Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

3266 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANSof Nova Zembla, in 1553. Captain Burroughs published a book of his adventures, during which be reached "farthest north" at that time (seventydegrees and three minutes), and was "the first who observed the declinationof the magnetic needle." In old books of heraldry is described the Burroughscoat-of-arms, and many other records indicate the prominence of the namein England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Sir John Burroughs,who was knighted in 1624, was an attendant and court official to KingCharles T. His descendants have been prominent in England from that timeto this, one of them having been in recent years head of the largest drughouse in the world, at London.The founder of the family in America was John Burrouglis; who was bornin Dorsetshire, England, in 1617, and came to America about 1642, locating atSalem, Massachusetts. As a follower of Charles I, he has been one of thosewho Bed from England at the time to escape the religious and politicalpersecution after the dissolution of the Long Parliament of which he had beena member. Soon after arriving in this country, lie located at Long Island,and was one of the original settlers of Middlcburg, in 1652, where he paidhis share of the Indian rate. Being a leading man and skillfnl penman, heserved, as town clerk and clerk of court, and made the first map of Newton,was one of the seven patentees of that place, in 1666, and continued in officeas town clerk until his death, when his oldest son succeeded him in that office.His cluklren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren moved to New York,New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.Fourth in descent from this noted founder of the family in America wasBenjamin Burroughs, grandfather of Doctor Burroughs. Benjamin Burroughswas born at Newtown, Long Island, March 31, 1779, and died at Savannah,Georgia, April 14, 1837. In 1795 he brought the name south to Augusta,Georgia, and in the following year moved to Savannah, where, July 2, 1799,at the age of twenty years, he married Miss Catherine Kirick, daughter ofAlexander Eiriek, a member of the Colonial Parliament. Benjamin Burroughs was prominent as a cotton and commission merchant at Savannah,and owned, with his partner, Mr. Oliver Sturges, a third interest in the steamship Savannah, which, in 1819, was the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Oceanunder her own steam. The partners shipped a large cargo of cotton toLiverpool on the first voyage of the Savannah, May 26,1819, and the steamerreached its destination after a passage of twenty-five days, during which timethe engine was employed eighteen days. Benjamin Burroughs was an elderin the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, and gave $5,000 to .assist in building its edifice in 1817.Joseph TTallett Burroughs, father of Doctor Burroughs, was born atSavannah, Georgia, June 3,1803. On June 26,1828. he was married to MissValeria Gibbons Berrien, who was born at Savannah, August 4, 1806, amember of a particularly distinguished family and a daughter of John Mac-Pherson and Eliaa (Anciaux) Berrien. Eliza Anciaux's father was NicholasAnciaux, quartermaster-treasurer of the French Royal Deux Ponts Regiment,who was present at the surrender of Lord Comwallis to the Patriot, army.His commission, signed by Louis XVI, is now in the possession of DoctorBurroughs at Brunswick. Grandfather Berrien was the son of Maj. JohnBerrien, brigade-major of Gen. Lachlan Melntosh's brigade in the Revolutionary war. The latter was the son of Judge John Berricn, of the SupremeCourt of Judicature in New Jersey Colony (Nova Caesaria). Maj. JohnBerrien married Miss Margaret Macpherson, of Philadelphia, a daughter ofCapt. John Maepherson, an officer in the provincial navy, the Macphersonfamily having been especially prominent in military affairs during the Revolutionary war. Grandfather John Macpherson Berrien was United Statessenator for eighteen years, and in January, 1829, in debate of his celebratedtariff protest effort, the summit of his oratorical fame was reached and he was