Burch, William S. (Birch)

Born: 1810-1814 Kentucky

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Alternate name: Birch

From 1837 to 1838, Burch was in partnership with Foley Vaughn, operating a grocery and dry-goods store and selling wholesale iron in Springfield, Illinois. In 1838, he married Frances A. Thomas. Sometime between 1840 and 1850, Burch moved his family to Beardstown, Illinois, where he was a clerk. By 1850, he had moved back to Springfield, where he was employed at the mercantile store Hurst & Taylor. By 1860, Burch lived in Abraham Lincoln's neighborhood, worked as a clerk, and owned $2,000 worth of real estate.

Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 1 July 1837, 3:4, 17 November 1838, 1:4; Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 5 June 1851, 3:1; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Sangamon County, 15 November 1838, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Sixth Census of the United States (1840), Sangamon County, IL, 10; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Cass County, IL, 82; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Sangamon County, IL, 140.