River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-02-20
Passing Of Another
Pioneer Resident
Of Pierce County


1919. in Milwaukee, at the home with
his daughter, Miss Eleanor Burnett,
there passed from this earthly life,
in his eighty-frst year, man who
for nearly sixty years was a promi-
nent and esteemed member of this
community. River Falls, Wis.
George Pomeroy Burnett, better
known in this vicinity as Pomeroy
Burnett, was born in Madrid, St.
Lawrence county, New York. June
18th, 1888, the fifth born of the fam
ily of ten children Of Benedict and
Mary Levings Burnett. His boyhood
was spent on his fathers farm in
De Kalb, N. Y, where his early ed
acation was acquired at the local
schools and at the Seminary at Gouv-
erneur, N. Y.
In 1857, at the age of nineteen, he
arrived in River Falls. following his
brother Ellsworth DIETER known
here later as Major Burnett) who
had come the year before. Shortly
thereafter, brothers established
logging camp on the Eau Gale
river. and later conducted numbering
operations on the Apple and Willow
rivers, also operating a farm near
Lake st. Croix in the locality now
known as IlWaco Springs.
In the late Sixties the Burnett
Bros. Barrel, Stave & Heading Mills
and Coopershop were established on
waterpower development on the
South Fork, about a mile east of
River Falls. and for fifteen or tWen-
ty years they conducted profitable
business making barrels for the To-
cal flour mills trade which was
thriving industry in those days.
During much of this period the mill
pond above the mills was kept we'll
stocked with trout, much to the de-
light of local and Twin City patrons
and small boys. The cooperage
business played out in the late
eighties as bags came into favor for
shipping flour, and timber became
scarce in this vicinity Floods, tor
nadoes, and fire have subsequently
removed all but traces of th3se once
active enterprises.
In 1874 Mr.. Burnett was married
at Bloomington, ILL.,, to Miss Roanna'
E. Smead, from Elm Grove, Mass.
a woman whose winning personality,
educational experience and sterling
character secured for her a warm
circle of friends throughout the
community during the quarter
century of her life in River Falls.
Soon after his marriage Mr.. Bur-
nett established his home on the
Joseph Nichols farm, adjoining the
mill sight, and branched out into
general farming and live stock
raising along with the cooperage
business. This location will be re-
membered by many here in River
Falls as the place with the stone
wall around the house yard, about a
mile out of River Falls, on the Ellis
worth road. Here were born his
two children, twins, Earle S. and FL
eanor L., who survive him; and here
remained his home and interests
during the period covering the
early education of his child
rem at the local State Normal School.
In 1902, after the death of his
wife, Mr.. Burnett closed his large
farming and stock interests and re-
tired from active business. A num-
Der of subsequent winters were
spent in travel in the South and
West and in visiting his children
and other relatives in different parts
of the country. Most summers and
some winter seasons were spent in
River Falls where he usually made
his home with his brother, Ben Bur-
nett. Since 1914 he had made his
home in Milwaukee with his daugh-
ter, a teacher in the Riverside High
School of that city.
During the last few years of his
life. Mr.. Burnett suffered at times
intensely. and toward the last was
confined entirely to the house, and
occasionally to his bed for few days
at time. His ultimate collapse was
undoubtedly fastened by over exer-
ton in war garden work in 1917, by
his insistence on dong his Bit
with others.
II