What did elihu burritt do

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Burritt's begins his “Walks in the Black Country and its Green Border-land”, published in 1868, in lyrical praise of this “velvet-bound area of fire and smoke”.

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Elihu Burritt - Birmingham and Black Country Lives

The 19^th century Black Country attracted visitors from home and overseas who marvelled at the extent and diversity of the industries they saw. Many of them also described the diabolical conditions under which men, women and children worked in the mines, mills, forges, and other maunufactories of this vibrant region.

Yet the graphic records of what they saw compare with the writings of Elihu Burritt – the US Consul in Birmingham.

Burritt’s begins his “Walks in the Black Country and its Green Border-land”, published in 1868, in lyrical praise of this “velvet-bound area of fire and smoke”. But subsequent chapters discuss not only the enterprises he saw but record his shock at the conditions experienced by young girls working in the brickyards near Halesowen.

KEYWORDS: Elihu Burritt, Black Country, Industry, People, Oxford Dictionary of Biography, Peter Marsh, Victorian, Birmingham

Burritt was a peace campaigner who was welcomed into the homes of many of the leading thinkers of the age where he was described as “the most re

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Elihu Burritt Papers

Collection

Identifier: SCPC-DG-096

Scope and Contents

The Elihu Burritt Papers consist of correspondence (primarily Burritt's holographs), published writings by and about Burritt, including books, pamphlets and newspaper clippings, photographs, and two serial publications edited by him: Advocate of Peace and Universal Brotherhood (1846) which was edited for the American Peace Society, and Burritt's Citizen of the World (1855-1856).

Burritt's correspondence spans the years of 1841-1878, much of it pertaining to his speaking engagements and publications. Included in his unpublished writings is a typewritten copy of his Last Will and Testament, unsigned, dated November 25, 1878. The Peace Collection holds a miscellany of Burritt's books and pamphlets published between the years of 1846 and 1875. Some are in DG 96; others are in the book collection and are listed on the Tripod computerized catalogue. The Friends Historical Library also has a small amount of correspondence to and from Burritt. The papers also include

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Elihu Burritt 1810-1879

Biography

Elihu Burritt was born in New Britain, Connecticut in 1810, the youngest son among ten children. After his father's death in 1828, he apprenticed himself to a local blacksmith. With the encouragement of his older brother Elijah, Elihu studied mathematics by practicing mental exercises at the forge. Later, Burritt would develop a lifelong love of linguistics. After the financial panic of 1837 ruined his grocery business, Elihu walked to Boston seeking better economic opportunities. While in Boston, he learned about the library of the American Antiquarian Society. Burritt then walked to Worcester from Boston in order to make use of this famous collection.

Burritt went to work for a local forge where he earned $12 per month. It was during this period when his fame as a linguist developed. He offered his services to William Lincoln of Worcester as a translator of German. Impressed by this young man's ability, Mr. Lincoln passed on his letter to Governor Edward Everett who read it before a teachers' institute. During his presentation, the governor g