Burt, William Thomas, Man of Affairs. The records of this branch of the Burt family carry back to Zephaniah Burt, ... Zephaniah Burt, the ancestor of William Thomas Burt, to whose memory this review is dedicated, married Hannah Axtell, born in 1742, and they were the parents of the following children: Luther, David, William Axtell, through whom the line continues: Elizabeth and Rhoda. The Axtell genealogy is traced, where the family bore arms: Arms - Three axes on a blue ground. Crest - Crossed axes within a wreath. Moto - sub cruce glorias. At St. Peter's Church, Berkhamstead, Hertforshire, England, there is a record of the baptism of John Axtell, son of John, in 1589, and of William , son of John in 1541. Four other entries of Axtells appear before 1614. From 1614 to 1628 there are records of the baptisms of children of William Axtell, as follows: William, Thomas Axtell, Samuel, Avis and Sarah. The Daniel Axtell of the list is believed to have been the Daniel Axtell, the regicide. He was a famous colonel of Cromwell's army, and was put to death in 1660 for his part in the execution of King Charles I. The date of Colonel Daniel Axtell's baptism is St. Peter's Church was 1622. Thomas Axtell, brother of Colonel Daniel Axtell, and son of William Axtell, was baptized in St. Peter's Church, January 26 1619. It is believed he was the Thomas Axtell who (missing text) children: Mary, born in 1639, and Henry, ancestor of William Thomas Burt.Henry Axtell, son of Thomas and Mary Axtell, was born, supposedly, in England, in 1641, and settled in Marlboro, Massachusetts, where he was killed by the Indians in the Wadsworth Massacre, April 20, 1676. He married, July 14, 1665, Hannah Mirriam, born July 14, 1645, daughter of George and Susan Mirriam, who were married at Turnbridge, Kent, England, and came to New England, settling at Concord. Henry and Hannah Axtell were the parents of: Samuel, Hannah, Mary, Thomas, Daniel, of further mention, and Sarah Axtell. Daniel Axtell, son of Henry and Hannah (Mirriam) Axtell, was born November 4, 1673, and located at Dorchester, Massachusetts. About 1700 he removed to the State of South Carolina, where on May 12, 1702, he married Thankful Pratt, daughter of Elder William Pratt, a descendant of Matthew Pratt, of Weymouth, Massachusetts. Matthew Pratt, born in England, was one of the earliest settlers of Weymouth, served in the Colonial militia, and was killed in a fight with Indians, April 19, 1676. His son, Elder William Pratt, was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, March 6, 1659. He moved from Weymouth to Dorchester in 1690, and thence with a party of colonists to South Carolina. Later he returned to Weymouth, and in 1705 moved to Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1711 making his home in Easton, Massachusetts, where he died January 13, 1713. Elder William Pratt married Elizabeth Baker, of Dorchester, born in 1655, died August 20, 1728. After his marriage to Thankful Pratt, Daniel Axtell returned to Massachusetts, settling at Berkeley (missing text) William, born in 1713; Henry, through whom descent is traced in this branch; Samuel, born in 1717; Ebenezer, in 1724; Thankful; Thomas, in 1727. Henry Axtell, of Mendham, Morris county, New Jersey, son of Daniel and Thankful (Pratt) Axtell, was born June 24, 1715. He married Jemima Leonard, born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, May 8, 1718, daughter of Benjamin Leonard, of Taunton, Massachusetts, and his wife, Hannah (Philips) Leonard. Benjamin Leonard was a son of Isaac and Hannah Bailey (Randall) Leonard. Isaac Leonard, born in 1650, served in King Philip's War, and was in the famous Narragansett fight, December 19, 1675. He died in 1720. Henry Axtell moved to Mendham, Morris county, New Jersey, and there died about 1754- Henry and Jemima (Leonard) Axtell were the parents of sons and daughters: Henry, born in 1738, served with distinction during the Revolutionary War; Phoebe, born in 1740, married Daniel Drake; Hannah, born in 1742, married Zephaniah Burt; Bethany, born in 1744, married Artemas Day; Calvin, born in 1750; Luther, born April 22, 1753 moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania. Zephaniah and Hannah (Axtell) Burt were the parents of five children, already mentioned, all remembered in the will of their father, dated December 24, 1814. probated January 7, 1816, in Washington county, Pennsylvania. William Axtell Burt, son of Zephaniah and Hannah (Axtell) Burt, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1786, died September 26, 1836. He "married Martha Ann Anspoker, daughter of Jonas and Martha (Leiper) Anspoker Children: John, born September 25, 1807. married Mary Ann DeCamp. (missing text) February 22, 1816, married Laura Ann Houston; Polly, born July 14, 1820, married Joseph A. Metcalf; Reason, born April 9, 1823, died young; Martha Ann, born November 28, 1825, married Rev. James A. Ewing; Reason, born March 10, 1826; Harriet, born March 30, 1828, married William Berryhill. David Burt, son of William Axtell and Martha Ann (Anspoker) Burt, was born August 24, 1809, died about 1843. He resided in Pennsylvania and in Wellsburg, West Virginia. He married Sarah Lukens, and they were the parents of William Thomas, of further mention; Laura Ann, and John L. Burt.Such were the antecedents of William Thomas Burt, long a prominent business man of Wheeling, West Virginia, and always interested in the welfare and advancement of his adopted city. His ancestry, both paternal and maternal, bequeathed him high moral principles, sound body and strong mind, an heritage which he utilized to the best advantage to elevate himself to high and honorable position. He was a man of the people, self made, and a leader in whose fidelity all could confide. William Thomas Burt was born in Bloomfield, Ohio, October 8, 1835, and died in the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, February 14, 1914. When a young lad his parents, David and Sarah (Lukens) Burt, moved to Wellsburg, West Virginia, where he obtained a good public school education. David Burt was a well known steamboat captain who flourished during the second quarter of the nineteenth century, running from Pittsburgh down the Ohio to the Mississippi, thence to New Orleans. David Burt and three of his brothers were among the first men to follow that line of business and all (missing text)(missing text) when he was fourteen he became an apprentice on the Wellsburg "Herald," then owned by J. G. Jacob and J. A. Smith. He remained in the Herald printing office seven years, 1850-57, and then ventured on to the city of Wheeling. There he abandoned his trade and sought a career in the business world, his later history proving that he made no mistake in so doing. His first position in Wheeling was as a clerk in the store of P. C. Hildreth & Company, iron dealers, then being under the direction of J. A. Metcalf, who, two years later, became proprietor. Mr. Burt continued an employee with Mr. Metcalf until 1863, when he was admitted a partner, the firm operating as Metcalf & Burt. In 1864 Mr. Burt established a branch of the firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, this branch firm trading as Burt, Metcalf & Over, the third partner Captain Ewalt Over. In 1866 Mr. Burt returned to Wheeling, having spent two years in Indianapolis. The firm of Metcalf & Burt continued in successful operation until 1874, when it was dissolved by the death of Mr. Metcalf. Mr. Burt succeeded to the ownership of the entire business, and as W. T. Burt & Company continued its operating head until his retirement after selling out to Henry Miller. Although a successful private iron dealer, Mr. Burt had other interests of great importance, being interested in and a director of the La Belle Iron Works, of Wheeling, West Virginia, the Woodward Iron Company, of Woodward, Alabama, the Commercial Bank of Wheeling, the Bellaire Nail Works, of Bellaire, Ohio, a number of other banking and industrial institutions, and he was one of the original shareholders of the Peabody Insurance Company. He ranked with the leading business men (missing text) From an humble beginning he rose to the ownership of one of the leading business houses of the city, and was equally well known in financial circles. He held the respect and esteem of all who knew him, and few men stood higher in the confidence of their fellowmen. Strong and forceful in character, he always had the courage of his convictions, and never occupied middle ground on any public question. Politically Mr. Burt was a Republican, one of the first voters of that faith in Brooke county, but he never sought nor desired public office. He was of a religious nature, very generous, giving freely of his time and means to church and benevolent work. In his younger days he attended the old Second Presbyterian Church and sang in its choir. He was an ardent lover of out-of-door life and sport, fond of fishing and hunting; flowers and plants were his passion, and he understood their culture as do few business men. He extracted the full meed of pleasure and joy from life, and played as hard as he worked.William T. Burt married, November 1, 1865, Martha E. Burt, daughter of William Axtell and Laura Ann (Houston) Burt, of Louisville, Kentucky. Laura A. Houston Burt was the daughter of James and Mary Houston, of Scott county, Kentucky, and the granddaughter of John and Anna (Logan) Houston, of Virginia. The children of William T. and Martha E. Burt were: Charles, died in infancy, and Laura and Jessie, both of Wheeling.
