George Burgess (1829-1905)

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George Burgess who visited America three times not only compiled his own scrapbook but he also wrote his own diary, poems, his religious thoughts and at least two books on Phrenology. In his diary he wrote about his life and his family; his children, parents and his grandfather (John Willis, a farmer at `The Batch', Hanham, near Bristol).

Biography
GEORGE BURGESS, the 3rd son of John Burgess (1789-1844) and Jane Willis (1788-1860) was born at 1am on 12th June 1829, in an old house above the railway tunnel near what is now known as Acacia Road, Staple Hill, Bristol; he was christened on the 7th July. Below is an artist impression of how the railway tunnel may have looked in his day. Today, it's used as a cycle track; following its closer as part of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. George Burgess was born in a house with 1 acre and 8 parsecs of garden and orchards. This was set behind another house with gardens that was near the edge of the tunnel entrance. In 1844, when the council survey was started the house and grounds were referred to as `Plot 879' and was owned by his father John Burgess (a collier). His father also owned `Plot 859' a house and gardens situated nearby at the end of what is now Acacia Road, by Staple Hill High Street.

However, before the survey was completed, John Burgess had died and the name of ownership was transferred to his eldest child Ann Sperring, under her maiden name (Burgess), even though she'd been married for about five years. At this time (1845) `Plot 879' would have been occupied by Jane Burgess as Housekeeper, mother and widow; her three children including Ann Sperring; son-in-law George Sperring; and grandchildren (children of Ann George Sperring).

When George Burgess was about 16 his brother-in-law, George Sperring, persuaded him to go to Baltimore, Maryland, America, a `Slave State', to continue their apprenticeship in stone cutting. George Sperring died there and a white marble headstone was placed over his grave in Baltimore Cemetery. George Burgess went on to finished his apprenticeship in Philadelphia, a `Free State', bordering Maryland. By the age of 20 he had developed most of his religious, political and personal views e.g abstaining from alcoholic drink. while still in America George started a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings which he maintained for life; and in it he naturally put articles which he found of interest covering a wide range of subjects including family health and eduction; politics and history; society; poetry; religion; science and nature; humour, and teetotalism/drink. In his diary he wrote that he "left school a poor scholer" however he became a porlific writer. For many years he hand-copied articles of interest to him such as `Mary Sewell's `Mothers Last Words'; and later in life did a lot of his own writings including his religious thoughts; diary and poems; and at least two books on Phrenology.

George made many friends in America, including Mrs C M Middleton; they stayed good friends and kept in touch for the rest of their lives. Long after he returned to England she sent him a photograph of herself, and her son Dick Middleton. George also named his second daughter, Catherine Middleton Burgess (born 1872), after Mrs C M Middleton, and in 1884 dedicated a poem to her entitled `The Days Gone Bye'.

George returned to England three times to see his mother, the third and last time being Christmas 1857; when he vowed not to return to America while she was alive. He never did return and ever regretted it.

On 8 March 1858 he married Mary Crouch (1836-1862), who was about 21/22 years old. He was happy with his wife, but her mother and sister (Annie) bought only sorrow into the family and was cruel to his aged mother. The following year, they had a son (George William Burgess) who died at 10 months old and was buried in Manchester on the 21st July 1859. Only four years after their marriage his wife died, and she was buried on 27th July in the Downend/Mangotsfield parish.

George had a second son by his first marriage, Samuel Edward Burgess (aka Eddie), but he never once mentioned this son in any of his writings, even though Eddie lived with the family for many years. The speculation being that Eddie, like his grandmother, had a cruel streak to his nature. However, Samuel Burgess (aks Eddie) appears in the census records and the family bible which is now with relatives in Australia, and Eddie's sister-in-law Gertrude Rosa Burgess talked about him at great length to her granddaughter (Grace Baglin) as part of the many family stories about her life that she passed down. One such story told to Grace by Gertrude is that while working in Bristol, George had his hat stolen. Apparently he followed the offender until he caught up with him, and confronted the thief. George then apparently said, "If you need that had so badly that you have to steal it, you need it more than I do", with that George turned and walked away.

In January 1861 George Burgess set himself up as a Phrenologist in the Shopping Arcades in Bristol. According to the Bristol Directory of the time his business addresses are as shown in the follow table. Only the Lower Arcade survives today, and is part of a modern and flourishing inner city shopping centre; the Upper Arcade being destroyed in the Blitz during the 2nd World War.

George Burgess was a widower for nine years, and then on 28th Jun 1870, just after his 41st birthday, he married Eliza Knight (1844-1878), of Weston-Super-Mare. When his first two daughters were born, between the spring of 1871 and the end of 1872 they were living at Elicar Villa, Berkely Road, Horfield, Bristol. According to the census records of 1871 they had a servant, Hannah Bickley, unmarried, aged 24 years, and from Ireland. By the time his fourth daughter was born, at the end of 1875, they were living at South View, Latteridge, near Iron Action, Gloucestershire. His second wife died at Yatton, Somerset, on 2 December 1878.

While his daughters were growing up they stayed at Latteridge, Iron Action. However, in 1900, he moved back to 106 Egerton Road, Horfield, Bristol. The following year he had to retire from his profession because of his deafness; which had been plaguing him since the age of 42. Then, in 1902 he moved back to Latteridge, but by 1903 was trying to move nearer to Bristol again. During the whole of his life he never once saw a doctor; in his scrapbook are newspaper articles about doctors doing more harm than good!

He died at age 76 in 1905.