Edwin Otway Burnham
Encyclopedia
Rev Edwin Otway Burnham (September 24, 1824 – August 1, 1873) was a Congregational minister.
He was born in Ghent, Kentucky
, his father died when he was 5 and his mother died the following year. He and his younger sister, Caroline, moved to Madison, New York
to live with their grandfather Abner Burnham, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, but Abner died soon thereafter. Burnham graduated Hamilton College, New York
, in 1852 and was a member of the Delta Upsilon
fraternity. On July 18, 1852 he was ordained, after having been stated supply at Columbus City, Iowa
and he became a student at Union Theological Seminary
in New York (1852–55). He was a teacher in Pennington, New Jersey
(1855–56) and in Wilton, Minnesota
(1856–57). At Tivoli, Minnesota, an Indian Reservation
, he preached and served as a missionary and also served as stated supply (1861–71). To most he was known as, "a Kentucky frontiersman and rifle shooting parson who could bark a squirrel, swing an axe or dispense Gospel with equal ferver and efficiency."
Burnham was a key figure in the defense of New Ulm, Minnesota
, helping to prevent the town from total destruction as it was attached by Taoyateduta
(Little Crow) and his Sioux
warriors in the Dakota War of 1862
. While he was in Mankato, Minnesota
procuring lead and powder, his wife Rebecca (Elizabeth) Russell Burnham was left alone in the cabin with Fred, the couple's not quite two-year-old boy. While brushing her hair, she froze at the flashing glimpse of war paint and war bonnets moving through the forest. Gathering up baby Fred, she realized she could not escape while carrying him, so she hid her baby in a stack of green corn shocks, running fast and deceptively to evade the Sioux war party. She reached a friendly homestead six miles away in time to see the smoke of her cabin. Returning the next morning with armed neighbors, Rebecca saw her burned-down cabin and she found her baby Fred still in the corn husks and still alive.
Sometime after the Sioux hostilities had ended, Burnham sustained major injuries which led to his early death. He was carrying the logs from the ruins of his former cabin to build a barn when he slipped on an ice patch. As he fell, the log he was carrying crushed his chest resulting in compound rib fractures and the puncturing of one of his lungs. His failing health compelled him to give up the ministry, and in 1870 he moved his family to California—then a two-week trip by rail through still visible buffalo herds. From 1871 to 1873 he was an invalid. He died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Los Angeles, California
.
With the passing of Edwin, Rebecca and her two surviving children, Fred, then 11, and Howard, then 3, were left destitute. An uncle in Clinton, Iowa
offered the family a home, but there was no money for the return journey. A family friend in Los Angeles, Mrs. Porter, lent Rebecca $125 for the trip; however, Fred steadfastly refused to leave, determined to find a job to provide his family some support and to repay Mrs. Porter, so Rebecca boarded the train with only baby Howard. Fred was an outstanding horse rider, and he knew the environs around Los Angeles, so he landed a job as a mounted messenger with Western Union
. Even at this young age, Fred had already learned woodcraft
from his frontiersman father. By the time he was 12, Fred was an expert with rifle or shotgun, hunting deer in Los Angeles, and at 13 he bought a Winchester model 1873 carbine, caliber .44-40. By 14, he had repaid his mother's debt to Mrs. Porter and he left California to live with his mother, brother, and uncle in Iowa.
(1617–1688) of Hartford, Connecticut
, the first American ancestor of a large number of Burnhams. His father was Dr. Frederick Burnham (November 16, 1787 – ca. March 31, 1829) of East Hartford, Connecticut
, a soldier invalidated in the War of 1812
who went south to Kentucky to practice medicine, and his mother was Harriet (Woolridge) Burnham (April 14, 1794 – April 23, 1830). On July 3, 1860, he married Rebecca (Elizabeth) Russell Burnham [Clapp] (July 12, 1842–1905) of Westminster
, Middlesex
, England
in Sterling Township, Blue Earth, Minnesota
. The family had three sons and one daughter, all born in Minnesota:
He was born in Ghent, Kentucky
Ghent, Kentucky
Ghent is a town in Carroll County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 371 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Flemish city Ghent.-Geography:Ghent is located at ....
, his father died when he was 5 and his mother died the following year. He and his younger sister, Caroline, moved to Madison, New York
Madison (town), New York
Madison is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,801 at the 2000 census.The Town of Madison contains a village also named Madison. The town is on the eastern border of the county.- History :...
to live with their grandfather Abner Burnham, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, but Abner died soon thereafter. Burnham graduated Hamilton College, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1852 and was a member of the Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest international, all-male, college Greek-letter organization, and is the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America...
fraternity. On July 18, 1852 he was ordained, after having been stated supply at Columbus City, Iowa
Columbus City, Iowa
Columbus City is a city in Louisa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 376 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Columbus City is located at ....
and he became a student at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York (1852–55). He was a teacher in Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
(1855–56) and in Wilton, Minnesota
Wilton, Minnesota
Wilton is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 204 at the 2010 census. Wilton is considered a bedroom community of Bemidji.-Geography:...
(1856–57). At Tivoli, Minnesota, an Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
, he preached and served as a missionary and also served as stated supply (1861–71). To most he was known as, "a Kentucky frontiersman and rifle shooting parson who could bark a squirrel, swing an axe or dispense Gospel with equal ferver and efficiency."
Burnham was a key figure in the defense of New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
, helping to prevent the town from total destruction as it was attached by Taoyateduta
Taoyateduta
Little Crow was a chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux. His given name translates as "His Red Nation," but he was known as Little Crow because of his father's name, Čhetáŋ Wakhúwa Máni, which was mistranslated.Little Crow is notable in for his role in the...
(Little Crow) and his Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
warriors in the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
. While he was in Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
procuring lead and powder, his wife Rebecca (Elizabeth) Russell Burnham was left alone in the cabin with Fred, the couple's not quite two-year-old boy. While brushing her hair, she froze at the flashing glimpse of war paint and war bonnets moving through the forest. Gathering up baby Fred, she realized she could not escape while carrying him, so she hid her baby in a stack of green corn shocks, running fast and deceptively to evade the Sioux war party. She reached a friendly homestead six miles away in time to see the smoke of her cabin. Returning the next morning with armed neighbors, Rebecca saw her burned-down cabin and she found her baby Fred still in the corn husks and still alive.
Sometime after the Sioux hostilities had ended, Burnham sustained major injuries which led to his early death. He was carrying the logs from the ruins of his former cabin to build a barn when he slipped on an ice patch. As he fell, the log he was carrying crushed his chest resulting in compound rib fractures and the puncturing of one of his lungs. His failing health compelled him to give up the ministry, and in 1870 he moved his family to California—then a two-week trip by rail through still visible buffalo herds. From 1871 to 1873 he was an invalid. He died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
With the passing of Edwin, Rebecca and her two surviving children, Fred, then 11, and Howard, then 3, were left destitute. An uncle in Clinton, Iowa
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
offered the family a home, but there was no money for the return journey. A family friend in Los Angeles, Mrs. Porter, lent Rebecca $125 for the trip; however, Fred steadfastly refused to leave, determined to find a job to provide his family some support and to repay Mrs. Porter, so Rebecca boarded the train with only baby Howard. Fred was an outstanding horse rider, and he knew the environs around Los Angeles, so he landed a job as a mounted messenger with Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
. Even at this young age, Fred had already learned woodcraft
Woodcraft
Woodcraft is a recreational/educational program devised by Ernest Thompson Seton in 1902, for young people based on camping, outdoor skills and woodcrafts. Thompson Seton's Woodcraft ideas were incorporated into the early Scout movement, but also in many other organisations in many countries.In the...
from his frontiersman father. By the time he was 12, Fred was an expert with rifle or shotgun, hunting deer in Los Angeles, and at 13 he bought a Winchester model 1873 carbine, caliber .44-40. By 14, he had repaid his mother's debt to Mrs. Porter and he left California to live with his mother, brother, and uncle in Iowa.
Family
Burnham was a descendant of Thomas BurnhamThomas Burnham
Thomas Burnham was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. A lawyer and landowner, he arrived in the American Colonies in 1637, and lived most of his adult live in Connecticut. He was among the earliest puritan settlers in Connecticut, living in Podunk and finally settling in Hartford,...
(1617–1688) of Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, the first American ancestor of a large number of Burnhams. His father was Dr. Frederick Burnham (November 16, 1787 – ca. March 31, 1829) of East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, a soldier invalidated in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
who went south to Kentucky to practice medicine, and his mother was Harriet (Woolridge) Burnham (April 14, 1794 – April 23, 1830). On July 3, 1860, he married Rebecca (Elizabeth) Russell Burnham [Clapp] (July 12, 1842–1905) of Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in Sterling Township, Blue Earth, Minnesota
Blue Earth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,621 people, 1,535 households, and 925 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,137.0 people per square mile . There were 1,666 housing units at an average density of 523.1 per square mile...
. The family had three sons and one daughter, all born in Minnesota:
- Frederick Russell BurnhamFrederick Russell BurnhamFrederick Russell Burnham, DSO was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the British Army in colonial Africa and for teaching woodcraft to Robert Baden-Powell, thus becoming one of the inspirations for the founding of the international Scouting Movement.Burnham...
(May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947), the eldest son, became a highly decorated Major in the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, scouting in Africa and the United States, and the father of the international Scouting movement. - Edward Russell Burnham (November 29, 1863 – September 4, 1866)
- Mary Maylin Burnham (November 7, 1867, July 14, 1868)
- Matther Howard BurnhamHoward BurnhamMather Howard Burnham , went by the name of Howard and his brother was the celebrated scout Frederick Russell Burnham. He traveled the world, frequently worked as a mining engineer and, during World War I, he became an intelligence officer and spy for the government of France...
(May 27, 1870–1918), moved to Africa with his brother Fred, he was the chief chemist for a mine in Johannesburg, South Africa. During World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
worked behind enemy lines in southwest Germany as spy for France.