Caledonia

BURINGTON, Asahel

Vermont Historical Magazine, No XI, October 1867, pp 308-309

[This biography was extracted from a section on the history of Burke.] 
Asahel BURINGTON, Esq., of Burke [Caledonia County, Vermont], is one of those 
individuals so identified with the general history of the town [of Burke], of 
whom a brief sketch, at the least, is requisite to complete the history 
thereof. A citizen of Burke has furnished such sketch, but although 
abounding in interest, it yet is so minute in detail, but [only] a summary 
can be given. [The author is not named.] "Asahel BURINGTON was born 17 
February 1791 in New Hartford [Litchfield County], Connecticut, the youngest 
of a family of eight children. In 1802, the older brothers of our subject 
persuaded their father to sell out his farm in Connecticut, emigrate to 
Vermont, and purchase lands sufficient to make farms for himself and them. 
The avails of the sale barely purchased five hundred acres of wild land, at 
$2.50 per acre, and defrayed the expenses of the removal.

Their cabin was thus built: spruce logs, locked together at the corners, 
chinked with mud, and covered with bark. Within, large logs piled against 
the wall logs for a chimney, the fire being kindled in front, and loose 
boards floored the one room, whose area was mostly filled by three beds, 
curtained with blankets, and the large pine table. The one schoolhouse, near 
the centre of the town, was on a high ridge of land, where in winter the 
snow, from three to four feet deep, blowed into well-nigh impassable drifts; 
and even the boy of eleven could not be spared from clearing up and 
cultivating the farm in summer; and when at school, only reading, spelling, 
writing, and the first four rules of arithmetic, were indifferently taught."

Here our writer goes on to tell how young BURINGTON was destitute of all 
mathematical textbooks, until, learning a man had moved in who had one Pike's 
Arithmetics, he hastened to secure a loan thereof, and beat every energy 
systematically to the task, until he had mastered that tough old book. In a 
few years he added to this science, grammar, geography, logic, philosophy, 
etc. A library association had previously been formed by a number of the 
citizens of Burke and Billymead [now Sutton, Caledonia County, Vermont], 
which contained Rollins' Ancient History, Robinson's History of America, 
Josephus, one excellent novel, The Fool of Quality, etc. Embracing every 
opportunity rainy days, and especially evenings, mostly by the firelight, 
volume after volume was digested.

In 1810 Martin DOYLE moved in from Walpole [Cheshire County], New Hampshire, 
bringing a respectable library for those days. DOYLE and BURINGTON were old 
friends. Not only were the use of DOYLE's books gratuitous, but his 
assistance in study cheerfully given. Here Mr. BURINGTON discovered 
"Ferguson's Astronomy," and in a year could calculate the changes of the moon 
and eclipses with perfect accuracy. DOYLE, a self-taught scholar, imbibed 
his enthusiasm, and mutually assisting, these friends spent hours 
investigating the problems of this work. [Martin] DOYLE died in 1848.

From 1812 to 1821 he [Asahel BURINGTON] was employed during the winter 
seasons to good acceptance in common schools, a popular teacher, who drew 
many scholars from the districts around; in 1816, from thence nearly 
twenty-five years, was postmaster; and for upwards of thirty-eight years has 
held the office of town clerk, during which time every instrument recorded in 
the town, nearly or quite 5,000, has been done with his own hand. He also 
retains the office of town treasurer, held nearly thirty-one years, and 
justice of the peace about twenty-four years; in 1838 and 1839 was town 
representative, and has from time to time held other town offices.

When he was not engaged in public business, his pursuit has ever been 
agricultural, being located on the farm on which his father settled in 1802. 
He is now living with his fourth wife. The Rev. L. M. BURINGTON, mentioned 
by Rev. Mr. GODDING in his sketch of East Burke, is his son; and H. A. 
BURINGTON, a liberally educated young lady, now engaged in teaching, [is] his 
daughter. And our venerable State Antiquarian Society President (H. STEVENS, 
Esq.) may be gratified to know there is a blooming bevy of younger daughters 
in this family still taught to dexterously turn the somewhat antiquated 
spinning wheel.

Mr. BURINGTON has from time to time written several poems, which have 
appeared in different journals of the day. An obituary notice to his first 
wife (who died of an epidemic fever in 1832) was transcribed by Rev. Hosea 
BALLOU, 2nd, into a book entitled, "Happy Deaths." In the fall of 1842, 
erysipelas commenced in the northern section of the State, and continued its 
fatal ravage for about six months, until a twenty-eighth part of the 
inhabitants of this town were its victims; a large proportion of the 
population clothed in mourning; a melancholy gloom visible in each 
countenance; and it was difficult to obtain assistance sufficient to 
alleviate the wants of the sick and dying. January and February, the disease 
was the most prevalent and fatal. On 01 January 1843, the second Mrs. 
BURINGTON, a lady of unusual attainments for those days, the affectionate, 
the gentle, and the congenial wife, whose memory is still fragrant in the old 
farmhouse, died of the fatal erysipelas. Near the close of his sixty-ninth 
year, he [Asahel BURINGTON] is still engaged in the active business of life.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly