Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-05-12
WEDNESDAY, MAY II, 1870.
Death of Hon. La wrence Braincrd.

the Hon. Lawrence Brainerd died of para
lysis at his residence in st. Adams, mon
day morning, May sth, 1870, at the age
of seventy-six years
Lawrence Brainerd, the son of Colonel
Ira and Mabel Porter Brainerd, was
born at East Haddam, Connecticut, March
IS. 1894. He was one of twelve children
seven sons and five daughters, namely =
Charlotte, Emily, Elvira, Almira, Adeliza
Ezra, Erastus, Lyman, Norman, Otis and
Sebastian, and was the last surviving
member of the family. When nine wears
of age he went to reside with his uncle
the late Joseph s. Brainerd, in Troy. New
York, and remained there until 1903,
when, with his uncle, he removed to st.
Adams, which was then but small place.
He attended the Academy some two years,
when he became clerk for n. w. King
man, since deceased, with whom he re-
manned until 1916, when at the age of %
he commenced mercantile business for
himself, in store at the corner of Main
and Bank streets, and on this same lot he
spent the most of his business life,
He united with the Congregational
church the same year, and, says the Mes.
se1'ger, was throughout his life regarded
as one of its most worthy members. I'm
less prevented by some unavoidable cir
cumstances, each returning Sabbath found
him promptly in his seat, even to the
close of his life, and when yesterday the
vacant place was ominous of the impend-
ing sadness that has since befallen, there
were few in that worshipping assembly
whose hearts were not touched with sor-
row. From the first he was always a
generous contributor to all the church's
needs"
AS business man he was remarkably
successful, and was looked upon as a model
merchant. His judgment was excellent
and his knowledge of human II ature &C.
curate, which added to his remarkable
foresight enabled him to both buy and
soil at the right time. One of his early
investments was quantity of swamp
lands on st. Adams Point, and he was
laughed at by his friends for making such
a worthless investment; but by clearing
and drainage, and the construction of
railroads to st. Adams, it increased in
value more than nine hundred per cent,
and now his farm of some twelve hundred
acres is among the best in the State.
When the Bank of St. Adams was first
established, in 1926, he was one of the
largest subscribers to its stock, and was
chosen one of its directors, and subge-
quently became its president 1t was
during the same year that he became in
terested III the subject of the transporta-
ton of merchandise by steam, on Lake
Champlain, and became one of the corpo-
rators of the st. Adams Steamboat Com
pany. He maintained his interest and
connection with these and similar enter
prises for many years, and in 1S47 he
built the United States" the first up
per-cabin steamer that ever navigated |
Lake Champlain, and which for speed and
elegance of design has not been cxcelled. !
He was also one of the pioneers in the |
railroad enterprises of Vermont, and the |
Vermont and Canada Railroad owed its
construction, to great extent, to his en-
ergy, and to the credit he gave it by the
free use of his own credit and resources,
he at one time having pledged his indi-
vidual credit to the full extent of his pro-
perty. From the commencement until
his death be was connected with the man
agement of that road and of the Vermont
Central, either as q director or as a trus-
tee. He was also one of the principal pro-
prietors of the Stanstead, Shefford and
Chambly road, and was one of the princi-
pal promoters of the Mssisquoi road, re-
Gently projected
His first connection with politics, as far
as we have been able to ascertain, was in
1884, when he was elected Representative
from st. Adams to the General Assembly
Of Vermont, Upon the formation of the
Liberty party, he Immediately connected
himself with it, and was their candidate
for Governor in 1916, 1847 and 184S, and
again in 1852 and 1854. July 18th, 1854,
he was President of the Convention held
at Montpelier to organize the Republican
party, this being the first State Conven-
ton held in this country under that name
The same year he was a candidate for
State Senator from Franklin county, but
on account OF his having been an aboli-
ZIONIST, he was defeated. The Legisla-
ture, to a seat in which he had been de-
feated, elected him United Srates Senator
to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death
of Hon. VIM. Upham, he receiving 26 out
of 20 votes in the Senate, and 1852 out of
219 in the House, his competitor being
Hon. Daniel Kellogg of Rockingham.
In 1866 and 1856 he was a member of the
Republican State Committee. In 1856 he
was delegate to the first National Re-
publican Convention ever held in this
country, and had the honor of calling the
convention to order, and was one of the
Vice Presidents, and one of the commit,
tee to call convention to nominate Presi-
Dental candidates. In June, of the same
year, he was a delegate to the Philadel-
phia Convention which nominated John
@. Fremont for President, and was APP
pointed member of the National Execu-
tive Committee.
He always took deep interest in the
State Agricultural Society.
He was married January 6, 1919, to FL
della Burnett Gadcomb, who was said to
be i" lovely and estimable woman" and
who died October 28, 1852, at the age of
fifty-nine years. They had twelve child
rem four daughters Ann Eliza, Laura
Adds Fidelia Gadcomb and Miranda Adds,
and eight sons Lawrence, Adds Owen,
Frederick Porter, William Gadcomb, Eras-
tusPorter, Edward Gadcomb, Charles Her.
bert and Hebert. The first daughter who
is the wife of Ex-Governor Smith. and the
last tho wife ne Eso