Daniel Brush, the founder of Carbondale, Illinois

When Brush came upon the Illinois Central Railroad’s survey line it was not by chance.  “The knowledge that the Illinois Central Railroad would be in business in Southern Illinois within a few years led him to consider carefully how this might work to his advantage.”[1]  The route of the new rail line through Jackson County had been determined earlier in the summer.  Brush was specifically searching for a site advantageous to the creation of a town.  He was well aware that a new rail line could mean large profits for a speculator willing to take chances.  Daniel Harmon Brush was an ambitious man, eager to engage in new ventures, whose personal and business history made him willing to take the necessary risks.

            Daniel Harmon Brush was born in Vermont on 15 April 1813.  He migrated with his parents and siblings to Green County , Illinois in 1819.  His father died the following year.  When his older sister, Mary, married Alexander M. Jenkins in 1828, Brush moved to Jackson County with his sister and brother-in-law.  Jenkins owned a dry goods store in Brownsville , Illinois , then the county seat.  He employed his new brother-in-law as a clerk.  As Jenkins became involved in politics on a state level, Brush assumed greater responsibility in the business, first as a partner in the store, and eventually buying his brother-in law’s share of the business.  Because of the scarcity of specie on the frontier, Brush often traded in commodities such as butter, cheese and livestock.  He would then move the goods down the Big Muddy River and onto the Mississippi by flat boat, selling his products in river cities such as Memphis , Tennessee and New Orleans in Louisiana .  Brush assumed personal risk by making many of these trips himself.  At home in Jackson County , Brush also assumed greater civic responsibility.[2]

                In 1836, at age 24, Brush held the offices of Judge of Probate, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Clerk of County Court, Recorder of Deeds, and Postmaster at Brownsville .[3]  The courthouse in Brownsville burned in January 1843, and the citizens of Jackson County voted to relocate the county seat to a 20-acre site donated by Dr. John Logan.  Dr. Logan was the father of Civil War General John A. Logan, and a brother-in-law of Alexander M. Jenkins.  A new town, Murphysboro, was created around the courthouse.  As Recorder of Deeds, Brush was in a unique position to observe the creation of a new town.   This insider’s view had impact on his decision to speculate on the future of Carbondale .  Growing enmity between Brush and his brother-in-law, Jenkins, also pushed the decision.

            The relationship between Brush and Jenkins had cooled in the 1830’s because of political differences.  Jenkins was an enthusiastic Democrat and Brush an outspoken Whig.  Each actively campaigned for their party’s presidential candidate in 1840.  When Brush’s sister, Mary, died in 1841 the relationship grew bitter.  A business dispute compounded the bitterness.  In 1843, the bitterness turned into open squabbling, centering around Brush’s reelection bid for Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of the County Court, and Probate Justice of the Peace.  Brush’s memoir, written over thirty-five years later attests to the strident tone of the campaign.  He wrote,

Jenkins had returned to this county and was staying at his brother-in-law’s place.  Old John Logan, who had taken upon himself the role of “doctor,” was a most bigoted incompetent, and zealous partisan for Van Buren democracy, and because I dared to be on the other side and to boldly declare my views and vote the Whig ticket, I must be crushed.  Jenkins was out of business, so put in his time ranting his spite at me.[4]

Although Brush won reelection as Recorder of Deeds and County Clerk , he lost as Justice of the Peace. The conflict remained unresolved and continued as the town of Murphysboro was being built.

            According to Brush, Jenkins and his friends conspired to prevent him from purchasing a lot in the new town.  However, Brush anticipated their actions and bought an entire block of lots through a third party.  The following year, Brush and his family were among the first to build a home and move to Murphysboro.  Shortly after they moved, Jenkins filed a lawsuit against Brush for $3000.00, a debt he claimed Brush owed from former business deals.  The suit eventually settled in Brush’s favor.   He wrote, “After this crushing rebuke to my adversary, he and his coadjutors the Logan tribe, sheered off and let me alone for some time.”[5]  Jenkins shortly married and, with his new wife, moved to Tennessee .  Dr. Logan continued to malign Brush periodically.  Usually, according to Brush, with little success.  Still, for Daniel Harmon Brush, living in Murphysboro, surrounded by property owned by Dr. Logan, must have been at the very least, uncomfortable.  No doubt this enmity acted as a motivator to search for other ventures.  Opportunity came ten years later when the Illinois Central Railroad began surveying for a route through southern Illinois .