Mills O. Burnham
Mills Olcott Burnham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from St. Lucia County | |
| In office 1847–1851 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 8, 1817[1] Thetford, Vermont[1] |
| Died | April 17, 1886 (aged 68) Canaveral, Florida |
| Resting place | Burnham family cemetery on Cape Canaveral |
| Spouse | Mary McCuen (m. 1835)[1] |
| Children | 2 boys, Mills Jr., Thadeus; five girls Frances, Anne, Mary, Lucy |
| Residence(s) | Canaveral, Florida |
| Alma mater | Watervliet Government Arsenal[1] |
Mills Olcott Burnham (September 8, 1817 – April 17, 1886) was a Florida settler and member of the Florida House of Representatives from St. Lucia County.
Early life
[edit]Mills Olcott Burnham was born September 8, 1817, in Thetford, Vermont, the son of Timothy Burnham, and Catherine Young.[2] He was raised in Troy, New York,[1] and served an apprenticeship in the Watervliet Government Arsenal, learning gunsmithing.
Florida settler at Susanna
[edit]He moved to Florida for health reasons in 1837, and brought his wife and two children in August 1839. They originally settled in Garey's Ferry,[1] near Jacksonville.
With the Armed Occupation Act, he filed a claim to settle in the area now known as Ankona, just south of present-day Fort Pierce, which was then called Susanna. He introduced pineapple cultivation, which would later prove to be a significant crop for the area.
He was the first sheriff of what was then St. Lucia County in 1847.
In order to supplement his income, he purchased a schooner, which he named "The Josephine" which he used to become a commercial fisherman. He harvested green sea turtles, and sold them in Charleston. He took good care of his cargo during shipping, and developed a reputation for quality goods. Burnham also raised sheep.
Political career
[edit]Burnham was a member of the Florida House of Representatives[3] from 1847 to 1851.[citation needed]
Florida settler at Canaveral
[edit]After hostilities with natives, in August 1849, the Burnham's and most of the other settlers left the colony and fled to safety in St. Augustine.[1] He and his family which now included three more daughters, moved to Canaveral, in 1853. He was the keeper of the Cape Canaveral Light for 30 years beginning in 1853.[4]
Mills died on April 17, 1886, at age 68.[5][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g McGoun, William E., Southeast Florida Pioneers: The Palm and Treasure Coasts
- ^ "International Genealogical Index (IGI)," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/9VMN-86S : accessed 2014-02-17), entry for Mills Olcott Burnham.
- ^ A Journal of the Proceedings of the House of Representatives. Florida Legislature. 1847. pp. 60.
- ^ Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey Showing the Progress of the Survey During the Year 1859. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1860. p. 320.
- ^ St. Lucie Historical Society Archived February 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shofner, Jerrell H., History of Brevard County Volume 1
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1817 births
- 1886 deaths
- American citrus farmers
- Farmers from Florida
- Florida pioneers
- Florida sheriffs
- Gunsmiths
- United States Lighthouse Service personnel
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- People from Cape Canaveral, Florida
- People from Thetford, Vermont
- People from St. Lucie County, Florida
- Shepherds
- Politicians from Troy, New York
- 19th-century members of the Florida Legislature