Burroughs became the longest serving Clerk of the Circuit Court for Princess Anne County, Virginia in its history.
In 1821 he assumed the Clerkship upon the death of the incumbent clerk, remaining in this position until he was removed by the order of Union General Early in May 1869.
Burroughs was considered a progressive for his day, and was active in the efforts of the American Colonization Society to assist former slaves from Virginia to voluntarily resettle in the new nation of Liberia, in West Africa.
In recognition of his important role in Princess Anne County history, Mr. Burroughs' portrait hangs on the wall within the modern Virginia Beach Municipal Center.
Samuel Bassett French (1820–1898), attorney, judge, Confederate officer, editor, and public servant, was a Norfolk native who resided in Richmond and Chesterfield County.