Burns, Frank W. 1844-1898

BURNS, HOUGHTON, FOSTER

Posted By: Doris Hoffman, volunteer (email)
Date: 5/3/2021 at 12:41:28

Burns, Frank W. 1844-1898

REST AT LAST
The Funeral of the Late Frank W. Burns Held on Saturday Afternoon

The funeral of the late Frank W. Burns was held at the Congregational church on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock, conducted by Rev. W. J. Johnson, pastor of the church, and the church was inadequate to hold the number who desired to pay a silent tribute to the memory of the man whom all had known so well.

The floral tributes from old friends and neighbors told the story of love and affection and there was something peculiarly touching in the floral offering of the men at the mill with whom he had been so long associated telling of the great esteem in which they held his memory.

Far from the scene where the best years of his life had been passed, realizing that the end was near, he requested those near and dear to him to have the funeral conducted in the simplest manner possible, and it was his request that Messrs. Wm. Smiley, W. H. Boyd, Brice Love, O. L. Loudeoslager, G. A. Sammis and P. A. Diehl bear his remains to their last resting place and it was his special request that Mr. C. A. Wernli sing at his funeral and Mr. Wernli was a member of the choir which was composed of Mrs. T. M. Zink, Mrs. O. H. Hinds, Messrs. O. H. Hinds and C. A. Werali. The funeral was conducted by P. F. Dalton.

At the close of the impressive services the congregation and a large number who could not gain access to the church followed the casket to the cemetery where the remains were interred.

Frank William Burns was born at Milford, New Hampshire, on May 28, 1844. When ten years of age he moved with his parents to Ruthland, Vt., and subsequently to New Rutland, Illinois, in 1856, where his father, with other eastern settlers, founded the place. In 1862 he left school to enter the Federal army and served with distinction in the 104th Illinois infantry until the close of the war. After three months’ service in Tennessee against Morgan, he was wounded by a revolver shot through his neck and left on the field, the command being captured and he was taken to a Confederate planter’s house and well cared for until exchanged and sent back to his regiment.

During his next service in the south he was appointed to regimental postmaster and promoted to brigade and division postmaster. He served under Thomas and Sherman in the campaign against Atlanta and in the march to the sea. After receiving his discharge at Washington he attended school at Princeton, Illinois, and graduated at Eastman’s Commercial college in Chicago.

His active business life began in 1869, when he entered the milling business with his brother in Rutland. In 1876 the machinery was moved to LeMars and the firm of Burns Bros. started, later becoming Burns, Treat & Co. with the coming of A. H. Treat. This firm continued until June 22, 1885, when the mill burned. Then the present stock company, the Plymouth Roller Mill Company, was organized and a new plant immediately erected. Frank Burns served as treasurer and general manager of the corporation until 1894 and during the last few years as president.

Continued ill health caused his retirement from active participation in the business in 1893, when he moved temporarily to St. Paul. In the fall of 1894 he served his connection with the company and sought a climate more favorable to renewing his fast-failing strength. He resided at Eureka Springs, Arkansas and different localities in the south for some time and finally went to Seattle, Washington, where he died June 6, 1898.

Mr. Burns was married to Anna Louise Houghton at Princeton, Illinois, on May 27, 1867, and she died at LeMars in December, 1877 (actually 1878), leaving three children, Mabel Ashley, Ralph Houghton and Kenneth Lovejoy. In February, 1881, he married Katherine Foster, daughter of B. O. Foster, one of LeMars’ oldest settlers. Three children have been born to them, Benjaman Foster, Winslow Bradford and Lillian Foster. Besides his widow and children, his mother survives him and lives with his sister, Mrs. William McClellan, at San Diego, California. Fred W. Burns of this city, is his only brother, and a younger sister, Cora A. Burns, resides in Boston.

The life of Frank Burns, until he was stricken with disease, was one of intense energy and close application to business. It was one of his strongest characteristics never to be idle, and even as a boy, those who have known him speak of this marked quality. He was only eighteen years of age when he entered the army and he was at once plunged into the fierce warfare which characterized the campaign against the guerilla chieftain Morgan. It was a desperate hand-to-hand combat in which he was wounded and his command captured. In his subsequent duties in the postal service of the army he encountered many dangers and had numerous narrow escapes from death and capture.

These same qualities entered into his business career. The limitations of the Illinois town where he and his brother started were soon felt and a visit to northwestern Iowa determined their location at LeMars. The business, which started in a small way, became, under his guidance and oversight, the most important industry of the growing town. The disaster arising from the fire in 1885, when the entire plant was destroyed, was quickly surmounted and the new company beat every energy in erecting the new and larger buildings. In the next ten years the affairs had his closest attention and it was the unrelenting hard work with which he subjected himself that caused his breakdown in health. He fought manfully against disease and occupied his mind with business detail after his physical strength had failed.

Frank Burns was a public-spirited citizen, while not seeking in the slightest degree public honors. He aided and lent his influence and means to all good causes and was proud of the growth and prosperity of his home town and county. Probably few men who have lived in LeMars have had a wider acquaintance with business men throughout the northwest than Mr. Burns, and wherever he was known he was esteemed and respected.

With his business was shared an intense inclination toward a quiet domestic life. His thought and purpose was wrapped up in his family and he was over a devoted husband and loving father. With men he was kindly and pleasant and took much interest in the welfare of his employees. Of him, one has said since his death, “He was a good man to work for, and always a kind friend to all of us.” The qualities of Christian manhood were his and makes him universally mourned by his wide circle of friends in this community. Born of Christian parents, he early became attached to religious organizations, and was one of the first members of the First Congregational church of LeMars, serving on the board of trustees for some time at the period during which the present church building was erected.

Lemars Globe
Wednesday, June 15, 1898
Lemars, Iowa, pg. 3