Henry Brown Company in 1924. He changed the name of the Company to J. Henry Brown and Son in 1928. In 1975 J. Henry Brown and Son became a division of Oakwood Monument Company.

Scope and Content

Order books, 1899-1920, of J. Henry Brown Monuments, Inc., and order books, 1928-1958, of its successor company J. Henry Brown and Son, both 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. Most orders are for Richmond area cemeteries such as Evergreen, Hollywood, Maury, Mt. Calvary, Oakwood, Riverview, and Shockoe, however there are orders for cemeteries in other Virginia localities, as well as Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Also includes orders for monuments honoring Union and Confederate soldiers, work for the Jefferson Hotel, and for other institutions and organizations.

An index is available for the tombstone inscriptions contained in all of the volumes, 1899-1920. Many of the individuals listed were born before Virginia began keeping vital statistics in 1853. Click here: J. Henry Brown Monuments database