Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Linn, Mrs Clarissa A 
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com March 25, 2006, 5:04 pm

Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900

Mrs. Clarissa A. Linn

Long a resident of Grundy county, and widely and favorably known, Mrs. 
Clarissa A. Linn well deserves mention in its history. She resides in 
Wauponsee township and is the owner of one of the valuable farms in this 
section of Illinois, where her husband carried on agricultural pursuits for 
many years. Her parents were Moses and Catherine (Sitterley) Pangborn, of 
Albany county, New York. In 1855 she became the wife of Peter Bradt, a 
representative of one of the oldest American families, his ancestry being 
traced back to Andrew Bradt, who in the year 1650 left Holland, the land of 
his birth, and crossed the Atlantic to the new world. He took up his abode in 
the New York colony, where he followed farming, aiding in opening up that wild 
and undeveloped region to the influence of civilization.  The old brick 
residence which he erected and which was used as a rendezvous by the settlers 
in the French and Indian war, is still standing, in a good state of 
preservation. In 1690, when the treacherous Indians made their way to the 
locality in which he resided and massacred many of the people there, he was 
among the number who lost their lives. That event occurred in February, 1690, 
and is known in history as the great Schenectady massacre. His wife at that 
time took her infant son, Aaron, and wrapping him in a shawl hid him under a 
brush fence and thus saved his life. He lived to become one of the most 
prominent and worthy farmers of the Mohawk valley. He traded with the Indians 
and became the possessor of a tract of land in that rich valley, eight miles 
wide and sixteen miles long. In order to secure a legal ownership he went 
direct to King George III, of England, and obtained from that monarch a title 
to his possessions. He was also the owner of the entire town of Princeton, 
situated just north of Schenectady township. His son, Samuel A. Bradt, was 
born in the Empire state and was the next in the line of direct descent. 
Samuel became the father of a son whom he called Samuel and who was also one 
of the leading agriculturists in this section of New York, owning and 
operating five hundred acres of land. At the time when the second war with 
England was inaugurated, however he joined the American army and lost his life 
in that service. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mariah Springer, was 
also a native of New York. Their son, Frederick Bradt, became a carpenter and 
builder and followed that occupation in New York throughout his entire life. 
He was born in Rotterdam, New York, in 1830, and after arriving at years of 
maturity wedded Christiana Sitterley, also a native of Rotterdam.

It was their son, Peter, who became the first husband of Mrs. Linn, their 
marriage occurring in 1855. Peter Bradt was a carpenter and church builder and 
was connected with the building interests of the Empire state until 1855, when 
he came to Illinois, locating in Morris, where he followed contracting until 
1861. In that year he enlisted in the three-months service as a member of 
Company C, Eleventh Illinois Infantry, and at the expiration of his term he re-
enlisted, joining the “boys in blue” of Company G, Thirty-sixth Regiment of 
Illinois Volunteers and with that command he served until the close of the war 
and was then mustered out in the spring of 1865. At the battle of Murfreesboro 
he was wounded and taken prisoner, and on account of his health he was given 
leave by the Confederate commander to return to his home. As soon as he was 
able, however, he rejoined his regiment, and at the battle of Stone River he 
was again wounded and again taken prisoner. The penalty of taking up arms 
again after once having been taken prisoner and not lawfully exchanged was 
death, and Mr. Bradt, knowing this and not being certain as to whether he had 
been exchanged during the time that he was ill and at home, went to prison a 
second time, under the name of P. A. Johnson. He was sent to Libby prison and 
his nephew, Frederick Bradt, is in possession of the razor and shears to which 
he attributed the saving of his life, for he used them in tonsorial work 
during his incarceration and thereby made money enough to keep him from 
starving. His barber chair was formed from an old sugar hogshead. Mr. Bradt 
remained in prison until the close of the war, when he was exchanged and with 
an honorable military record returned to his home. He then resumed contracting 
and building, and the last church which he erected was the house of worship 
for the Methodists at Wauponsee. He died in December, 1873, leaving a son, 
Benjamin, who died the following year. The other son of the family, James, had 
passed away in 1864.

In 1874 Mrs. Bradt was again married, becoming the wife of Alexander Linn, a 
son of Moses and Nancy (Spear) Linn, of Pennsylvania. His mother was an own 
cousin of James Buchanan. His father was born in Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, August 7, 1823, and was reared on one of the finest farms in 
that section of the Keystone state. He received a good education in the 
schools of Pennsylvania and under the direction of his mother, who was at one 
time a teacher in Jefferson College. About 1868 he came to Illinois, locating 
on a farm in Wauponsee township, which is now the home of Mrs. Linn, and there 
throughout the remainder of his life he carried on agricultural pursuits. He 
was one of the leading and influential citizens of the community, was a 
progressive farmer and accumulated considerable wealth before his death, which 
occurred in September, 1881. He left to his widow a handsome property. Their 
only child, Alexander, Jr., died at the age of four years.

Mrs. Linn still resides at the old home and is the owner of one of the finest 
farms in Grundy county, and her possessions supply her with the comforts and 
many of the luxuries of life, and she enjoys the friendship of many of the 
best people of the community. After the death of her husband she rented her 
farm until 1888, when her nephew, Frederick Bradt, assumed its management. A 
year later he was joined in his work by his brother, Jerome Bradt. They were 
sons of Martin and Catharine (Wood) Bradt.  They successfully engaged in 
general farming and stock-raising, relieving their aunt of all responsibility 
of the farm, but Jerome Bradt died March 28, 1900, at Morris, at the age of 
thirty-one years. At the time of his death her father was the proud possessor 
of the coat-of-arms of the original progenitor, Andrew Bradt, emblematic of 
his military career in Holland.  This treasured heirloom is still in 
possession of the family of Martin Bradt.

Additional Comments:
Source:  Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy Counties 
Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, pages 526-528

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