Born April 14 1835 in Carroll County, Tennessee, Andrew Jackson Brawley was one of eight children fathered by Milton Braley (sic). His mother was Milton’s first wife, name unknown. Around 1840, the Braley family moved to Franklin County, Arkansas, and took up land there. After the first Mrs. Braley died sometime after 1843 (her last child was born then), Milton married a widow, Mary Catherine Green Moffett, in 1847. They had two more children.
The second Mrs. Braley seems to have brought a considerable amount of property to her new marriage. But Milton fell ill and died, probably early in 1852. His estate consisted of 320 acres of farmland, farm implements, quite a number of cattle and one male slave. Settling Milton’s financial affairs took years as lawyers worked out how to divide the assets between Milton’s heirs and Mary Catherine and the children of her first marriage to Mr. Moffett.
A guardian was initially appointed for Andrew and his younger brother Dennis but, by the time they reached the age of 21, they were living with their older brother Ephraim’s family.
Of the Braly siblings, only Andrew moved west, before the beginning of the Civil War. By 1865, Andrew—or A. J. Brawley, as he had taken to calling himself--was in Fresno, California, where he married Arza Jane Stroud on September 10th. Arza was the daughter of Ira Stroud and Rebecca Williams.
Brawley evidently knew cattle, as he became a successful rancher. When the 1870 federal census was taken, he was a stock raiser worth $2000. He and Arza had seven children in quick succession. Late in 1878, the Brawley family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and it appears that the Strouds came with them.
Once in Phoenix, Brawley opened a general store and became a butcher. By 1882, he was supplementing his income by acting as night watchman and special constable. Mrs. Brawley was busy, too; early in 1884, she and her oldest daughter Alice had opened an ice cream parlor on Washington Street across from the Phoenix Hotel.
By 1884, Brawley was the proprietor of the Dublin Corral, where he boarded and rented horses. A little after 6 AM on December 5th, he was going about his work when he was stricken by a sudden heart attack and died at the age of 49. He was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery.
Brawley’s widow was left with several young children to raise. Fortunately, her parents were also in Phoenix and she could count on their support. In 1886, she married Eugene Bridgeman.
Arza died in Los Angeles on July 3, 1910, while visiting her adult children. Her remains were returned to Phoenix for burial next to her first husband in City/Loosley Cemetery.
- - by Donna L. Carr.
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