Person:Asahel Burnham (1)

http://history.rays-place.com/ny/chau-arkwright.htm

History of Arkwright, NY FROM: History of Chautauqua County, New York and its people John P. Downs - Editor-in-Charge. Fenwick Y. Hedley Editor-in-Chief. Published By American Historical Society, Inc. 1921

Arkwright was the first town in the State to establish extensively the cooperative system in the manufacture of cheese. Asahel Burnham was the first to institute that industry on a large scale. He was the grandson of the pioneer of that name, the first settler of Arkwright. He was born in Arkwright, about 1826. He had poor opportunities for education and no business experience; he had, however, energy and natural business ability. In early years he was a farmer. Prior to 1861, each farmer manufactured his own butter and cheese; that year Mr. Burnham built in Arkwright the first cheese factory in the county upon the cooperative plan, at Burnham's Hollow on Canadaway creek, and was called the Canadaway Cheese Factory. While still owner of this factory, in 1865 he built the second of the kind in the county at Sinclairville, which it is believed was at that time the largest in the State. That year in this factory he manufactured into cheese 4,349,364 pounds of milk from 1,450 cows, belonging to 120 patrons and made 7,200 cheese, each weighing 60 pounds, a portion of the time 60 cheese a day. He also built and owned factories in adjacent towns. He was called the "Cheese King," because he bought and handled a large portion of the cheese made in Western New York.

The cooperative system in the manufacture of cheese thus established by Burnham grew into a great industry. In Arkwright in its three cheese factories were made 263,403 pounds of full-cream cheese in 1902. In the county the same year in thirty-five cheese factories 3,307,938 pounds were made. Of the fifty-four butter and cheese counties in the State, Chautauqua county ranked eleventh. In 1902 in its thirty-four butter factories 3,243,940 pounds of butter were made, and the county stood fourth in rank in the State in quantity. The four counties that exceeded it were each much greater in extent, and Chautauqua ranked above them according to its territory in the quantity of butter made.

Mr. Burnham was noted all over the United States as the owner of a famous stable of thoroughbreds, his most noted racer being "Brambaletta." He had for an emblem a pineapple cheese, which he emblazoned on his jockey's colors.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Find A Grave.

   BURNHAM, Asahel (1826-1903)

   http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Burnham&GSiman=1&GScnty=1984&GRid=15441588&

2. ↑ Chautauqua, New York State, United States. 1892 N.Y. Census Population Schedule.

   BURNHAM, Asahal, age 66, Farmer.

   https://www.familysearch.org/search/image/show#uri=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.familysearch.org%2Frecords%2Fpal%3A%2FMM9.1.i%2Fdgs%3A004370004.004370004_00313

3.   Chautauqua, New York, United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration Publication M693).

   name: Asahel Burnham
   residence: , Chautauqua, New York
   ward: Arkwright
   age: 34 years
   estimated birth year: 1826
   birthplace: New York
   gender: Male
   page: 260
   family number: 2050
   film number: 803731
   dgs number: 4235215
   image number: 00605
   nara number: M653

   https://www.familysearch.org/search/recordDetails/show?uri=https://api.familysearch.org/records/pal:/MM9.1.r/M43D-NRV/p_223801068