Bradley Benedict Burt was a prominent local attorney and amateur historian from Oswego, New York.

Bradley Benedict Burt, second child of George Washing Burt and Amelia Benedict was born in Oswego (then Hannibal) on November 19, 1814. His father came to Oswego in 1803 with his parents Daniel and Martha Burt and brothers Joel, James, Bradner and Benjamin. His family became very active in town affairs and played a large role in the development of Oswego. On Aug. 1, 1803, Joel was made 1st collector of the port of Oswego and on Oct. 7, 1896, the 1st postmaster. William, who arrived after his parents, was the 1st justice of the peace in the town of Scribe and also one of the Deacons of the First Baptists Church there. Bradner erected the 1st sawmill in the present limits of the city of Oswego. George (Bradley’s father) became a trustee of the village of Oswego and overseer of the poor.

After being educated in the common schools of Oswego, Bradley traveled to Utica in the 1830’s where he undertook the study of law with Kirkland and Bacon. Upon his admittance to the bar on July 14, 1837 he returned to Oswego and began his practice. On March 1, 1840 he became a member of the Law Firm of Grant, Allen and Burt until 1844 when he moved to New York City to become the law partner of Wm. Curtis Noyes. Wm. Curtis Noyes had become Bradley’s brother-in-law in 1843 when Bradley married Artemisa Noyes. In May of 1847 he returned to Oswego and continued his practice until 1894. Some important dates in his law career were: In 1837 he was admitted to practice as an attorney in the Supreme Court, July 15, 1837 he became solicitor in the court of the U.S. District Court for the northern district of N.Y. He became counselor of the Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 1841. Also in Jan. 1841 he became counselor for the Court of Chancery. On July 21, 1842 he became counselor and advocate in the Circuit Court of the U.S. for the northern district of NY. In 1844, June 25, he was admitted to practice as counselor and attorney in the superior court of the city of New York, in the court of common pleas in this city and also the county of New York.

Following in the footsteps of his family he became involved in Oswego’s affairs. In 1863 he was elected supervisor of the 1st and 3rd wards. During the Civil War he served on a committee to assist the treasury in paying volunteers a bounty of $300. His historical interests became apparent when he helped found as was elected president of the Old Settlers Association of Oswego in 1875. He held that office until 1885. In his speech at the fifth annual reunion of this society (folder 2-7) he stresses the need to preserve history.

In 1876, he was appointed fire commissioner and served for nine years as president of the board of fire commissioners. Other positions he held were member of the New York State Bar Association, member of the New York Executive Committee and member of the Committee on Legal Biography.

To provide relief from the pressures of his law practice, Bradley took up the study of history and the tracing of genealogies. His own family genealogy goes back to Henry Burt who settled Roxbury Mass from England in 1640. This genealogy was published in 1893 by Clark Byron Co., in a book called Henry Burt of Springfield, 1640. Though it was written by Henry M. Burt and Silas W. Burt, Bradley contributed much information.

His association with various historical societies such as The Oneida Historical Society, The Rochester Historical Society and The Pioneer Association of Central New York, lead him to meet various men such as Capt. James Van Cleve, (whose book Reminiscence of Early Steamships of Lake Ontario, is kept at the Oswego City Hall), Rev. S. Brace, S.H. Townsend, Rev. W. Beauchamp and O.H. Marshall (located in the Marshall Collection at the archives at Oswego are letters written by Burt to Marshall). In the correspondence section of this collection are various letters from these men to Burt. One major topic they discussed was the question of where LaSalle built the Griffon.

By 1896, Bradley has become a recognized authority on the history of Oswego. In the 1880’s Justin Windsor went to Burt for information for his History of America. In much of the correspondence from Van Cleve to Burt, he asks for information relating to Oswego. And finally in 1896 when there was a big debate of just when the British left Oswego, the centennial committee turned to Burt for the answer. He had in his possession a letter that gave the exact date as being July 15, 1796.

When Bradley B. Burt died on July 27, 1898 he left four children, three sons and one daughter, Henry D.W. Burt, George Noyes Burt, William B. Burt and Martha Noyes Burt Stone.