My Revolutionary War Patriots, Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire

Colonel Burnham's Tavern, Milford, New Hampshire

This is #1 in a series of posts I intend to write this year for the 250th Anniversary of the USA. 

Colonel Joshua Burnham, my 5th great grandfather, was born on 26 January 1754 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the son of Stephen Burnham (1715 - 1790) and Mary Andrews (b. 1712) of the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Massachusetts.  Many of his 12 siblings removed away from Massachusetts, just like he did.  Joshua died in Milford, New Hampshire on 7 June 1835, and his brother Stephen died in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire.  His brother Caleb died in Lake George, New York, and brothers David and Jonathan died in Vermont.  

Joshua was a founder of the town of Milford when it became a separate town from Amherst in 1794.   He had served in the Revolution as a private from New Hampshire enlisting in April 1775 after the Lexington Alarm under Captain Josiah Crosby for 8 months, and at the end of that term he re-enlisted under Captain Jones of the same regiment for one year.  He was at Bunker Hill, New York, Philadelphia, and was discharged at Aesopus (formerly Kingston), New York.  

Returning to Milford, he married Jemima Wyman on 21 January 1779 at Wilton, New Hampshire, a contiguous town.  She was the daughter of Increase Wyman and Catherine Unknown, born 10 February 1757 in Billerica, Massachusetts, and died on 6 September 1843 at the home of her daughter Jemima Burnham, who lived in South Boston (my 4th great grandmother).  In the Milford town records Joshua was on the committee to build a town pound in 1797, and was listed as a taxpayer in 1830. 

Joshua Burnham lived on the road to Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, now known as River Road, in a fine house that is still standing about two miles from the center of Milford. It was known as Colonel Burham's Tavern.  He sold this farm in 1822 to Jesse Hutchinson, the leader of the famous Hutchinson Family Singers, and they lived there for many years. Jesse and Polly raised 13 of their 16 children there, of whom half were part of the singing group.  The Hutchinson family entertained many important historical figures there, including Fredrick Douglass, General Tom Thumb, and P.T. Barnum.  The house remained in the Hutchinson family until 1949. 

In the biography of the Hutchinson family on pages 8 to 10, see below, is this passage:

"Right in the vicinity of these premises was Colonel Burnham, living in the little red house on the hill, which had been selected by his children as a home for his declining years, and situated where he could overlook the surrounding landscape, including a good view of the farm that was once the home of his family and which he had lost by unpaid debts. He was a frequent visitor to the place; and when the fruits were ripe, he would have free access offered by my father and the privilege of obtaining what fruit he desired. There was one very favorite apple, the flavor of which was delicious; and when the apples were ripe, this honorable old gentleman would be seen going and coming with his pockets full, and they were pockets! They were like bags, and he could carry almost half a peck in each one. He would come over, fill his pockets, and then trudge along towards home. He was occasionally visited by officers of the armies of the Revolution; and it was said that one of the staff of Washington was among them. My parents honored him by naming Joshua after him. He would frequently show his regard for his namesake by some token, and before passing into his dotage he called him to his house and presented him with a sash worn by him on parade while he was under George Washington's command. This article was carefully preserved, and is still, after the decease of both giver and receiver, an heirloom in the family.

In those early days among the pioneers, education was sometimes neglected. The colonel, though passing through seven years of renown as a discreet officer, could not write his own name, and while in business kept his accounts by characters. For instance, having sold cheese to a person, he would make a mark of that portion of cheese that that man received. His funeral was the first that I had ever witnessed, and the impression was depressingly suggestive." 

Joshua Burnham came upon hard times and lived in poverty in his older years. He applied for a military pension in 1818.  The application papers for his pension outlined his service, his life, family members and friends from the war.  They also described his poor health and need for a military pension.  He died on 7 June 1835 in Milford at age 93, and was buried in the small burial ground about a quarter mile from his tavern house, and buried in a plot near his friend Jesse Hutchinson.  His epitaph read "Soldier of the Revolution, zealous in his country's cause, Faithful to the constitution and obedient to it's laws".  His wife Jemima applied for, and received, a Revolutionary War Widow's pension in 1838, and she died in 1843. 

Col. J. Burnham's gravestone

For the truly curious:

Tombstone Tuesday - Joshua Burnham's gravestone:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-col-joshua-burnham.html  

2010 blog post "The Illiterate Colonel" (I have since discovered he was quite literate and signed many documents)   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/illiterate-colonel.html    

2017 blog post "Joshua Burnham Proves His Military Service"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/joshua-burnham-proves-his-military.html  

2017 blog post "Jemima (Wyman) Burnham applies for a Revolutionary War Widow's Pension"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/jemima-wyman-burnham-applies-for.html   

2014 blog post showing my BURNHAM lineage:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html  

and in books:

A manuscript Old Houses of Milford, compiled in a notebook for Wadleigh Memorial Library, Milford, New Hampshire

The Story of the Hutchinsons by John Wallace Hutchinson, 1896 (see pages 8 -10 for the information on Colonel Joshua Burnham and his house he sold to Jesse Hutchinson of the Hutchinson family singers). 

The History of Milford, by George A. Ramsdell, Rumford Press, Concord, New Hampshire, 1901, see page 783.  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots, Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 15, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Mile Away Restaurant, Milford, NH for Weathervane Wednesday

 The Mile Away Restaurant is located on Federal Hill Road, Milford, New Hampshire.

The Mile Away Restaurant is one mile away from the location of where the locals were going to build the village meetinghouse in Monson, New Hampshire.  Monson was incorporated as a town in 1746, the same year this farm house was built.  But the town of Monson was abandoned by the 1770s and the meetinghouse was never built.  The land for the town of Monson was divided up by the nearby towns of Milford, Hollis, and Brookline.  This area is now a historic site with signs on the cellar holes and stone walls.  Only one house survives, and is open some weekends and by chance as an educational center about the history of Monson.  

The Mile Away was turned in to a restaurant by two families from Switzerland in 1967.  The Murphy family bought the restaurant in 1996 and continues to operate a restaurant, with some of the original recipes from Switzerland like Swiss potatoes and Viener Schnitzel. The current executive chef lived in Switzerland for many years. 

The banner weathervane atop the roof of the main restaurant has the cut out numbers of 1746, honoring the year this farm house was built.  It is a very simple weathervane, appropriate for the humble beginnings of this property as a farm over 250 years ago. 

For the truly curious:

The Mile Away Restaurant and Tented Venue

603-673-3904     https://www.mileawayrestaurantnh.com/   

52 Federal Hill Road

Milford, New Hampshire

Click here to read two more blog posts about the ghost town of Monson, New Hampshire, which is "a mile away" from this restaurant.

2022 "A Walk Through Abandoned Monson, New Hampshire"    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-walk-through-abandoned-monson-new.html   

2012 "The Abandoned Town of Monson, New Hampshire"     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-abandoned-town-of-monson-new.html   

Click here to read over 500 more Weathervane Wednesday posts!   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Mile Away Restaurant, Milford, NH for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 29, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-mile-away-restaurant-milford-nh-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Walk Through Abandoned Monson, New Hampshire

Ten years ago I posted a similar story about a walk through Monson.  It was time for another walk... (see my post at https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-abandoned-town-of-monson-new.html ) 

Monson was a town in southern New Hampshire between the 1730s and 1770s, originally part of the state of Massachusetts, but it became part of New Hampshire in 1746.  It was abandoned, and this site now belongs to the two towns of Hollis and Milford, New Hampshire.  It is like stepping back into time.  There are no signs of anything modern except for the information kiosk at the entrance.  All that exists are stonewalls, and one surviving homestead, the Gould house.  This land was donated by Russ and Geri Dickerman. 

There are thriving chestnut trees along the road into Monson Center.  

The Gould House is a small home in the center of Monson, open by chance or by appointment by. We were lucky, Russ Dickerman and his friends were there for a clean up day, and we were able to peek inside for the first time. We also met his dog, Niki II.  

We walked through the fields and forest along these roads and paths to see the cellar holes (which are well marked) for families such as the Wallingford, Brown, Nevins, and Bayley families. There is a stone enclosure that was an animal pound. 

Russ Dickerman's dog, Niki, is buried along the stone wall that circles the meadow. 

Across from the Gould homestead is the cellar hole for another home.  There is a photo of this home, and inside the Gould house is a painting of this home in the early 20th century when a family lived here.  The man who owned this home was Russ Dickerman's uncle. 

This map is on the kiosk at the entrance to Monson Center,

and it is also available online (see the link below)

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For the truly curious:

The Abandoned Town of Monson, New Hampshire, 2012   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-abandoned-town-of-monson-new.html   

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Monson Center:   https://forestsociety.org/property/monson-center  

Map of Monson Center:      https://forestsociety.org/sites/default/files/Monson%20Village%20Map.pdf  

I've blogged about exploring other "ghost towns" - Monson, NH; Dogtown, MA; Chinese Camp, CA; and Zealand, NH.  You can find them at this link:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/ghost%20town  

New Hampshire Magazine, "The Mystery of Monson", 2019:     https://www.nhmagazine.com/the-mystery-of-monson/  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Walk Through Abandoned Monson, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 20, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-walk-through-abandoned-monson-new.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel

The Col. Joshua Burnham Tavern, photo 2001
where Jemima Burnham grew up, Milford, New Hampshire

My 4th great grandmother was born as Jemima Burnham.  Her name is listed as Jemima Wyman Burnham on an SAR application dated 20 August 1957 for Emerson Francis Thayer McLean, a distant cousin.  I've never seen her listed with a middle name on any other vital record or documentation.  Her mother's name was Jemima Wyman, so it could be possible.  Jemima was born 9 May 1783 in Milford, New Hampshire.  It is often difficult to learn about the lives of our women ancestors, but bits and pieces of Jemima's life have become revealed to me over 40 years of searching for clues.

Her father was Colonel Joshua Burnham.  He was a local character, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a local hero who was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill and served in New York, Philadelphia and Canada.  The history of Milford states that he was an eyewitness when George Washington took command of the Continental Army.  He built a large farm and tavern near the banks of the Souhegan River, which is still standing on River Road.  He later sold his tavern and property to Jesse and Polly Hutchinson, who raised their thirteen children there in Milford.  These children were famous as the Hutchinson Family singers who sang songs of temperance, abolition, women's suffrage, and other progressive movements all over the USA and even in Europe.  

Although Col. Burnham sold his farm to the Hutchinson family, he remained in Milford, and remained a good friend to Jesse Hutchinson.  He must have agreed with all the progressive beliefs, and discussed them with the Hutchinson's various friends who included P. T. Barnum, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.  These famous singers gave their very first concert at the Baptist church in Milford.  The Hutchinson Singers toured England with Douglass in 1845, and some moved to Lynn, Massachusetts to live next door to him.  

Local history and various Hutchinson journals and books remember Col. Burnham as an old veteran who would wander the property, often stuffing his pockets with apples from the orchard.  The Burnham family and the Hutchinson family lie side by side in a small burial ground, the North Yard Cemetery,  within site of the Col. Burnham tavern on River Road.  Joshua Hutchinson wrote the epitaph for Joshua Burnham "Soldier of the revolution zealous in his country's cause, Faithful to the constitution and obedient to its laws"

These stories are what I know of Jemima's life in Milford.  Of course, she had married by 1810 to Romanus Emerson and removed to South Boston where her children were born.  Her family had been members of the Baptist Church in Milford, listed on the records.  The same Baptist church that held the first concerts for the Hutchinson family who sang about abolition before the Civil War.  Although the Baptist church is considered conservative today, they supported very progressive ideas in the early nineteenth century. 

I was not surprised that she married Romanus Emerson.  He came from a family of ministers.  They were Congregationalists going back to Puritan times.  The Emerson family included early ministers such as Rev. Joseph Emerson, born in England about 1620, who married Elizabeth Bulkely, the daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkely (1614 - 1696) the first minister of Concord, Massachusetts.  Even Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), son of a Concord minister, also studied for the ministry at Harvard.  Romanus Emerson had three brothers who became ministers, and he himself studied for the ministry but gave up due to a speech impediment.  

It was during his time studying theology that Romanus Emerson had a change of heart.  He became an atheist.  He said that "Freethinking" without the constraints of religion and other social mores opened his mind to progressive thoughts and more independent beliefs.  He joined the Free Soil movement, the abolitionists, and the Infidel Society.  He called himself an "Infidel" for the rest of his life, and wrote his own eulogy describing his "Infidel" beliefs. 

I have no idea what Jemima thought of all this during her married life with Romanus, the atheist.  I believe that she agreed with his progressive thoughts and politics.  But to be an atheist, or an "Infidel", at this time was considered quite shocking.  As a Baptist all her life, this was probably somewhat of a problem at home. Or was it? Women were considered to be obedient and quiet in those days. But we know that was not always the case.  

Romanus died in 1852.  He was a famous Bostonian, with his obituaries carried in newspapers across the country.  His last wish was to not have a Christian funeral, but to be buried in South Boston "At the point" and for his best friend, Horace Seaver, to read his self written eulogy.  However, his family (Jemima?) did not follow his final wishes, and gave him a funeral officiated by the Rev. Capen of the Hawes Place Church (next door to their house) and he was laid to rest in the Hawes Burying Ground.  Was it out of spite that she ignored her husband's final wishes? or did Jemima truly love her husband and worry about his immortal soul? 

As a widow, Jemima Emerson was enumerated in the 1855 Massachusetts State Census and the1860 Federal Census living in the Boston home of Melzar Stetson, her son-in-law, husband to her daughter Emily.  Her death certificate lists her place of death as 88 Emerson Street, her home address on the street in South Boston named after her Infidel husband, Romanus. 

Jemima died in 1868. Unlike her famous husband, I found only one mention of Jemima's death (other than short death notices in Boston newspapers) in The Christian Watchman (a Boston Baptist journal), dated Thursday, 27 August 1868, on page 7. See the obituary transcribed below.  She was laid to rest at the Mount Hope Cemetery in the Mattapan section of Boston, and Romanus was reinterred from the Hawes Burial Ground to lie next to her.  I like to think that perhaps it was out of love that she had him moved to be next to her for eternity.

"Obituary

Mrs. Jemima Emerson

In South Boston, August 5, Mrs. Jemima Emerson, at the advanced age of 86 years, widow of the late Romanus Emerson.  When 18 years of age she was converted, and baptized in Milford, N. H.  Afterwards united with the Dudley Street Church, Roxbury, and then with the South Baptist Church, and finally became a constituent member of the Fourth Street Baptist Church.  Her early Christian experience began with deep conviction of sin, from which, after long struggles, she was delivered by the power of Christ.  This, together with the opposition she encountered in following the Lord in baptism, determined, in great measure, the marked features of her subsequent life.  She loved the doctrines of grace, and clung with ever increasing tenacity to the great pillars of eternal truth.  She loved the assembly of God's people, and even until within a few weeks of her death her voice was frequently heard in the prayer meeting, as she bore cheerful testimony to the faithfulness of God.  Her children have lost a faithful, godly mother, whose prayers for their spiritual welfare ended only with her life.  The church she honored has lost a firm friend.  The community, which for forty years has been growing around her, has lost a beacon of light.  She now enjoys the rest which for many years she has anticipated, and she "being dead yet speaketh."  "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age." " 

For the truly curious:

"Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries 1852", published February 9, 2021: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html   

"Romanus Emerson's Obituaries 1852" (published across the United States), posted on this blog on October 1st, 2020:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the EMERSON family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the BURNHAM family:     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html  

"Tombstone Tuesday ~ Col. Joshua Burnham, Milford, New Hampshire":     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-col-joshua-burnham.html  

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 23, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-obituary-of-jemima-burnham-emerson.html: accessed [access date]).  

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Milford, New Hampshire Train Station

 Today's weathervane was photographed in Milford, New Hampshire.  This three dimensional train engine is above the former B&M railroad station (and before that the "Fitchburg Railroad") at 178 South Main Street.  The building is now the United Auto Body business.

1905 Postcard of this train station in Milford, New Hampshire

This train station was built on the Brookline & Milford Railroad, known as the Fitchburg Line.  The station was built in 1894.  This railroad carried passengers and cargo trains for the granite that was mined in blocks in Milford, where there were 15 commercial quarries. This line stopped running cargo in 1926, and the last train ran in 1931.

Click here to see over 400 other weathervanes featured on "Weathervane Wednesday":
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

United Auto Body, Milford, New Hampshire website https://www.unitedautobodynh.com/


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Milford, New Hampshire Train Station", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 6, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/11/weathervane-wednesday-milford-new.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday - Pest #2

Another special edition of "Weathervane Wednesday!"

Several years ago I posted this giant ant weathervane at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/weathervane-wednesday-giant-bug.html 

Recently I found this weathervane just across Route 101, at the interchange with Route 13 in Milford, from the ant weathervane:

This giant winged termite weathervane sits above the corporate offices of JP Pest at 101 Emerson Road in Milford, New Hampshire.  I don't know why I didn't see this one when I blogged about the ant weathervane five years ago!  It certainly is an appropriate companion to the ant weathervane, just across the highway.   I'm sure that ants and termites are two of the top pests that this company is called in to eradicate.

This is the JP Pest building at 101 Emerson Road, near the interchange with Routes 13 and 101 in Milford. If you look quick when you approach this exit as you travel on Route 101 you can see both weathervanes (the ant and the termite).  If you are on Route 13 you should take a short five minute detour onto Emerson and Hammond Road to see both. They are two of the most unique weathervanes in New Hampshire, and are just minutes from each other!

Click here to see the JP Pest ant weathervane:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/weathervane-wednesday-giant-bug.html 

Click here to see over 400 other "Weathervane Wednesday" posts!
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Pest #2", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 24, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-pest-2.html: accessed [access date]).

Jemima (Wyman) Burnham applies for a Revolutionary War Widow’s Pension

Colonel Joshua Burnham
Buried in Milford, New Hampshire
North River Road Cemetery
Revolutionary War Veteran

Last week I posted the documents Col. Joshua Burnham, my 5^th great grandfather, used to prove his military service, and his need for a pension in his elderly years after the Revolutionary War.  He died in Milford, New Hampshire in 1835 and left his wife a widow.  She was infirm, and upon becoming widowed removed to South Boston to reside with her daughter, Jemima, and son-in-law, Romanus Emerson, (my 4th great grandparents). 

This week, I am posting the documents Jemima needed to provide for her widow’s pension.  There appeared to be some mix up since she applied in New Hampshire but wanted to receive her pension in the state of Massachusetts.  Her lawyer, Hubbard Newton of Amherst, New Hampshire, wrote a lot of correspondence about this situation.

Jemima died on 6 September 1843 in South Boston.  I have never found her burial site.  It was interesting for me to note that Jemima signed her name with a mark.  She must have been illiterate.

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State of New Hampshire                            On this twenty first day

Hillsborough County S. S.  }                        of August in the year of

Our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty eight, person-

ally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas holden

at Amherst with and for the County of Hillsborough

aforesaid, Jemima Burnam late of Milford in said

County, now a resident of the city of Boston in the Com-

monwealth of Massachusetts, aged eighty two years,

who being first duly sworn according to law, doth

on her oath make the following declaration, in order

to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act

of Congress, passed July 7^th 1838 entitled “An act

granting half pay and pensions to certain widows:”

      That she is the widow of Joshua Burnam late

of Milford in the County of Hillsborough aforesaid, declared

who was a private in the Army of the Revolution, and

a pensioner of the 18^th March 1818, and at the time

of his death, inscribed on the pension list, Roll of the

New Hampshire Agency, at the rate of eight dollars

per month.

                She further declares that she was married

to the said Joshua Burnam on the twenty first

day of January   in the year of our Lord seventeen

hundred and seventy nine: that her husband

the aforesaid Joshua Burnam died on the seventh

day of January in the year eighteen hundred

and thirty five, at Milford aforesaid, and that

she has remained a widow ever since that period.

        That she was not married to him prior to his

leaving the service, but the marriage took

place previous to the first of January, seventeen

hundred and ninety four, viz: at the time

above stated.                                    her

Witness H. Newton                Jemima X  Burnam                  

                                                            Mark

Sworn and subscribed, on the day and

Year above written, before the Justices of the

Court aforesaid, in open Court.

Witness

                Leonard Wilcox { Presiding  Justice

                                               Of said Court

-------------------------

Massachusetts

N. Hampshire 1,368

========================

Jemima Burnham

Widow of Joshua Burnham, Rev.

who was a pensioner under the Act of June 7, 32

and who died on the 7^th January 1835

of Hillsboro in the State of N. H.

who was a Priv. in the Company commanded

by Captain Reed of the Regt. Commanded

by ??? in the N. H.

line for 2 years

============================

Inscribed on the Roll of Congress

at the rate of 90 Dollars – Cents per annum,

to commence on the 4^th day of March, 1836

============================

Certificate of Pension issued the 12^th day of Oct.

’38 and ??? died Hubbard Newton

                Amherst, N.H.

============================

Arrears to the 4^th of Sept.          $225.00

Semi-annual allowanced ending   45.00

                                     ================

                                                        $270.00

                      {Act July 7 }

                              1839

Recorded by L. A. Elliot   Clerk

Book A, Volume 7, Page 34

--------------------------

Pension Agency

Concord, N.H.  April 19, 1839

J. L. Edwards Esq.

Sir,

              Jemima Burnham, whose

name has been entered as commencing

her pension March 4, 1836, has never ap-

plied here or been paid at this office.

                I am, respectfully, Sir,

                     Your obedient servant,

                                      ??? Hill

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Application for a Transfer  

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Suffolk County, Ss

                On this third day of April 1839 before

me, the subscriber, a Justice of the Peace for the

said County of Suffolk, personally appeared Mrs.

Jemima Burnham who, on her oath, declared

that she is he widow of Joshua Burnham

decd.  Who was a Private and ??? in the

Army of the Revolution.  That her said

husband died on the 7^th day of Janry. 1835, that

she was pensioned under the act of 7^th July ’38,

at the rate of $90 per annum as his widow,

that her name was inscribed on the

Roll of the Concord Agency (N. H.) that she

has resided in Boston County & State aforesaid,

for the last three years where she

intends to remain and wishes her pension

to be there payable.  She further declares

that a Pension Certificate was issued in her

name on the 12^th Decr, 1839 at the rate

above stated but that she has never

recd. Any part of the amt. due from

the Agent in Concord, N. H.

Sworn and subscribed to, before

me, the day and year aforesaid.

                                                                         her

Franklin Haven                                Jemima   X Burnham

Just. Peace                                                    Mark

                        Witness   Edward N. Brown

And on the same day personally

Appeared Romanus Emerson, a credible

Witness, and made oath in due ??

Of law that he has been well acquainted

With the above named deponent for

29 years past and knows that she is the

Widow of Joshua Burnham decd. & the

Identical person named in the ??

Affidavit.                       Romanus Emerson

                                                third

Sworn & subscribed this first day of

April A. D. 1839 before me ( the date

First attend from first to third.)

Mr. Franklin Haven,  Just. Of the Peace

                                      For Suffolk County

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Secretary’s Office Boston April 3, 1839

I hereby certify that the above named Franklin Haven is a

Justice of the Peace for the County of Suffolk in said Common-

wealth, duly constituted and commissioned.

                Witness my hand the Seal of the Commonwealth

                John P. Bigelow

                Secy. Of the Court

---------------------------

                                 Boston 9^th April 1839

Sir,

                 I enclose herewith the application of

Mrs. Jemima Burnham a pensr. under the Act

of 7^th July 1838 to be transferred from the Agency

at Concord, N. H. to Massachusetts.  As the

pensr. has not recd. Any of the amt. due

her at the New Hampshire Agency, she

would be happy to receive an early return

as is consistant with the rules of the Dept.

                                I am very resply.

                                Yr. obt. Servt.

                                L. M. Stone

J. L. Edwards Esqr.}

Comr. Of Pensions

Washington

D.C.

---------------------------

Commonwealth of Massachusetts} Ss

Suffolk County      

                                                                Be it known that as this

Eleventh day of July 1843 personally appeared

before me the subscriber, a Justice of the Peace in an for

said County and Commonwealth, Mrs. Jemima Burnham,

a resident of South Boston in the County of Suffolk

aforesaid age about eighty six years, who being first duly

sworn according to Law doth on her oath make the

following declaration in order to obtain the benefits

of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed on

the 3^rd day of March 1843, granting pensions to widows

of persons who served during the Revolutionary

War.

                That she is the widow of Joshua Burnham

who was a Private and ?? in the Revolutionary

War and served as she verily believes as stated by her

In her original declaration for a pension under the

Law of the 7^th July 1838 to which declaration and the

Papers accompanying the same now on file in the

War Department she would refer for a more particular

Statement of his services for the proof of her marriage

Identity and the time of her husband’s death.

                She further declares that she was pensioned

Under said act at the rate of ninety dollars per annum

Which XXXXXX she received from the 4^th of March

1836 to the 4^th March 1841 at the Agency in Boston

Massachusetts and at the time of her receiving her last

payment surrendered the Pension Certificate granted to her

under said Act to the Pension Agent at the said city of

Boston agreeably to the rules of the Department.

                And this declarant further alleges that she has

not intermarried since the decease of her said Husband

but is now and ever since has been the Widow of said

Joshua Burnham deceased as will more fully appear

By the proof hereunto annexed.

                And further she saith not.

                                                                                         her

Witness Romanus Emerson                    Jemima  X Burnham

                                                                                         Mark

---------------------------

Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year

first within written, and I certify that the applicant

is personally known to me to be the person within

described.

         Before me,

                Lowell m. Stone

                                Justice of the Peace

I Romanus Emerson of South Boston in the

County of Suffolk of lawful age, an oath testify

And say, that I have been well acquainted with

Jemima Burnham the applicant named in the within

declaration for many years last past.  I know that

she was the wife and is now the Widow of Joshua

Burnham deceased, who was reputed to have

been a soldier in the Revolutionary War and that

she was a pensioner under the law of the 7^th July

1838 as stated by her.

                                Romanus Emerson

Commonwealth  of Massachusetts

Suffolk County } ss    July 11^th 1843

Then came Romanus Emerson who is known

To me to be a credible witness and made oath that

The foregoing affidavit by him subscribed is

Strictly true -.

                Before me

                                Lowell M. Stone

                                                Justice of the Peace

------------------------------

Amherst, N. H. 17^th September, 1838

James L. Edward, Esq.,

                                                Dear Sir, I herewith

enclose to you, the Declaration of Jemima

Burnam, and the widow required to obtain

Rev. claim for a pension, under the act of the

7^th July 1834.

                                Should a pension certificate, or due

examination, be awarded, in this case, the applicant

is to be placed on the Roll of the Massachusetts

Agency, as she now resides in the city of Boston

in that state.

                I am, however, her agent, for this purpose,

as the widow is all in New Hampshire, & the

business could be done with the least expense here.  And

you will plan to cause the certificate, should

one be granted, to be enclosed to me at

Amherst, N. H., as also any other communi-

cation on this subject.

                Your’s very Respectfully, etc

                                Hubbard Newton

                                                Counsellar at Law

Click here to read last week's post about Col. Joshua Burnham's application for a Revolutionary War pension:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/joshua-burnham-proves-his-military.html

-----------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Jemima (Wyman) Burnham applies for a Revolutionary War Widow’s Pension", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 26, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/jemima-wyman-burnham-applies-for.html: accessed [access date]).