The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-01-05

other young men of his day, had to drill
in military tactics and was appointed
colonel of his company, while his brother
BENJAMIN was made captain. He was
always known and addressed as Col.
Adm Burdick. He was considered al
most an expert as a carpenter and built
many of the fine houses for the residents
of his home town, and superintended the
construction of several churches and
mills. He was engaged in mercantile
pursuits in a small village called Bah
cocks Mills, and for time owned them.
At the same time he bought cheese in
the surrounding country for firm in
New York. When the New York firm
suddenly failed and the creditors were
forced to fall back upon it's agent for
their pay; that was crushing blow
and Adm Burdick's hard earned all was
swept away. That did not daunt him
and in the spring of 1912 he left Brook
field, n. Y, and came to Wisconsin,
prospecting for future home. He made
his selection in what was called Clinton
precinct, now known as Albion, Dane
county. He then returned to his family,
gathering together what few belongings
the law and his creditors allowed him,
and in the following fall, Oct. Sd, started
with three daughters and one son for
!, fhn 70
Julia Ann, Josephine, Julius and Maria
comprised his family. His anxiety to
come as soon as he could and before the
rest were ready, was on account of the
health of Julia Ann, who had long been
an invalid. AS he felt confident that the
change of climate would restore her
health, he decided to start at once. She
was taken on bed to Utica: from the
time they started she began to improve
and by the end of winter was able to SUI
perintend the household affairs He
landed at Rac;-1e and came to Milton,
Wis. in lumber wagon, bringing the
household goods, with the family riding
in the same conveyance, seated on the
goods. They reached their destination
on the 26th of October, 1872 From Mil
ton they came over the river" (Rock)
and moved into the house with Jesse
Saunders. There he helped finish
house for Amos Coon for the privilege of
living in it until one for himself could
be built. st> X
During the winter he cut and hewed
timbers for the frame of his house that
is still standing. The studding and
rafters were hewn from smaller trees
and the shingles made by hand from oak
blocks sawed from the trunks of large
trees, rived and shaved on shaving
horse with the drawing knife, or what
some termed draw shave" Paul Pal
inter was engaged to help get the ma
terial together for the house, and during
the winter they made the sash for the
| windows and the doors; the lumber for
| the same was brought from Milwaukee.
| The winter was severe and the snow two
| feet deep on level. 1t never softened
until the last day of March, when it be-
gan to melt and in ten days was all gone
| and in ten days more they began plow
ing and the cattle could get their living
He bought wheat from Arson Goodrich
| for 81 cents bushel and took it to
| Whitewater to be Toured and the bread
4l,4 h. ~,
game constituted the bill of fare for the
| first winter of their sojourn in Wiscon-
sin. No butter was to be had and the
| bread, when not eaten with the wild
| meat, was occasionally garnished with
sale molasses; the coffee was made from
parched wheat. A little tea was bought
in Milton and that was INDUCED in about
once week. That winter Mr.. Lee Bias
| sett and wife came up from Bigfoot
Prairie for friendly visit, being an old
acquaintance of Adm Burdick, and when
| they returned Julia Ann went home with
them. During her absence Josephine
| and Maria never saw woman's face for
lOuI WCCho. IlOIuCSlChlICSO W do CllC uldt-
| ady and when night came Maria would
| cry herself to sleep. The following sum-
mer a little sod-corn and some potatoes
were planted and a piece of wheat sown
on the farm of Mr.. Butts, across Rock
river. When the wheat was harvested,
Louisa accompanied the harvesters to
prepare their meals. There were many
little Butts and their daily enjoyment
was the eating of raw potatoes with as
much relish as if they were the proverb-
ial green apple. Also during the sum-
mer, with the help of Perez, Philip Fen
ner and son he went to Barkwoods to
build a house for S. and d. F. Jones and
received in payment 5000 feet of butter
nut and 1000 feot of lumber of any kind,
to be delivered at the foot of Koshkonong
lake. They remained SO long to finish