Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region - Keene

RBH_Report_Keene_Burdoo.pdf

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Part of RBH Report Keene for the Burdoo Family

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Burdoo Family
Residing in Jaffrey, Peterborough, and Keene, NH

BACKGROUND SUMMARY
The Burdoo family moved from Lexington, MA to Jaffrey, NH sometime in the early 1770s. Silas
Burdoo purchased land in 1773 and Moses Burdoo, a blacksmith, moved to Jaffrey sometime in
the early 1780s. The relationship between Silas and Moses is unclear at present.

Family Timeline
(much of this text is taken from the sources themselves)
1748: Silas Burdoo was born c.1748 in Lexington, MA, son of Philip Bordoo Jr. Silas served in
the American Revolution from 1775-1781. Lexington Green on April 19, 1775; with the 9th MA
Regiment during the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775; served garrison duty 1781 at
Gallows Hill on the bank of the Hudson River south of West Point, NH. Source notes his
grandmother was Ann Solomon Burdoo.1
c.1755: Moses Burdoo II was born in Lexington, MA to Moses and Pheba (Bannister) Burdoo.
Moses I is listed as having been from Lexington, MA and Pheba was from Concord, MA. He
was baptized July 20, 1755 in Lexington, MA.
1773: Moses had a brother, Eli who served in Capt. Parker's Co. in the battle of Lexington in
1775. He also had a cousin Silas (son of Philip's son Philip) who was a soldier in the Revolution.
Both Eli and Silas ended up moving to Reading, VT with their families. Silas purchased land in
Jaffrey on 11/4/1773 belonging to Jonathan Parker Jr. of Rindge, lot 13, range 10. He soon
moved to Reading, VT but is Silas is "probably the first Negro to live in Jaffrey".2
1778: Dec 3, 1778 Moses Burdoo and Lois Ralf declared their intention to marry in Cambridge,
MA. They went on to have five children. Moses worked as a blacksmith.
1780s: At some point the family purchased 70 acres of land from Ebenezer Stratton near
Squantum Village in Jaffrey ("now that part of the L.A. Garfield farm west of the highway passing
through the property".) They sold this property to Amos Merritt of Lexington on 1/31/1788 and
1

Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, MA Black history portrait banner:
https://www.abclex.org/black-history-portrait-banners/
2
History of Jaffrey (Middle Monadnock) New Hampshire: an average country town in the heart of New
England, vol. 2, published by town 1934, pages 115, 779

Jennifer Carroll

moved the family to Slab City. Moses is descended from Philip Burdoo who came from Africa,
and Ann Solomon. They lived in Lexington, MA had several children, including Moses - the
father of Moses II, who lived in Jaffrey.3
Gilmore Lane is where Moses II and Lois Burdoo were living in Jaffrey when Lois became a
widow: Gilmore Lane is the old dirt road running about three quarters of a mile from the
Mountain Brook bridge at the foot of South Hill Road to a juncture with Gilmore Pond Road near
the Bradley and Gordon properties. It is a level, straight, and fairly good road through the woods
north of Gilmore Pond. By 1773, ... when Jaffrey received its charter, the important link was that
between the Center and the road to Rindge (Peabody Hill Road to Rindge via road on the east
side of Gilmore Pond). This link was provided by Gilmore Lane, officially laid out in 1775...Not
far from the bridge there developed from 1777 a cluster of mills, which were in operation
through most of the 19th century. This area was “Slab City”.4
1784: Moses Burdoo II died. His family is discussed in the historical narrative on the life of
Amos Fortune. Lois and Moses Burdoo had 4 children: Polly, Moses, Philip, and Sally. They
lived in a cabin on Squantum Village road in Jaffrey. Lois is described as struggling after the
death of her husband, Moses, in 1784 (?). He was a blacksmith. Lois had been receiving help
from the town but that was ending. Amos Fortune has compassion and concern for her and
family and is said to visit them often. Amos offers jobs - a penny a day -in his tannery to the
boys (Moses and Philip). Later in the story Amos mentions that Polly and Moses are being "up
to vendue". Polly is bid on by Amos and goes to live in his household where she becomes sicker
and dies near the end of her year. Moses goes to work in the household of Joseph Stewart until
he is to reach the age of 21. Later in the book, Amos mentions a Burdoo working in the tannery
but a name is not given - possibly Philip.5
1790: Unknown daughter Bedeu / Burdoo died in Jaffrey on April 24, 1790 according to Rev.
Laban Ainsworth of the First Church in Jaffrey.
1793: Polly Bedeu died in Dec. 1793 in Jaffrey according to Rev. Laban Ainsworth of the First
Church in Jaffrey. She was 15 years old at the time.6
1801: Moses Burdoo (Bedeu) died on May 3, 1801 in Jaffrey, as recorded by Rev. Laban
Ainsworth of the First Church in Jaffrey.7

3

History of the Town of Jaffrey, NH, from the date of Masonian chapter to the present time,
1749-1880...by Daniel B. Cutter, published 1881. Pg. 183
4
Jaffrey Roads and Streets 1773 - 1980:
http://www.jaffreyhistory.org/09publications/RoadsAndStreets/RoadsAndStreets.pdf
5
"Non-fiction" book: Amos Fortune, Free Man. Written by Elizabeth Yates, 1950
6
"Vital Records of Jaffrey, N.H. from the original records of Rev. Laban Ainsworth in the archives of the
New Hampshire Historical Society" FamilySearch film#005511169. Document page 30, Film image #182.
7
"Vital Records of Jaffrey, N.H. from the original records of Rev. Laban Ainsworth in the archives of the
New Hampshire Historical Society" FamilySearch film#005511169. Document page 34, Film image #186.
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Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Keene

1818: Lois Burdoo II is born in New Hampshire, according to the 1850 census.
1827: Sally Burdoo died on December 14, 1827 in Peterborough and is buried in the Old Street
Cemetery in Peterborough. She was 42 years old (b. around 1785).8 She’s listed as white on
the death record. Record says Sally died a single woman leaving a brother (who is said to be a
pauper in Cheshire County) and who is "unfit" to administer her estate. This could possibly be
Moses, son of Lois Burdoo still living in Jaffrey. Per the record, Sally has a child of 12 years (no
name provided.) Another source indicates the cemetery is the East Hill Cemetery in
Peterborough.9
1835: On 5 Jul 1835 Louis Burdoo was an adult who was baptized at the Congregational
Church of Christ in Keene, NH by Rev. Zedekiah Barstow.10 Her race is not indicated in the
church records. (if this is the same Lois who lived in Salma Hale’s house, she would have been
about 17 years old at the time)
1847: Lois Burdoo died at the age of 92 in Peterborough, NH, on June 3, 1847, in the poor
house. Lois is listed as "colored" and having come from Lexington, MA. The last name is shown
as "Burdov", which is probably a typo.11 On pg. 578 of the Jaffrey town history it talks about
Samuel Patrick Jr. managing the poor farm, which replaced the annual vendue system. In 1828
he contracted with the town for 3 years to board the poor at a cost of $500 per year. He sold the
place to the town in 1833. It is likely the woman named in the census living with Samuel is Lois,
as we know she ended up in the poor house per town history.
1850: at the age of 32, a Lois Burdoo lived in the household of Salma Hale on Main Street in
Keene, dwelling at #141. She is identified as black. Lois resided in the home of prominent
lawyer/NH senator Salma Hale, his wife, 15 yr old Charles Daniels, and 45 yr old Thomas King
(all white)12

8

Findagrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8733737/sally-burdoo; Peterborough Historical
Society Collections; NH Death and Disinterment Records
9
MSS 2, Town of Peterborough Collection, Series V, Vol. E1, Box 4. Miscellaneous Record BookCemeteries, etc. Monadnock Center for History and Culture, p. 14.
10
First Church of Christ register, book 1, p.101 (HSCC)
11
History of the Town of Jaffrey, NH, from the date of Masonian chapter to the present time,
1749-1880...by Daniel B. Cutter, published 1881. Pg. 183
12
1850 US Federal Census
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Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Keene

ITEMIZED RESEARCH FINDINGS
Census Records
1860 U.S. Census

REPOSITORIES VISITED
ONLINE RESOURCES USED
Ancestry.com
Keene Evening Sentinel. http://keene.advantage-preservation.com/

FURTHER RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS

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Recovering Black History in the Monadnock Region project: Keene