ELIJAH BRUSH was born at Bennington, Vermont, and came to Detroit in 1798. His father was a Colonel in the Revolutionary Army, and took part in the battle of Bennington. Elijah Brush graduated at Dartmouth College, began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar. He first practiced his profession in Detroit. In 1803, within five years after he arrived in Detroit, he was elected a trustee of the town corporation, and in the same year served also as supervisor. In 1805 he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the Legionary Corps of Territorial Militia, and under the Act of 1806 was appointed the second Mayor of Detroit. In 1806 he was also appointed Treasurer of the Territory, and served until December 13, 1813, and from 1811 to 1814 also held the office of United States Attorney.
After the surrender of Detroit to the English, in 1812, Colonel Brush with other citizens was compelled by General Proctor to leave the Territory. Reaching Toronto, then known as York, he met his brother-in-law, a English officer, through whose interposition he was paroled, and sent within the American lines. In October 1813, with General Harrison's troops, he re-entered Detroit, and in December, 1813, he died. Colonel Brush married Adelaide Askin, a daughter of John Askin, of Detroit, and in 1806 became the owner of the Askin, afterwards known as the Brush Farm. He left three sons and a daughter.

Source: History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan By Silas Farmer 1890

NOTES: Brush Street is named for Elijah Brush's farm (originally the Askin farm belonging to John Askin). Mary Bailey of the Detroit News writes, "Brush was named after Edmund Askin Brush, son of Elijah Brush, who was a leading lawyer and Detroit's second appointed mayor. Brush Street was also the Brush property boundary. Edmund studied law, as did his father before him. He was Secretary to the Governor and judge of the Michigan Territory in 1823, a private secretary to Lewis Cass in 1826, a court recorder, a member of the City Planning Commission and a police commissioner. "

Elijah Brush born 10 May 1773 died 1813. Married to Adelaide Marie Askin born 29 May 1873. Married 17 Feb. 1802 in Detroit. Children are:
1. Edmund Askin Brush 21 Nov 1802
2. Charles Andrew Brush 1804 (?)
3. Charles Reuben Brush 25 April 1807 (?)
4. John Alfred Brush 1811
5. Archange Semanthe Brush 21 Mar 1813

Edmund A. Brush s/o Elijah Brush
Adjoining the American hotel on Jefferson Avenue was the residence of Major John Riddle and next was that of Edmund A. Brush, neither dwelling being very pretentious. The Brush house was on the corner of Brush Street, a two-story wooden structure. The Brush estate was not at that time quite as valuable as it is at the present day, but nevertheless it yielded a very comfortable income and revenue. After the death of Colonel Elijah Brush, the family were quite as poor as some of their neighbors. The late C. C. Trowbridge once said, "Colonel Elijah Brush died in 1813. (Edmund A. Brush was at college), widow and children very poor, living in Canada, in Sandwich, farm not very valuable, not worth much and producing nothing," this in 1819. But under the fostering care of Edmund A., the Brush farm became very valuable and what is left of it now in the hands of the heirs is worth much money. Colonel Brush left four heirs, Charles R., Edmund A., Alfred and Sumantha. Charles R. was a jolly, easy going man, unlike the rest; Alfred was a West Point cadet and graduated into the infantry but soon after resigned and, returning to Detroit, remained ever after under the wing of E. A., until he died. His chief occupation was horticulture, which he pursued for amusement. In -his office in the Michigan or Brush garden that occupied the square where now the Lyceum theater stands, and also the D. M. Ferry seed store, etc., he kept a history of the various trees, shrubs and flowers growing there and entered in a small blank-book their daily progress, fruition, etc. He was also a great pedestrian, and, in company with Doctor Farnsworth and.Doctor Rufus Brown, took daily outings, rain or shine. They would "pedest," these three, as though, the "old Harry" were after them. Charles R. died leaving a daughter to the care of his brother, E. A.; Sumantha married George R. Meredith, a lawyer living in Detroit. The union was not a happy one. Meredith was a thoroughly good, happy-go-lucky fellow, came of a fine Baltimore family, was a good lawyer and a gentleman in every way, but dissipated, I am sorry to say. After living together for a time they were divorced. The fruit of the union was a daughter. Mother and daughter died soon after the separation, as did also Meredith. Much to the latter's credit he reformed some time before his death and gave temperance lectures here and elsewhere. The daughter of Chas. R.. who became the ward of Edmund A., married a gentleman by the name of Boggs. They went to Chicago, where they still reside. Edmund A. Brush after awhile absorbed the whole of the estate and made it the study and aim of his after life to keep the Brush farm as much as possible off the tax rolls, as other than farm property, and fighting assessments of various kinds. He rarely sold any property, preferring to give what was called a "Brush" lease, the party of the second part paying a cheap rent therefor and also the assessments on the property, ordinary and extraordinary. He died quite suddenly, some years ago at his Grosse Pointe residence. He left to his widow and two other heirs all of his vast estate.
Source: Early days in Detroit edited by Harry P. Hunt, Charles Mills 1907