William George Burgess was born on July 16, 1871 in Hannover, Germany to Georg Fredrich and Christine Caroline Charlotte Gehrke Borges. The seventh of eleven children that would be born from that union, he was one of seven children that would rise to adulthood. Not much is known about the family experiences in Hannover but in September of 1871 the Borges family, with five children and William being but an infant, emigrated to the United States.
The first seven or eight years of William's life was spent in Waverly, Iowa where his father George farmed. In about 1878 the family (now with seven children) located to new land in Mount Ayr Township in Osborne County, Kansas. This was not to last long as in 1880 William's mother Charlotte died, probably while in childbirth. William's father George had had enough of farming and Kansas with that devastating event and soon the family would locate again - to St. Joseph, Missouri.
On November 13, 1893 a 22 year old William George Burgess (the name had been Anglicized) would marry a 16 year old Ida Belle Lee. Not much is known of the history of Ida Belle. She, like William, lived in the community of South St. Joseph. This was a community closely associated with the nearby stockyards and rail shipment. Five children would be born by this union, with only Mamie and George surviving to adulthood.
George was employed as a "Miller" in the 1900 census. Those next few years must have been rough as two daughters were born, with both passing as infants. And then tragically, in 1904, Ida Belle would die also.
In about 1905 William took on a whole new line of business - that of a saloon owner. A picture taken in about 1905 shows the "Burgess Saloon" in South St. Joseph. That occupation evidently kept with William at least until Prohibition for in the 1910 census he was listed as a "bartender" and in the 1920 census he was a bartender at his brother-in-law's (Alvin Hines) saloon.
In 1908 William would marry a second time, to Mary Cook McSparren, a recent widow. This union would last until 1925 with Mary's death.
From census evidence the Burgess family was close to one another. William and his sisters all lived their lives in South St. Joseph. Only their brother Henry would leave the area, moving to Waterloo, Iowa. In later years William and his sister Minnie (Hines) would share a home, also in South Saint Joseph.
William died on May 6, 1949 at the age of 77 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery in St. Joseph.
The first seven or eight years of William's life was spent in Waverly, Iowa where his father George farmed. In about 1878 the family (now with seven children) located to new land in Mount Ayr Township in Osborne County, Kansas. This was not to last long as in 1880 William's mother Charlotte died, probably while in childbirth. William's father George had had enough of farming and Kansas with that devastating event and soon the family would locate again - to St. Joseph, Missouri.
On November 13, 1893 a 22 year old William George Burgess (the name had been Anglicized) would marry a 16 year old Ida Belle Lee. Not much is known of the history of Ida Belle. She, like William, lived in the community of South St. Joseph. This was a community closely associated with the nearby stockyards and rail shipment. Five children would be born by this union, with only Mamie and George surviving to adulthood.
George was employed as a "Miller" in the 1900 census. Those next few years must have been rough as two daughters were born, with both passing as infants. And then tragically, in 1904, Ida Belle would die also.
In about 1905 William took on a whole new line of business - that of a saloon owner. A picture taken in about 1905 shows the "Burgess Saloon" in South St. Joseph. That occupation evidently kept with William at least until Prohibition for in the 1910 census he was listed as a "bartender" and in the 1920 census he was a bartender at his brother-in-law's (Alvin Hines) saloon.
In 1908 William would marry a second time, to Mary Cook McSparren, a recent widow. This union would last until 1925 with Mary's death.
From census evidence the Burgess family was close to one another. William and his sisters all lived their lives in South St. Joseph. Only their brother Henry would leave the area, moving to Waterloo, Iowa. In later years William and his sister Minnie (Hines) would share a home, also in South Saint Joseph.
William died on May 6, 1949 at the age of 77 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery in St. Joseph.
William George Burgess was born on July 16, 1871 in Hannover, Germany to Georg Fredrich and Christine Caroline Charlotte Gehrke Borges. The seventh of eleven children that would be born from that union, he was one of seven children that would rise to adulthood. Not much is known about the family experiences in Hannover but in September of 1871 the Borges family, with five children and William being but an infant, emigrated to the United States.
The first seven or eight years of William's life was spent in Waverly, Iowa where his father George farmed. In about 1878 the family (now with seven children) located to new land in Mount Ayr Township in Osborne County, Kansas. This was not to last long as in 1880 William's mother Charlotte died, probably while in childbirth. William's father George had had enough of farming and Kansas with that devastating event and soon the family would locate again - to St. Joseph, Missouri.
On November 13, 1893 a 22 year old William George Burgess (the name had been Anglicized) would marry a 16 year old Ida Belle Lee. Not much is known of the history of Ida Belle. She, like William, lived in the community of South St. Joseph. This was a community closely associated with the nearby stockyards and rail shipment. Five children would be born by this union, with only Mamie and George surviving to adulthood.
George was employed as a "Miller" in the 1900 census. Those next few years must have been rough as two daughters were born, with both passing as infants. And then tragically, in 1904, Ida Belle would die also.
In about 1905 William took on a whole new line of business - that of a saloon owner. A picture taken in about 1905 shows the "Burgess Saloon" in South St. Joseph. That occupation evidently kept with William at least until Prohibition for in the 1910 census he was listed as a "bartender" and in the 1920 census he was a bartender at his brother-in-law's (Alvin Hines) saloon.
In 1908 William would marry a second time, to Mary Cook McSparren, a recent widow. This union would last until 1925 with Mary's death.
From census evidence the Burgess family was close to one another. William and his sisters all lived their lives in South St. Joseph. Only their brother Henry would leave the area, moving to Waterloo, Iowa. In later years William and his sister Minnie (Hines) would share a home, also in South Saint Joseph.
William died on May 6, 1949 at the age of 77 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery in St. Joseph.
The first seven or eight years of William's life was spent in Waverly, Iowa where his father George farmed. In about 1878 the family (now with seven children) located to new land in Mount Ayr Township in Osborne County, Kansas. This was not to last long as in 1880 William's mother Charlotte died, probably while in childbirth. William's father George had had enough of farming and Kansas with that devastating event and soon the family would locate again - to St. Joseph, Missouri.
On November 13, 1893 a 22 year old William George Burgess (the name had been Anglicized) would marry a 16 year old Ida Belle Lee. Not much is known of the history of Ida Belle. She, like William, lived in the community of South St. Joseph. This was a community closely associated with the nearby stockyards and rail shipment. Five children would be born by this union, with only Mamie and George surviving to adulthood.
George was employed as a "Miller" in the 1900 census. Those next few years must have been rough as two daughters were born, with both passing as infants. And then tragically, in 1904, Ida Belle would die also.
In about 1905 William took on a whole new line of business - that of a saloon owner. A picture taken in about 1905 shows the "Burgess Saloon" in South St. Joseph. That occupation evidently kept with William at least until Prohibition for in the 1910 census he was listed as a "bartender" and in the 1920 census he was a bartender at his brother-in-law's (Alvin Hines) saloon.
In 1908 William would marry a second time, to Mary Cook McSparren, a recent widow. This union would last until 1925 with Mary's death.
From census evidence the Burgess family was close to one another. William and his sisters all lived their lives in South St. Joseph. Only their brother Henry would leave the area, moving to Waterloo, Iowa. In later years William and his sister Minnie (Hines) would share a home, also in South Saint Joseph.
William died on May 6, 1949 at the age of 77 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery in St. Joseph.
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