Albert Clarke Burdick 1840-1919
Albert Clarke Burdick was born at Hopkinton, R. I., Aug. 2, 1840, as the sixth of eight children of Samuel and Mercy Crandall Burdick, all of whom have preceded him in death. At an early age he was taken from school and put to work in a cotton mill, which work he continued for several years. He had obtained but little schooling, but educated himself by private study and omnivorous reading, which continued almost to his death. Finally the family moved to Greenmanville, Conn., (now old Mystic), where he and some of his brothers learned the ship carpenter's trade in the shipyard of the Greenman bros.
Shortly before he was 21, the civil war broke out and he volunteered for service, his was record being as follows:
Mustered in at Stonington, Conn., June 21, 1861, in 5th Conn. Volunteers. Promoted to be corporal July 22, 1861. Promoted to be sergeant Oct. 16, 1863. Re-enlisted Dec 21, 1863, and given brief furlough home. Promoted to first Lieutenant Dec. 15, 1864, and made regimental Adjunct. Honorably discharged July 19, 1865, and brevetted captain.
He fought in several important battles of the war and participated in Sherman's march to the sea. A natural leader of men, a tenor singer and banjo player of talent and a food story teller, he was a constant source of cheer to his comrades in campaign and barracks.
After the war he returned to the parental home and was there at the death of both his parents in 1866. For a short time thereafter he worked in New York City, but soon felt the lure of the West and came to Albion, Wis., where his brother Samuel, had preceded him. He acquired the present home and became one of the village carpenters and soon joined the Albion S.D.B. church, in which he was for many years a faithful worker, tenor singer in the choir, teacher of a Bible class and moderator of the church. For a time while the church was without a pastor he supplied the pulpit and occupied the pulpit occasionally later. He was keenly interested in politics and, being naturally a good speaker, made political addresses, and was town clerk for years. These activities continued until advancing age and a little deafness compelled him to withdraw to some extent.
On July 21, 1869, he was married to Elnora P. Coon, eldest daughter of Lorenzo and Emeline Coon of Albion, which wedlock continued until the death of the wife of tuberculosis, March 21, 1883. Of this marriage two sons were born, Lawrence W. of Chester, Pa., and Claude L. of Edgerton, Wis. He was married again Aug.17, 1884 to Dora A. Webster, eldest daughter if John and Theresa Webster of Albion. Of this union four children were born: Mrs. Maude C. Whitford of Albion; Ray W., who was killed by a train at Stoughton, Wis., in 1904; J. Roy of Richmond, Calif.; and Baby Belle, who died in 1894 of meningitis, aged about 18 months; all others still living.
Always interested in the affairs of the G.A.R., he has been for some years a member if the H.S. Swift Post at Edgerton and has been commander for the last three years. He attended the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg at Gettysburg, Pa., and other G.A.R. reunions. His health began to fail last summer and he was troubled with enlarged heart, finding it difficult to breathe and sleep. In November he sustained a bad fall while trimming trees, which may have hastened his death. This winter he became weaker and weaker and breathed his last on March 7, aged 78 years, 7 months, 5 days. Scores of buildings in and about Albion bear evidence of his activity as a carpenter who literally helped build the town for about half a century. He was a hard worker and took pride in all that he did.
Aside from the immediate family, among those present at the funeral from out of town were A. E. Webster of Chicago, Mark Shackleton of Beloit, Mrs. M.J. Bilser of Madison and several civil war veterans of Edgerton.
