The Robert Burnham Family

The 3 Burnham brothers, John, Thomas, and Robert, sons of Robert and Mary [Andrews] Burnham, arrived in May, 1635 on the ship "Angel Gabriel" in the charge of their maternal uncle, Capt. Andrews, master of the ship. Capt. Robert Andrews, was the brother of Mary [Andrews] Burnham.

The ship "Angel Gabriel" pulled into Pemaquid Bay (Pemaquid, Maine) on August 13, 1635 and laid at anchor. The next day there was a terrible rain storm which ravaged the whole coast from Nova Scotia to New York starting at morning. The Angel was torn to pieces by the savage storm and cast away. Most of the cattle, 1 seaman and 3 or 4 passengers died. The others escaped to shore. Among the few personal belongings saved was a chest belonging to the Burnham boys. The tides had been as high as 20 feet.

Some passengers set up tents along the shore and John Cogswell [Coggswell] went to Boston and sought the help of a Capt. Gallop who commanded a smallbark, or barque as it was called then. He took some passengers to Ipswich and made another trip the end of October. The 3 Burnham brothers went to Chebacco, in the colony of Massachusetts Bay, probably with their uncle, Capt. Andrews, and John Cogswell and his family in Capt. Gallop's barque.

Deacon John Burnham joined the Pequot Expedition in 1637 and in 1639 Ipswich granted him land for his services as a soldier in that expedition. He was appointed deacon of the church at Chebacco. He became the owner of a large tract of land, lying on the east side of what is now known as Haskell's Creek, which is where he died on 5 Nov. 1694.

Lt. Thomas Burnham also joined the Pequot Expedition in 1637 along with his brother, John. He was made Selectman in 1647; Sergeant of the Ipswich Company in 1664; made Ensign in 1665 and was commissioned as Lieutenant in 1683. He was Deputy to the General Court from 1683 to 1685 and on town committees. In 1667 he was granted the privilege of errecting a saw mill on the Chebacco River. He owned much land both in Chebacco and in Ipswich which was divided between his sons, Thomas and James upon his death.

In 1645, Thomas married Mary Lawrence [NOT Mary Tuttle], daughter of Thomas Lawrence and Joan Antrobus. Thomas Lawrence died in 1625 in England and his widow, Joan, married John Tuttle. In June 1635, John and Joan Tuttle came to America in the ship "Planter", along with their children, Joan's mother [Mrs. Joan Antrobus] and 3 of the Lawrence children.

Robert Burnham came to Ipswich at the age of 11 and he removed to Boston in 1644, at the age of 20. He married Frances Hill soon after. While in Boston, he became one of a company who purchased the town of Dover, N.H. Ten years later, in 1654, he removed to Oyster River, N.H. and erected his "garrison house".

THOMAS OF HARTFORD: Care must be taken in distinguishing Burnham family ancestors from Thomas Burnham of Hartford, Conn. who was born about 1617. This Thomas Burnham sailed from Gravesend, England about 1635, for the Barbados and soon after came to Conn. There are no records to connect Thomas of Hartford with the other Burnham brother. As Caroline Burnham, one of our Burnham cousins, so aptly put it, "Our Thomas Burnham and his brothers crashed into America. The other one, Thomas Burnham of Hartford, Conn., landed safely in one piece."

THE BURNHAM NAME

This is one of the early New England names, of English origin, among the foremost in New Hampshire (both in point of time and importance), and distinguished in military annals from the earliest colonial period. Not only in military, but in civil affairs it has been pre-eminent, and has furnished leading agriculturists, merchants, clergymen, educators, jurists and legislators to this commonwealth.

Walter Le Veutre came to England at the Conquest, in 1066, with William of Normandy, in the train of his cousin german Earl Warren and was made a lord in 1080, and received the Saxon village of Burnham, county of Norfolk, as a part of his estate. After the Conquest, he assumed the name of Walter de Burnham after the manor, and the estate continued to be held by his descendants until after 1700. The ancient seat, "Burnham Beeches," is mentioned in one of Tennyson's poems.

THE BURNHAM ESTATE

Benjamin Burnham (born in 1621), also a son of Robert Burnham, did not make the trip to America and eventually went to Madras, India where he lived from 1660-1684. He amassed a great fortune in real estate, including 150 acres which included a part of Burnham Road [which is now Regent Street, London], Burnham Beach Cottage and Burnham Wood.

When Benjamin died in London, England about 1691, his will of June 8, 1685 stated that everything would go to his 3 brothers in America. The oldest brother, Edward, who had stayed in England, was quite upset and fought the will in courts. After a long battle in courts of England, the British Crown confiscated the entire estate, as they were noted for such practice in those days, and the Burnhams never regained the estate. Over the next 100 to 200 years, several Burnhams in America would make the long journey to England to contest the taking over of the estate, but were not successful. In 1860, Benjamin's total estate consisting of real and personal property was valued at $65,200,000 giving an annual income of $2,392,000. We can only imagine what it would be worth today.

 HOME