BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Hiram Burnett
 
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BIOGRAPHY OF THE REVEREND HIRAM BURNETT

Burnett, Hiram, Rev., better known as "Father Burnett", was born in
Georgia, Feb. 19, 1799; in his infancy his parents moved to East Tennessee;
when he was ten years of age, they removed to Ohio, fifty miles east of
Cincinnati; his father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died soon
after his return from the war, leaving a wife and six children, of whom
Hiram was the oldest, and he had to provide for the support of his mother
and family; they removed to Highland County, Ohio, where on the 7th of
June, 1821, he married Miss Ann Hixson, a native of Virginia; four years
after his marriage, in 1825, he was converted, and very soon after, began
preparing himself to preach the Gospel; he soon began preacahing from house
to house; four years after his conversion, he was licensed to preach, and
the year following was ordained minister of the Gospel in the Baptist
Church; for fifteen years, it is doubtful if there was a single Sabbath
that he did not preach one or more times, and during that time baptized
over six hundred persons; four years of that time, he preached on an
average one sermon every day. They came to Iowa by wagon, and arrived in
Mt. Pleasant Oct 1, 1842, among the early settlers; in Feb 1843, he
established the Baptist Church here; it was organized at his own house with
eight members; he was the father of the Church, and served as its Pastor
for many years. He bought the place where he now lives, and moved there
April 10, 1843, and began holding meetings in his own house; he has been
Pastor of several churches, and actively engaged in preaching until within
a few years past; he has now reached his fourscore years, and has spent a
long life of great usefulness to the Church and to his fellow-men. Father
Burnett and his wife, have been married over fifty-seven years; they have
two children living- David L., of Washington D.C., in the Government Poast
Office Department, and William H., of Washington D.C., in the War
Department; they have lost one son - Joseph.

Source: "Directory of Henry County, Iowa", in "History of Henry County,
Iowa", published 1879.