Fonds 76-1004 - Zaccheus Burnham fonds

Zaccheus Burnham (1777-1857) was a landowner, militia leader, surveyor, judge, and member of the legislative council in Upper Canada. Born in Dunbarton, New Hampshire, he came to central Upper Canada in 1797, and settled in Hamilton Township, Newcastle District. In 1801, he married Elizabeth Choate. As soon as Burnham arrived in Upper Canada, he started acquiring land and eventually became one of the largest land holders in the Newcastle District (he owned the land on which the village of Ashburnham is situated). He also carried out land surveys with his future son-in-law, land surveyor Richard Birdsall. By 1831, Burnham had a 1000 acre farm, and thousands of acres of land throughout the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, and Peterborough County. In 1801, Burnham joined the militia as a private; he was a captain in the War of 1812 and remained active for many years after that. Burnham became a road commissioner for the Newcastle District in 1811; two years later, he was appointed Justice of the Peace. He was also the Treasurer of the Newcastle District from 1815 to 1851, and he represented the riding of Northumberland and Durham in the House of Assembly from 1817 to 1820. In 1831 he was appointed to the Legislative Council by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Colbourne, and served there for 10 years. In July 1839, he was made a Judge for the District court of Newcastle