Burleigh was an ac­tive re­form­er and mem­ber of the Un­i­tar­i­an de­nom­in­a­tion. In 1837, he went to Pitts­burgh, Penn­syl­van­ia, where, hav­ing been pre­vi­ous­ly ap­pren­ticed in the print­ing trade, he pub­lished the Christ­ian Wit­ness and Tem­per­ance Ban­ner. In 143, he be­came ed­it­or of the Christ­ian Free­man at Hart­ford, Con­nec­ti­cut. From 1849-1855, he was an agent of the New York State Tem­per­ance So­ci­e­ty. From 1855-1870, he was Har­bor­mas­ter in New York Ci­ty.

Burleigh con­trib­ut­ed po­ems and hymns to var­i­ous per­i­od­i­cals and jour­nals. Ma­ny of these were col­lect­ed and pub­lished as Po­ems (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: 1841). This vol­ume was en­larged with ad­di­tion­al piec­es and re­pub­lished by Bur­leigh’s wi­dow in 1871.

Sources

Lyrics

1. Abide Not in the Realm of Dreams
2. Fades from the West the Farewell Light
3. Father, Beneath Thy Sheltering Wing
4. For the Dear Love That Kept Us
   • For the Deep Love That Kept Us
5. From Profoundest Depths of Tribula­tion
6. Lead Us, O Father
7. Not in Vain I Poured My Supplica­tion
8. O Deem Not That Earth’s Crowning Bliss
9. Still Will We Trust
10. There is a Beautiful Land by the Spoiler Untrod
11. They Who Have Kept Their Spirit’s Virgin Whiteness
12. Thou Who Look’st with Pitying Eye
13. Through the Changes of the Day
14. We Ask Not That Our Path Be Always Bright
15. When Gladness Gilds Our Prosperous Day