James Howard Bruin was born in 1826 as a slave in Kentucky. He escaped and settled in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in Company H of the 45th United States Colored Troops and served as a sergeant. He returned to Beaver County after the war and worked as a barber. Bruin married five times. His third marriage was a part of the county’s centennial celebration in 1900. He was living in New Brighton when he passed away at ninety years old in 1916. Bruin was buried in Grove Cemetery in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. (By Brenna McKelvey)
Life Span
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Life Summary
Full name
James Howard Bruin
Place of Birth
Burial Place
Birth Date Certainty
Estimated
Death Date Certainty
Estimated
Gender
Male
Race
Black
Sectional choice
North
Origins
Free State
Occupation
Military
Other
Other Occupation
Barber
Relation to Slavery
Slave or Former Slave
Military
Union Army