Henry Burdge (1844 - 1927)

Born 29 Sep 1844 in Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Ancestors

Husband of Emma Susanna (Henry) Durfee — married 7 Jan 1878 (to about 1885) in Kansas

Husband of Olive Marie (Stazel) Burdge — married 27 Sep 1887 in Allen, Kansas, United States

Descendants

Died 23 Aug 1927 at age 82 in Chanute, Neosho, Kansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Julie Mangano [send private message]

Biography

Henry Burdge Birth Record ^[1]

Name Henry Burdge

Event Type Birth Registration

Registration Quarter Jul-Aug-Sep

Registration Year 1844

Registration District Axbridge

County Somerset

Event Place Axbridge, Somerset, England

Volume 10

Page 300

Affiliate Line Number 27

Henry Burdge came from a long line of dairy farmers in Somerset, England.

1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census, Cross, Compton Bishop, Axbridge, Somerset, England ^[2]

Household Members: Members that resided in the household at the time of the census.

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place

Samuel Burdge Head W Male 74 1777 Carpenter Congresbury, Somerset, England

Richard Burdge Son Married Male 36 1815 Carpenter & Smith Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Sarah Burdge Daug In Law Married Female 32 1819 - South Brent, Somerset, England

Henry Burdge Grandson - Male 6 1845 Scholar Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Mary Ann Burdge Granddaughter - Female 4 1847 - Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

John Burdge Grandson - Male - - - Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Sarah Wickham Granddaughter - Female 15 1836 Scholar Litton, Somerset, England

Harriett Dibble Servant - Female 15 1836 House Servant South Brent, Somerset, England

1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census, Cross Street, Compton Bishop, Axbridge, Somerset, England ^[3]

Household Members: Members that resided in the household at the time of the census.

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place

Richard Burdge Head Married Male 46 1815 Smith & Carpenter 4 Men 1 Boy Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Sarah Burdge Wife Married Female 41 1820 - South Brent, Somerset, England

Henry Burdge Son Unmarried Male 16 1845 Smith Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

John Burdge Son - Male 10 1851 Scholar Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

William Burdge Son - Male 8 1853 Scholar Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Samuel Burdge Son - Male 7 1854 Scholar Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Edmund Burdge Son - Male 5 1856 - Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Mary A Burdge Daughter - Female 3 1858 - Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Edmund Burdge Brother Married Male 48 1813 Farmer Of 35 Acres 1 Man Compton Bishop, Somerset, England

Mary A Green Servant Unmarried Female 16 1845 House Servant Cheddar, Somerset, England

George Chapman Apprentice Unmarried Male 18 1843 Carpenter Kingstone, Somerset, England

Henry and his brother William immigrated to the United States on the "City of Baltimore" which left the Port of Liverpool and arrived in New York on March 24, 1868.

New York Passenger Lists ^[4]

Name Henry Burge [sic] should be spelled Burdge

Event Type Immigration

Event Date 1868

Event Place New York City, New York, United States

Gender Male

Age 23

Birth Year (Estimated) 1845

Birthplace England

Ship Name City Of Baltimore

The two brothers decided to settle in Kansas, where they each took up a quarter section of land about 120 miles southwest of Kansas City in Colfax, Wilson County, Kansas. The land was previously Osage Indian Trust land, according to General Land Office Records. ^[5]

Their first houses were primitive, made from mud and grass, the only building materials that were plentiful. They built houses and barns on the land that was about nine miles east of Chanute, Kansas. There they raised corn, vegetables, cows, hogs and chickens. The men called their little home Burdgeville, and Henry was the location's first postmaster. He remained so until the name and location of the post office was moved to Vilas in 1888. ^[6]

It was during this time that he met Emma Susannah Henry, the daughter of William and Mary Ann Henry. William was named after his great grandfather, statesman Patrick Henry's brother. Emma was beautiful and Henry was smitten. After their marriage on January 7, 1878, Henry took Emma to live on his remote farm.

Marriage Record ^[7]

Name: Henry Burdge

Gender: Male

Age: 34

Birth Date: abt 1845

Marriage Date: 7 Jan 1879

Marriage Place: Wilson, Kansas, USA

Spouse: Emma S Henry

Film Number: 001428563

1880 United States Federal Census ^[8]

Name: Henry Burge [sic] should be spelled Burdge

Age: 35

Birth Date: Abt 1845

Birthplace: England

Home in 1880: Colfax, Wilson, Kansas, USA

Race: White

Gender: Male

Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)

Marital status: Married

Spouse's name: Emma S. Burge

Father's Birthplace: England

Mother's Birthplace: England

Occupation: Farmer

Neighbors: View others on page

Household Members: Name Age

Henry Burge 35

Emma S. Burge 20

Annie Burge 6/12

Mary A. Henry 42 [Henry's mother-in-law]

The young couple soon discovered that Emma's health was fragile and life on the plains did not suit her. While her mother took her to various doctors to try to diagnose her condition, Henry secretly fumed, believing that she simply did not enjoy the hard work required on a farm.

Between 1879 and 1882, Henry and Emma had three children: Annie May, Sarah Winifred, and Richard John. The youngest, Richard, lived less than a year, passing away six months after his birth. At this point, Emma's mother stepped in and tried to help her daughter. She believe Henry was a cruel husband and that her daughter would not survive the demanding life he was forcing her to live. One of Emma's doctors felt that she would have an easier time living in a northern climate, so Mary Ann made arrangements for her daughter and her granddaughters to travel to Montana. Henry was not happy about it, but finally agreed to the extended visit in the north.

What Henry didn't know was that Mary Ann had no intention of ever returning with her daughter and grandchildren. When he said goodbye to them at the train station in Chanute, he had no idea that he would never see his wife again, and that he wouldn't see his children again until after they were adults, married with children of their own.

Upon the women's arrival to Philipsburg, Montana, Mary Ann took a housecleaning job with a wealthy man named James Edward Durfee. He allowed her family to stay at his home as part of her compensation. While they were living there, he took a fancy to Mary Ann's daughter Emma. As soon as she realized her daughter might be able to have a better life with a kinder, wealthier man in Montana, she worked to convince Emma to divorce Henry.

Henry was furious at his wife's request and accused her of infidelity during their divorce proceedings. The process dragged on longer than was typical, but Emma finally obtained her divorce on May 15, 1885.

Soon after that she married James Durfee who immediately accepted her daughters as his own. The couple was happy, and Emma soon found herself pregnant with twins. Sadly, neither Emma nor her babies survived childbirth, all passing on September 21, 1887. While Mr. Durfee offered to let Mary Ann and her granddaughters continue to live with him, Mary Ann decided they needed to move on. Never once did she consider taking the children back to their biological father, Henry Burdge. Instead, she took the children to the State of Washington where they lived with one of her nephews. After that, they moved down to Oakland, California where Mary Ann arranged for a wealthy, local couple, Frank and Marion Smith, to take in her granddaughters as wards. Frank Smith was able to secure the legal paperwork from Henry to allow the Smiths to become his daughters' legal guardians.

Years later, after the death of their grandmother and when they were young adults, the girls tracked down their father and arranged to meet with him. By all accounts it was warm and bittersweet. After their initial meetings, the girls and their father corresponded with each other regularly until their father's death in 1929.

Henry went to great lengths to tell the girls about their English heritage, documenting the names of his parents, siblings, and grandparents, along with birth, marriage and death dates. These letters from Henry Miller are part of a collection of family documents that was used to create the Burdge family's pedigree chart.

Despite the failure of his first marriage, Henry went on to marry for a second time, Olive Marie "Mary" Stazel, and they had one son, Rex Wesley Burdge. By all accounts he was very happy with the stable life he had with Mary and Rex.

1895 Kansas State Census ^[9]

Name Henry Burdge

Event Type Census

Event Date 1895

Event Place Wilson, Ellsworth, Kansas, United States

Gender Male

Age 50

Birth Year (Estimated) 1845

Birthplace England

Page 7

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace

Henry Burdge M 50 England

Mary Burdge F 35 West Virginia

1900 United States Federal Census ^[10]

Name: Henry Burdge

Age: 55

Birth Date: Sep 1844

Birthplace: England

Home in 1900: Colfax, Wilson, Kansas

House Number: 25

Sheet Number: 5

Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 106

Family Number: 107

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1868

Relation to Head of House: Head

Marital status: Married

Spouse's name: O Mary Burdge

Marriage Year: 1888

Father's Birthplace: England

Mother's Birthplace: England

Years in US: 32

Naturalization: Na

Occupation: Farmer

Can Read: Yes

Can Write: Yes

Can Speak English: Yes

House Owned or Rented: O

Home Free or Mortgaged: F

Farm or House: F

Neighbors: View others on page

Household Members: Name Age

Henry Burdge 55

O Mary Burdge 40

Rex Burdge 3

Naturalization Record ^[11]

Name: Henry Burdge

Record Type: Naturalization

Naturalization Date: 11 Feb 1901

Naturalization Place: Wilson, Kansas, USA

Naturalization Courthouse: 7th Judicial Dist

Immigration Record ^[12]

It appears that Henry returned home in late 1908 or early 1909, returning to the United States at the end of January 1909. Most likely this was due to his aging father's impending death, which occurred 9 months later. Richard Henry died at 96 years of age.

Name Henry Burdge

Event Type Immigration

Event Date 28 Jan 1909

Event Place Ellis Island, New York City, New York, United States

Residence Place Chanute, Kansas

Gender Male

Age 64

Marital Status Married

Nationality England, English

Birth Year 1845

Departure Port Southampton

Ship Name Adriatic

Page Number 210

Affiliate Line Number 0005

1910 United States Federal Census ^[13]

Name: Henry Burdge

Age in 1910: 65

Birth Year: abt 1845

Birthplace: England

Home in 1910: Chanute Ward 2, Neosho, Kansas

Street: North Forest Avenue

House Number: 618

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1868

Relation to Head of House: Head

Marital status: Married

Spouse's name: Mary O Burdge

Father's Birthplace: England

Mother's Birthplace: England

Native Tongue: English

Occupation: Own Income

Home Owned or Rented: Own

Home Free or Mortgaged: Free

Farm or House: House

Naturalization Status: Naturalized

Able to Read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Years Married: 22

Neighbors: View others on page

Household Members: Name Age

Henry Burdge 65

Mary O Burdge 50

Rex W Burdge 13

1915 Kansas State Census ^[14]

Name: Henry Burdge

Census Date: 1915

Residence County: Neosho

Residence State: Kansas

Locality: Chanute

Birth Place: England

Family Number: 377

Gender: Male

Age: 70

Birth Year: abt 1845

Race: White

Household Member(s): Name Age

Henry Burdge 70

Mary O Burdge 55

Rex W Burdge 18

1920 United States Federal Census ^[15]

Name: Henry Burdge

Age: 75

Birth Year: abt 1845

Birthplace: England

Home in 1920: Chanute Ward 2, Neosho, Kansas

Street: N Garfield

House Number: 1009

Residence Date: 1920

Race: White

Gender: Male

Immigration Year: 1868

Relation to Head of House: Head

Marital status: Married

Spouse's name: Mary A Burdge

Father's Birthplace: England

Mother's Birthplace: England

Native Tongue: English

Able to Speak English: Yes

Home Owned or Rented: Own

Home Free or Mortgaged: Mortgaged

Naturalization Status: Naturalized

Attended School: No

Able to Read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Neighbors: View others on page

Household Members: Name Age

Henry Burdge 75

Mary A Burdge 60

Rex W Burdge 23

1925 Kansas State Census ^[16]

Name: Henry Burdge

Census Date: 1925

Residence County: Neosho

Residence State: Kansas

Locality: Chanute

Birth Place: England

Family Number: 306

Marital status: Married

Gender: Male

Age: 80

Birth Year: abt 1845

Race: White

Relation: Head

Spouse's name: Mary O Burdge

Household Member(s): Name Age

Henry Burdge 80

Mary O Burdge 66

Find A Grave Burial Record ^[17]

Name Henry Burdge

Birth 1844

Death 1927 (aged 82–83)

Burial Elmwood Cemetery, Chanute, Neosho County, Kansas, USA

Plot Sec 105 Blk 1 Lot 37 Sp 4

Memorial ID 97082698

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26BS-K9N : 1 October 2014), Henry Burdge, 1844; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Axbridge, Somerset, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census Cross, Compton Bishop, Axbridge, Somerset, England, Samuel Burdge family, Findmypast.com online database, accessed 27 June 2023, subscription required.
3. ↑ 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census, Cross Street, Compton Bishop, Axbridge, Somerset, England, FindmyPast.com database, Richard Burdge family, accessed 27 June 2023, subscription required.
4. ↑ "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVPJ-T2XY : 12 March 2018), Henry Burge, 1868; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm.
5. ↑ U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office Records, Henry Burdge land patent, BLM online database, see: http://bit.ly/2H7k0xy.
6. ↑ Kansas Historical Society, Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961, Burdgeville, 1882-1888, see: http://bit.ly/2H3ISoB.
7. ↑ Marriage Records. Kansas Marriages. Various Kansas County District Courts and Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas. Henry Burdge and Emma Susanna Henry married 07 January 1879 in Wilson County, Kansas. Ancestry.com. Kansas, County Marriage Records, 1811-1911 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
8. ↑ 1880 United States Federal Census, Year: 1880; Census Place: Colfax, Wilson, Kansas; Roll: 399; Family History Film: 1254399; Page: 22B; Enumeration District: 178; Image: 0525: Author: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, UT, USA; Publisher Date: 2010.
9. ↑ "Kansas State Census, 1895", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL8V-L93W : 11 November 2017), Henry Burdge, 1895.
10. ↑ 1900 United States Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Colfax, Wilson, Kansas; Roll: 503; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0165; FHL microfilm: 1240503; Author: Ancestry.com; Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, UT, USA; Publisher Date: 2004.
11. ↑ The National Archives at Kansas City; Kansas City, Missouri; Naturalization Index for the Western District of Missouri, compiled 1930 - 1950, documenting the period ca. 1848 - ca. 1950; Record Group Title: Records of the District Courts of the United States; Record Group Number: RG 21, Henry Burdge, naturalizaed 11 FFebruary 1901 in Wilson County, Kansas. Ancestry.com. Missouri, Western District Naturalization Index, 1840-1990 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
12. ↑ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JXR2-W35 : 30 January 2018), Henry Burdge, 1909.
13. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Chanute Ward 2, Neosho, Kansas; Roll: T624_451; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0197; FHL microfilm: 1374464; Author: Ancestry.com; Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, UT, USA; Publisher Date: 2006.
14. ↑ Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; Roll: ks1915_168; Line: 4, Henry Burdge, Chanute, Neosho, Kansas, born in England in 1844. Ancestry.com. Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
15. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Chanute Ward 2, Neosho, Kansas; Roll: T625_542; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 208; Image: 640; Author: Ancestry.com; Publisher: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, UT, USA; Publisher Date: 2010. .
16. ↑ 1925 Kansas State Census, Henry Burdge, age 80, born in England, lived in Chanute, Kansas, Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1925 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: KS1925_104; Line: 15. Ancestry.com. Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
17. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 07 May 2019), memorial page for Henry Burdge (1844–1927), Find A Grave: Memorial #97082698, citing Elmwood Cemetery, Chanute, Neosho County, Kansas, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8).

See also:

• Personal family documents in the possession of Julie Miller Mangano, and notes from personal conversations with Henry Miller's daughter Mae Burdge Miller and granddaughter Elizabeth Mae Miller Scott.