John Brown left home at 16 to prepare for Congregational minister

John Brown was a responsible teenager with a strong sense of his destiny at the age of 16. To enroll in a course that would prepare him for the Morris Academy in Litchfield, Connecticut, he left the house where he was raised and traveled to Plainfield, Massachusetts. Brown enrolled in school intending to study divinity; nevertheless, he soon dropped out and, like his father, became a tanner.

He also experimented with building canals, surveying land, and dealing in wool. He acquired land in northeastern Ohio around 1835. Sadly, he had to give up on his goal of becoming a Congregational minister because his father's tannery was unable to provide enough funding for his education. When John Brown realized the hard truth, he went back to Hudson, Ohio, and set up his modest tannery there. Due in part to the 1837 financial panic, Brown was unable to pay off his debts and was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1842. Later, he attempted to sell American wool in Europe but was compelled to do so at a steep discount. When Brown came back to America, this gave rise to numerous lawsuits. His eyes would frequently become inflamed, which made matters worse, especially in the spring.