John Brodhead (October 5, 1770 – April 7, 1838) was a Methodist minister, an American politician and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

Early life

Born in Lower Smithfield in the Province of Pennsylvania, Brodhead attended the common schools and

Stroudsburg Stroudsburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Pocono Mountains, Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence ...

(Pennsylvania) Academy. He studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and was ordained a Methodist minister in 1794 remaining active in ministerial service for forty-four years.

Career

Brodhead moved in 1796 to

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

, where he became supervisor of

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

societies in the

Connecticut Valley The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. He settled in

Canaan, New Hampshire Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest. Canaan is home to the Cardigan Mountain School, the town's largest employer. The main v ...

, in 1801, then moved to Newfields Village,

Newmarket, New Hampshire Newmarket is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 9,430 at the 2020 census. Some residents are students and employees at the nearby University of New Hampshire in Durham. The densely settled center of town ...

, in 1809. From 1810 to about 1823, he occupied the parsonage and preached in the parish church. A member of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on populatio ...

, 1817–1827, Brodhead also officiated as chaplain of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1825. Elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses, Brodhead served as United States Representative for the state of New Hampshire from March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1832 and resumed his ministerial duties.

Death

Brodhead died in Newfields, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, on April 7, 1838 (age 67 years, 184 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Locust Grove Cemetery, Newfields, New Hampshire.

Family life

On August 17, 1801, Brodhead, son of Luke and Elizabeth Harrison Brodhead, married Mary Dodge, daughter of Thomas and Ruth Giddings Dodge. They had 12 children; six sons and six daughters.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodhead, John 1770 births 1838 deaths People from Fayette County, Pennsylvania Methodists from New Hampshire Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire 19th-century American politicians People from Newfields, New Hampshire People from Newmarket, New Hampshire People from Canaan, New Hampshire