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Lt. Col. William Ward Burrows, I
Facts and Events
| Name |
Lt. Col. William Ward Burrows, I |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth[1][2] |
16 Jan 1758 |
Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Marriage |
13 Sep 1783 |
near Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaKinderton Farm in Northern Liberties
to Mary Bond |
| Death[1][3] |
6 Mar 1805 |
Washington, District of Columbia, United Statesage 47 - [headstone date] |
| Alt Death[2] |
5 Apr 1805 |
Washington, District of Columbia, United States |
| Burial[3] |
|
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States |
| Reference Number? |
|
Q6150421? |
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
William Ward Burrows I (January 16, 1758 – March 6, 1805) was the second Commandant of the Marine Corps. His son, William Ward Burrows II, was a decorated officer in the United States Navy.
Records of William Ward Burrows in Augusta County, VA
From Chalkley’s Augusta County Records:
- Vol. 2 - Richard Claiborne vs. Burruss--O. S. 34; N. S. 12--Bill filed 1797. In 1784 Richard was entitled to 55,000 acres. About 1785-6 he went to Europe and returned in 1794 and lived in Philadelphia. While he was in Europe the Monongalia records were destroyed by fire. Thomas Bond died, 1793. Jane Bond married Thomas Williams. Sarah Bond, daughter of Thomas, married David Easton and is since dead without issue, leaving ____ Burrows, her only sister, as heiress. Copy of Dr. Thomas Bond's will dated Alexandria, 20th January, 1793, proved in Fairfax, 22d April, 1794. Wife, Jane. Daughter, Sarah Bond. Brother Venables Bond. Wife's daughter, Elizabeth Ferris, under 18. Faithful servant, Henry Foulk. 500 acres on Buckhannon: Legacy to Lawrence Sterne Smallwood, an orphan, now an apprentice of William Hunter's Coachmaker, 4,000 acres of Buckhannon land. To Letitia Aimwell, an orphan somewhere in Philadelphia, 2,000 acres of Buchannon land. To Miss Abigail Luken (Lumb), £100 or 2,000 acres of Buckhannon lands. William Ward Burrows married Mary, daughter of Dr. Thomas Bond.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Ward Burrows I, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Family Notes, in Maryland State Archives.
102. Lieutenant Colonel William Ward Burrows(44) (45) was born on Jan 16 1758 in South Carolina. He died on Apr 5 1805 in Washington, D.C.. The only surviving son of a very prominent and successful lawyer and merchant, William Ward Burrows received a first-class education and was admitted to the Inner Temple at the Inns of Court, London, on May 25 1772.
He served as an officer in the South Carolina Marines during the Revolution and when the United States Marine Corps was established by law, on Jul 11 1798, President John Adams appointed him as its first Commandant with the rank of major. He was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel, the rank of the commandant of the Corps for the next several decades.
The authorized strength of the Corps initially was one major, four captains, twenty-eight lieutenants, and 848 enlisted men. In 1800 the capital moved to Washington, D.C., from Philadelphia and when Thomas Jefferson, a friend of Burrows, became President, the two rode out together on horseback looking for a suitable site to establish the Marine Corps barracks and commandant's quarters and chose one near the site of what would be the Washington Navy Yard. The Marine Barracks is now the oldest continuously ultilized military post in the United States with the exception of West Point (see No. 476). While the original barracks have long been replaced, the Commandant's house built by Burrows remains the official residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps today. It was the only official building that was not torched by the British when they attacked Washington in the War of 1812.
Col. Burrows also instituted the Marine Corps Band. Lacking money for it from Congress, Burrows wrote every officer in the Corps and suggested that they contribute a percentage of their pay towards the purchase of instruments. His reprimand of one officer who was either reluctant or delinquent in this forced contribution is in Marine Corps files. Much of his correspondence while Marine Corps Commandant is in the National Archives and is a fascinating window into the world in which he lived.
On New Year's Day, 1801, the first day the 19th century, Burrows marched his band to the White House and staged a concert for President John Adams, who was delighted. Marine Corps Band White House concerts became a regular event in the new capital, and the Marine Corps Band to this day has a central and official place in White House ceremonies and entertaining.
Failing health brought about Col. Burrows's retirement from the Corps on Nov 7 1804. He died early the following year. "The most benevolent of men, " according to an obituary in the Charleston City Gazette of Mar 28 1805, "he had devoted himself to the benefit of his fellow creatures; but that malignant friend Ingratitude was ever his reward. After struggling with severe illness he resigned existence with the celestial calmness of a good man." Why the newspaper should say that ingratitude was the reward of his service, which would appear to have been singularly successful, is unknown.
He was buried in Washington, D.C., and was reinterred, with full honors, in Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac in 1892, when Arlington was established.
In 1940 a Grace Line ship taken into the United States Navy as a troop transport was renamed the U.S.S. William Ward Burrows in his honor. He was married to Mary Bond on Sep 13 1783.
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44. South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine. "The William Burrows House of Charleston" by Harriett P and Alberts Simons, Vol. 70 (1969), pp. 155-176.
45. Ibid. Vol. 70 (1969), p. 239.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Grave Recorded, in Find A Grave.
[Includes headstone photo. Inscription: In Memory. of. WILLIAM WARD BURROWS. [?] Lieut. Colonel Commander. of the. Marine Corps. who died 6th March, 1805. Aged 47 Years. ...]
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[cos1776 Note of Caution: As of Mar 2015, memorial page lists birth year as 1768, but, if he was 47 when he died, as his stone states, he would have been born in 1758 which matches the information at the MD State Archives.]
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