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Home : Quarterly Archives : Volume 26 |
Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society |
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Source: April 1988 Volume 26 Number 2, Pages 50–54 The Burns Family The Burns family has been prominent in the business, cultural, and the religious life of the Berwyn area for many generations. In the church records of the Trinity Presbyterian Church, Peter Burns, Jr. is the first member of the family to be mentioned. He attended a meeting in September 1861 which was held to consider erecting a house of worship, and he subscribed $10. The following January both Peter and his father attended a meeting of contributors; they were elected trustees and Peter, senior, was elected president of the trustees. This group planned and carried out the building of the Trinity Presbyterian Church of Reeseville which was dedicated in December 1862. Peter Burns, Sr., born in the late 1700s, served in the army during the War of 1812. He was a farmer and a cabinet maker. His farm originally consisted of 75 acres on the north side of Reeseville. The house has been added to and remodeled, but it is still standing on Orchard Way between Bair Road and Conestoga Road. This farm was later known as the "Orr Farm". Peter Burns, Jr. was born in 1827. He was a masonry contractor, and his specialty was building bridges. The masons hired for the stone work on the church in 1862 had problems, especially with the long, sloping gables which fell in twice. Peter Burns, Jr. finally came to their rescue and constructed them successfully. So, in addition to being a trustee, he actually had a part in building the first church. You might be interested to know that the wages for a stonemason at this time [1862] ranged from $1.125 to $1.565 -- depending on the skill of the mason -- for a twelve-hour day. Both Peter, Sr. and Peter, Jr. were active Republicans in the community. Although Peter, Sr. played a major role in erecting the church in 1862, he did not become a member until 1875. One of the stained glass windows on the Main Avenue side of the sanctuary is dedicated to him and his wife Elizabeth. Peter Burns, Jr., although serving as a trustee, never joined the Trinity Church, but several -- perhaps all -- of his children did. One of the interesting things we have found in researching the church records is that many of the trustees who were instrumental in building the church and continuing its operations never were members of Trinity. But as men interested in their community, they wanted a church here and gave it their support. Peter Burns, Jr. and his wife had eight children. Their oldest son was William H. Burns, also known as Harry Burns. He was a prominent builder, We will learn more about him later. Estella Burns, next in line, never married. She maintained a home with her brother Frank, on Conestoga Road. When Ruth Moore wrote a history of Trinity in 1938, Stella was the oldest living member of the Church -- she had been a member for 50 years at that time. Frank L. Burns was a well-known and respected ornithologist. He was a great student of the birds of Chester County and of bird migration, and wrote many articles and books on these subjects. He also had an interest in local history, was a charter member of the Tredyffrin Easttown History Club, and wrote many articles for its Quarterly as well as other historical publications. Descendants of Martie Burns, an other daughter, and her husband, Harry Wadsworth, still have connections with Trinity Church. Their son, the late Charles Wadsworth, was a life-long member of Trinity. He served as an elder and was on the Building Committee for the 1953 Fellowship Hall addition. His wife Mae has been a member of Trinity since 1930. And their daughter, Ruth Wadsworth Burr, has been a member of Trinity since 1924. She lives in the Burns house on Kromer Avenue. Back to William H. Burns: He was described in the 1893 Biographical &^ Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County as a progressive businessman, with a record of achievement and remarkable success -- at the age of 36. Born in Easttown Township in 1857, he attended the local schools, learned the trade of carpentry as an apprentice, and then started his own contracting business when he was 21. During the next 15 years he erected 16 stations on the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Berwyn Bank, public school buildings, and other public buildings in this area. It was said that he also built many "elegant and tasteful" residences -- including his own on the corner of Bridge and First avenues, and later the family home on Kromer Avenue.
The W. H. Burns home on Kromer Avenue
Ximenia (Minnie) Wells Burns
William H. Burns W. H. Burns was a member and trustee of Trinity Church. In 1891-92 he was the contractor for the present sanctuary and annex. The annex at that time was the Sunday School department. The new church was dedicated in September 1892, with a week of special services; the Rev. Thomas J. Aiken, jr. was the pastor at this time. In the Chester County Historical Society is an article from the Daily Local News which describes in detail the building of the church, the dedication activities, and the appearance of both the inside and outside. I'll quote from it briefly: "The handsome, newly-erected church which is undergoing dedication is without question the most attractive and beautiful edifice devoted to the worship of God in that section of the county and the citizens of Berwyn as well as the Presbyterian congregation have every reason to be proud of this magnificent addition to their town." The article also mentioned that gas, generated by an apparatus in the basement, was to be used for lighting; and steam would be used for heating. The church building, with furnishings, was reported to have cost between $15,000 and $20,000. W. H. Burns also owned and operated the Berwyn Planing Mill, on the north side of the railroad tracks across from the station. Here he prepared most of the lumber used in his contracting business. Including his contract help and mill force, he employed 45 men whose weekly wages in 1893 amounted to $600. His contracting business was reported to be "second to none in the county and equalled by few in the state".
The W. H. Burns Planing Mill In 1908 W. H. Burns built the new Tredyffrin-Easttown Joint High School. It was the first joint township high school established in Pennsylvania. The building, which resembled Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, was located where the parking lot in front of the T-E Intermediate School is now;, it was demolished in the late 1970s when the latest additions were made to the then junior high school. The school had four classrooms, a laboratory, and two offices on the first floor, while on the second floor there was an auditorium. William Burns married Minnie Wells, who came from another family that was active in Trinity Church and the community. She was the grand-daughter of Thomas Aiken, Sr., a strong leader in the early years of the church, and a niece of Pastor Thomas Aiken, Jr. Her parents were Mary Jane Aiken and Enoch Wells. Minnie Burns was an expert vocal and instrumental musician, and was organist at Trinity. Her sister, Lillian Wells Schofield, was a soprano soloist and was the organist at the church after Minnie died. For many years the Berwyn Lyceum presented fine entertainment every Saturday evening in the Old Hall, which included performances by members of the Burns and Wells families, among others. William Burns also had an interest in music; his brother Frank wrote that William played piccolo in the town orchestra before 1884, and that the three older Burns brothers -- William, Joseph, and John -- all played in the Berwyn Brass Band. William and Minnie Burns had seven children; Minnie died shortly after the birth of the youngest, Helen. Their son Louis was hired as choir director in 1913, when he was 21 -- at a salary of $1 each Sabbath. After his marriage to Martha Armstrong, a Methodist, however, Trinity lost him to the Berwyn Methodist Church, where he continued his interest in music and directed the choir for many years. Austin, Lotta, and Henry Burns were all life-long members of the Trinity Church: Austin was an elder; Lotta was choir director after Louis left; and Helen was the organist for many years. We've been told by several long-time residents that Helen also played the organ for silent movies at the old Berwyn Theater on Cassatt Avenue. Both Lotta and Helen were also piano teachers in the community. Sadly, the 1908 high school building and other W. H. Burns buildings are now gone, but we still have many reminders of his contributions: the two homes he built for his family, the Berwyn bank, and the lovely Trinity church which soon will be 100 years old. The buildings, and the Burns descendants who are still active in the community, are reminders to us in 1988 of the talent and commitment through the years of this hard-working and dedicated family. [Dorothy Burns Pusey, the daughter of Louis Burns, now living on Eastwood Road, has graciously assisted us in this research by sharing family records and remembrances and by permitting us to copy family pictures.] |
