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Note: HI24402
Note: (Research):Notes by Geoffrey Thompson
Arthur Ingram Boreman (July 24, 1823 � April 19, 1896) was the first governor of the U.S. state of West Virginia. He served as governor of West Virginia from 1863 to 1869 and U.S. Senator from 1869 to 1875.
Birth Index for Wood County Births 1853-1856 BURDIT, Arthur B. 4/17/1857 John W. & Margaret Burdit
Living in Grant District, Jackson Co., WV according to the 1880 U.S. Census. He was married to Mary and had one son.
1920 U.S. Census lists his occupation as a maker and seller of a "salve remedy". When I was younger, Grandmother Hazelle (Burdette) Weiss showed me the recipe for the remedy and she also showed me a great number of testimonials from individuals who used the remedy with success. One that I remember clearly, was of a young man who was burned very badly; after using the remedy there was not very much scar formation and most of the people involved with his recuperation were generally impressed.
Arthur Boreman Burdette appears in several family photographs with a lapel pin on his coat that depicts a shield with 3 chain links. The most widely encountered symbol of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, I.O.O.F., is the three-link chain. ************************************
BURDETTE'S GREEN SALVE
A Short History A little over a hundred years ago, my grandfather, Arthur Boreman Burdette, and my father, Charles Alexander Burdette, moved from West-by-God Virginny to Tampa, Florida. Granddaddy had been given a secret formula for a magical salve for treating animals' cuts, bites, canker, scratches, raw teats, etc. by an old Indian medicine-man, according to the story. He aimed to use the formula to establish himself and his son in Florida and not through the then-popular medicine show circuit.
Granddaddy took the salve, which he called "Burdette's Green Salve" to the City of Tampa and got a contract to provide the Tampa Livery Stables with a supply of the salve. The Livery folks were pleased with the results of the salve and granddaddy created "Burdette Chemical Company" and developed the idea that his salve could also be used to treat humans who suffered from cuts, old sores, tetter, burns, bruises, sprains, stings, nail wounds, dog bites, boils, piles, abrasions and any other malady of the skin � even acne. They expanded the business to manufacture "Burdette's Magic Liniment" and "Burdette's Sure-Shot" for mosquitoes, ants, bed bugs, roaches, flies and all insects.
Their venture was a success and A.B. and Charlie Burdette created a fairly thriving business. Testimonials of the salve's healing capability poured in � even a rattlesnake bite victim bothered to write grandpa and tell him how the salve saved his life by "drawing out" the poison from the bite. The salve was powerful enough, also, to draw the "head" out of a boil. The salve was also advertised as "An Excellent Remedy � for galls, kicks, wire cuts, raw sores, nail in foot, calk, foundered feet, swellings, bruises, sprains, scratches, old sores, mud fever, etc." Regardless, the healing qualities of the salve are well documented.
A.B. died in 1922 and Charlie continued to sell the products, except on a smaller scale. The Big Depression of the 1930s caused sales to diminish considerably and Charlie made the products only as needed. Charlie died in 1951 and with him died the formulas for the products, we thought.
A couple of years ago, I stumbled across the formula for Burdette's Green Salve among an old leather briefcase containing countless testimonials dating to the early 1900s. I decided to give the formula a try and was successful in creating the salve. Although the salve is not the green color I remember and for which it was named (I think I put a little too much crystal Iodine in it), the qualities of the Burdette's Green Salve have been duplicated.
The ingredients are: Hog Lard, Kidney Tallow, Bee's Wax, Paraffin, Turpentine, Oil of Oregano, Neatsfoot Oil, Salicylic Acid, Rosin, Crystal Iodine, Oil of Sassafras.
I hope you never contract galls, mud fever, or calk.
David Linhart Burdette
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