Burdick, William Nelson 1837-1901

BURDICK, HALSTEAD, MARSHALL, CRAWFORD, SPAULDING, TUTTLE

Posted By: S. Ferrall (email)
Date: 7/13/2004 at 05:54:33

W. N. Burdick [photo]
William Nelson Burdick was born in Cortland County, New York, February 25th, 1837, and in 1839 his parents immigrated and settled at Elgin, Ills., where they lived until he was fifteen years of age, when they moved to Fayette county and settled on a farm near West Union. In 1856 he went to Decorah, where he was engaged in a printing office and from there he went to Cresco, where he held a like position for a short time when he again resumed farming. He was engaged in the mercantile business at Cresco and was the first postmaster there and served in that capacity for seven years after which he edited the Howard County Times. He sold out his interests at Cresco and moved to Decorah and purchased an interest in the Decorah Register afterwards buying out his partner. In 1875 he came to Postville and purchased the Postville Review and has conducted it ever since. He died at Mercy Hospital, Cedar Rapids, Monday, October 21st, at 10:30 a.m. after a lingering illness. In 1860 he was united in marriage with Amy E. Halstead. Five children were born to this union, all boys, two of whom, with their mother, survive him, E.E. Burdick, of Des Moines and Arthur S. Burdick, of Postville. The funeral was held from the congregational church last Friday afternoon, Rev. C.A. Marshall, a friend of his younger days, preached the funeral sermon after which he was laid away to his final resting place by the brothers of the Masonic order, Dr. J.C. Crawford, of Waukon, officiating.

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Among those present at the funeral of the late W.N. Burdick from out of town were E.E. Burdick, of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Spaulding, of West Union; Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Burdick, of Decorah; Mrs. C.W. Halstead, of Cresco, and Bert Tuttle and family from Elma.

-source: Postville Review, November 1, 1901

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Added by Cheryl Locher Moonen on Feb. 10, 2017:

Dubuque Telegraph - Herald, October 30, 1901
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The Manchester Press: The death of W. N. Burdick, the veteran editor of the Postville Review, which occurred at Cedar Rapids, whither he had gone for treatment, on Monday of this week, will be learned with genuine sorrow by members of the newspaper fraternity in Iowa and especially by those in the northeast part of the state. Mr. Burdick was one of the oldest newspaper men in Iowa-one of those who, with Wm. Toman, H. L. Rann and Matt Parrott, were in their prime when the state was comparably young. He was a strong writer, a courageous, upright and influential editor, and a man whose amiable qualities of heart and mind were not the least of his personal attractions. The Review, under his management, although a paper of limited circulation published in a small town, had long been known as one of the strong weeklies of the state on account of the positive and upright and loyal views of the editor, by whose death the fraternity has lost one whose long honored by his pen and by his life.

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Added by Joy Moore on April 15, 2020:

Source: Decorah Republican Oct. 24, 1901 P 2 C 4

DEATH OF W. N. BURDICK.
This Event took place in Mercy Hospital, Cedar Rapids, on the 21st inst.

For a period of time covering we know not how many months, W. N. Burdick, editor of the Postville Review, familiarly called "Nels” by his news­paper friends, has been slowly traveling towards that bourne which is the com­mon destiny of all. He had made a vigorous fight for life; but age and care had told upon him, and the intelligence comes to us through the Cedar Rapids Republican of Tuesday morning that death claimed him at 10:30 o’clock on the previous day. From the record given it appears that he went to that city some seven weeks ago for treat­ment. On Saturday last he caught a cold which ran into pneumonia, and he was taken to Mercy Hospital on the following day, and passed into rest on Monday, as above stated. The Repub­lican gives this brief sketch of Bro, B.’s life

The deceased was born in New York, February 25, 1837. With his parents he came to the state of Iowa when he was but 14 years of age. For several years they lived at West Union. Later Mr. Burdick went to Cresco and en­gaged in general merchandise business. He was the first postmaster at Cresco. He also ran a paper in that town. From Cresco he went to Decorah where he ran a newspaper, and in 1875 he re­moved to Postville and founded the Postville Review.

He leaves two sons, Art S. Burdick, who has been managing both the paper and the post office since his father’s illness, and E. E. Burdick, of Des Moines.

Bro. Burdick was highly esteemed by his editorial associates as a leader writer, and his clearness and force in an argument. His Sunday night arti­cles for many years commanded wide attention for their high tone and classic style.

His funeral is to be held this after­noon, and will be conducted by the Ma­sonic fraternity, of which he had long been a prominent member.

Transcriber’s Note: Find a Grave shows he is buried in the Postville Cemetery.