Aaron Burr (1716 - 1757)

Born 4 Jan 1716 in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Esther (Edwards) Burr — married 29 Jun 1752 in Newark, Essex, New Jersey

Descendants

Died 24 Sep 1757 at age 41 in Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey

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Biography

Aaron Burr Sr. ^[1]

Upon Jonathan Dickinson’s death, the College moved to the Newark parsonage of his friend, Aaron Burr Sr., who was formally elected president a year later in 1748. During the period Burr was Princeton’s president, a curriculum was devised, the student body increased tenfold, and the College’s permanent Princeton home was established. Burr presided over the first Commencement exercises in his Newark Church (November 9, 1748). According to the New York Gazette, the president spoke to the graduating class in Latin, reminding them of “manifold Advantages of the liberal Arts and Sciences … rendering them useful Members of Church and State.” Five members of the class became Presbyterian ministers; the sixth, Richard Stockton, became a lawyer and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Burr served for three years without salary. He filled the offices of both pastor and president until finally, at the request of the church, he was relieved of his pastoral duties to devote himself full time to the College. He drew up the first entrance requirements, the first course of study, and the first set of rules and regulations; in 1756, he led the move to Princeton, into the College’s first building, Nassau Hall, then the largest stone building in the colonies. President Burr occupied Room 1; his successors still do.

Sadly, Aaron Burr Sr. had little opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his endeavors. He died at the age of 41, a year after moving into Nassau Hall. His son, Aaron Burr Jr., graduated from Princeton in 1772 and became the third vice president of the United States.

His grave is at Princeton Cemetery, Princeton where his Memorial has an extensive biography, photos and links to those of his father Daniel his mother Elizabeth his wife Esther Edwards Burr their children Sarah Burr Reeve and Aaron Burr, third United States Vice President

Practicing his Preaching ^[2]

It is a rare combination for a man that he be an effective pastor as well as an effective professor. And yet, Aaron Burr was such a man.

Born on January 4, 1715, Aaron Burr graduated from Yale University in 1735. He was then ordained in the Presbyterian Church of Newark, New Jersey on January 25, 1737. Just four years later, a remarkable revival occurred in the church with the result that the following winter, the entire town was brought under the convicting influences of the Spirit of God. Four years past the previous work of God’s Spirit in the congregation, another revival of religion occurred among the church members, this time, among the young people. Both of these religious awakenings tell us that Aaron Burr was an effective instrument of the Spirit, applying the whole counsel of God to the hearts and minds of the people.

On the death of Jonathan Dickinson, first president of the College of New Jersey, that infant educational institution moved to Newark, New Jersey, to be placed under the direct spiritual oversight of Burr in 1747. For the next seven years, Rev. Burr would serve both as pastor and professor to the people and theological students. In 1755, the pastoral side of his calling was dissolved and the students preparing for ministry had the full attention of his tireless zeal in their training.

It was Aaron Burr who recognized that Princeton, New Jersey, was a more suitable site for the college than Newark. So in 1756, he moved the now seventy students to a building which had been built especially for it. The college, which later on would become Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, would never leave this town.

Burr was certainly an intellectual in his teaching abilities. Yet it was when he was preaching that he shone most brilliantly. His life and example were a constant commentary on his sermons.

Words to Live By: It is said that our lives preach all day every week. Question? Are other souls being helped or hindered in the hearing and reading of those lives? Are those without Christ being convicted and convinced to become Christians? Are Christians being encouraged, comforted, edified, and taught Christian truths? What is our profession—not just of our lips, but of our lives—as we live before others? All these questions are good self-examination questions, especially as we begin this new year.

Through the Scriptures: Genesis 10-11

Through the Standards: The what, how, and why of the Bible, as found in the catechisms:

WLC 3 “What is the word of God? A. The holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience.”;

WSC 2 “What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.”

For further study: The finding aid, or index, to the Aaron Burr manuscript collection preserved at the Princeton University, may be viewed here.

Died 24 SEP 1757 Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, USA ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ The Presidents of Princeton University
2. ↑ This Day in Presbyterian History
3. ↑ Todd, Charles Burr (1902.) A General History of the Burr Family, with a Genealogical Record from 1193 to 1902.

• “Greenfield Hill Church Records, Vol. 1, 1668-1833, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3F-J9FW-M : 11 April 2022), , FHL microfilm 007626803, image 36, Fairfield, Connecticut, Greenfield or Northwest Society and Church, Volume 1, Part III, Page 21.
• Moffat, R. Burnham. Pierrepont Genealogies from Norman times to 1913 (L. Middleditch Company, 1913) Page 51
• Hours at Home, A Popular Monthly (Charles Scribner & Company, 1867) Vol. 5
• Todd,Charles Burr (1902) A General History of the Burr Family in America 4th ed. The Knickerbocker Press, New York. pages Pages 44-53, 143-4] (#46)
• Todd, Charles Burr. A General History of the Burr Family in America with a Genealogical Record from 1193 to 1902. 4th ed. The Knickerbocker Press, New York. page 136 (#46)
• The History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut Page 361
• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College (Holt, 1885) Vol.1, Page 531
• Moffat, R. Burnham. Pierrepont Genealogies from Norman times to 1913 (L. Middleditch Company, 1913) Page 51
• http://www.genealogy.com/famousfolks/aaron-burr/d0/i0000007.htm#i7
• The Princeton & Slavery Project, Aaron Burr, Sr., By Shelby Lohr

• "Aaron Burr Sr. (1716-1757), an influential scholar and religious leader of the colonial period, served as Princeton’s second president from 1748 to 1757. He oversaw the college’s move to its permanent campus in Princeton, and owned slaves while living in the President’s House."