HENRY CLARK BURNHAM
Page 23

From the musty tomes of old archives, from mouldering marbles, and from family records-through many centuries-the Burnham family have followed their history back. "Blest be the child whose spotless fame Gilds or outshines the father's name; Blest be that son of Pilgrim sires, Whose filial hand their wonted fires Rekindles to perpetual light- Which else had fallen to voiceless night." Walter Le Ventre came to England with William of Normandy, in 1066, and when the land was portioned out among his followers, he was made lord of the Saxon villages of Burnham and some others in the county of Norfolk, and became Sir Walter De Burnham. The historical writings and publications of Norfolk county, England, enable the family to establish an unbroken line in that country, down to 1818; and living men of the name still in England, carry down the line still further. There are several coats-of-arms among the heads of the different families, one of the first was a shield, sable or black, and a cross upon it between four silver crescents. There were others variously designed, some with lions rampart, some with leopards' heads, and some with dragons' heads. The Burnham seal was round, of an inch and a half over, with a man completely armed on horseback, a drawn sword in his hand. This seems to have existed without any modification, from the year 1100 to the present time. The family, increasing and spreading by many marriages, became extensively scattered over England, and many were connected with the institutions of church and state, but not until the family was engrafted on American soil do we discover any distinguished cases of military ability; if we except the head of the family. Sir Walter, who, as we have already mentioned, came over with William of Normandy. However, in the United States census of 1840 we find fifteen Revolutionary pensioners whose ages at that time average eighty-three years, and in the later were the Burnhams were present from all the parts of the Union. The origin of the American Burnhams is traced to three brothers, John, Thomas, and Robert, son of Robert and his wife Mary (Andrews) Burnham, of Norwich, Norfolk county, England, who came to America early in 1635 in the ship Angel Gabriel, with their maternal uncle, Captain Andrews, master of the vessel. The ship was wrecked off the coast of Maine, and the boys came in a state of destitution to Chebacco, in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. This was in Ipswich, Essex county, and the family branches ramify from the three brothers known as John of Ipswich and Thomas of Ipswich, and Robert of Dover, the latter having established himself in Dover, New Hampshire. There was also a Thomas of Hartford, who sailed from Gravesend, England, in 1635, for the Barbados, and soon after came to Connecticut. He was a lawyer, but failing into disfavor with the court because of his independence in defending certain criminals he purchased lands from Indians of the Podunk tribe where now are the towns of South Windsor and East Hartford. In pursuing this biography, however, we have to deal entirely with the Ipswich or Chebacco settlers, and more especially with the line descended from Deacon John Burnham, one of the shipwrecked boys, who acquired large tracts of land and became an influential man. His grandson, Ebenezer, moved to Wyndham, Connecticut, and became the ancestor of a numerous progeny. He purchased in 1734 a farm of one hundred acres, for which he paid ¦350, located on Merrick's brook in Hampton where was until recently the Burnham homestead, one-fourth of a mile from the old Burnham meeting-house. In the third generation from him, or the sixth from Deacon John of Ipswich, Festus Burnham was born on the 25th April, 1796, and was married in 1823 to Lora, a daughter of Daniel Clark. He died April 12, 1865. She died Mar. 7, 1864. Their children were Lora Ann, Henry C., Almira and Marina, of whom only two are now living, Lora Ann, widow of James Ashley, and Henry C., the subject of this sketch, who was born at Hampton, Connecticut, January 30, 1826, and who, being the only son, now stands at the head of the seventh generation, as far as his own family is concerned, having no nearer relations of his name then the sons and grandsons of his father's brothers, Elias, Erastus, Elba and Harvey. He was educated at home and also furnished with the advantages of high schools and academics abroad. At the age of nineteen he was induced by one of his uncles, who had settled in Ohio, to come west and join him in Champaign county, Ohio. Here his first business was school teaching, but afterwards he went into a store at Woodstock, in that county, with a cousin as partner. The latter business proved too confining for him, and he sold out and went back to Connecticut to regain his health. In the meantime he here met with Miss Angeline Currier, who was one time his pupil in school, and there were married December 16, 1847. She was born in Bethany, Gennessee county, New York, December 16, 1825, whither her family had removed from New Hampshire. Her mother's name was Mary Blaisdell, and she was of Scottish extraction. She died in Woodstock, Ohio, May 15, 1868, aged 73 years. She was a woman of many virtues, and we make the following extract from an obituary notice written by her pastor, in Woodstock, Ohio: "She was born in Strafford, Vermont, February 4, 1795; was married to brother Elisha Currier in New Hampshire, October 9, 1817. In 1823 they removed to Naples, New York. At this place she met with a change in her mind; soon after they removed to Bethany, Gennessee county, where she made a public profession, and was baptized by Elder Allen Crocker, and joined the Christian Church. Some years since they removed to Ohio, and united with the Church in this place. During these series of changes in locality, she has made her house the pilgrims' home, irrespective of name or sect; and, by a well-ordered life, and a consistent Christian course until the close of her life, she has endeared herself to a large number of God's ministers, and a large company of brethren and sisters in Christ. After patiently enduring her sickness, which was long and severe, she fell asleep in Jesus, to awake in the first resurrection. She has left her aged husband and several children to mourn their loss. She was buried on the 17th of May. A discourse was delivered on the occasion, by the writer, to a large congregation." Mrs. Burnham was the fourth daughter, and there were only two sons in the family, viz. Carlos Calvin, who was accidentally shot in the 26th year of his age, and Eliab Alonzo, known as Doctor, and sometimes called Captain Alonzo, now living in Kansas. Her father still lives in Woodstock, Ohio, in his 82d year, at the time of this writing, in 1874, with a daughter. After recovering his health in the East, Mr. Burnham came West again to Illinois, in the fall of 1852, and first stopped in Clinton, DeWitt county, and then went to Mount Pulaski, Logan county. While looking around for a desirable location he fell upon a place near Salt Creek, belonging to Mr. Shelton Riley, consisting of 300 acres, about 25 acres of which were under fence, and which he purchased at the rate of $8.00 per acre. They moved on this place into a cabin with one room and a stick chimney daubed with mud. This cabin was upon a sightly spot, where the orchard now is, upon the opposite side of the road to their present residence. Under this roof were gathered Mr. and Mrs. Burnham, their eldest daughter, then in her fifth year, and Mrs. B.'s brother Alonzo, and her sister Ann Maria. Unaccustomed to the wild life of the western country and without acquaintances, for it was ten weeks before a female face appeared within their walls, the ladies of the household scarcely could repress their yearnings for the social intercourse and the pleasant times of former days. However, when the earlier settlers discovered that the stylish dress and somewhat different manners of the new comers were not assumed in any self-important spirit, and that they were genial and hospitable of heart, they began to make themselves acquainted, and finally, in the cares and vicissitudes of daily labor, in the prattle of their children and their growing familiarity with the people around them, and the customs of the country, they began to enjoy the life which they have ever since led in peace and prosperity. In this first home they lived until 1857, and under this roof three of their children were born. In 1857 a new house was built, of which, with some additions as contemplated by the architect, the artist has made a sketch on another page of this work. Such is Mr. Burnham's reluctance to anything like office seeking or boasting of his personal popularity, that it would not be mentioned in this biography that he was an associate justice of the county court, except to account for the title of Judge that is quite commonly given him. This was in 1855. He also says that he has been afflicted with other minor offices, among them that of treasurer of the township school fund, for twelve years in succession. In times long gone by, the fact of his giving food to some escaping negro slaves, and his unconcealed dislike for slavery in the abstract, gave him the reputation of an abolitionist and caused many reproaches to be heaped upon him that in the light of present affairs are deprived of all their bitterness. From 1856 he was a Republican and was, at the election in the fall of that year, one of the twenty-five who voted for Fremont out of a poll of some three hundred. Though ardently attached to the cause of the Union and radically opposed to slavery, he is now devoid of all feeling of hostility to those who were our late opponents, and believes in spreading the broad mantle of charity over the short-comings and misdoings of the past. Now that the main issues are settled, as he considers, there is propriety in a man taking an independent course and voting for honest men without so much regard to political antecedents. He is a member of Mason City Lodge, No. 403, and Havana Charter, No. 86, A. F. and A. Masons, and as master twice represented them in the Grand Lodge. The tenets of that order, comprising the cardinal virtues of truth, honesty, morality and brotherly love, are the rules by which he has squared his actions in life; and though holding no connection with any Christian church, he is a warm supporter of all moral and religious movements tending to elevate men and improve the moral tone of society. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Burnham consists of the following children, viz: Lora Mary, born October 16, 1848; Alonzo Festus, born June 29, 1853; Rose Ann, born October 8, 1855; James Eliab, born January 9, 1857; George Tegard, born August 20, 1860; Henry Philo, born December 7, 1862; and Caroline Angeline, born July 4, 1866. Of these children, Lora M. is married to Mr. James P. Montgomery and resides in the neighborhood of her parents. Rose Ann died in infancy, and the remainder at this writing are all at home; the two elder sons being now engaged in teaching, for which they have been prepared in addition to their general education, by the advice and help of their parents, both of whom in early life had experience in this art. Before closing this historical sketch it may not be ainappropriate to make allusion to the fortune awaiting the Burnham heirs in England, conditioned on the establishment of their lineage; for in years to come these facts which we have committed to public record may be made of use to some descendants of this ancient family. In 1694 Benjamin Burnham died in London, England, and left property situated and valued at that time as follows, viz: Real estate, 150 acres, including a part of Burnham road (now Regent street, London), Burnham Beach cottage and Burnham wood, valued at over $7,000,000 and rated at ¦4,500. In 1860 this property, with its accretions and funds invested in the East India Company and in the national debt, amounted to $65,200,000, yielding an annual income of $2,392,000. The heirs of Edward Burnham, Benjamin's eldest brother, for more than sixty years contested for possession, on the ground that no heirs existed in America, and failed. Henry C. Burnham is fortunately beyond the necessity of relying on the establishment of any such claims to make him independent, even though the equity of the case could be proven. Surrounded by all that makes life pleasant, he can traverse his own meadows and forests and say, "Earth has no gentler voice to man to give, Then 'Come to Nature's arms and learn of her to live.'"

1874 Atlas Index

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