Elijah Brush (May 10, 1773 – December 14, 1813) was a lawyer and politician from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Early life

Elijah Brush was born in

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous t ...

in 1773, the son of Colonel Nathaniel Brush and Samantha Parker (d. 1789). Brush graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and came to Detroit in 1798.

Career

Following Detroit's hand-over to American control, John Askin, a British subject, moved across the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, leaving behind his farm, "Private Claim #1," which was immediately adjacent to Detroit.

Public service

Elijah Brush was elected a trustee in 1803, appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Militia in 1805, and appointed as mayor of the town of Detroit after

Solomon Sibley Solomon Sibley (October 7, 1769 – April 4, 1846) was an American politician and jurist in the Michigan Territory who became the first mayor of Detroit. Early life: 1769–1815 Sibley was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth and Reube ...

's resignation in 1806. Brush also served as

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of the Michigan Territory from 1806 to 1813, and from 1811 to 1814 served as United States Attorney. In 1807, Brush was the counsel in the first case to test the right to hold slaves in Michigan, ''Denison v. Tucker''. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, British forces captured Detroit and Elijah Brush and other militia officers were taken prisoner. He was shipped to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, but his brother-in-law, a British officer, procured his release, and Brush returned to Detroit in late 1813 when American troops retook the city.

Personal life

In 1802, Brush married Adelaide Askin (1783–1859), daughter of John Askin and sister of John Askin, both prominent fur traders. The couple had three sons and a daughter who survived their father: * Edmund Askin Brush (1802–1877), who married Elizabeth Cass Hunt (1825–1913). * Charles Andrew Brush (1804–1807), who died young. * Charles Reuben Brush (1807–1849), who married Jane Cameron Forsyth (1809–1856). * John Alfred Brush (1811/5–1870), a doctor. * Archange "Semanthe" Brush (1813–1842), who married Charles Meredith. Elijah and Adelaide moved onto Askin's farm, and in 1806 the Brushes purchased it for $6000 and it eventually became known as the Brush Farm. Brush, a careful administrator, increased the value of the farm and made his heirs wealthy. In the 1850s, Edmund Brush began developing sections of the property into the fashionable

Brush Park The Brush Park Historic District, frequently referred to as simply Brush Park, is a 22-block neighborhood located within Midtown Detroit, Michigan and designated by the city.

; the streets Edmund, Alfred, Adelaide, and Brush were named after members of the family. He died on December 14, 1813, shortly after the Americans retook Detroit.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brush, Elijah 1773 births 1813 deaths People from Bennington, Vermont Mayors of Detroit Politicians from Detroit Dartmouth College alumni American militiamen in the War of 1812 Northwest Territory officials American militia officers War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom 19th-century American politicians