My Genealogy Hound

BURROUGHS, W. P. retired farmer, Greenfield, was born in Addison County, Vt., Nov. 10, 1810, in the city of Vergennes; was the son of Richard and Sarah, whose maiden name was Brown; his parents were of English descent. The father of the subject of this sketch was a graduate of Dartmouth College, and was a distinguished scholar; taught navigation, surveying, and the languages as a specialty; quite a number of men in this country were students of his, and it is said that at one time there were eight men in Congress whom he had taught their A B C ; he had, at the time of his death, a work occupying twenty quires of paper, which contained subject matter which, had he lived to complete, would have been of great service to the scientific world; he died Sept. 22, 1865. The subject of this sketch, during his early life, was employed on the farm while his father was engaged in teaching. At the age of 21 he came to this State, making the entire trip in a wagon, from Vermont; he returned the same way he came, and on Oct. 14, 1832, was married to Abigal M. Griswold, born Augusts, 1812; was the daughter of David E. Griswold. Mr. Burroughs and wife made the trip from Vermont to this State in a wagon, during which trip she was not inside of a house. When Mr. Burroughs and wife first settled they stopped on Apple Creek Prairie, and rented land; in the Spring of 1834 they moved to town 10, range 11, where they entered some land and bought what they could, and remained upon this land until 1869, when they moved to Greenfield, and are now enjoying the fruits of their labor, and are very comfortably situated; they have had eight children, but two are now living— David, born Aug. 14, 1837, in Vermont, and Lydia, born Aug. 11, 1856, now the wife of Smith Joyne. Mrs. Burroughs is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Burroughs has long been identified with the interests of the county, is a member of Hugh de Payne Commandery. In conclusion, it is but justice to say of him that he is well deserving of the high esteem with which he is held by the community in which he resides.