Burnham, Joseph A.

BURNHAM, NORTHCUTT, SPARKS, SHIELDS, KINDT

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/27/2009 at 12:13:50

Burnham, Joseph A.

By a life of persistent and well applied industry, led along the most honorable lines, the gentleman whose name appears above has justly earned the right to be represented in a work of the character of the one at hand, along with the other men of Jasper County who have made their influence felt in their respective communities.

Joseph A. Burnham, farmer, of Richland Township, has spent his life in this locality and has been successful in his chosen life work, for he has not been afraid to apply himself to the daily tasks he has found awaiting him. He was born in Lynn Grove Township, December 20, 1867, the son of Abraham and Margaret (Northcutt) Burnham. His maternal grandparents, Hezekiah and Sarah Northcutt, were natives of Kentucky, who later in life moved to Illinois and in the latter state the mother of the subject was born. The family moved to Iowa about 1855 and located in Lynn Grove Township, Jasper County, on a place now known as the Briggs farm. This they developed and finally sold and built a mill, and later moved north of the town of Sully and there spent their last days, but died at the home of the subject's parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Burnham, mentioned above, grew up and married in this locality, and began farming when the country was still primitive and improvements were neither many nor extensive. By hard work and good management they established a good home and owned a productive farm. Politically, the father was a Republican, took considerable interest in local affairs and held several Township offices. He is now living retired at Lynnville; his wife passed away in 1907. He is one of our worthy pioneers and has led a useful and honest life. His family consisted of three children, named as follows: Joseph A., of this review, Meretha and Edith.

Abraham Burnham is a veteran of the great Civil War, in which he fought gallantly as a member of Company K, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he saw some hard service, covering the major part of the struggle. He was in many hard-fought engagements and trying campaigns, being finally discharged for disability, in fact, he has never completely recovered from the effects of his army life, his health having been permanently shattered, but he has never regretted his services to his country.

Joseph A. Burnham, of this sketch, was educated in the common schools and the Lynnville high school. He lived on the farm until he was seventeen years of age, then, in order to get a start in life, he worked out by the month and was in the employ of Charles Johnson for a period of fourteen years. He saved his money and in 1899 bought a farm of sixty-three acres adjoining the corporation limits of Lynnville. He soon had this under excellent improvements, erecting a good dwelling, barn, fences, etc. He remained there but a year and a half when he traded this place to Joe Horn for one hundred and twenty acres in Richland Township and lived there three years, when he sold out and bought eighty acres in another part of that Township, two miles northwest of Lynnville. Here he built a good house, barn and made other improvements, and there engaged in general farming and stock raising, preparing large numbers of cattle and hogs for the market. Also dealt in real estate to some extent, in fact, he has not given up this sideline, but still does some trading.

Politically, Mr. Burnham is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for offices. He belongs to the Old Methodist Protestant Church at Sully.

Mr. Burnham was married on August 12, 1899, to Daisy Sparks, daughter of John B. Sparks, a highly respected citizen of Lynnville. One child has been born to the subject and wife, Vada, now one and one-half years old. Page 885.

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Notation: In this biography of Joseph A. Burnham, his mother and father are listed as Abraham Burnham and Margaret Northcutt. I'm quite certain that is in error. Abraham (Rodney) Burnham was actually the brother of Joseph. Their father's name was Rodney and he was marrried to Mary D. H. Shields. Rodney died of cholera in 1850 near Ollie, Iowa. Two or three years later the family moved to the vicinity of Lynnville. His daughter Merethia married Leander Kent(Kindt) who lived near Bethel Cemetery. Leanders parents are buried in Bethel Cemetery. Merethia and Leander are my maternal grandparents. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail, if you have any questions or would like any additional information. Gail F. Stephenson

SGaimar@aol.com