Month: January 2003

Okay, I’ve spent the past two days working with some AWESOME genealogists I know to finally FINALLY find the illusive “famous doctor” that was apparently the first Burchstead in America. I am 97% sure I’ve got the lineage right, I just need to get confirmation on two things from the official records in Lynn and Beverly MA. But here it is, in case anyone cares.

So now I need to find out how Dr. J. H. got to America in the first place. There’s record of him being born in Lynn, which implies he had parents here, right? But I don’t see anything about parents. Was he born on a boat on the way over here? Was he born there and christened here?

I guess I just like knowing that my family has been living in Massachusetts since 1657. How freaking cool is that?

1. Dr. John Henry Burchsted b 1657 in Lynn (there is a Lynn birth certificate for him, but we also have record of him coming from Silesia Germany) m. Mary Rand 24 Apr 1690 in Lynn d. 20 Sept 1721 Lynn. Dr. JH apparently lived in the same house in Lynn his whole life, and I have a cross street for it. He also owned property that became Nahant.

2. Dr. Henry b Oct 3 1691 in Lynn, m Sarah James 1713, m. Anna Bream 1728 Boston, d. 31 March 1755. One source says Dr. H was born in 1690, not 1691. His birth record reads “Busted, Hennery, s. John Hennery and Mary. His death record reads Burchstead, Henry (note the oldest instance of our current spelling that I have seen. Down through (7) I have seen records with the A missing.) Dr. H and Anna apparently owned pieces of property in the North End of Boston that she inherited from her father, Benjamin Braem. Marriage records form them list her as Mrs. Anna Alden of Boston, implying she was married to an Alden prior to marrying Dr. Henry.

3. Dr. Benjamin Breame Burchsted (son of Anna Bream) b. 1733 m. Elisabeth Skillen 1760 in Boston. D. 1785 in Lynn. He was the 11th child of Dr. Henry. His birth record says “Burshted, Benjamin Brame

4. Henry Tudor Burchsted b 19 Feb 1764 in Lynn. m. Esther Smith 10 Aug 1783 in Beverly

5. Job Burchsted b. 30 Oct 1802 Beverly m. Hannah Beeson 13 Dec 1829 Salem MA (Named after his maternal grandfather Job Smith)

6. David Wales Burchsted b.1843 (Christened 14 July 1844 Salem)

Enlisted as a Private on 14 Oct 1861 at 18. Promoted to full Corporal, Mustered out Comp F 23rd Infantry Regiment Mass on 12 Oct 1864. Put in for military pension as an invalid on March 1 1880.

7. Frederick Roydon Burchstead b Jun 1876 Salem MA m Alice Mary Walker 03 Oct 1900 Leominster d. 02 Mar 1959

8. David Warren Burchstead b 30 Dec 1906 m. Lillian Ruth Victoria MacDonald Leominster MA d Dec 1975

9. Richard Warren Burchstead b. 1930

10. Jody Burchstead b. 1965

Uh oh, I spoke, er, wrote too soon about the thyroid book thing. I’m on the cutting room floor, as it were. Unless the publisher asks for rewrites, in which case I might be involved somehow. But it looks like it’s not going to work out this time. I’m cool with that. The pressure of being famous and all that….

Jack has been so kind as to point out to me that if you put the phrase in quotes, he is actually listed first. Now far be it for me to point out that most people don’t put things in quotes when they are searching…I have agreed to declaire the Great Borgnine War of 2003 a tie.

YES!!! YES YES YES!!!!! Look at that, just one notch above Jack but I did it! Woo hooo! In your FACE, House of Cheer!

Okay, that wasn’t very nice. I apologize. Jack, it was a well-fought race to the top of Google.

I don’t know if I mentioned this here already or not, but in fact, words of mine are going to be appearing in book Dr. Ken Blanchard is writing on hypothyroidism. Some of my “funny” thyroid articles are being used as into bits to the chapters. That’s right, I’m funny, dammit! So you will be able to pick up this book and my words will be there.

That’s actually pretty cool, don’t you think? It didn’t really hit me until this morning, when I had an initial consult with Dr. Blanchard to be a patient of his. I don’t think I can say enough about how happy I was leaving that office. The man spent time with me, listened to me, and made me feel very confident that we will be able to adjust my thyroid medication so I will feel great. Isn’t that amazing?! I’m going to feel great! Take THAT, Mr. Broken Thyroid!