The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-12-11

ed" to anybody this side the water.
A few days ago an eminent legal
gentleman Of this city, (who has
been engaged by some of the par
ties interested to ferret the matter
out, addressed letters again to all
the supposed heirs thus renewing
the old story about the Burnham
fortune" Our "Young I'm" ie-
ceived copy ofthis communication,
which we annex, with his reply
Ed. Spirit ofMe 7Imes.]
corr.]
New YoRx, Nov. 4, 1916.
Dear Sir:-I am DESTROYS ofascer-
tanning whether you are in any wise
related to Mr.. John G. Burnham, { of
England) who was lost at sea, some
fifty or sixty years ago? or are you
of the family Of Orrin Burnham, an
Englishman who came to this coun-
try somewhere from 1885 to 1888 !?
Be good enough at your earliest lei
sure to inform me, if you are so con-
nected-and at the same time send
me the names and residences of
your father, grandfather, and uncleS
on the fathers side. A large land
ed property (some three millions
sterling in value, has been left by
descendant of the Burnham family
in England, and it may be of materi-
al pecuniary advantage 20 you to
establish your pedigree. Let me
hear hear from you as soon as con-
venient. Very respectfully,
your ob't. servant,
*%**** *%***t*&
Attorney for the Heirs.
To Geo. p. Burnham, Esq. }
Franklin House, Philad.
RELY.
FRANKLIN HoUsE,)
Philadelphia, Nov. 10, 1916.
Hon. - n. York.
My Dear Sir:-Your favor, under
date 4th inst, came duly to hand,
and | improve my earliest moment
of leisure after the unavoidable de-
lays attendant upon procuring the
information you seek, to reply.
You are DESTROYS Of being made ac-
quainted with my "pedigree."
| have to inform you that | have
have taken some days to examine
into the matte, and after a careful
investigation Of the "records," find
that am a descendant, in the direct
line, from a gentleman very well re-
membered in these parts-by the
name of Adam. The old man had
two sons-"Cain" and "Abel" they
were called. Che latter, by the 9TH
crs' hands, went dead one day; but
as no coroner had been appointed in
the county where they resided, ever
dict was postponed" A third son
was born, whom they called "Seth."
Cain Adam had a son named Enoch
who had son { in the fourth gen
eration) by the name of Lamech.-I
Lamech had son whom they called
Noah, from whom / trace, directly,
my own being.
Noah had three sons-"Shem,"
SLAM" and "Japhet." The eldest
and yonngest---Shem and Japhct---
were couple of the "b'hoys"---and
Ham was very well disposed young
gentleman, who slept at home o.
nights. But his two brothers, un-
fortunately, were not so well incli-
ned. Ham was sort of "Jethro"
1.-The butt of his two brothers---who
had done him "brown' so many
times that they called him "burnt."
For many years he was known,
therefore, as "Burnt Ham" Before
his death, he applied to the Legisla-
ture in his diggins for change of
name. He dropped the la bill
was passed emitting him to the name
of Burn-ham---and hence the sur
name of your humble servant. So
much lot the name.
In several of the newspapers Of
that period l find allusion made to
a rery seoere rain storm, which oc-
Cured 'just about this time"-
the public prints (of all pasties) a
gree that "the storm was tremen-
dous," and that "immense amount
OF damage was done to the shipping
and commercial interests" As this
took place some six thousand years
back, you will not, I presume, ex-
pect me to quote the particular de.
tails of this circumstance---except
so far as refers directly to my own
relatives. / may here add, howcv-
er, that subsequent accounts inform