BURT, THOMAS

BURT, MCARTHUR, MURRAY

Posted By: Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/2/2005 at 13:55:00

Biography reproduced from page 426 of the History of Kossuth and Humboldt Counties, Iowa published in 1884:

Thomas Burt, one of the early settlers and prosperous farmers of Kossuth county, was born in Scotland, Dec. 16, 1832. He came to America with his parents when eighteen years of age. They settled in Schuylkill Co., Penn., where he worked at mining. They removed to Sharon, and in 1861 he moved to Grundy Co., Ill., and followed mining while there until the year 1865, when he and his brother-in-law, Mr. McArthur, packed their goods and families into wagons and started for Kossuth Co., Iowa, where they arrived after three weeks’ travel. He settled on the northeast quarter of section 18, township 96, range 29. Since then he has added eighty acres more to his place. He has under cultivation at present about 100 acres. Mr. Burt was married to Margaret Murray, who is also a native of Scotland, and came to America with her parents. They have six children—Isabelle and Janett, twins; Sarah J., Margaret, Peter and William. Isabelle, Janett and Margaret are married. After arriving in Kossuth county, they camped out all summer and lived in their wagon box, which was staked to the ground to keep the wind from blowing it over. He was with Mr. McArthur the time they got lost and stuck in the snow drift, where Mr. McArthur so badly froze his feet as to lose eight of his toes. Politically, Mr. Burt is a republican.