Notes for Lewis "Cazz" Caswell Brown

Notes for Lewis "Cazz" Caswell Brown

Lewis Caswell was a Stone Mason in the South Bend, Indiana area. He helped build the People's Church in South Bend and is rumored to have helped to build the Tippecanoe Mansion in South Bend.

From the family records of Kurt Otto Schelle, Jr.:

Lewis Caswell Brown would be a most interesting individual for our generations to know. His nickname was "Cazz", probably becasue his father was also named Lewis. Some references spell his first name, Louis. However, my mother was adamant that the correct spelling was Lewis. This spelling was confirmed by the 1880 census. Caswelll was undoubtably a family surname. We don't know where it originated. It may have been his maternal grandmother's maiden name. As a point of interest, the first governor of the state of North Carolina was Richard Caswell. We are unaware of any possible family connections.

Lewis was a small man, 5'6" or 5'7". His wife, daughters and sons were all taller than he was. I am told I was his favorite because he was certain I was going to be a small man like him. He could not read or write which made the famct he successfuly ran his own business quite remarkable. He must have possessed leadership qualities because he was involved in construction work (moving houses, exavations, trench digging, etc.) both as a foreman for other contractors and the operator of a contracting business. This type of worker was not noted for being shrinking violets - it took a strong man to handle them. He was prematurely gray and partially bald.

Alcohol had been a problem among the male members of his family. He neither drank or smoked. he also did not tolerate dirty or off color jokes. He never joined a church or attended one. He, contrary to his father's atheism, had no quarrel with organized religion. he just plain could not understand it. From time to time the pastor of one denomination or another would call on him for the purpose of converting him to their particular denomination. Unfortunately, each of them presented his denomination as the only way to salvation. This proved to be so confusing to grandfather he just "threw his hands up in the air" and chose none of them. He did not discurage anyone else in the family from going to the curch of their choice.

He was a strict disciplinarian with his family - after a fashion. The story is told that when one of the boys needed to be chastised he would send him out into the yard to cut a switch from one of the trees with the promise that he was going to beat him within an inch of his life with it. The boys knew him pretty well. So, they would bring back the biggest and strongest switch they could find. Grandfather would look at the "club" and at the boy and just didn't have the heart ot hit the boy with that big of a switch. Instead, he gave the boy a severe "dressing down" and promised him solemnly that if he ever repeated whatever the offense had been he really would beat them "within an inch of their lives". They all reached maturity without disfigurement or other evidence of harsh physical treatment.

About 1890 grandfather together with his oldest two brothers (both civil war verterans) went to Little Rock, Arkansas to take jobs in the booming logging operations. Things seemed to be going well so he send for Grandmother, Uncle Clarence, and Aunt Bess to join him, which they did. Unfortunately, his borthers couldn't get used to the idea that the civil war had been over for twenty some years. When an argument arose such statements as "you damn rebels, we whipped you once and we can do it again" did not wind friends in Arkansas. Finally a committee of the local groip quitely approcahed Grandfather and told him "Brownie, we like you and your family very well and you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. Your brothers are something else. Please get them out of here before the resentment against them becomes so strong they get "tarred and feathered". Recognizing this was no idle threat, he talked his brothers into going back to South Bend and he took his family and went back with them.

When mother was a girl they lived for a period of thime on Portage Avenue. At this time the area between the St. Joe River and Portage Ave. was just being developed. Consequently, the area looked like farm land with houses stuck here and there. Some landscaping was sorely needed. So, Grandfather Brown planted saplings in the parkway from Portage Avenue to the river on several streets in the area. Today (as of 1969) the trees have matured and are quite impressive.

For a period of time he operated his own business of moving houses. We should remember his tools were qute different that we see today. The fact he could neither read or write made the venture rather remarkable. We he wasn't moving houses he worked for other contractors. One of the jobs he worked on was the courthouse in South Bend.

About 1918 his son, Lewis, got into considerable trouble with the South Bend Police Department. It seems the Police Riot Squad (6 officers) was called out because of a disturbance in which Uncle Lew was a participant. Uncle Lew did not welcome interference by the police. When the melee was over and Uncle Lew was subdued tow policement were hospitalized and two more required first aid. This did not please the local authorities. The bottom line was it cost Grandfather about everything he had, including his life savings, and a guarantee that young Lewis would leave South Bend permanently to keep from going to jail.

In October of 1919, Lewis Caswell was working as a foreman on a sewer digging project. There was a problem down in the trench. Grandfather went down in the trench to check out the problem and the sidewall caved in. he was bured up to his arm pits. It took about half an hour to dig him out. He didn't go to the hospital but went home as if nothing had happened. A few days later he had a stroke that left him completely paralyzed on one side. Three days later he died. Grandfather was not bured in Mount Pleasant Cemetery where most of the Browns are buried. Some time prior to his death he and his youngest son, Russell, took a walk one Sunday out to Highland Cemetery, which was new and just being developed. Grandfather commented about one particular spot saying "what a beautiful place". When grandfather died Russell remembered the incident. The family checked and the lots were still available so the decision was made to bury him at Highland Cemetery, which is also on Portage Ave.