Rebecca BURGESS

Born

7 February 1815 , Vassalboro, Massachusetts (District of Maine)

Died

19 August 1887 , Caribou, Maine, USA

Parents & Family of Rebecca BURGESS

Explore parents, grandparents, spouses, children, and the family connections surrounding Rebecca BURGESS.

Parents

Father unknownMother unknown

Grandparents

Explore grandparents

Spouse & Children

View family relationships1 recorded relationship(s)

Family Tree

Open family tree View pedigree chart

Born: 7 February 1815 in Vassalboro, Massachusetts (District of Maine)

Father: Unknown

Mother: Unknown

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Rebecca married John Colby WHITTIER 1 September 1835 . The couple had (at least) 1 child.
John Colby WHITTIER was born 18 September 1813 in Palermo, Maine, USA. John Colby died 29 August 1878 in Caribou, Maine, USA.

Rebecca BURGESS died 19 August 1887 in Caribou, Maine, USA.
Details of the family tree of Rebecca appear below.

A Glimpse into the Everyday Life of Mid-19th Century American Women

Spouse & Children of Rebecca BURGESS

Hide Family & Children

Rebecca BURGESS married

John Colby WHITTIER
Marriage date: 1 September 1835
Marriage place:

Children of John Colby WHITTIER and Rebecca BURGESS

Frederick Augustus WHITTIER

Born: 11 March 1846, Thomaston, Maine, USA
Died: 4 May 1934, Caribou, Maine, USA

Married: Hannah Louise NELSON 28 November 1878 Place: Caribou, Maine, USA

Add Life Event

Have another record or photo?
Add a life event, census record, military record, obituary, achievement, or photograph for Rebecca BURGESS.

Life & Records

Photos, life events, and historical records for Rebecca BURGESS.

Hide Life & Records

How to read this timeline
Records about Rebecca BURGESS and family appear alongside historical events from the same years. Each item is labeled so you can quickly tell family records from historical context.

Birth — 1815
7 February 1815
Vassalboro, Massachusetts (District of Maine)

1817 - The bicycle is invented (Baron Karl de Drais de Sauerbrun, Germany)

1817 - James Monroe becomes President of the United States

1824 - Portland cement is invented (Joseph Aspdin, England)

1825 - The locomotive is invented (George Stephenson, England)

1825 - John Quincy Adams becomes President of the United States

1826 - The gas stove is invented (James Sharp, England)

1826 - Former U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both die on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.

1827 - Matches are invented (John Walker, England)

1827 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.

1829 - The sewing machine is invented (Barthélemy Thimonnier, France)

1829 - Andrew Jackson becomes President of the United States

1830 - The Indian Removal Act marks the beginning of the forced relocation of five tribes of native Americans, known as Trail of Tears

1835 Marriage / Partner
Rebecca BURGESS and John Colby WHITTIER 1 September 1835,

She was 20 years old.

1837 - Martin Van Buren becomes President of the United States

1839 - February 24 - Steam shovel patented by William Smith Otis (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

1840 to 1860s - French-Canadian emigration to the United States

From the 1840s through the 1880s, thousands trekked westward, carrying only a few belonging and supplies for the journey, and settling on the western frontier, forever changing the American West.

1841 - William Henry Harrison becomes President of the United States

1841 - John Tyler becomes President of the United States

1843 - The Christmas card is invented (Sir Henry Cole and John Callcott Horsley, England)

Artificial Freezer Patented (Nancy M. Johnson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

1845 - The rubber band is invented (Stephen Perry, England)

The refrigerator is invented (John Gorrie, United States)

1845 - James Knox Polk becomes President of the United States

1846 Birth of Child
Frederick Augustus WHITTIER was born 11 March 1846, Thomaston, Maine, USA

Rebecca was 31 years old.

1849 - The safety pin is invented (Walter Hunt, United States)

1849 - Zachary Taylor becomes President of the United States

1850 - Millard Fillmore becomes President of the United States

1853 - Franklin Pierce becomes President of the United States

1857 - Toilet paper is invented (Joseph Gayetty, United States)

1857 - James Buchanan becomes President of the United States

1857 - March 6 – Dred Scott v. Sandford: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Blacks are not citizens and slaves can not sue for freedom, driving the country further towards the American Civil War.

1858 - March 30 - H. L. Lipman, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, patented the first pencil with eraser

1861 - February 8 – American Civil War: The Confederate States of America are formed, comprising the first six break-away states.

1861 - Abraham Lincoln becomes President of the United States

1863 - January 1 - President Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves.

1863 - October 3 – President Lincoln proclaims a national Thanksgiving day to be celebrated the final Thursday in November in the United States

1863 - November 19 – American Civil War: U. S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

1864 - Pasteurization is invented (Louis Pasteur, France)

April 14, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth at in Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. He died the next day. Andrew Johnson becomes President of the United States.

1868 - The typewriter is invented (Christopher Latham Sholes, United States)

Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.

1869 - Ulysses S. Grant becomes President of the United States

1870 - June 26 - Christmas becomes a Federal holiday in the United States. It was still illegal in some states.

1876 - March 7 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a United States patent for an invention he calls the telephone.

1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes becomes President of the United States

1877 - November 21 - Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound.

1878 Death of Spouse/Partner
John Colby WHITTIER died 29 August 1878, Caribou, Maine, USA

1878 Marriage of Child
Frederick Augustus WHITTIER married 28 November 1878, Caribou, Maine, USA to Hannah Louise NELSON

1879 - Incandescent light bulb is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, United States)

1881 - The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton.

1881 - March 4 - James A. Garfield becomes President of the United States

1881 - July 2 - James A. Garfield was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., at 9:30 am on Saturday, July 2, 1881. He died in Elberon, New Jersey, two months later on September 19, 1881. The shooting occurred less than four months into his term as president. Charles J. Guiteau was convicted of Garfield's murder and executed by hanging one year after the shooting. Chester Arthur becomes President of the United States.

1884 - Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)

The first gravity roller coaster amusement ride (LeMarcus A. Thompson, United States)

1885 - Grover Cleveland becomes President of the United States

1886 - October 28 - Statue of Liberty is Unveiled

Death — 1887
19 August 1887
Caribou, Maine, USA
She died at the age of 72.

RECORD HISTORY

Record added: 10/10/2025 12:39:42 PM
Last updated: 10/10/2025 12:39:54 PM

MORE WAYS TO EXPLORE

Explore Rebecca BURGESS's Family & History

View charts and other tools for this ancestor and family.

Pedigree Chart

Prefer a printed chart?
Large-print blank pedigree chart (6 generations / 64 names)

Family Group Record

Prefer a printed worksheet?
Large-print two-sided family group sheets

The name Maine is probably a practical nautical term which refers to the region being a mainland (separate from the many surrounding islands). Reference to the area as 'Maine' in writing first appeared in 1622. (statesymbolsusa.org)

Prior to 1685 - New England
1686 - 1689 - Dominion of New England
1690 - 1775 - New England
1776 - 1820 - Massachusetts (District of Maine)
March 15, 1820 - Maine becomes 23rd U.S. state

BIRTHPLACE