SKETCH OF THE LIFE
OF
GEN. JOHN BURROWS
OF LYCOMING COUNTY
GEN. JOHN BURROWS
OF LYCOMING COUNTY
FURNISHED BY HIMSELF AT THE REQUEST OF HIS NUMEROUS RELATIVES, AND PUBLISHBD BY HIS GREAT GRANDSON, NATHANIEL BURROWS BUBB OF WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE YEAR 1917.
I, John Burrows, of Lycoming County, and State of Pennsylvania, being solicited by my children and grandchildren, and other relatives, to give them a history of my life, I have undertaken to give them a brief sketch of some of the events of it, and of my parentage.
I was born near Rahway, a town in East Jersey, the 15th of May, 1760. My grandfather, John Burrows, with other brethren, emigrated from England to get clear of religious persecution, and landed in Massachusetts in 1645, and settled near Rahway, (where I was born and where my father was born,) where he died, being near a hundred years old.
My father, John Burrows, married Lois, the daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel Hubble, a Presbyterian clergyman, (who preached to the same congregation, in Rahway, upwards of forty years,) by whom he had five sons. My mother dying when I was an infant, he left me with his only sister, (intermarried with Richard Hall,) and removed to Pennsylvania and settled on the bank of the Delaware, opposite Trenton, where he married a widow Morgan, an excellent woman and an affectionate step-mother.
The first mail route in America was established at this time. My father's proposals, (as he informed me,) went to England, and he "was allotted the carrying of the mail between New York and Philadelphia, three times a week, on horseback — going through in one day and night, and returning the next" laying by the Sabbath. He always kept light boys for riders, and each of his sons had to take their turn, until they became too heavy.
When I was thirteen years old, my father sent for me home, and I had to take my turn at riding- and I never carried a mail, during the three years that I rode, but I could have carried on my little finger.
My kind step-mother having deceased, my father married a third wife, very unlike his last. She had six children, and he had six. Upon which occasion, his children, not feeling comfortable at home and the news of the British landing on Long Island, we all five marched in the militia ; and when our tour expired, we joined the flying camp ; was on Long Island at the retreat of it. Two of my brothers were taken at Fort Washington, and the rest of us returned with the remnant of the retreating army to Pennsylvania, and the British close on our heels all the way, until we crossed the Delaware.
Gen. Washington lay about two weeks at my father's, opposite Trenton ; then removed to Newtown, the county seat of Bucks, from which place he marched with his little army on Christmas morning, 1776, and crossed the Delaware that night, nine miles above Trenton. I crossed with him, and assisted in taking the Hessians next morning.
The particulars of the arrangement and plan of the different divisions of the army intending to cross the river, but was prevented by the ice ; the places, number of divisions, &c., has been erroneously given in history. The prisoners were conveyed across the river, and we remained in Jersey until that day week, the 2d of January, (the cannonade at Trenton,) and marched that night, at twelve o'clock, up the Sandpink Creek, and arrived at Stony-Brook, about one mile from Princeton, at sunrise. In ascending the hill to the town, to the right of the main road, there was an extensive thick thorn hedge. When we got pretty near to it, the whole British force that lay at Princeton had concealed themselves in ambush behind the hedge, and rose and fired. The Philadelphia militia were in front, and gave way ; but were rallied again by Generals Cadwallader and Mifflin.
After the enemy were driven from the hedge — there being but one gate in the hedge to pass through to pursue them — Gen. Mercer in advance, with a small party, was first through the gate. The enemy observing it, rushed back to the charge, and bayoneted the General and twelve others before they could be relieved. Part of the army moved swiftly to the right, round the hedge, got ahead of part of the enemy and captured five hundred of them. While we were collecting our dead and wounded, the advance of the main British army that we had left in the night at Trenton, fired on some men that were sent to cut the bridge down that was over Stony-Brook. We now moved on with our prisoners. The British forded Stony-Brook and pursued us. We were again fired on, cutting the bridge down at Kingston, three miles from Princeton. After pursuing our course some six or seven miles on the road to Brunswick, we turned off the main road to elude the pursuit of the enemy, and halted at Pluckemin for refreshment, where we interred the dead with the honors of war and had the wounds of the wounded dressed.
From this place I returned home ; and after staying a short time to rest, I returned back and joined the army at Morristown, as an express rider, at forty dollars per month.
Our army lay this summer (1777) in Jersey, Had several skirmishes with the enemy. At one of them, Gen. Sterling's division, composing Maxwell's and Conway's brigades, were severely handled at the Short Hills, a few miles from Brunswick. When the British appeared in the Chesapeake we crossed the Delaware to Pennsylvania. The British landed at the head of Elk River, and marched for Philadelphia. We met them at Brandy wine Creek, at a place called Chad's-Ford; and a battle ensued between the hostile armies, the result of which is well known, though some trifling errors are committed, and incidents omitted in history, that might be interesting to many at this day, and which I find to be the case in every battle that I was in during the war. After the battle our army retreated, and was pursued by the British through different parts of Chester County, but had no fighting except at the Paoli, with Gen. Wayne's brigade ; after which the British steered their course for Philadelphia, and stationed part of their army at Germantown, and Gen. Washington encamped at a place called the
Trap, about twenty-five miles from Philadelphia.
Gen. Washington soon perceived the evil of suffering the enemy to keep possession of the country as well as the city, and the advantage they had in their depredations upon the inhabitants, and supplying themselves with every necessary that they wanted. He was determined to deprive them of that advantage ; and accordingly moved from the Trap with his whole force and attacked them at Germantown and drove them more than a mile.' when two circumstances occurred to impede our onward course. The enemy filled a strong stone house with soldiers, with two field pieces, which we ineffectually tried to get possession of; and the other was Gen. Stevens, of Virginia, laying back on the left wing of the army.
Cornwallis arriving in the meantime, with -his whole force from the city, we were compelled to retreat; and the enemy pursued us for several miles. It had, however, the desired effect — it confined them to the city. We lay then about two weeks at White Marsh, fifteen miles from Philadelphia; then crossed the Schuylkill, and lay a few days on the hill near the Gulph Mills, and then went into winter quarters at the Valley Forge.
About two weeks before we left the Valley Forge I was at home at my father's, on furlough; and while I was there, the British sent a gunboat and five or six hundred men up the Delaware, evidently for the special purpose of burning the valuable buildings belonging to Col. Joseph Kirkbride an active and zealous Whig. The gunboat ran aground on a bar in the river. I fell in with a company of artillery that belonged to Trenton, and we went as near to the gunboat as we could get, on the Jersey shore, and fired into her the whole time she lay aground ; and she fired her thirty-two pounder at us until the tide raised and floated her off, when she steered her course down the river.
The land troops, after they had burned up the entire buildings of Col. Kirkbride, consisting of a fine dwelling house, a barn, glass house and outbuildings of every description, marched by land for Bristol, where they embarked again for Philadelphia. We crossed the river to pursue them, I stopped, with two others of the company, to view the ruins of Kirkbride 's buildings, and my stopping there enabled me to prevent the destruction of other buildings, equally valuable as Kirkbride 's belonging to Thomas Roche, a violent Tory. Kirkbride and him lived about a quarter of a mile apart, on the bank of the river opposite Bordentown. They were both rich and had large possessions.
While viewing the ruins we observed a British soldier lying drunk with wine from Kirkbride's cellar, and while securing him I saw a skiff coming across the river, and a man rowing it, without a hat, appeared in great haste. I observed to the two men who stopped with me that I thought he was bent on mischief — that his object was to burn Roche's buildings by way of retaliation. As soon as the boat struck the shore he jumped out with a bundle of oakum under his arm, and made toward Roche's. I observed to the men with me that we must not suffer it to be done. They replied, "Let him burn up the d — d Tory!" I however prevailed upon them to go with me to Roche's, and we prevented him from executing his purpose. Roche and the family were very much alarmed and one of the daughters fainted. Roche rolled out a quarter of a cask of wine to us. The fellow swore he would go back and get a force strong enough. He did go back to Bordentown, and came over again with two more beside himself. We still prevented and deterred them from committing the act ; stayed there all night and until a guard of men was procured to protect him, and his property was saved. This act of mine ,in riper years, has given me satisfaction. Roche told me after the war that he would reward me, but never did ; but I have always considered myself sufficiently rewarded in the act itself. I have been thus particular in this matter because history makes no mention of the affair.
I returned back to the Valley Forge, and when it was known that the British were about to leave Philadelphia and go by land through Jersey to New York, we left the Valley Forge, crossed the Delaware and came up with the enemy at Monmouth, where during the action, my horse fell dead under me, and Gen. Washington presented me with another very good one ; and when I informed him that I wished to leave the army, he gave me a certificate of my good behavior while with him, which, like a foolish boy, I did not take care to preserve. During fourteen months that I was with him in this capacity I was a member of his household, (except when I was conveying his dispatches.) and witnessed traits of the great, the good, the prudent and the virtuous man, that would be vanity in me to attempt, with my feeble pen, to describe, and do justice to his character.
From Monmouth I returned home ; and things not looking much more comfortable there than when I first left it, and having now arrived at an age to reflect and think of my future prospects, how I was to get a living, &c., I concluded I would learn some trade, and accordingly went into Trenton and bound myself to John Yard, to learn the blacksmith trade. Having lost nothing of my military spirit and zeal for the cause of my country, I joined a volunteer company of artillery that I had been with, firing at the British Gunboat, and was out with the company every summer during the four years that I resided in Trenton, and one winter campaign. During one of these summers, I was at the battle of Springfield, in Jersey; this was the seventh battle I was in during the war, besides several skirmishes, one of which skirmishes I have just related ; and as I have not seen the particulars of this battle given in history, I will here give some of them.
Kniphausen, a Hessian General, landed at Elizabethtown Point with five thousand British and Hessians, and proceeded to burn a place called Connecticut Farms, after which they made an attempt on Springfield. On the news of their landing, we marched with our artillery all night, and arrived just in time to take part in the battle as the enemy approached the town ; it was defended by the four regiments of Jersey regular troops, and the Jersey militia almost enmasse. There was a deep morass on the south of the town, extending east and west a considerable distance past it, and but one bridge to get into the town the way the enemy came. Our company, and another of artillery, was placed pretty near the bridge, behind a small eminence, and the shot of the enemy as they came near, all went over us.
The road they came was straight and open for three-fourths of a mile, and we had fair play at them the whole way, till they came to the bridge; they were twice on the bridge but were beaten back; and considering, as we had to judge of their conduct, that they would buy their victory too dear, from the advantage we had of them, they gathered up their dead and wounded and retreated back to the point where they first landed. They were annoyed somewhat by the infantry in their retreat, but we remained in our stronghold.
They lay there some days, I forget exactly how long, but were determined not to abandon their diabolical purpose of burning this town. They returned by another road, and our forces being very much weakened by some of the militia having gone home, and the regular troops having joined General Washington near the Hudson, where he lay watching the movements of the British army.
As they approached the town, we were drawn off, being, on account of our weakness, unable to defend it, and thinking that if we gave them no resistance the town would fare the better. But, alas! to trust to British generosity, was vain indeed, when they so often manifested their cruelty and implacable hatred to a kindred people in this war. When they entered the town they burnt every house in it, except two tory houses; a fine meeting house, preached in by a Presbyterian minister by the name of Caldwell, who resided in the town, and who left his wife in his house, thinking she would be a protection to it ; but they shot her through a window, with a child in her arms, burned the house, and caught him and
killed him. Why this apathy to defend this town, I was then and am still at a loss to know when it was so nobly defended at first. These two places, the Connecticut Farms and Springfield, were congregations of zealous whigs, and their loyalty to their country had entailed on them this sad calamity.
killed him. Why this apathy to defend this town, I was then and am still at a loss to know when it was so nobly defended at first. These two places, the Connecticut Farms and Springfield, were congregations of zealous whigs, and their loyalty to their country had entailed on them this sad calamity.
After I had resided four years in Trenton, I returned to Pennsylvania ; my father had removed to the ferry, and left my brother (who had got married) on the farm that he had left; there was a distillery on the farm and my brother invited me to join him on the farm.
My two brothers that were taken at Fort Washington — one of them died while a prisoner in New York; the other was exchanged, went to the south, and fell with DeCalb ; and the other one sailed with Commodore Nicholas Biddle in the ship Randolph, which was blown up while fighting the British at sea, and every soul perished.
My brother and I lived on this place one year when my father sold the ferry and the adjoining farm, and the farm we lived on, to Robert Morris, for which he never received a cent, except fifty pounds for the boats and two years interest. After he made this sale, he received an appointment in the Comptroller's office, at the adoption of the United States constitution, which he held until he died in Washington City, upwards of ninety years old ; and though he was not able to perform the duties of the office for two years before he died, yet they continued to pay him his salary until his death. I remember to have heard one of the United States officers say, that they were bound, in honor, to support him as long as he lived — and they did so.
My brother and I rented a large farm and merchant mill thereon, belonging to his father-in-law, Samuel Torbert, and I shortly afterwards married my brother's wife's sister, Jane Torbert, by whom I have had seven children, and have had as their offspring, forty-three grand-children and three great-grand-children.
My wife's mother had deceased some time before I married her, and left eight children ; her father had married a second wife, by whom he had at this time three children ; she was a widow, and brought three with her; the old man had taken to drink, became dissipated, neglected his business, got in debt, and finally his property was sold from him.
My brother and I purchased one hundred and twenty acres of the prime part of the farm, and farmed it together one year. The place being too small for us both, we concluded to separate. I left him on the farm, and went near to Philadelphia and rented a finely improved farm, or at least it had fine buildings on it, at a rent of nearly two hundred pound a year, including taxes, &c. I took with me a fine team of five horses, and eleven milch cows. I was much mistaken in my opinion of this farm, but I had rented it in the winter, when the snow went off, I found the ground worn out, and very poor; I had taken it for seven years, and concluded myself bound, by my bargain, to do what I could with it, and make the best of a bad bargain. I set to work and hauled on to it fifteen hundred bushels of lime, ten miles, and three hundred five-horse loads of dung from the city, seven miles. This extra expense I was not prepared to meet; it sunk me considerably in debt, besides my rent laying behind. Every thing at this junction, seemed to operate against me : the market for produce, within three years, had sunk 100 per cent. ; every field on the farm produced no other pasture than garlic, and of course the butter was affected with it; and I have sold my butter in hot weather, after standing in the market till the middle of the day, at four pence per pound, and glad to get it.
At the end of three years I found that I had sunk six or seven hundred pounds. I now saw clearly that it would be out of my power to liquidate my debt on the farm, and accordingly surrendered it to my landlord, Geo. Fox, of Philadelphia. I had got considerably in debt to him, beside the rent, by his assisting me to improve the land. Mr. Fox's brother, Samuel M. Fox, came on the farm, and they agreed to take my stock of creatures and farming utensils, which extinguished only a part of my debt.
Samuel gave me two hundred dollars to stay with him one year, to put him in the way of farming. I had purchased my brother's share of the farm in Bucks, that belonged between us. My wife's aunt had a lien on it, of three hundred pounds, for which I had given her a judgment bond. She had got alarmed for the security of her money, and entered up her judgment, and had my place condemned before I was aware of it, until Dr. Tate, a cousin of my wife, sent his negro eighteen miles to inform me of it. Having a demand against her, I got the judgment opened; and when my year with Mr. Fox was ended, I went back to Bucks county and sold my place there to my brother, for six pounds per acre, which was sold a few years after for one hundred dollars per acre.
I remained two years in Bucks, without any prospect of improving my pecuniary circumstances, and a debt of a thousand dollars to pay and nothing to pay it with, or the means of extinguishing any part of it. I concluded to go to work at my trade, this being the only means left me for the support of my growing and helpless family ; and being invited by my brother-in-law, Hugh McNair, to go to Northampton county, I moved there and followed my trade for two years ; but finding the blacksmith trade a very poor trade there, I sold my tools and started with my wife and five children, (one of them at her breast,) for Muncy, where 1 had some relations living, and arrived there on the 17th of April, 1794, without eight dollars in money, house or land.
I was obliged to go into a small cabin about sixteen feet square, with a family of six children, and besides, six of my own family, including a bound boy. I remained in this cabin until the 15th of November, when I removed, on eighteen inches depth of snow, to a place belonging to my relative. John Hall. I was told, before I left Northampton, that distilling was a good business in a new country. I had learned distilling at my father's, and brought two small stills with me.
The snow that I moved on to Mr. Hall's farm soon went off, and the weather became fine. I set to work and dug a place in the bank, along side of a well, put up a small log still-house, and covered it with split stuff and dirt. The weather continuing fine until New Year's day, on that day I started my stills, and the next day winter set in fairly.
I found distilling a good business. I purchased rye for five shillings a bushel, and sold my whiskey for a dollar a gallon ; and by the first of April had realized fifty pounds in cash. I was on this farm two years.
Before I left Northampton, I made a conditional contract with a William Telfair, of South Carolina, for fifty acres of land on the river, the north side of Muncy hill. It was in possession of Samuel Wallis, and pending an ejectment in the Supreme Court. I gained the land, took possession of it, and erected a large still-house thereon ; I sold my stills, went to Philadelphia, and purchased a pair of large stills for one hundred pounds ; borrowed fifty pounds from my brother to pay for them, brought them home, and set them up in the house that I had erected for them. It was late in the autumn before I got them ready to start, and the winter set in with intense freezing, without the ground filling with water, (the only instance of the kind I ever knew,) and continued cold and dry all winter. I could not get a bushel chopped for distilling, there being no mill in the neighborhood but Shoemaker's, and it was so nearly froze up that it could not grind but very little for the people for bread. Some had to go a great distance to get grinding; and the water that I depended on to supply the still-house, entirely froze up.
I had run in debt for six hundred and fifty bushels of rye, at six shillings and six pence per bushel ; had provided myself with twenty head of horned cattle and forty hogs, to be fed on the still slop. Not having this article, that I entirely depended on to winter my creatures, I boiled and exhausted my whole stock of rye. The country being new, there was no hay to be got at any price ; and I hauled straw, some of it ten miles, and used every means in my power to keep my creatures alive; yet in the spring I had only just half my cattle alive, and nine hogs, and was obliged to sell my still to pay for the rye, and quit distilling, and before harvest arrived I had ran short of bread. There was no grain to be had in the neighborhood. I went in search of some — got two bushels of wheat sixteen miles of¥, and paid two dollars a bushel.
I must here tell you of a great feat I once performed, of speed in traveling. There were a hundred and fifty acres of vacant land adjoining the little farm I was in possession of, and there was a warrant out for one hundred acres of it. I was watching to see what part of the land they would lay their warrant on. As I knew that they could not cover all the land with that warrant, I was determined, if I could, to deprive them of the balance ; and I believed they mistrusted me for watching them — and took advantage of my absence from home, to lay their warrant ; and dispatched a man on Friday, with an application for the fifty acres. I came home on Sunday noon — took a little refreshment, and went to Sunbury that afternoon, thirty miles ; got my application signed by two Justices, on Monday morning; and started at eight o'clock, and was in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, one hundred and sixty miles from Muncy ; entered my application next morning, and obtained the land. The other man came to the land office a few minutes after I entered my application. I performed this journey on foot, to save expense, and believing that I could do it sooner than any horse I had. I continued to work on my little farm, and to use the strictest economy to support my helpless family.
In 1795, Lycoming was taken from Northumberland, and erected into a separate county; and in the winter of 1796, I was appointed a Justice of the Peace, by Gov. McKean; which office I held nine years, (until it was vacated, by my being elected to the State Senate,) and was the only Justice, a great part of that time, where there are now ten townships, and more than ten Justices ; and the fees of the office did not pay for my salt. There never was a certiorari against my proceedings, nor an appeal from my judgment; nor did I ever issue a scire facias against a constable. I had the good fortune, by proper management with the people, to put litigation under my feet; until other Justices were appointed, when it was encouraged by some of them.
The Original Lycoming County Courthouse, built in 1802
In 1802, I was elected a County Commissioner; and assisted in erecting one of the handsomest court houses in the State. About this time, I received a letter from Dr. Tate, introducing William Hill Wells to me — who settled in the woods where Wellesborough [Wellsboro] now stands, the county seat of Tioga. Mr. Wells applied to me to furnish him with provisions in his new settlement. He had brought a number of negroes with him, from the State of Delaware, where he moved from. I put eighty-eight hundred weight of pork on two sleds, and started to go to him with it. It was fine sledding, but dreadful cold weather. In crossing the Allegheny mountain, the man I had driving one of the teams, froze his feet up to his ankles. I was obliged to leave him; and the next morning put the four horses to one sled, and the pork on it, and started for Wells'. I had six times to cross Pine creek. A man coming into the settlement from that part of the country, had froze to death the day before. I passed him, lying in the road. The second crossing of the creek was about fifty yards wide ; and when the foremost horses go to the middle of the creek the ice broke with them ; the ice was about mid-side deep ; and in their attempting to get on the ice again, drew the other horses and sled into the creek, and pulled the roller out of the sled. I got the horses ashore, and tied them; I went back to the sled; the water running over the pork. I had to go partly under water, to get an axe that was tied on the sled, to cut a road through the ice, to get the sled ashore. Sometimes in the water up to my middle, and sometimes standing on the ice — the water following the stroke of the axe, would fly up, and as soon as it touched me it was ice.
When I had got the road cut to the shore, I went to the sled, and I got a log chain, had to go under water, and hook first to one runner and then to the other, and back the horses in through the road, and pull the sled out. It was now dark; and I had six miles to go, and four times to cross the creek, without a roller in my sled to guide it. On descending ground, it would often run out of the road, when I had difficulty to get it in the road again — not a dry thread on me, and the outside of my clothes froze stiff. It was twelve o'clock before I got to the mill, the first house before me; and there was neither hay nor stable when I got there. I thought my poor horses would freeze to death. Next morning, as soon as daylight appeared, I cut a stick, and put a roller to my sled ; — the very wood seemed filled with ice.
I started from there at ten o'clock; had fifteen miles to go to Wells' — the snow two feet deep, and scarcely a track in the road. I met Mr. Wells' negro five miles this side of his house, coming to meet me, on horseback, about sunset. He said there was a byroad, that was a mile nearer than the one that I was on ; and he undertook to pilot me ; but he soon lost the path, and we wandered about among the trees, till at length my sled pitched into a hole and overset. I then unhooked my horses from the sled, and asked the negro if he thought he could pilot me to the house ; but he acknowledged himself lost. I looked about, and took a view of the stars, and started with my four horses, and left my pork in the woods, and fortunately got into Wells'; and when I got there, he had neither hay nor stable, or any
kind of feed, nor any place to confine my horses, but to tie them to the trees. He had a place dug in a log, that I could feed two of my horses at a time. All the buildings that he had erected, was two small cabins, adjoining each other — one for himself and family, about sixteen feet square, that I could not stand straight in, built of logs, and bark for an upper floor, and split logs for the lower floor. The negro cabin was a little larger, but built of the same materials. I set by the fire until morning — and it took me all that day to get my pork to the house, and settle ; and started next morning for home, without a feed to give my horses there, after standing there two nights, and the snow to their bellies.
I started from there at ten o'clock; had fifteen miles to go to Wells' — the snow two feet deep, and scarcely a track in the road. I met Mr. Wells' negro five miles this side of his house, coming to meet me, on horseback, about sunset. He said there was a byroad, that was a mile nearer than the one that I was on ; and he undertook to pilot me ; but he soon lost the path, and we wandered about among the trees, till at length my sled pitched into a hole and overset. I then unhooked my horses from the sled, and asked the negro if he thought he could pilot me to the house ; but he acknowledged himself lost. I looked about, and took a view of the stars, and started with my four horses, and left my pork in the woods, and fortunately got into Wells'; and when I got there, he had neither hay nor stable, or any
kind of feed, nor any place to confine my horses, but to tie them to the trees. He had a place dug in a log, that I could feed two of my horses at a time. All the buildings that he had erected, was two small cabins, adjoining each other — one for himself and family, about sixteen feet square, that I could not stand straight in, built of logs, and bark for an upper floor, and split logs for the lower floor. The negro cabin was a little larger, but built of the same materials. I set by the fire until morning — and it took me all that day to get my pork to the house, and settle ; and started next morning for home, without a feed to give my horses there, after standing there two nights, and the snow to their bellies.
I have been thus particular in detailing the circumstances of this trip, leaving you to judge of the hardships that I had to endure ; but it is only a specimen of much of the kind that I have had to encounter through life.
I was at this time living in Pennsborough ; which place, when I came to this part of the country, was entirely in woods. There was barely a beginning to the town when I moved to it some years after. Stephen Bell had put up a shell of a house, which I purchased, and two lots adjoining; which house I finished, and improved with other buildings, handsomely about it. I went on to purchase by little, as I was able, and could get it, until I owned and cleared the principal part of the land in and about the town ; and sold lots for the improvement of it — which is now one of the handsomest villages on the West Branch.
Painting of Mrs Burrows on Display At The John Burrows Historical Society, Montoursville
On the 28th of September, 1804, my wife deceased; and on the 11th of June, 1807, I married Mary M'Cormick, widow of William M'Cormick.
In 1808 I was elected to the State Senate, from the district composed of the counties of Lycoming and Centre.
Painting on Display at the Historical Society Museum in Montoursvill
I purchased this tract of land in the spring of 1812. but could not get possession of it until 1813. Having sold my property at Pennsborough [Pennsdale], I rented Walton's mills, for one year; and then came on my farm at Loyalsock.
In 1811, Gov. Snyder sent me the appointment of Major General of the ninth division of Pennsylvania militia, for seven years. At the end of which time, I was re-appointed for four years; and in 1813, the same Governor sent me the appointment of Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, Register of wills, Recorder of deeds, and Clerk of the several courts. And since I have been in this place, I have been three times nominated as a candidate for Congress, by regular meetings convened for the purpose of making nominations— twice by the old Democratic party, when there were only two parties, known and distinguished by the Democratic and Federal parties — but did not stand a poll ; and once by the Anti masonic party, in a convention of delegates from different counties in the district. At this time, I agreed to stand a candidate, as a rallying point for the party, though well convinced that I had no chance of success; for I well knew the Masonic party was all powerful in the district. I kept the offices of Prothonotary, &c., about four years, and then resigned them, and returned back to my farm.
After I purchased this farm, I was only able to make the first payment ; and the balance of the purchase money being a heavy debt, I was fearful of the consequences, and sold one hundred and twenty acres of it, for twenty-five dollars per acre — which I had cause afterwards to repent of, for I had to buy it back again in less than two years, for fifty-five dollars, and some of it at a hundred dollars per acre, or let it go into other hands, which I was not willing to do. Thus, instead of this sale relieving me in my embarrassment, increased it ; but it is all paid, though I have met with many losses ; — but my farm being a very productive one, I have been able, with good management and hard labor, to sustain myself against them all. I have sold, in Baltimore market, one year's surplus produce of my farm for four thousand dollars, wanting five dollars ; besides nearly two hundred dollars worth at home, and besides feed, seed, grain, bread and meat. And the produce of it has enabled me to build a good merchant mill, fifty by sixty, with five run of stones, which cost me, race, dams and all, rising ten thousand dollars ; and the losses I have met with are not much short of that sum.
Now. here let me give a history of another trip that I had in the wilderness, that I travelled to Mr, Wells', and in which I suffered more, much more, than I did in going to Wells'. I contracted with the commissioners of the east and west road, to deliver them a hundred barrels of flour, in Potter county. I started with seven sleds, carrying fifty barrels of it. After I got into the wilderness, it was forty miles between houses, and the snow very deep. There was a cabin half way, which we expected to lodge at. We got to the place a little after dark, when we found the cabin burnt down. This was the night previous to the "cold Thursday," — termed so by everybody at that time. The horses being very warm when we stopped, and it being dreadful cold, and the snow drifting upon them, almost covering them up, they began to tremble amazingly. I felt alarmed for the horses; we had a number of blankets along,
expecting to lay out; we mustered them all up, brushed the snow off the horses as well as we could, and tied the blankets on them. We then went to work to try to get a fire. Our fire-works were not good ; and it was towards the middle of the night before we got a fire : and then, a very poor one. We danced round it, until the daystar appeared. We then hooked to; and there were very few of the horses that would stretch a chain, until we beat them severely, to get them warm. We had three miles of a hill to ascend. After I got the hindmost team to the top of the hill, I got a severe hurt, that entirely disabled me; I was
not able to walk a step — was obliged to set on the top of the barrels, suffering the most excruciating pain, until sun-down, before we got to the first house, when it was feared that some of those driving the teams would freeze to death.
Such has been my toil and unceasing labor, ever since I have had a family to raise, and educate my children, and place them in a situation that they would not be dependent. I have brought them all up to industry, and am happy to have it in my power to say, they follow my example. I have not only built a mill, but have built several dwelling-houses, barns, and other necessary out-houses, on the farm, and improved it well. There was scarcely a good panel of fence on it when I came to it. I am now seventy-seven years old, and receive a pension, payable semi-annually, for my revolutionary services, under the act of Congress of 1822, of $173.33; and must, according to the course of nature, shortly leave what I have, whether it be little or much, of this world's goods, to my children, who have the natural right to it, hoping that they will always keep in mind that "God giveth — and He taketh away;" and that they will so act as to merit and receive His blessing, without which there is no real comfort or enjoyment in this world — nor can we expect it in that which is to come.
And now, my sons, having complied with the request of my children, in giving them some of the events and transactions of my life, without going into a minute detail, which would be a very laborious task; (besides, my life has been a very chequered one, and I could not relate, from memory, one-half of the incidents of it, and have only related some facts that never will be erased from my memory, while my senses last.) That, when the grave closes on me, you will not neglect to support the principles that your father so often ventured his life to establish, and so many of your uncles lost their lives in support of, — principles that gave your country birth, as a free and independent nation — that secures to you and your children, life, liberty and property, and the equal rights of your fellow men ; (not that I have any doubt you will do so,) but I wish to leave it as an injunction on you, and my grand-sons, and if I could, on the world of mankind in general. And although those principles have been disregarded and violated by corrupt and unholy men, yet I trust, that there is a redeeming spirit abroad in the land : that the people will return to their first love, and check the career of designing demagogues, (who. like wolves in sheep's clothing, have assumed to themselves the name of Democrats,) and revive those principles, before they become extinct.
To conclude — let me again urge it upon you. (as a father's advice,) always to support, with your voice, votes and influence, the equal rights of your fellow men. These are the principles that carried us triumphantly through a bloody war against one of the most powerful monarchies on earth —
principles that the sages of the revolution pledged "their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honors," to support.
And set your faces against any and every measure hostile to those principles, — particularly against secret societies, the the very nature of which is at war with the fundamental principles of our government, and if carried out, must inevitably destroy it. It is true, that I have had a double share of political persecution, in vindication of them ; but that detracts nothing from the righteousness of the cause and the obligations we are under to our country to support them.
You will perceive, from my narrative, that although I have in early life, been nipped with the frost of adversity and poverty, that it has rather operated as a stimulant than a damper to my industry. Whenever a man becomes destitute of a laudable ambition to pursue some useful business, he becomes a drone, and a dead weight upon the commonwealth ; he is neither useful to himself, to society, nor to his country.
NOTE — This noble and most worthy ancestor died in August 1837.
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