Burwell-Clark-Glenny Family Fonds, 1817-1878, n.d.

Cameron, Chantal

Burwell-Clark-Glenny Family Fonds, 1817-1878, n.d.

Files

Burwell-Clark-Glenny family fonds RG 668.pdf (209.74 KB)

Date

2018-12-14

Authors

Cameron, Chantal

Abstract

Fonds consists of materials relating to the Burwell, Clark and Glenny families of Buffalo, New York. Most of the material is correspondence, with some land documents, manuscripts and genealogical information. One of the more notable items is a letter describing the events around Navy Island during the aftermath of William Lyon McKenzie’s failed rebellion in Upper Canada, when the rebels retreated to Navy Island in the Niagara River. One of the manuscripts included is a travel log describing the writer’s attendance at the Free Soil convention in Buffalo in 1848. He describes in detail his travels, including a two-page account of his trip to Niagara Falls. Other letters describe the growth and development of Buffalo, comment on events of the American Civil War, and provide commentary on the Franco-Prussian War.

Description

John Whipple Clark (1799-1872) was born in the Village of Newport, Herkimer County, New York. He graduated from Fairfield Medical College in 1822 and moved to Buffalo the following year. In addition to practicing as a doctor, Clark was also a businessman and public servant, serving as a village trustee and alderman. He became partners with Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, but left the practice in order to work in the real estate business full time. He became prosperous but lost his fortune in the Panic of 1837. He never married. Clark’s sister Ann married Dr. Bryant Burwell (1796-1861) in 1817 and the couple resided in Buffalo, where Burwell formed a partnership with Dr. Cyrenius Chapin after the departure of John Whipple Clark. They had three children, George N. Burwell, Esther A. Burwell Glenny (who married William Henry Glenny, Sr.) and Anna C. Burwell Rathbone. The Burwells also suffered significant financial losses in the Panic of 1837, and Bryant struggled to support his family with his medical practice. After the death of his wife Ann and his financial losses, Bryant became depressed, but improved after marrying Mary Cleary in 1844. He gradually withdrew from his medical practice and brought in his son George, a recent medical school graduate. His depression returned in the 1850s and he died in 1861, after a general decline in health. Esther Burwell, the daughter of Bryant Burwell and Ann Clark, married William H. Glenny (1818-1882). Glenny was an immigrant from Ireland who came to Buffalo in 1836. In 1840 he founded a small crockery store, which grew to become a leading importer of fine china, glass and other merchandise. In 1877, Glenny hired renowned architect Richard A. Waite to design a new store on Main Street in Buffalo, which became known as “Glenny Block”. The couple had several children, including Bryant, John, George, and William.