Mentor joins in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding by honoring the Revolutionary War veterans who settled – or were interred – in the city of Mentor.
Mentor City Council has declared March 29, 2026, as “Garrit Brass Day” in the city of Mentor.
Garrit Brass was born in New York City, British Colonial America on March 29, 1763. His father, Hendrick Brass III, was 33 and his mother, Mary Maria Oakes, was 35.
Brass enlisted for the Revolutionary War from Westfield, Massachusetts in early 1781. He served with the Massachusetts Troops as a Private in Captain Banister’s Company, Colonel Newel’s Militia Regiment and in Captain Smith’s Company under Colonel Vose in the 1st Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Line.
Brass likely marched into New York City on Evacuation Day, when 6,000 British left New York City after the American Revolutionary War. November 25, 1783, marked the end of the war and the beginning of General George Washington’s triumphant entry into the city.
Brass was released from service on Dec. 21, 1783.
Brass married Lucy Matthews on April 19, 1792, in Chester, Massachusetts. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 6 daughters. The family moved to Mentor Township, coincidentally, on the day the War of 1812 was declared according to an account by his daughter Esther.
Little is known about his life in Mentor. Our area was sparsely populated at the time, and he likely made his living farming his property which was located along what is now Garfield Road just south of Mentor Avenue. We do know that he and his wife were among the four founding families of Mentor Methodist Church.
Brass applied for a pension on June 14, 1828. He died on November 25, 1837, at the age of 71.
Garrit Brass is interred at the Mentor Municipal Cemetery, 8-63-3.
We thank Garrit Brass for his service to our country as well as contributing to the foundation of our community.