Home > United States of America > Nebraska > Box Butte County > Hemingford > Hemingford Cemetery > Charles A Burlew

Charles A Burlew

Birth	:	12 Jun 1852 Pennsylvania, USA
Death	:	1928 Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Hemingford Cemetery, Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.3125000, -103.0541992
Plot	:	Section 1, Area C, Row 1, Block 10, Space C
Inscription	:	Charles A Burlew 1852-1928
Description	:	Charles A. Burlew There is no man more widely known or more closely concerned with public affairs and county development than Charles Burlew. Early settler, pioneer newspaper man and politician, public official and merchant of Box Butte county, his numerous business interests and a high reputation for honorable dealing as a business man, have given him an enviable standing in this section of the Panhandle. Throughout his life he has not only maintained the reputation noted, but has also sustained and strengthened it so that there are few who have been in public life in Box Butte county today who... Read More	Charles A. Burlew There is no man more widely known or more closely concerned with public affairs and county development than Charles Burlew. Early settler, pioneer newspaper man and politician, public official and merchant of Box Butte county, his numerous business interests and a high reputation for honorable dealing as a business man, have given him an enviable standing in this section of the Panhandle. Throughout his life he has not only maintained the reputation noted, but has also sustained and strengthened it so that there are few who have been in public life in Box Butte county today who stand higher in public favor, esteem and confidence. Mr. Burlew is descended from a long line of fine old Pennsylvania stock as his ancestors settled in the Keystone state at an early date and there took an active part in its development and political history. He was born in Mifflin county, June 12, 1852, the son of Henry and Nancy (Davis) Burlew, both natives of the same state, where they were reared, educated and later met and married. Charles was the seventh in a family of fourteen children consisting of seven boys and seven girls. He attended school during the winter terms and worked on a farm summers, so that he early learned the value of money. When twenty years of age Mr. Burlew came west to Dane county, Wisconsin, locating at Mazomanie in 1872, and found work on a farm for fifty cents a day. The next year he taught in a country school and as he did not feel satisfied with his educational advantages so far, entered the Platville normal where he remained until graduation. After commencement he continued teaching as superintendent and principal of the city schools until 1886. On September 10, 1884, Mr. Burlew was married at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to Miss Margaret C, Cogan, now deceased, who was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, the daughter of John Cogan, a native of Ireland. Three of Mr. Burlew's brothers had served in the Union army. When he left Madison, Wisconsin, in 1886, for the Black Hills of South Dakota, he was accompanied by Charles T. Davidson, now a resident of Hemingford, but as they were not pleased with the country did not settle there but came to northwestern Nebraska and finally located in the Panhandle, February 28, 1886, near the site of Plemingford then in Dawes county. At that early date the only structure was a sod house on the corner where Shindler's store now stands, which was occupied by Joseph Hare who was in the land business, locating settlers. Mr. Burlew and Mr. Davidson located land, the former taking a pre-emption two miles west of the present site of Hemingford, which at that time was platted around a public square but as the land was not proved up it was illegal but a little later a town site company was formed, Mr. Burlew being one of the prime movers of the enterprise. In 1887 he was sent to Broken Bow to procure a surveyor to properly plat the town and soon a fierce competition sprang up between the towns of Nonpareil and Hemingford for the location of the seat of justice as there was talk of dividing Dawes county and erecting a new state division in which these new villages were located. Mr. Burlew was one of the organizers and principal figures in having this new county formed and tried to have the division made in such a manner as to have Hemingford nearest its center. He headed the Hemingford delegation in the fight for the county seat, while a man named Gene Heath was the leader of the Nonpareil party. It was indeed a bitter feud and the partisans of either side hardly spoke to the men opposing them when they met at Chadron to vote on the permanent location but when Nonpareil was chosen, the two leaders rode home in a one horse cart together and have since been good, warm friends. Later the B. and M. railroad survey was made through Hemingford instead of Nonpareil, the town was re-platted and finally the county seat was established there. In 1886, Mr, Burlew bought the pioneer newspaper of the section, known as the Box Butte County Rustler and during the county seat war had to bear the brunt of the abuse from those opposed to Hemingford for the seat of justice, but it was due to this sheet that the fight was finally decided in favor of his faction when the railroad was built. Mr. Burlew owned and edited this paper until 1890, and he played an important part in shaping the policies and forming the views of the early settlers. He was fearless in his denunciation of anything that was not fair and square in politics, advocated and aided in the upbuilding of the towns of the county and agricultural development and became one of the leading public figures of the day. In 1888, he was elected county clerk on the Democratic ticket and served two years. During this time he maintained his residence in Hemingford, ran his paper by proxy though he took active supervision of it, for he had a capable man at its head in Thomas O'Keefe, whose official title was "Printer's Devil" but who was really manager. Mr. Burlew often walked the six miles from Hemingford to Nonpariel while a county official and tells that during his term in office the primitive accommodations of the temporary court house were so poor that the safe in his office was too small for the legal papers so the chattel mortgages were "dumped in an empty salt barrel for safe keeping." From first locating in this section, Mr. Burlew has been a prominent figure in political circles, having been called upon to serve on many important committees, and as chairman of the Democratic conventions. He has been delegate to the Democratic State Conventions many times and in 1896, was elected as delegate to the Democratic National Convention at Chicago, when Bryan was first nominated for president. The honor of organizing the first bank in the county is his, for he established this financial institution in 1886, and continued to be an official until 1897, when he disposed of his stock to engage in the mercantile business in which he met with instant and gratifying success. He owns his building, erected in 1910, and also a fine home and other good properties in the city, so that today he has a comfortable fortune of his own making, and is considered one of the most substantial men of the community. Today Mr. Burlew does as much work in his establishment as any of his younger assistants and is active in many other ways. He has been a consistent and constant "booster" for Box Butte county for thirty-five years and for Hemingford in particular. He says he has passed through all the phases of development this country could offer, from drinking from a buffalo wallow and sleeping on the open prairies wrapped in a blanket to awaken in the morning with another blanket of snow, to the present development in all its many ramifications of twentieth century life. He tells of the interesting relic he had, the first chair in Box Butte county, made of pine lumber cut on Pine Ridge by R. H. Hampton and says if he had it – unfortunately it was burned years ago – he would not part with it for five hundred dollars. Mr. Burlew is a Knight of Columbus and a consistent Democrat. There are two children in the family: Regina C, a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy, Omaha and Fremont College, now associated with her father in the store, and Charles A., Jr., who graduated from the commercial course of Fremont College and was for some time a student at Creighton University, Omaha, now the manager of his father's business and who is displaying marked executive ability. Source: History of Western Nebraska and Its People; Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties. A Group Often Called The Panhandle of Nebraska, 1921 Transcribed by: Mary Saggio Contributor: Marvin Bowman (46921462)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Charles A Burlew's memorial?
Charles A Burlew's memorial is located at: Hemingford Cemetery, Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA.
When did Charles A Burlew death?
Charles A Burlew death on 1928 in Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Charles A Burlew's memorial?
Latitude: 42.3125000
Longitude: -103.0541992

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Margaret C Cogon Burlew

(1851 - 1920)

Siblings

Caroline “Carrie” Burlew Doyle

(1840 - 1927)

Aaron Edwin Burlew

(1841 - 1906)

Walter Burlew

(1847 - 1911)

Children

Charles Arthur Burlew

(1888 - 1963)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Hemingford Cemetery
Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3125000, -103.0541992

2. Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery
Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2785520, -103.0046210

3. Nonpareil Cemetery
Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2631149, -103.0824258

4. Ball Cemetery
Hemingford, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3372300, -103.2293300

5. Pioneer-Box Butte Cemetery
Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3640700, -102.8502400

6. Katen Cemetery
Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4267006, -102.8908005

7. Lawn Cemetery
Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3224630, -103.3083830

8. Fairview Cemetery
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2409160, -102.7879280

9. Marsland Cemetery
Marsland, Dawes County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4660988, -103.2838974

10. Saint Johns United Lutheran Church Columbarium
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1178900, -102.8794100

11. Calvary Cemetery
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1264000, -102.8569031

12. Saint Matthews Episcopal Church Columbarium
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1106300, -102.8748000

13. Bohemian Pioneer Cemetery
Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.2946300, -103.3862200

14. Immanuel Lutheran Church Columbarium
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1053100, -102.8711700

15. United Methodist Church Columbarium
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1013300, -102.8710400

16. Alliance Cemetery
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.1104965, -102.8367996

17. Snake Creek Cemetery
Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0889015, -103.2742004

18. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Chadron, Dawes County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5547300, -102.8429000

19. Evergreen Cemetery
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0244000, -103.0542000

20. Nebraska Veterans Cemetery
Alliance, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0745700, -102.8182800

21. Belmont Cemetery
Belmont, Dawes County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5527992, -103.2964020

22. Highland Center Cemetery
Dawes County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6100006, -103.1258011

23. Letan Cemetery
Letan, Box Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0162290, -102.9367660

24. Saint Peters Cemetery
Sheridan County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4975014, -102.7161026