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DESCRIPTION OF HIS CHARACTER.

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moved to the neighboring village of Walpole, New Hampshire, "where he lived in ease, independence, and honour, until he took his willing, and not painful deparature, with the cheerful expression of a mind at peace with itself, with the world, and with heaven." His death occurred on the evening of Thursday, December 9th, 1830.

In his "Descriptive Sketch" of Vermont, published in 1797, Dr. John Andrew Graham has referred to Mr. Bradley, as he then knew him, in these words :-" Mr. Bradley is a lawyer of distinguished abilities, and a good orator. He has held some of the most important offices of the state, and was late a senator in Congress. Few men have more companionable talents, a greater share of social cheerfulness, a more inexhaustible flow of wit, or a larger portion of unaffected urbanity." The Hon. S. G. Goodrich, known the world over as "Peter Parley," who, in the year 1818, married the daughter of Mr. Bradley, has, in his late work entitled "Recollections of a Lifetime," noted some of the prominent characteristics of the influential sena"He was distinguished for political sagacity, a ready wit, boundless stores of anecdote, a large acquaintance with mankind, and an extensive range of historical knowledge. His conversation was exceedingly attractive, being always illustrated by pertinent anecdotes and apt historical references. His developments of the interior machinery of parties, during the times of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison; his portraitures of the political leaders of these interesting eras in our history --all freely communicated at a period when he had retired from the active arena of politics, and now looked back upon them with the feelings of a philosopher-were in the highest degree interesting and instructive."

tor.

His son, the Hon. William C. Bradley, who was born on the 23d of March, 1782, still survives, at Westminster, in a green old age. He has filled many stations of honor in the service of his country, and while on the floor of Congress enjoyed, in a peculiar manner, the personal and political esteem of Henry Clay and other distinguished statesmen. The assistance which Mr. Bradley has on all occasions most cheerfully afforded, in the preparation of this work, has contributed materially to its correctness, and has enabled the author to present many facts which otherwise would have remained unrecorded.*

* Macaulay's Hist. Eng., vol. i. chap. ii. Hollister's Hist. Conn., ii. 628. Bel

PAUL BRIGHAM.

Paul Brigharn

DURING the revolutionary war, this gentleman served as a captain, and was stationed, a part of the time, at Coventry, Vermont, he attained to the

Connecticut. After his removal to rank of a major-general of militia. He was highly respected by all who knew him, and discharged the duties of the various offices which he was called to fill to the satisfaction of his constituents and with honor to himself. By the citizens of Norwich, the town in which he resided, he was esteemed for those traits of character which mark the just man and the kind neighbor. He was an assistant justice of the court of Windsor county from 1783 to 1786, and from 1790 to 1795; and was chief justice of the same in 1801. He held the office of judge of probate in 1800; and was high sheriff of the county from 1787 to 1789. He represented the inhabitants of Norwich in the General Assembly during the sessions of 1783, 1786, and 1791; was a member of the Council from 1792 to 1796; and sat in the state constitutional conventions of 1793, 1814, and 1822 as the delegate from Norwich. Having been elected lieutenant-governor of the state in 1796, he was from that time annually returned to the same office, the years 1813 and 1814 excepted, until 1820, when, "admonished by the infirmities of age," he refused longer to be a candidate for that station. While serving in this capacity, the gubernatorial chair was occupied at different times by Thomas Chittenden, Isaac Tichenor, Israel Smith, and Jonas Galusha. From Dartmouth college he received the honorary degree of M.A., in 1806. His death occurred at Norwich on the 15th of July, 1824, in the 79th year of his age.*

lows Falls Intelligencer, December 13th, 1880. North Star, Danville, Vt., December 28th, 1830. Triennial Catalogues of Yale, Dartmouth, and Middlebury colleges. Acts and Laws of Vt., 1800, pp. 36-40. Journals Am. Cong., ed. 1823, i. 388. Journals U. S. Senate, 1791, p. 25. Slade's Vt. State Papers, pp. 114, 116, 122-126. Kendall's Travels, i. 177. Deming's Catalogue of Vt. Officers, passim. Graham's Descriptive Sketch of Vt., pp. 110, 111. Goodrich's Recollections of a Lifetime, i. 448, 449; ii. 99, 100. Young's American Statesman, pp. 841, 342. Various MSS. Documents, Letters, etc.

*Thompson's Vt., Part III., p. 130. Williams's Hist. Vt., ed. 2d., i. 91, 92. Triennial Catalogue of Dart. Col. Deming's Catalogue of Vt. Officers, passim.

CREAN BRUSH.

Crean Brushe

THE subject of this notice was born in Dublin, Ireland, about the year 1725, and was educated to the profession of the law. While at home, he bore some military commission, as the style of dress indicated by his portrait-which is still extant, and which was painted before he removed to this country-evinces. Of his military rank, except that he was familiarly called "Colonel," and of the time and occasion of his service, nothing is

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known. At the age of thirty or thirty-one, he married a Miss Cushing, a resident of the city where he dwelt. By her he had one child, Elizabeth Martha, who was born probably in the year 1758. The mother did not long survive the birth of her daughter, and Mr. Brush being left a widower, placed the little infant in the care of some of his relatives, and came to America a short time previous to, or during, the year 1762. Having settled in New York city, he there married Margaret Montuzan, a widow lady, and by her former marriage the mother of a daughter named Frances.* He early obtained employment in the office of the secretary of the province of New York, and for several years held the post of assistant under the deputy secretary, Goldsbrow Banyar. In the year 1764, on the 27th of January, he received from Lieut.-Gov. Cadwallader Colden a license to practise as an attorney at law, " in all his Majesty's Courts of Record," within the province. It is probable that his law partner was John Kelly, an Irishman of ability and standing. Mr. Brush removed to Westminster during the year 1771, and on the 25th of February, 1772, was appointed clerk of Cumberland county,† vice John Chandler, removed. He was made surrogate of the county on the 14th of the following April, and at the same time, he and two others received a commission to administer oaths to all officers, both civil and military, within their jurisdiction.

On becoming a resident of Westminster, Mr. Brush was feasted by the inhabitants from house to house. The display which he affected in his dress, contrasted strongly with the simple garb of the villagers, and for some time pomp and pa

* There is a tradition that Brush was not legally married to his second wife. The story goes, that she, in her maiden days, had been much admired by Brush, who had paid her his addresses, but without success. She married, in preference, a colonel in the British service, who was the father of her child Frances. He was killed in the old French war, or in some of the battles immediately subsequent to the year 1755. The widow and the widower having met, they agreed to live together as husband and wife, and did so, but the connection was not lawfully established. Resort was had to this alliance in order that Mrs. Brush might be enabled to draw the pension due her as the widow of an officer, which right she forfeited in the event of a second marriage.

He resigned the clerkship on the 7th of March, 1774, and was succeeded by Samuel Gale, who married the daughter of Samuel Wells of Brattleborough. In the Connecticut Courant of April 10th, 1775, is the list of the members of the last Colonial Assembly of New York. The name of Brush is given with these remarks:-"A native of Ireland, practising the law in Cumberland county, who sold the clerkship of the county to Judge Wells's son-in-law."

This commission was renewed on the 18th of February, 1774.

ELECTED ASSEMBLYMAN.

605 rade availed to conceal the defects of character. But as vulgarity of mind became apparent, and novelty of appearance ceased to attract attention, Mr. Brush found, in spite of his boasted attainments as a man of large information, and his pretensions to gentility, that his only friends were a few hightoned and arrogant loyalists. Notwithstanding the prevalence of such sentiments as these in the minds of the people of Westminster, Mr. Brush wielded an extensive political influence in the county, on account of his intimate connection with many of the principal government officers. The house in which he lived was situated north of the meeting-house, and was the only building in the town whose four sides faced the cardinal points. It was originally built for the Rev. Mr. Goodell, supposed to be the first minister of the town. It was subsequently owned by a citizen of Walpole, New Hampshire, who sold it to Mr. Brush. In later years it became the residence of Dr. Elkanah Day. One of the reasons which induced Mr. Brush to settle in this quiet village, was the opportunity which was thereby afforded him, to sell his lands, which were scattered throughout the northern parts of New York and the interior portions of the New Hampshire Grants, and included many broad acres along the banks of the Connecticut, in the town and neighborhood of Westminster. He also hoped to rise in political distinction, an end which he could not accomplish among the learned and aristocratic in the more southern towns of New York. His business, on account of his knowledge of legal forms, was multifarious, and to assist him in it, he kept a clerk, Abraham Mills by name, who, as far as disagreeable traits of character were concerned, was a copy in miniature of his master.

In answer to a petition signed by the inhabitants of Cumberland county, permission was given them by the Governor and Council of New York, to elect two representatives to the General Assembly of that province. The order confirming this permission was promulged on the 23d of December, 1772, and at an election subsequently held, Samuel Wells of Brattleborough and Crean Brush of Westminster were returned as representatives. On the 2d of February, 1773, they presented their credentials to the General Assembly, and were admitted to seats "at the table" of legislation. Brush although in a great measure devoid of principle, possessed many of the qualifications essential to the character of a successful partizan politician, and he soon became noted for his advocacy of all ministerial mea

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