My Revolutionary War Patriots - Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts

The David Burnham house in Essex, Massachusettsbuilt by Capt. Westley Burnham's grandfather This is the 7th patriot ancestor I have written in this series of blog posts. My 6th great grandfather, Westley Burnham, was born on 17 August 1747 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipsiwch, Massachusetts (now the town of Essex), the son of Westley Burnham (1719 - 1797) and Deborah Story. He was a descendant of Thomas Burnham (about 1623 - 1694) of Norwich, Norfolk England, and his wife Mary Lawrence. On 5 December 1771 he married Molly Woodbury, who was born 29 July 1749 in Beverly, the daughter of Robert Woodbury and Hannah Preston. They had ten children, who all grew to adulthood and were married. Westley, Jr., was a mariner, like most of the men in Chebacco Parish. He worked as a fisherman and as a sailor before his marriage. When the Lexington Alarm came on 19 April 1775 he served in Capt. David Low's 3rd Company, in Colonel Cogswell's regiment (which was a trainband or local militia). In 1776 he…