My Genealogy Hound

Charles J. Burdette, carefully and successfully conducting farming interests on Section 7, Lincoln township, was born near Calmer, Sweden, on the 1st of June, 1851, a son of Andrew and Christina (Olson) Burdette, who spent their entire lives upon a farm in the old country. Their family numbered four children: Emma, Charles J., Christina and Wendla, but the subject of this review was the only one that came to the United States. He had, however, a half-brother and half-sister who crossed the Atlantic after his arrival, the sister coming with Mr. Burdette of this review in 1897 when he returned from a visit to his old home.

Charles J. Burdette spent the first sixteen years of his life in the land of his nativity and then, desirous to test the truth of the favorable reports which he had heard concerning America and her opportunities, he came alone to the United States, making his way to Knox county, Illinois. There he worked on a farm by the month for three years and on the 3d of October, 1872, he arrived in Union county, Iowa, where he has since made his home, being numbered among the early settlers. During the period of his residence here he has witnessed the greater part of its growth and development.

For five and a half years he worked in the machine shops of Creston and since the 4th of March, 1878, has resided on his present farm, the purchase of which was made possible by reason of diligence he displayed in his earlier years. He has one hundred and eighty acres on sections 6 and 7, Lincoln township, and the farm has responded readily to the care and labor which he has bestowed upon it. When he located here a part of the farm had been broken and there was a little cabin, sixteen by fourteen feet, on the place. It is now improved with commodious and substantial buildings and fine shade and fruit trees have been planted by Mr. Burdette. Livestock constitutes one of the leading features of the farm, Mr. Burdette being engaged in buying, feeding and shipping stock quite extensively. In all that he undertakes he has been practical and successful and is now one of the leading representatives of agricultural life in Lincoln township.

On the 22d of December, 1874, Mr. Burdette was united in marriage to Miss Martha C. Danielson, who was born in the northern part of Sweden and accompanied her parents on their removal to Andover, Illinois, when four years of age. She is a daughter of Swan and Johanna (Johnson) Danielson. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Burdette have been born five children: Harry A. attended Crest City Business College at Creston and is now farming in Adams county, Iowa. Anne E. attended Simpson College at Indianola, Iowa, and was graduated from Moody Institute, Chicago. She is now assistant in the First Presbyterian church at Erie, Pennsylvania, and is contemplating going to some foreign field as missionary. John Elmer died in infancy. Rosa C. also attended Simpson college and is an accomplished musician now at home, teaching music. George W. is a graduate of the high school at Orient, Iowa, and attended Simpson College. He is now assisting his father on the farm.

In his political views Mr. Burdette is a stalwart republican and since coming to this county he has served as assessor of his township for four years and has also been a member of the school board about one-half of the time. He is now a candidate for the office of auditor of Union county, subject to the decision of the republican primaries June 2, 1908. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church at Spaulding, in which he has served as trustee and steward, while in the work of the church he has taken an active and helpful part. He belongs to the Odd Fellows lodge at Creston and is a worthy exemplar of that order, bringing into play in his active life, the leading qualities which are inculcated into its members.

He has lived to see remarkable changes in the county and the district which was largely wild and unimproved at the time of his arrival and is now one of the populous and thriving districts of this great state. The Creston & Des Moines Interurban Electric Railroad has recently been surveyed through his farm and a station will be built on his land. Mr. Burdette has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in the new world, for here he has found the business opportunities he sought and by their judicious use has become one of the representative agriculturists of the community. In June, 1897, he made a trip to Sweden and was gone nearly four months, during which time he spent ten days at the exposition at Stockholm and was in thirteen different states of the Union and five foreign countries.