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Notes: From the Kingston Chronicle: Saturday, July 2, 1831...Marriage..""At York by the Rev. Dr. Phillips, Mr. Edward Willson, of Port Hope, to Margaret, eldest daughter of John Burnham, Esq., Newcastle District." Wondering if the John mentioned in Onta rio records is same as in NS records? If not, then wonder if he truly was brother of Asa and Zacheus, or, was that a totally different John Burnham?

Was John born in Massachusetts? Or, could he have been born in NY/NJ? Many possibilities in MA, and likely that is where he was born, but he surely was a Loyalist in the state of NY, if not NYC, where he married (and likely met), Elizabeth Cox.

Possibly a more correct "angle" is found in "Loyalists of the American Revolution Volume II fragments", which states the following on page 489:

"BURNHAM, JOHN. Of Connecticut. At the peace, accompanied by his family of three and a servant, he went from New York to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where the Crown granted him one farm, one town, and one water lot."

John Burnham found on listing of Loyalists from NYC who were removed to Port Roseway, Shelburn, NS, in 1783

All four sons (Jacob, William, Daniel and Joshua appear in the 1830 census for Digby NS. Also it looks like John was the third Loyalist brother of Zacheus, Asa and John who had a sister Hannah m Choate. All four were Loyalists, one brother was wri ter Reverend Marc Burnham's father.The brothers seem to have been in Amherst Upper Canada from 1797-1805. (Amherst later became Colbourg). There seem to be letters from them from the War of 1812. Zacheus was a Captain, John a Lieutenant and Asa wa s killed in 1813. Several members of the family were baptized or married by the Rev Roger Viet who was a Loyalist from Simsbury CT. It is my belief that earlier generations came through the Hartford area of CT. That was word of mouth.

IF, in time, a Massachusetts origin is determined, it is a likely indication that these Burnhams all descend from Robert Burnham, b. @1581, Norwich, Norfolk, England, married @1608 to Mary Andrews, b. @1585. They had a son, John Burnham (Deacon) , b. 1616, England, d. 05-Nov-1694, Chebacco, Ipswich, Essex, MA, who also married a Mary, who was born @1625, though no surname noted.

In NS records of emigration:

Burnham, Elizabeth, wife of John, d/o ? Cox, NY to Shelburne 1783,
Burnham, John, Master Mariner, Loyalist, NY to Shelburne Spring of 1783
Burnham, John, Master Mariner, plus 1 ch. 1 svt. NY to Shelburne 1783.
Burnham, John, Port Roseway settler

In 1788, John Burnham was granted 150 acres at Green (or Green's?) Harbour, NS.

John Burnham found in:

Passenger and Immigration Index, 1500s-1900s
Place: Nova Scotia Year: 1783
Primary immigrant: Burnham, John
Accompanying family members: Wife Elizabeth Cox
Permanent entry number: 123881
Source publication code: 8750.40
Source publication page number: 304
Source publication: SMITH, LEONARD H., JR., and NORMA H. SMITH. Nova
Scotia Immigrants to 1867. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992.
546p.

A "removed" Loyalist's comments on the climate of the area:

Port Roseway, Jan. 5th, 1784.
"All our gallant promises are vanished in smoke. We were taught to believe this place was not barren and foggy as had been represented, but we find it ten times worse."
"We have nothing but his Majesty’s rotten pork and unbaked flour to subsist on. ‘But can not you bake it yourself, seeing it is so wooden a country?’ Only come here yourselves and you will soon learn the reason. It is the most inhospitable clim e that ever mortal sat foot on."

Based on information from UEL CD:

BURNHAM JOHN RETURN OF VESSELS 1783/10/30 AT NY;PERIOD 1783/05/01 TO 1783/10/30;FROM PORT ROSEWAY ON SHIPMASTER "GIGG" M NY 9509 (47) B3182 1783/08/02 M-366

BURNHAM JOHN RETURN OF VESSELS 1783/10/30AT NY;PERIOD 1783/05/01 TO 1783/10/30;FOR NS ON 1783/10/03 CARRYING SHIPMASTER "GIGG" M NY 9509 (70) B3182 FAMILY EFFECTS M-366

This appears to indicate he and Elizabeth came to NS on the ship "Gigg" on 30-Oct-1783. The fact that the "Gigg" isn't listed in the Spring Fleet listing also indicates they might have come up later on... in October. Not entirely sure that IS th e date, or just the date of the last arrival in that timeframe.

Be AWARE of the following John BURNHAM, as he might offer some potential conflicts in some family lines:

Passenger and Immigration Index, 1500s-1900s
Place: New Brunswick Year: 1760-1800
Primary immigrant: Burnham, Jonathan
Accompanying family members: Wife Mary Carnforth; Child John; Child Mary;
Daughter; Child Rebecca; Child Ann; Child William; Child Thomas
Permanent entry number: 638704
Source publication code: 156
Source publication page number: 16
Source publication: ARRIVALS: OUR FIRST FAMILIES IN NEW BRUNSWICK. By the
members of the Saint John Branch, New Brunswick Genealogical Society;
edited by Janice Brown Dexter and Sandra Keirstead Thorne. Saint John, NB:
New Brunswick Genealogical Society, 1985. 165p

And the following:

John V. Burnham, married Amy C. Cornwell, 11-Jan-1832, London Dist., Ontario.


John MAY have had a brother, Jacob, who married a Sarah Davison, and had a son, Jacob, b. 01-Sep-1779 in Nova Scotia, and who died there 04-Apr-1841. This "brother" Jacob, married Sarah @1777, and he died May-1784, so suspect son, Jacob, was NO T born in NS, but elsewhere.

1828 Digby Census shows:

BURNHAM Daniel L Merchant 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 Digby Digby Township (bef. 1800)
BURNHAM Jacob Blockmaker 0 0 0 0 2 3 6 Digby Digby Township (bef. 1785)
BURNHAM Joshua Mechanic 1 3 1 0 0 1 7 Digby Digby Township (b. @1800)
BURNHAM William Cooper 2 2 2 0 0 2 9 Digby Digby Township (b. @1795)

1838:

BURNHAM Daniel L merchant 0 0 0 0 0 1 02 Dgby Digby Twp
BURNHAM William cooper 2 2 2 0 0 2 09 Dgby Digby Twp
BURNHAM Jacob blockmaker 0 0 0 0 2 3 06 Dgby Digby Twp
BURNHAM Joshua mechanic 1 3 1 0 0 1 07 Dgby Digby Twp

There is a John J. Burnham, b. @1811, listed in 1871 Digby Census, married to Olive/Olivia Jane,with daughter, Coretha Jane, b. @1853, and son, Harry B., b. @1867. However, THAT John was born in NY, so unless John & Elizabeth went to NY and return ed, unlikely THIS John (b. @1811) is directly related. Therefore, the only provable connection in 1871, are William and "Lefey", both in their 70s.


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  • Married: 28-SEP-1778 in: New York (City?), USA
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  • Name: Elizabeth Cox
  • Birth: 18-JAN-1762
  • Death:
  • Father:
  • Mother:

Notes: BE AWARE: There's an Elizabeth chr. on 01-May-1763, at Boston, MA, d/o John Cox and Sarah Bodkin... though she, apparently, married a John Hamilton in 1788... no dice....

Whether related or not, there was an Esau Cox, listed as receiving land in 1786 on the "Halifax-Annapolis Rd.", 200 acres, escheated in 1819. An Esau Cox was born @1765 on Long Island, NY, perhaps brother?

There was also Edward Cox mentioned in 1799 Petition for Inhabitants of Digby & Clare regarding farm lots at Sissaboo River.

Word from Joan Chase indicates a gravestone for Elizabeth in Shelburne, with a date of death of 1796. If this is the same woman, it would be nearly impossible for her to have been the mother of Daniel and Joshua. Unless, of course, their date s of birth have been incorrectly identified.


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Other Spouses

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Children

SURNAMES
1/12/2007