J. (John) Ross Browne was born outside Dublin, Ireland, in 1821. After publishing an article opposing repressive British rule, Browne’s father was exiled to America and settled in Louisville, Kentucky, with his family in 1833. This event may have influenced J. Ross Browne’s yen for adventure and writing. In 1838 he worked as a flatboat hand on the Mississippi. His international adventures began in 1842 with a stint as a deckhand on a whaling ship, which led to the publication of Etchings of a Whaling Cruise. In 1844 he married Lucy Mitchell, who proved to be tolerant of his […]
