Elijah Brush

Elijah Brush was born in Bennington, Vermont in 1773, the son of Colonel Nathaniel Brush and Samantha Parker (d. 1789).[1] Brush graduated from Dartmouth College and came to Detroit in 1798.[2]

Following Detroit's hand-over to American control, John Askin, a British subject, moved across the Detroit River to Canada, leaving behind his farm, "Private Claim #1," which was immediately adjacent to Detroit.[1]

In 1802, Brush married Adelaide Askin (1783–1859),[1] daughter of John Askin and sister of John Askin, both prominent fur traders.[2] The couple had three sons and a daughter[3] who survived their father:[1]

• Edmund Askin Brush (1802–1877), who married Elizabeth Cass Hunt (1825–1913).[6]
• Charles Andrew Brush (1804–1807), who died young.[6]
• Charles Reuben Brush (1807–1849), who married Jane Cameron Forsyth (1809–1856).[7]
• John Alfred Brush (1811/5–1870), a doctor.[6]
• Archange "Semanthe" Brush (1813–1842), who married Charles Meredith.[6]

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.[1] Brush, a careful administrator, increased the value of the farm and made his heirs wealthy.[2] In the 1850s, Edmund Brush began developing sections of the property into the fashionable Brush Park; the streets Edmund, Alfred, Adelaide, and Brush were named after members of the family.[8]

He died on December 14, 1813, shortly after the Americans retook Detroit.[2][5]

• Elijah Brush at Find a Grave