“COLONEL ELIJAH C. BROTT.

  Colonel Brott is a native of the Empire State, having been born in Bath, Steuben county, December 7, 1824.  His parents were Martin and Sarah (Crandall) Brott, his father being a native of New York, and his mother of Hartford, Connecticut.  The latter died when the subject of this sketch was but ten years of age, since which time he has made his own way in the world.  He received such an education as the common schools offered, supplemented with two terms at the Bath, Ohio, select school.  His time was occupied when out of school as a clerk, until his nineteenth year, when he followed the “Star of Empire” and located on a farm in Knox county, Illinois, working as a farm hand until he reached the age of twenty-three years.  For part pay for this service he took eighty acres of land.  The following year, 1848, on February 15^th, Mr. Brott took a partner for life, K. (Sheldon) Vickery, of Tompkins county, New York, and the same year moved on to his farm in Illinois.  There he engaged both in grain and stock dealing quite extensively for several years, and at the time of the construction of the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad took a contract from that company to build twenty miles of road and the bridging of sixty miles, which work gave entire satisfaction.  While a resident of Knox county Colonel Brott was elected to many offices of trust, being treasurer of his township for seven years and collector for eight years.  In 1860 he was elected sheriff of Knox county, which office he held until 1862, when he enlisted, in June of that year, in Company E, of the Eighty-third Illinois Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, of which company he was elected captain.  It might be said here that he was offered the position of lieutenant-colnel in three different regiments, but not being well posed or drilled in military tactics he declined them.  The company first went into quarters at Monmouth, Illinois, for one week, and was then ordered to Cairo, Illinois.  In this latter place the company remained but a few days, when they were ordered to join the Federal forces at Fort Henry and subsequently Fort Donelson.  At the formation of the regiment at Monmouth, Illinois, Captain Brott received the commission of major.  The first engagement he was in was at Waverly, Tennessee, in which the Federal troops were successful, and the next that of the second battle of Fort Donelson.  After this battle Major Brott was placed on detached service being placed in command of Fort Donelson by General Thomas.  He held charge of that post for eighteen months, and was then ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, having charge of the train to that city.  In the advance of the Federal troops on Atlanta, Georgia, Major Brott was, for meritorious service, given the command of a brigade, which command he held until his return to Nashville, where he was ordered to report to General Thomas, who had received a petition signed by several hundred citizens in and around Fort Donelson for Colonel Brott again to have command of that post.  This compliment to an honorable man and brave soldier caused the request to be granted, and Colonel Brott returned to take command, holding the position until the close of the war.  On his discharge he returned to Galesburg, Illinois, and was soon after appointed deputy collector of internal revenue, which position he filled until his removal to Linn county, Missouri, where he purchased a farm in 1866.  Soon after settling in this county he took charge of the tie laying on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad from Cameron to Kansas City for that railroad company, and on the completion of the work returned to his home farm.  In 1870 Colonel Brott was elected sheriff of Linn county, which office he held two terms.  His home is three miles southwest of Vrookfield, on a farm of three hundred acres, under an excellent state of cultivation, good building improvements, and a fine apple orchard of five hundred trees.  Colonel and Mrs. Brott have all the comforts of life surrounding them, and have reared an interesting family, “consisting of two sons and two daughters, whose names are as follows:  Walter E., Edwin V., Katie L., Susan E.  It may be truly said of Colonel Brott that he is a self-made man, having started out in life without money but with a strong will, energetic, active, and  a determination to succeed, his pathway through life, although having its trials and struggles, has been one of success, and he enjoys not only an enviable reputation but is fully blest with a good home.”

Transcribed, in total, by kkfitch ©2007  All Rights Reserved.