Thomas Burdick (1796-1877)

Conversion to Mormonism
Gideon Burdick and his family lived in the Chautauqua, New York area. From references in the Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine: "At the outlet of Lake Chautauqua, near Buffalo...the gospel message was brought,,, Gideon Burdick and family were baptized in June 1833. In November they joined the body of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio.

It seems that the religious fervor shown by Alden, his father, and earlier ancestors was a family affair, for his older brother Thomas was called as a clerk and later as a bishop. His brother Elias died in Pleasant Grove, Utah and thus also may be assumed to have been a member.

Ancestry
Thomas Burdick was the son of Gideon Burdick and his wife Catherine Robertson. Gideon Burdick was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. There has always been a great tradition of patriotism in this family. The Burdick family has been in America since about 1650. There is also a history of Burdick ancestors searching for religious truth in earlier generations. Alden's ancestors were founding members of the Seventh-day Baptist Church (or Sabbatarians) in Newport Rhode Island and Westerly, Rhode Island, approximately between 1665 and 1671.