Daniel Harmon Brush (1813–90), a native of Vermont, was a store clerk in the Jackson County river town of Brownsville and later held the offices of county clerk, circuit clerk, recorder, and probate judge. He bought land and founded the town of Carbondale in the 1850s. He served in the Civil War, commanding the 18th Illinois Regiment, but resigned in 1863. After his military service, he became a prominent attorney and important member of the business community in Carbondale.