Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/703

 �New York, the progenitor of which came from Drent- land, in Holland, in the year 1638. His mother, nee Rachel Bevier, wasof Huguenot descent, and came from Ulster Co, N. Y. After a thorough English education, obtained at the public schools and at the academy at Pratisburgh, Steuben Co., N. Y., he entered the law office of Messrs. Howell & Brother, in Bath, Steuben Co., in 1834. Here he regularly prosecuted his studies two years, and in the spring of 1836, removed to Mans- field, Ohio, where, in May, 1837, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the State, and imme- diately entered upon the practice of his profession. He soon acquired reputation as a lawyer of more than average ability, and in the course of a year or two was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Richland County, the duties of which he performed successfully for four years; at the expiration of his office, in the fall of 1843, he was elected to Congress, on the Democratic ticket ; while serving as a member of this body, he became affiliated with the Free-Soil party, and drew up the famous resolution introduced by Uavid Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, and since known as the Wilmot Proviso ; the original draft of this resolution, in his own hand- writing, is still in his possession. Several copies of this resolution were made and distributed among the Free- Soil members of Congress, with the understanding that whoever among them should catch the Speaker's eye and get the floor should introduce it ; Wilmot was the fortunate man, and thereby his name was attached to the resolution, and it has gone into history as the "Wilmot Proviso," instead of the Brinkerboff Proviso, as it should have been. At the close of his Congres- sional career, he resumed the practice of law, at Mans- field, in which he successfully labored until he was elevated to the Supreme Bench, his first term com- mencing Jan. 9, 1856; in this highly honorable posi- tion, he was retained for three successive terms, cover- ing a period of fifteen years, and it is but justice to mention that a fourth term was offered him, but he declined a renomination. The Ohio State Reports con- tain many of his opinions, delivered during his term upon the Supreme Bench, and they are everywhere very highly regarded by the profession. He was marrj^d, Oct. 4, 1837, to Caroline Campbell, of Lodi, Seneca Co., N. Y., who died at that place while on a visit, Nov. 1^, 1839. His present wife was Marion Titus, of Detroit, Mich , by whom he has four children now living, two sons and two daughters, viz. : Malvinn, George, Roelof and Ger- trude. The Judge has retired from his profession, and still resides at Mansfield, but in feeble health.

BRINKERHOFF, GEN. ROELIFF, was born in Owasco, Cayuga Co., N. Y., June 28, 1828. The Brinker- hoffs of America are all descended from Joris Dericksen BrinckerhoflF, who came from Drentland, Holland, in 1638, with his wife Susannah, and settled in Brooklyn, N. Y., then New Netherlands. The members of the family are now numerous, and for the most part are settled upon Long Island, and in the valley of the Hud- son, but still a few families of the name can be found in almost every Western State. The Western Brinker- hofiFs are mostly descendants of Ilendrick, son of Joris, who settled in New Jersey, and who dropped the letter c from his name. Gen. BrinkerhofF is of the seventh generation in America; his father, George R., was born

��near Gettysburg, Penn., but his grandfather, RoelifF, came from Hackensack, N. J.; his ancestors on his mother's side (the Bouviers), and on his grandmother's (the Demarests), were French Huguenots, fleeing from religious persecution, who found safety and a home among the tolerant Dutchmen of the New Netherlands. RoelilF, the subject of this sketch, at the age of 16 was a school teacher in his native town ; at 18, he was in charge of a school near Hendersonville, Tenn.; at 10, he was a tutor in the family of Andrew .Jackson, Jr., at the Hertaitage, and remained thereuntil 1850, when he came North and entered as a law student in the office of his kinsman, the Hon. Jacob BrinkerhofiT, at Mans- field, Ohio; in 1852, he was admitted to the bar, and entered the practice, and remained in the profession until the war of the rebellion ; during that time, June, 1855 to 1859, he was one of the editors and proprietors of the Mansfield Herald. In September, 1861, he entered the military service as First Lieatenant and Regimental Quartermaster of the 64th 0. V. I.; in November of the same year, he was promoted to the position of Captain and Assistant Quartermaster, and during the winter was on duty at Bardstown, Ky ; after the capture of Nashville, he was placed in charge of transportation, land and river, in that city; after the battle of Pittsburg Landing, he was ordered to the front, and placed in charge of the field transportation of the Army of the Ohio ; after the capture of Corinth, he went home on sick furlough, and was thence ordered to Maine as Chief Quartermaster in that State ; subse- quently, he was transferred to Pittsburgh, Penn., in charge of transportation and army stores, and thence to Washington City as Post Quartermaster, and remained on that duty until June, 1865, when he was made a Colonel and Inspector of the Quartermaster's Depart- ment ; he was then retained on duty at the War Office, with Secretary Stanton, until November, when he was ordered to Cincinnati as Chief Quartermaster of that Department; in September, 1866, he was breveted a Brigadier General of Volunteers ; he was also tendered a commission in the regular army, but declined ; on the 1st of October, at his own request, he was mustered out of service, having completed five years of continuous service in the army. Gen. BrinkerhofF is the author of the book entitled "The Volunteer Quartermaster," which is still the standard guide for the officers and employes of the Quartermaster's Department. After his retirement from the army, he returned to the prac- tice of his profession, at Mansfield. In 1873, upon the organization of the Mansfield Savings Bank, he became its executive officer as cashier, and has since retained that position ; he is also a member of the Board of State Charities, and President of the National Confer- ence of Charities. Gen. BrinkerhofF, Feb. 3, 1852, mar- ried Mary Lake Bentley, of Mansfield, daughter of Baldwin Bentley, and gi-and-daughter of Gen. Robert Bentley, by whom he has a family of four children, two sons and two daughters — Robert Bentley, Addie Hor- ton, Mary and RoelifF, all now living at Mansfield.

BRINLEY, SAMUEL G. (deceased) ; was born in Mifflin Township Sept. 10, 1831 ; his fixther, John Brinley, is a resident of La Grange Co., Ind. Samuel G. was the first child. When 16 years of age, he com- menced clerking in a dry-goods store in Petersburg,

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