BIOGRAPHY: Source --- "Pioneer Families of Cleveland, Ohio 1796-1840", Gertrude Van Rensselaer Wickham, 1914 (Evangelical Publishing House) pg 604
Jabez Brainard, born 1759, son of Simon and Hepzibah Spencer Brainard, a soldier of the American Revolution, rests in Erie street cemetery at the right of the main drive, and not far from the Erie street entrance. His brother Simon Brainard was a lieutenant in the Conn. Continentals. His brother Jeptha Brainard served seven years in the revolutionary army. His brother Asa Brainard also was a soldier of the American Revolution.

The parents of these patriots lived in Chatham, Conn. Soon after the close of the war, Jabez Brainard married Lucy Bingham, daughter of Deacon Elijah and Sarah Jackson Bingham, and removed to Leamsted, N. H., where he lived many years. He was a leading member of the Presbyterian church of that town, and was familiarly known as "Deacon Brainard."

His only son Nathan Brainard established himself in business in Cleveland, and hither at the death of his wife came Jabez Brainard seeking and receiving in the loneliness of his declining years the ministrations that only kinship and love can bestow. And in this city, in 1852, in the once well known Brainard residence on Sheriff street, he died aged 94. A large part of the history of Cleveland is to be found in the lives of many old families of this city allied through marriage to the descendants of this revolutionary hero.

Deacon Jabez Brainard was of slight build, and of medium height. He had blue eyes that twinkled with mirth, or shone with intelligence. He was exceedingly original in his speech, w?thal a Puritan by inheritance and instinct, a markedly pious man even in the days when irreligion was rare in the community. His desk, a beautiful piece of Colonial furniture, stood in the library of his grandson, the late Prof. George Brainard, and doubtless is still treasured and used by the family.

OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Cleveland's Last Surviver of RevWar
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
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Historical Collections of Ohio
The Kelley Family Collections
Newspaper article, Plains Dealer
compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925
And Then They Went West
by Darlene E. Kelley 1998
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In another of his series of Cleveland's Revolutionary War hero's, Mr.
Kelley discusses Jabez Brainard, last of the suviving veterens.

The Last Leaf--

Jabez Brainard, forebear of Cleveland's musical family,born in
Connecticut in 1758, died in Cleveland in 1852, probably was the cities
last surviving veteren of the Revolutionary War. He was buried in Erie
Street Cemetery to the right of the main drive, until his remains were
removed to Lake View Cemetery.
Ninety-four when he died, his life was a story of military service,
family life in a New England town, as leader of a church and, finally of
residence in Cleveland, where he marched with other white-haired
veterens on Public Square. The date of his death, as entered by Ohio's
Military Register and approved by the State, is at variance with the one
I give. But mine, from cemetery records, undoubtedly is correct. Honah
Hanchett is said by these military records to have died here in 1860.
An orderly, in the Revolution, he lived to be 92. But his buriel place
is listed unknown and there is no record showing he lived here.
Jason Robbins of Solon, lived to be 90, and Obidiah Cooper,buried in
Warrensville, to be 92. Josia Wicox of Brecksville lived to be 91, while
Jared Farrand, buried in Fairview, and John Sheppard of North Royaton,
passed the century mark, but these lived without the city limits.

The " Deacon "--

Jabez Brainard was the son of Simon and Hepzibah Spencer Brainard of
Chatham, Conn. His brother, Simon, was Lieutenant in the Continnentials
with whom brother Asa was a marine. With peace, Jabez wedded Lucy
Bingham, daughter of Deacon Elijah and Sarah Jackson Bingham, and for
many years resided in Lemsted, N.H. Leader of the Presbyterian Church,
he was " Deacon Brainard." His son, Nathan, came here in the
mid-thirties and opened a music store on Superior Street. He bought
land on the east side of Sheriff (E. 4th) Street an with his four sons,
built a home. Like myself, many will recall the later quaint Brainard
brick terrace with mounting steps and areas on the site of McCrory's
west entrance.
When his wife died in New England, Jabez came here to pass his last
years with son Nathan. " Deacon" Jabez Brainard was of slight build and
medium height with humorous, inteligent blue eyes. H? possessed a
Puritanic manner of speaking with the piety and religious convictions of
a day when there were few churches. His ornamental colonial desk was
long treasured in the library of his grandson. Prof. George Brainard.
His desendants were many. The late Miss Annie Brainard, a prominent
member of Trinity Cathedral congregation, whose home was on Kenilworth
Drive, was a great granddaughter. Her father, Silas, and her
grandfather, Nathan, built Melodeon Hall on the site of the Wilshire
Building. Later they renamed it Brainard's Hall. All four grandsons
married, had families and were well known. Silas married Emily C. Mould,
daughter of Henry Mather, married her sister, Laura V. Mould. Prof.
George W., noted organist and music teacher, married Louise Hills,
daughter of Nathan C. Hills; Joseph Mather, the fourth granson, married
Helen Cushmen Hills, her sister, and their only child, Nelly Brainard,
became Mrs.Wilson Black Chisholm and all their decendants are all sons
and daughters of the Revolution.
Amos Brainard, buried in old Brookmere Cemetary, Brooklyn, settled
in the southwestern part of the city. Mrs. Perry Geller,1637 Holyrood
Road, tells me she is directly descended from a brother of Jabez. Her
ancestry traces back through her father, George Brainard, to Enoch
Brainard, veterinary surgeon in the Civil War. His father, Enoch
Southworth Brainard, settled in Newburg and married his cousin, Abigail
Brainard, daughter of Silas, a son of the Revoluntion.
The removal of Jabez Brainard's remains to Lake View Cemetery took
place in 1915. He rests in his original Tombstone, near the man
entrance.
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OBIT: Name: Brainard, Jabez
Date: 1852
Source: Cemetery record; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #009.
Notes: 1752 - 1852. Lakeview Cemetery Cleveland, Ohio.

1. Nathan BRAINARD b. 20 Jul 1787, Lemster,, New Hampshire; d. 1869, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio.
2. Harriet BRAINERD b. 3 Sep 1790, ,, New Hampshire; d. 15 Jan 1853, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio; bur. Erie St. Cemetery.

1. Simon BRAINERD b. 9 Nov 1752, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 18 May 1843, Haddam Neck, Middlesex, Connecticut.
2. Jephtha BRAINERD b. 1754, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.
3. 1. Jabez BRAINERD b. 17 Aug 1758, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 10 Mar 1852, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio.
4. Hepzibah BRAINERD b. 1760, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.
5. Tabitha BRAINERD b. 1762, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut; c. 17 Jul 1765, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 16 Mar 1820.
6. Lydia BRAINERD b. 1764, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.
7. Silas BRAINERD b. Abt 1765, East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 28 Jul 1847.
8. Lovisa BRAINERD b. 1769, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.
9. Asa BRAINARD b. 7 Mar 1771, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 21 Jan 1844, Brooklyn, Cuyahoga, Ohio.
10. Drusilla BRAINERD b. 1773, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.
11. Abigail BRAINERD b. 1774, Chatham, Middlesex, Connecticut.

Abijah BRAINERD was born on Nov 26 1705 in Haddam, Middlesex Co., CT. He died before Mar 22 1798 in Haddam, Middlesex Co., CT. He had an estate probated on Apr 30 1798 in Haddam, Middlesex Co., CT In his will dated 9 February 1781, Abijah mentioned his loving wife, Thankful, and gave her one-third of his moveable estate and one-third of all of his lands, dwelling house and barn, as long as she remained his widow. At her death or remarriage, Thankful's part o, Othniel, Simon, Urijah, Shubal and Cornelius, and to the children of his deceased son, Abijah, named Abijah and Savina, who were to inherit their father's share equally. [The Barbour Collection calls Savina "Vienna."]
Son Simon Brainerd was to care for the grandchildren's shares until they reached 21 years of age. Abijah gave his son, Cornelius, the land with his house and barn. Cornelius was to pay five schillings each to Abijah's two loving granddaughters, Alidia and Abigail, "which Samuel Mack had by my daughter, Alidia, deceased."
He bequeathed the remainder of his moveable goods, other than that given to his wife, to be equally divided among his daughters, Deborah Hurlbut, Zilpah Clark, Leah Freeman, Rachel Brooks, Dorcas Higgins, Thankful Hubbard and Mary Bowers, and the children "which Capt. Daniel Brainerd had by my daughter, Esther, dec'd, whose names are Seth, Daniel and Esther" Brainerd, who were to divide their mother's share equally. He appointed his son Simon Brainerd, as his executor. Witnesses were Thomas Selden, Aaron Selden and Elias Selden.
Abijah's cattle mark was recorded in Haddam town records 28 December 1727. According to the DAR Patriot Index, Abijah, [Sr.], gave public service to the patriots during the Revolutionary War, but no proof has been found and the date of death given for him there is erroneous. He settled on Haddam Neck, and was a farmer. He was married to Thankful FULLER about 1738 in East Haddam, Middlesex Co., CT. No marriage record has been found for Abijah Brainerd and Thankful Fuller. Further problems have resulted because Thankful's children were recorded in Haddam town records under her husband's name only, with someone adding, in square brackets at a later date, the name of Abijah's first wife, Esther, after the dates of three of Thankful's children, Rachel, Dorcas and Uriah. However, the baptism of Abijah Brainerd, [Jr.] the first child of Abijah and Thankful Brainerd, was performed 29 April 1739, in Haddam, by a visiting minister, the Rev. Edward Eels, but was recorded in his own church, the First Congregational Church of Cromwell, a parish in Middletown. From 1741 to 1759, ten more children, called "of Abijah and Thankful Brainerd," were baptized in the Haddam Neck Congregational Church, which had been formed from parts of Haddam and Middletown. Confirmation that these were Thankful Fuller's children, and not the children of a Thankful Williams, as has sometimes been stated, nor of Abijah's first wife, Esther, is found in a deed dated 27 June 1748, in which Thankful's brothers Ephraim and Shubael Fuller, called her "Thankful Brainerd" when they quitclaimed to Thankful and to their other sisters a parcel of land in Middletown, Conn., east of the Connecticut River, which had belonged to their father, Ensign Shubael Fuller of East Haddam. Therefore, the child Abijah Brainerd, who was baptized in the Cromwell Church, and all those born after him, were born to Thankful Fuller, daughter of Shubael and Hannah (Crocker) Fuller and were all descendants of Mayflower passengers John Howland and Edward
ck Congregational Church when their first eight children were baptized there, for church records show that it was not until 11 February 1753, that Abijah was admitted to communion with the church. His wife, Thankful, was not admitted until 29 March 1761. Church members took religion very seriously and people did not become members until they and the members of the congregation determined that they were fully qualified as pr?cticing Christians.haddam.com/tucker/daniel_brainerd.htm

1. Othniel BRAINERD b. 5 Jun 1729, Haddam Neck, Middlesex, Connecti?ut; d. 9 Dec 1815.
2. 2. Simon BRAINERD b. 7 Oct 1730, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 11 Sep 1806, , Middlesex, Connecticut.
3. Deborah BRAINERD b. 17 Sep 1732, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 4 Dec 1819.
4. Esther BRAINERD b. 10 Jul 1734, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; c. 10 Jul 1734.
5. Lydia BRAINERD b. 18 Aug 1736, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
6. Zilpha BRAINERD b. 16 Jan 1738, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 18 Mar 1810.
7. Abijah BRAINERD b. 22 Feb 1739, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 6 Oct 1776.
8. Leah BRAINERD b. 12 Dec 1740, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. Butternuts, Otsego, Ny.
9. Jephtha BRAINERD b. 23 Jan 1743, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.

1. James BRAINERD b. 25 Mar 1696, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 2 Oct 1776, Haddam Neck, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; bur. Oct 1776, CT, USA.
2. Deborah BRAINERD b. 3 Apr 1698, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. 1745, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
3. Gideon BRAINERD b. 4 Mar 1699, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 25 Sep 1767, Haddam Neck, Middlesex, , Connecticut; bur. 1767, Old Burying Gnd, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
4. Mary BRAINERD b. 11 Jan 1701, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 21 Jun 1750, Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut.
5. Hannah BRAINERD b. 7 Mar 1703, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 16 May 1790, Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut.
6. 4. Abijah BRAINERD b. 26 Nov 1705, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. Sep 1782, Haddam Neck, Middlesex, Connecticut.
7. Daniel BRAINERD b. 2 Aug 1707, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 14 Dec 1774.
8. Mehitable BRAINERD b. 13 Jul 1709, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 1790, Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut.
9. Sarah BRAINERD b. 2 May 1713, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut; d. 1772, East Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
10. Jeptha BRAINERD b. 29 Oct 1718, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. Young.
11. Zechariah BRAINERD b. 31 Jul 1715, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. Young, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
12. Othniel BRAINERD b. 2 Jun 1720, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. 7 Sep 1724, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
13. Elizabeth BRAINERD b. 28 Sep 1723, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. 9 Feb 1742, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.
14. Heber BRAINERD b. 18 Apr 1725, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut, Connecticut; d. 5 Feb 1803, Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut.