BOURNE, SYLVANUS

Sylvanus Bourne was born in Wareham, MA on March 3, 1797. He was a civil engineer and surveyor; working in both Plymouth County, MA, and much of the Ohio territory.

When he was 19, he journeyed to Ohio where his brother Alexander had gone before him. His letters home were preserved, in Ms. Dykes' History of Richard Bourne, and were used to form a biographical story in "The Narrow Land."

His letters mention traveling west by stagecoach. He found the fare-8 cents per mile-to be quite high, and mentioned that the company he was keeping on the journey were interesting, but "rude and profane." He got to Chillicothe, Ohio on June 24, 1816, to the quarters where his brother Alexander had been staying. Alexander had gone on to Sandusky; Sylvanus inquired whether there was work also for him. There was. Sylvanus "took to making towns." He mentions that he had to change his money in Philadelphia for "western bills".

He returned to Wareham in June 1821. While out west, he contracted a fever that made him very sick-even his hands were sick. He stayed in Ohio and partook of the medical care that was available to him there, and recovered, but his illness had cost him his job. Back home, he earned a reputation as a quick study and a lover of knowledge to the end of his days-at the age of 50, when his daughter Lucretia had begun the study of the French language, he studied with her, and became literate in French.

Ms. Dykes tells of some of the treasures to be found in the Bourne house, including a gun that was given to a John Bourne by Gen. Ethan Allen. In a letter to his brother Alexander, Sylvanus says,

"I have got old king's arm fixed with a percussion lock, killed three birds and hit some few marks and frightened one Penguin (?)…she performs well."

He had a stroke in 1858, but kept a keen mind. He studied math, astronomy, and began genealogy work for the remaining three years of his life. He died May 18, 1861 Next..treasures in old letters