Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Matthew Wallace

Albert Wallace Cabin

"Sae rantingly, sae wantingly and sae dauntingly gaed he

He played a tune and he danced around below the gallows tree

Take off these bands from off my hands
And give to me a sword
For there's not a man in all Scotland
But I'd brave him at his word

There's some come here for to see me hung
And some to buy my fiddle
But before that I do part with her
I'll break her through the middle

He took his fiddle in both of his hands
And he broke it o'er a stone
Saying "There's nae ither hand shall play on thee
When I am dead and gone"

-from McPherson's Lament - an old Scottish ballad brought to America

Withe the Wallace's I return to my Mecklenburg County, NC,  Hornets's nest Scottish roots. But it didn't begin there, oh no, it did not begin there.

The fates of the Wallace's and Alexanders were inveritably tied. In The History of the Rock Presbyterian Church; Samuel Davies Alexander; Princeton College During the Eighteen Century, (New York 1872) Sameul Alexander explains "Joseph McKnitt Alexander was for a time in great danger from the influence of French infidelity, which was then prevelent.....but the truth triumphed and in the meridian of life he became a worshipper of the God of his fathers,"

James Wallace acquired a 238-acre parcel on the waters of Coddle Creek in Mecklenburg County from Henry Eustice McColloch on March 16, 1765. The former name should be familiar to anyone who has perused the oldest deeds from the southern Piedmont area of North Carolina. Before the descendants of Matthew Wallace arrived in North Carolina, they had settled for a while in Cecil County, Maryland, and prior to that, had been in Ireland, but they were not Irish, they had escaped persecution in Scotland before that. I come from a line of Mathias "Matthew" Wallace's. 

Mathew Mathias Wallace the First was born February 5th, 1638, in Raphoe, Ulster, Donegal, Ireland. He died in 1716, Manokin, Somerset County, Maryland, the Immigrant ancestor. His wife's name was Elizabeth Alexander.

Matthew Mathias Wallace the Second was born about 1672 in Cecil County, Maryland. He married Sarah Alexander, He died on May 3, 1751, in Manokin, Somerset, Maryland.

Manokin Presbyterian Church, Somerset Maryland

Both of these first generations of Matthew's were buried at the historic Manokin Presbyterian Church Cemetery. When had they arrived in Maryland?

From "Cecil County History" by George Johnston, 1881, and church records and history of "Head of the Christiana" and the Rock (first two Presbyterian churches in the area), chapter XI of county history described the history of "the New Munster Hundred," and how the patent was originally issued to Edwin O'Dwire and 15 other Irishmen but not settled right away. It passed through several hands and was partly broken up. One part passed to Robert Roberts who on April 1, 1714, sold nearly 3,000 acres, a part was east of "the Big Elk" to Thomas Stephenson of Bucks County, PA. on 18th May 1714, Stephenson sold the tract east of the Big Elk containing upwards of 1100 acres to Mathias Wallace, James Alexander, farmer; Arthur Alexander, farmer; David Alexander, weaver; and Joseph Alexander, tanner. Johnston said this group was already upon another part of the New Munster Hundred 'for many years prior,' indicating that this purchase was simply added to their existing holdings. Johnston went on to say that "undoubtedly" Mathias Wallace was a relative of Andrew Wallace, one of the three original elders of "the Head of the Christiana" Presbyterian church, whose congregation was founded in 1709. The church history stated that Andrew Wallace arrived with brothers William and John in about 1707 or 1708. William also was a co-founder of the two sister churches, "Head of the Christiana" and further northward, including persons on the northern part of the New Munster Hundred, "the Rock." Johnston stated that the founders of the churches had arrived at Newcastle and come to the New Munster Hundred along with others from Newcastle. John Wallace, brother to Andrew and William, went back to Ireland. William and Andrew stayed and had children who were in Cecil, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Andrew Wallace's gravestone, a large slab with inscription, is still in the the Head of the Christiana cemetery near what is now Newark, Delaware but was once part of the New Munster Hundred and Cecil County, Maryland. Andrew Wallace died ye 3rd of March 1751 aged 79 years. His wife was named Eleanor. David Alexander was another of the three elders and Alexander graves (some stones still legible) are also in this cemetery. His will did not list all of his chlldren, only the youngest of his sons, for instance. However, other records in the prerogative court indicate other sons, including an Adam who died in 1735 in Cecil County, in his will written in 1733, and proved in 1735, the abstract states that his next of kin were Andrew Wallace (identified in records as his father) and James Wallace, and the administratrix of his will was to be his sister, Margaret Wallace. Adam made his first land purchases in Cecil County in 1713, first a small parcel of 22 acres unnamed, and then on 10 December 1713, a 500-acre parcel named "Castle Fine." He continued to buy land, 2 more parcels in 1723 and a last parcel of 200 acres called Kirkminster, (from Mathew Wallace?), who was originally of Somerset County, on 13 August 1731. Mathew Wallace, himself had moved to Cecil County in 1731, and owned two tracts of land, one of which he sold to Adam, as mentioned. Mathew's other tract was called "Wallace's Serocole" 378 acres deed dated 26 November 1731. A prior (?) Mathew Wallace patented a tract in Somerset County, Maryland called "Kirkminster," 200 acres on 29 May 1689.

The above-named Matthew Wallace's were my 8th and 9th Great Grandfathers. Sarah Alexander Wallace. my 8th Great Grandmother, was born August 28, 1680, in Pocomoke, Somerset, Maryland and died in Frederick, Frederic, Maryland on May 3, 1751. She was the daughter of a Samuel Alexander and wife, Mary Taylor, and they were not my only Alexander line, and certainly not my only Taylor. The Alexanders and Wallace were woven together like plaid. 

Clan Wallace

Clan Alexander

The arrival to the area of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where this interwoven band of Scotts would plant roots, was not in a straight line, of course. They had first arrived at Northampton County, Virginia, not after settling in Maryland, but before. Having belonged to a group of Nonconformists (Presbyterians, Calvinists etc.) and having been driven from Scotland to Ireland by the British, and then strongly influenced to remove to the American Colonies, the group was forbidden to preach, either publicly or privately, in Northampton. Facing banishment from Virginia, the group, including my Taylor, Wallace and Alexander ancestors, looked to Maryland. Lord Baltimore of Maryland had granted religious tolerance so the band of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, which in addition to the Wallace's' and forgoing families, also included the names of Brevard, Harris, Steele, Davidson, McKnitt and Polk. They settled along the eastern shore of Maryland in Somerset County, their home, and stationed themselves upon the site of an abandoned Indigenous village that had been ravaged by Smallpox. Soon, the groups, along with English Congregationalists, would spread out along the Manokin, Pomoke, and Wiccomicco Rivers. There upon arrives Rev. Francis McKemie.

I have previously mentioned the hallowed Rev. McKemie in my recent post on Rev. John McKemie Wilson, an indirect relative or Francis, and a Presbyterian minister, and Professor, in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Burke Counties, who is a 4th Great Grandfather of mine. Rev. Francis McKemie was sent from missionary work in Barbados to establish the first Presbyterian Church on American soil, in Somerset and another in Annamessix.

Samuel Alexander, the father-in-law of Matthew Wallace II, had first settled in Somerset along the Pomoke, removed in 1723 to Cecil County and established two plantations called Sligo and Bullen's Range, near the mouth of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. He was an Elder the same year of the Broad Creek Presbyterian Congregation. Samuel and his wife, Mary Taylor, daughter of George and Comfort Anderson Taylor, are also 9th Great Grandparents of mine, with the Taylors being my 10th. Samuel Alexander also established a third plantation he named Hispania. His Will is dated March 29, 1727.

Matthew Wallace II was the second of the seven children of Matthew Sr. and wife Elizabeth Alexander the other were:

 Catherine, who married William Alexander Jr. in Somerset,

Matthew, of course, who married Sarah Alexander in same, and later, Johannah Wallace in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1762, after the death of Sarah,

Jane, who married John McKnitt Sr. in Manokin, Somerset, 

Ezekiah, who married Ludia Knox in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 

Dorothy, who married John McKnit Jr., at Manokin Hundred in Somerset, Maryland, 

James, who married Sarah McKnitt in Sassafras, Cecil County, Maryland and

John, who married Sarah Newman in Sassafras, Cecil County, Maryland.

Matthew and Sarah Alexander Wallace, themselves, would have eight children, and possibly a few more. Most of their sons, and at least one daughter, my line, Catherine Wallace, who married Theophilus Alexander, were among that group of their generation who would relocate from the Eastern shore of Maryland, to what became Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in the mid 18th Century, joining a greater Scotch Irish flow out of Maryland. Yes, another Alexander. I feel so inbred, it's embarrassing. I'm only outweighed in Alexanders by Burrises.

The children of Matthew and Sarah Wallace were, to the best of my knowledge:

James born around 1708.

Matthew III born around 1710.

William about 1712.

George about 1715.

Alexander about 1718

Joseph about 1720.

Ezekiel, John and Catherine.

Alexander married Martha Cathey and is buried at Sugar Creek. Ezekiel married Margaret McKnitt Alexander and later, Lydia Gillespie. He is also buried at Sugar Creek Presbyterian. 

Joseph may have arrived to Mecklenburg with his siblings, but tarried not long, as he took off soon to Tennessee.

Catherine and her husband had settled in Maryland, but after she was widowed, she joined her brothers and some of her children who arrived with them, in Mecklenburg. She is buried at Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, NC. Some family trees add sisters, Jane, Elizabeth, Margaret and Ann.

The Wallace's and Alexanders were members of the Manokin Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest Presbyterian Congregations in the nation. Rev. Francis Mckemie had arrived in 1683 and organized not only Manokin, but Rehobeth, Pitts Creek, Snow Hill, and Wicomico.

The family lived along the Manokin River, and when certain of them expanded into the Cecil County area, they were also members of the Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, now in Delaware, and Rock Presbyterian Church near the Elk River settlement. These congregations still hold members of the Wallace, McKnitt and Alexanders.

The Land

In 1714, Thomas Stevenson of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, between 1050 and 1150 acres on the Elk River, referred to as part of the "New Munster Tract" to 'Matthew Wallace and Company', for 172 pounds. The group had already been inhabiting and working this section of land for a period of time before they owned it. The names included in the document as an incorporated possession was: Matthew Wallace, Yeoman; James and Arthur Alexander, farmers; and David and James Alexander, weavers. Yes, two James Alexanders. By four years later in 1718, they had acquired another 900 acres. These tracts were part of the larger New Munster Grant that had been surveyed for a group of Irish settlers in 1683 by Edwin O'Dwire. Matthew is named as the leader of the clan from Somerset who were moving into Cecil. The original deed, found in Deed Book 2, pp 280-83, Records of Cecil Co. MD, in 1714. On page 198 in Book 3 is a Power of Attorney from Thomas Stevenson of Bucks County, PA, appointed  his friend Gavin Hutchinson of Cecil County, because he 'was moving" to acknowledge eight deeds, five to Alexanders, one to Matthew Wallace Jr., one to John and William Gillespys and one to Mary Alexander (or Allex), widow.. Mary is later referred to as "the widow and relict of James Alexander of Newmunster, of Cecil County, carpenter, deceased" It is also implied that she was also the widow of Thomas Stevenson, so she must have remarried at some point.

In a milita list for 1739, Matthew Wallace (Jr) is listed along with John, Joseph, Jedidiah and Theophilas Alexander (his son-in-law). In the foot company of Captain John Veazy was Thomas Wallace, Nathaniel Alexander, William Boyd, Charles Leech and David Leech. Most of these would later end up inYork County, South Carolina.

 

Matthew and his family appear in records in the New Munster and Society Hundred area of Cecil County until the 1740's. Theophilus Alexander, husband of Catherine and son-in-law of Matthew Wallace, was a blacksmith by trade, and in possession of a substantial amount of land in the New Munster area. He was very active in civic and church affairs and my 7th Great Grandfather. He served in the Colonial Milita under the command of Captain Thomas Johnson. He was a ruling Elder of the Rock Presbyterian Church, which is now in between Lewisville, PA and Fair Hill, Maryland.

Theophilus and Catherine lived on the road between Cowanton and Kimbleville and North of a telegraph road to Newark, an area that was at one time known as Appleton Crossroads. One source stated he ran an old stone tavern called the 'Seven Stars' located at a crossroads.

Theophilus died on August 7, 1768 in New Munster, Cecil County, Maryland. He had written his Will in February of that year, so he must have had some inkling that the end was near. He left provisions for Catherine, and cash bequests to his daughters and the remainder to be divided between his children. The most eventful  precedent in his will was that he left his land in North Carolina to his son Joseph. This means that he may have been planning relocation prior to his death. His executors were named as Catherine, his wife, his brother Amos, and his son, George  He was buried at the Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church. He was only 53 years old.

Theophilus and Catherine had nine children: Martha, Margaret, Joseph, Keziah, Sophia, George, Ann Marie, Catherine and Silas. Two died young, two remained in Maryland, near New Jersey, five removed to North Carolina, Catherine with them. One was Margaret who married John Wilson, my line. Another was son Joseph, his oldest son, who was educated at Princeton and had become a prominent Presbyterian minister in Maryland and later in the Carolinas. He settled finally in York County, SC.

Catherine died July 20, 1775, the year of our Independence. She died an American. She was buried in the Hopewell Presbyterian Church Cemetery near Huntersville, as I have already mentioned. This church  was organized around 1762, and one of the earliest in this area for the Presbyterian Congregations. Many of the Wallace and Alexanders are among its attendees. Catherine's brother, Matthew, helped found Sardis Church.

The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians that first settled in Maryland are inevitably woven together by unbreakable threads. It's difficult to pull one thread at a time from the pattern. They arrived in groups to the area of Mecklenburg County, NC, with Cabarrus, Union and South Carolina spillover and continued their tightly crossed connections for generations afterwards. They were among those who rose up for the cause of Independence. Margaret, the daughter of Catherine Wallace Alexander, married John Wilson and became the mother of  trailblazing minister, Rev. John McKamie Wilson.

Sources:

Cecil County, Maryland Wills

Records of a Family of the House of Alexander 1640-1909 by Frances Alexander Butterworth.

Alexander Research by Kerry Welch Evans

The Brevard Family: The Family of Jean Brevard of France, Ireland and Maryland by Robert Stephens Hand.

Rootsweb.com Clay/Wallace.htm

Exploring Wallace Roots, The Wallace Clan Site, Facebook

Cecil County History by George Johnson

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Joshua Christian Burris

 

Every October near the quiet crossroads community of Red Cross, Stanly County, North Carolina, we hold a family reunion for the Burris Family. It's a time of camaraderie and fellowship, but also of knowledge, learning more about our every expanding Burris clan. There's usually an interesting program, sometimes music, and always food, as the Burris descendants arrive with a wealth of talent, and appetites. This is my paternal grandfather's family, and while I have never carried the Burris surname, I certainly carry a great deal of their genetics. 

Grandpa was a Lambert, and only held one Lambert line, straight down the paternal line all the way to Rev. John Lambert, the first to arrive in Stanly County and found the Lambert dynasty, but with the Burris family, it was a different story. His mother was a Burris, and his father's mother was also a Burris. His mother's father, David, was, of course a Burris, and had married a Honeycutt, but her mother was Burris. Now, David's father, Gideon Green Burris, had married a Hathcock, but her mother was a Burris. If you have been counting, that is four separate Burris lines my grandfather had, four different children of one couple, Solomon Burris and wife, Judith Taylor Burris. My grandfather was very much a Burris, making these four different children of one couple four of my fourth Great Grandparents. So many of my grandfather's lines dead-end in Stanly County, but I'm very much a Burris and am descended from four of old Solomon Sr's children, so I must tip my hat to at least one Burris. I have other multiple lines to one family in my tree, but not as much as I do the Burris line. Divide my DNA up and I have no doubt there's a good hunk of what Old Solomon and his wife, Judith, gave me. 

The Estate of Gideon Green Burris 

The above link is to my previous post about Gideon Green Burris. I wrote this thirteen years ago. I was about to choose him, due to his name of "Gideon" and I'm trying to avoid too many 'John's' and other more common names, but there was really no more to add. Then I remembered Joshua Christian Burris.

J. C. Burris was a very interesting man. I've mentioned him many times but have avoided putting a focus on him because he was somewhat controversial. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

Joshua Christian Burris was the son of Revolutionary War Veteran, Solomon Burris and his wife, Judith, the patriarchs of the Stanly County and beyond Burris army. He was the fourth of their nine children, which were:

Taylor 1784-1856

William 1786-1850ish

Grace 1788-1878

Joshua Christian 1790 -1878

Judith Jr. 1795-1847

Elizabeth Jane 1798-1891

Solomon Jr. 1800-1873

Nancy Ann 1804-1879

Obedience 1808-1901

I descend from Taylor, Solomon Jr., Joshua Christian and Nancy Ann.

Family Bible Page, List of Children of Solomon Burris

There was a deed preserved and later recorded of a transaction between Nimrod Taylor to Solomon Burris dated March 15, 1812, in Book 3 Page 364, at the Stanly County Register of Deeds. Of course, this was a Montgomery County deed, as there was no Stanly County in 1812, but it was later offered and adjudges in March of 1883 in Stanly County. It was bought for $50 and located on the southwest side of Long Creek. It bordered Harbard Suggs and Scaleybark Branch and consisted of 120 acres. Witnesses were Ezekial Morton and Solomon's oldest son, Taylor Burris. I wonder who held out to this document for 71 years and then presented it for what purposes?  I believe there were many deeds and indentures concerning this family that were lost. There's proof of such in later deeds, meaning the possession of land with no record of how that land had came into possession of the person. Joshua Christian Burris most certainly had land in possession before the 1830's, but how and from where is a mystery.

Joshua Christian Burris may have been named for his grandfather, as some trees have his father, Solomon, as the son of a Joshua Burris who married an Elizabeth Brookshire. There are traces of an older Joshua Burris left in old records, but no proof that he was the father of Solomon, but it's quite feasible. I've not added this couple to my family tree, however, until I find someone with a good argument for it. I also have a theory that the middle name of Christian may be substantive. There was an early and prolific family in the area of Montgomery County, before the halves were split, and after. More on the Montgomery side than the Stanly side, but there are records of them on the west side, too. So 'Christian' might have been a family name carryover, and not a reference to the religion. Another thing I've notice were the use in the early Burris family of virtue names for the females, like Grace or Obedience, which could be a sign of Puritan, or even Quaker, roots, who favored names like Temperance, Prudence, Piety, Faith, and Charity. 

The surname is of purely British origin, meaning, 'Burrows; or people who lived near a hill, manor house or fortified structure.

Distant Burris cousin, author, and fellow history buff, George Thomas has published an outstanding account of the early Burris family, qualifying Joshua Burris as a father of Solomon, so Joshua Christian was indeed named for his grandfather, and Taylor, the oldest son, is rumored to have been named for his mother's father.

Please see the link below to read the post from his blog, They Lived Along a Rocky River.

https://rockyrivernc.com/2020/01/16/burris-burras-burres-borroughs-england-to-carolina/

Joshua C. Burris was born on June 4, 1790, and married around 1807 to Sylvia Springer, daughter of George and Syliva Bloom Springer, the date being based on the date of birth of their first child, James Allen Burris on May 1, 1808. Syliva, also called Sally, was a year younger than JC, so this would have made them all of 17 and 16 when they were married. You have to recall the era this happened in, so they were not compelled or held to modern sensibilities. Early marriage was quite a common thing in those days.

Record details

Name	Joshua Burress
Residence Date	6 Aug 1810
Residence Place	Wagster, Montgomery, North Carolina, USA
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10	1
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25	1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10	1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25	1
Number of Household Members Under 16	2
Number of Household Members	4

Joshua was head of household first in 1810, showing he and his wife in the 16-to-25-year age range, with two children under ten, which would have been James Allen, and Sylvia, who was born that year. The young couple was living in Wagster, among a grove of Whitley's, next to Drake Burgess, and close to George Springer, his father-in-law. There were a few 'Wagster's' in the mix too, a name that did not remain in Stanly County. Of course, they were counted in Montgomery and would be for several more decades.

While his father had property, and rewards of military service, Joshua had no such thing, and no grants in his name in the early years. I am not sure if he was an unproductive man or just an unlucky one at first. He seems to have clung to his father-in-law in those early years. George Spinger had received a Grant in January of 1801 in Montgomery County, west of the Yadkin River, 'on Fayetteville Road joining Whitfield line including the improvements where where (sic) Lucy Huneycutt formerly lived on". Drake Burgess, who lived next to Joshua and Sylvia in 1810, was one of the chain carriers. Clemmon Clemmons was the other. Poor man.

Now, there is no surviving 1820 census for Montgomery County, so we have a twenty year leap to the next, but between those two benchmarks, Joshua Christian Burris was busy growing his family and increasing his wealth. He and Sally Springer had, in addition to John Allen in 1808 and Syliva in 1810; Judith in 1812, Elizabeth in 1814, David Wright in 1817, Joshua Christian II in 1819, Sarah Ann in 1822, Margarett Catherine in 1824, Lucy Elvina in 1826 and Hiram Alexander in 1830. Somewhere during the births of the last few children, something in the marriage began to change

In the 1830 census, Joshua is now head of a house of 11 people. He and his wife were counted in their 40's. He had two male between 10 and 14 in the home, Junior and David, as Allen was now an adult, and Sallie would have been expecting Hiram. There were seven girls, two 15-19, two 10-14, one 5 to 9 and two under five, which aligns with Barbara Springer, younger sister of Sarah, and Sylvia as the older two, then Judith and Elizabeth, Sarah Ann as the 5 to 9'er, and Margaret and Lucy under five.

Neighbors were of particular interest also. The page was led in by Henry Almond, but then, we have Gincy Murray, with Joshua Burris next to her and Thomas Watkins and Martha Howell after that. Jane "Jincy" Murray was the oldest daughter of Jesse Murray, and the sister of my third Great Grandmother, Priscilla Murray Aldridge. She had two little boys under five in her home. Jane never married.

Now, here is where the branches turn to brambles. I'm not sure if JC Burris, Sr. had taken up Mormonism, but it seems that after the birth of his last child with Sallie, he had decided to take a few more wives, but not legally, all the while still staying at home with his legal wife.

Found in the Pleas & Quarter Sessions 1828-1838 Cabarrus County, NC , was the following:

"July 1835 page 358 Joshua Burris, the reputed father of a baseborn child in the body of Barbary Starnes, gave bond in the sum of 200 pounds with Mathias Harkey, security to free and indemnify the county." 

Barbara Starnes was born around 1810 in Mecklenburg County, the daughter of Joseph Starnes who married Rachel Rice. He was the son of the Frederick Starnes who had married his 1st cousin, Barbara Starnes. I disclose this in such a manner as there was a great repetition of names in the Starnes family, from which I also descend. Many, many Fredericks and multiple Josephs. Barbara seems to have been a namesake of her grandmother. The family had moved to Cabarrus County at some point, before she met JC Burris.  She would have been 25 during her day in court, and the child she was carrying is unknown, and may not have survived. She remained unmarried and remained in her father's home, where she is found in 1850.

Barbara Starnes was not JC Burris's only mistress, but I will get to the others later.

Alot happened to the Burris family in the 1830's. Josh lost his father-in-law in 1830. George Springer died intestate, but there were records. In a deed dated February 1st, 1832, though found in the Stanly County register of deeds, Book 3 Page 255 we find a Division of Property for George Springer.

"Lewis Springer and others to Reuben Springer

This Indenture made this 1st February AD 1832 Between Silvy Springer Demsey Springer Charles Cagle and his wife Elizabeth Joshua Burris and his wife Sally John Perry and his wife Margaret Barba Springer Moses Williams and his wife Mary all of the county of Montgomery & state of North Carolina." The surviving children of George Springer were all named in this deed, and had relinquished their shared inheritance of his land to one brother, Reuben, in exchange for cash. 

By the 1840's Joshua had acquired an admirable amount of land,. He was involved in multiple transactions and there is no need to recount all of them, as most were just business transactions, but I will mention a few in time that show both where he lived, and a few interactions between family.

I give two views of the 1840 census to give an idea of the neighborhood in which he lived. Joshua would acquire property in various parts of the county but did not live there. He even purchase one tract on Cloverfork Creek, near Albemarle. Most of his purchased or acquired lands were in the western part of the county, on Island Creek and Bear Creek, where he owned a Grist Mill. It was in the Bear Creek area where his 'home place' was. Neighbors shown included another ancestor of mine, John Honeycutt, Daniel and Jacob Efird, Christopher and Daniel Light, who would immigrate west, as Christopher's daughter had married into my Ramsey family from the Burnsville District of North Anson County. 

Name	Joshua Burris
Residence Date	1840
Home in 1840 (City, County, State)	West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19	1
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59	1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14	1
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19	1
Free White Persons - Females - 50 thru 59	1
Persons Employed in Agriculture	1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write	1
Free White Persons - Under 20	3
Total Free White Persons	5
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves	5

The household had been reduced to five people by 1840, as Joshua and Sally are now in their fifties. They still have three teenagers at home age ten to 19. The next year, in 1841, Stanly County would be established by the division of Montgomery County, using the Yadkin/ Pee Dee River as a dividing line. Records would now switch over to Stanly County. Many earlier ones were lost in fires at the Montgomery County Courthouses as guilty parties sought to destroy evidence of debts and other actions. Arsonists abound. 

The Mistresses

This is as good a place as any to discuss the Mistresses. I've already addressed Barbara Starnes, but she was not the only one or the first one.

Susanna Honeycutt:

In February of 1844 the Sheriff was ordered to bring Anna Huneycutt and Joshua Huneycutt to next term of Court to be bound out, with an attached note, "Honeycutt or Burris".

In the May of the 1844 Session, it was ordered for the Sherriff to bring Ann Burris, orphan, to next term of Court to be bound out, now lives at Susanna Honeycutt's'.

In the same May Session of court, Joshua Honeycutt was bound out to George Cagle. 

A few years later, Sussanna Honeycutt brought a younger child to court, John A. Burris or Huneycutt, who was bound to James W. Hartsell.

In November of 1844, Anna Burris was bound to John Honeycutt until age 18.

I am totally convinced Susanna Honeycutt was the sister of my ancestor, John Honeycutt, to whom Anna was bound to. She lived near him, in a tenant house on his property. He seems to have taken care of her and did not charge rent. They were of the same surname and only two years apart in age. It is only my theory; I have not yet found proof. The shoe fits as tightly as Cinderella's slipper. John was a caring man, and I believe he took care of his unmarried little sister. Joshua Christian Burris's assignations were an aside.

In the 1850 census, MaryAnn Burris, age 17, is found in the home of John Honeycutt and his wife, Silvia. The Francis Honeycutt below them, with Elizabeth 27, and Linda, age one, would prove to be in actuality, Francis Robbins and daughter, Elizabeth Robbins. Francis was Francis Whitley Robbins, daughter of George Whitley and widow of Isham Robbins, who had died about 1843. Her close relationship with John Honeycutt has not yet been fully explained, but he did pay her taxes. It could have just been the act of a Good Samaritan, a Christian deed. Her daughter, Elizabeth, would have in three years' time, his grandson, Green H. Robbins, sired by his son, John Timothy Honeycutt, age 18 in this document. The toddler Linda was actually Lindsey, and was a male, a son Elizabeth bore of Sam Coley.

In 1860, John Honycutt was again south of the Cagles in the listing. His wife was now seen as "Sylvania". The Robbins household still below them, Frances now "Fanny" and 80, Elizabeth now "Besty" with sons Lyndsey and Green. "Susy" Honeycutt appears next, with her daughter, Sylvia L. Huneycutt, at 18, with her, and also a Fanny Robbins, age 14. It would appear young Fanny was named for older Fanny, wouldn't it?  Was she another child of Betsy, who just happened to occupy the home of Susy Honeycutt? Or was she the daughter of Susy by Betsy's brother, Solomon F. Robbins? 

They were followed by Edmund Honeycutt, 52. Was he another sibling of John, 57 and Susan, 55? It's a subitaneous coincidence that calls for a closer inspection of this grouping of Honeycutt's, in time.

Missing from this list was Mary Anna Burris and Charles M. Honeycutt, son of John and Silvia, who had gotten married on September 11, 1856, and began their own family. Charles McKinley Honeycutt, called "Kin" or "Kenny" at times, would serve in the Civil War, and survive. He and Mary Anna, a probable first cousin marriage, would raise a large family. It was not unseemly or unusual then. They married who was close by.

In 1870, Susan. now 65, was still near John, but the census taker had gone in a different direction, causing her to lead in. She is now only accompanied by her daughter, Silvia, 28. Listed above them is the home of Margaret Springer Perry, 70, widow of John Perry and the sister of Joshua Burris's wife, Sarah Springer Burris. 

Living with her was Caswell Perry, 34, and Jerry Perry, 7, whose relation to her I don't know, perhaps a grandchild. This was not an extraneous placement.

The next year, on March 2, 1871, Caswell Perry, son of John Perry and Margaret Perry, married Loviney (her middle name), the name Honeycutt, written, but stricken through, and replaced with Burris, daughter of Joshua Burris and Susy (a little messy) Honeycutt. 

Sylvia Lavinia Elvina Huneycutt-Burris Perry, lived to be 73 and the mother of three daughters. Her death certificate proclaimed her, again, the daughter of Joshua Burris and Susan Honeycutt.

But what about the boys? 

Joshua was found in 1850, at 15, in the home of George Cagle, Jr., whom he had been bound to in court. 

John was found the same year in the home of James Wesley Hartsell, at 14, whom he had been bound to. 

Joshua would die young in 1853, at the age of 18 and was buried with his father's surname of Burris at the Honeycutt Family Cemetery near Endy, where his mother was also buried with no dates. There is a grave next to him of "F. R. Burris", who died in 1863. I believe this may have been "Fanny Robbins Burris", the 14-year-old girl living with Susanna in 1860.

John A. Honeycutt kept the name and moved west, passing away in Texas in 1931.

An account of the children of Susannah Honeycutt and Joshua Burris were: 

Mary Anna Burris or (Honeycutt) Honeycutt (1833-1883)

Joshua Burris or Honeycutt (1835-1853)

John A Burris or Honeycutt (1836-1931)

Silvia Lovinia Elvina Honeycutt or Burris Perry (1842-1916)

Jane Murray

Jane "Jincy" Murray, whom I previously introduced in the 1830 census, was the sister of my third Great Grandmother, Priscilla Murray Aldridge. If you recall, she was the head of her own household, listed beside Joshua Burris that year. She had two little boys under five in her home.

In the very first term of Court for Stanly County, February of 1841, Alexander McLester was released from "indenture given in October 18420 Session of Montgomery Co. Court as ward for Judy Wilmurphy Murray."

In the February 1844 Session we find "Sheriff ordered to bring Solomon Murray to Court to be bound out, now living with Solomon Burris, Sr.'

In the 1840 census, Jane was head of her own home, but alone. She had inherited a small piece of property after the death of her father, Jesse Murray. 

 

Her two brothers, James and Benjamin, and her father's widow, Elizabeth, who may or may not have been her mother, whom I believe was the stepmother of the older children, were all listed in a group, just a few spaces up the page from her. 

It seems one of her sons died between 1830 and 1840, because only one is known. In 1840, the boy, named Solomon, after his grandfather, Solomon Burris, Sr., appears to have been in the old man's home, as the 5- to 9-year-old male in the record below.

We know that four years later, Solomon Sr. was ordered to bring the child to court to be bound out, as he and his wife were getting too elderly to take care of him. Instead, he was place in the home of Solomon's youngest daughter, Obedience, and her husband, McKamie Willis, as they had no children of their own. 

The boy is found in the Willis home in 1850, along with his grandmother, Judith Burris, and cousin Beadie. They are surrounded by Burris relatives, including Benjamin Hathcock, who had married Nancy Ann Burris. Young Solomon would embrace the surname of his father and had also inherited his restless and prodigious tendencies. He moved from Stanly, to Cabarrus, to Wayne, to Lenoir Counties. He was arrested multiple times in Stanly County in his youth and bonded by McKamie Willis. He was arrested on charges of bastardy. At one point he was kicked in the head by a mule. 

He had a son with Martha Judith Coley Hathcock. He had a child with Cynthia Louvenia Honeycutt. He married Malinda Feriby Hathcock and had six children. Quincy Adam Prince Murray Burrroughs, Judith Ann, Jane Victoria, Curtis, Roxanna and Dora. He took Rosanna McIntyre, the daughter of Young Allen McIntyre and wife, Dolly, from Stanly County, ran off to Wayne County, NC and married her there in 1881. What became of her after that is unknown.

He married Mary Ann Jenkins of Duplin County, NC and had three children: McCama Wilson or Willis "Dick" Burris or Burroughs, Shakespeare "Jake" Burris Burroughs, and Myrtle Rose Burras Burroughs. 

He married Ellen Elizabeth Joyner and had four children: Elizabeth "Betty Burris, John Burris, Joseph Joab Burris and Margaret E Burris. Solomon died in 1900. A Civil War Veteran, he was buried in the Cobb Cemetery in Jones, Greene County, North Carolina. He definitely has his own story to tell.

His sister, Judith Wilmartha Murray Burris, was possibly living with Alexander McLester, or another bonded guardian in 1840, but she was not with her mother and was not yet born in 1830.

In 1850, the 16-year-old had been allowed to return to her mother. They were living in Ross District among Murray family members. 

Judy, named for her grandmother, Judith Taylor Burris, married Thomas Jefferson Poplin, son of J. Alexander Poplin and Mary Anna Almond Poplin, whose sister, Mary Jane Poplin had married Jesse Murray II, son of Benjamin Murray, Jane's brother.  The couple moved to Lilesville in Anson County and Jane Murray lived with them until her death in 1883. She died around the same time as her daughter, at age 82. There may have been an illness going around that affected several family members. 

Judy and Thomas had three children: John Alexander, Wincy Ann and James Hampton Poplin. Her husband married twice after her death, fathered two more children and died in 1885, just two years later. They are all buried at Mount Olivet in Anson County, NC. 

To get a better picture of all of this, Joshua's last child with his legal wife, Sarah Springer Burris, was Hiram in 1830, when he was 40, and she was 39 years old. After ten, she had to have been exhausted and overwhelmed. What a Farage of a family he would create afterwards. Jane had two sons, probably by him by that time, and was living next door. I could see her fed-up with his assignations, but there was no divorce.  Let's list the younger of her two and then the list of various mistresses. 

Lucy in 1826 will wife

Solomon and unknown boy with Jane Murray by 1830.

Mary Anna Burris 1833 with Susan Honeycutt

1835 - Child with Barbara Starnes

1835- Judith Wilmertha with Jane Murrya

1835- Joshua with Susan Honeyucutt

1836- John A with Susan Honeycutt

1842- Sylvia Lavinia Elvina with Susan Honeycutt was the last. By this time Joshua was 52.

Back To the Forties

In the August Session of Court, 1845, Joshua Burris was appointed Administrator with will be annexed on the estate of Solomon Burris, gave bond of 500 with George Whitley and Solomon Burris as securities. He had lost his father.

In his Will, Solomon began with a lot of circumlocution but requested a proper burial and left most everything to Judith, his wife. He mentioned his (yet) unmarried daughters, Judith and Obedience first, then $10 to Ann Hathcock, $10 to Gracy Honeycutt, $1.00 to sons Taylor Burris, William Burris, Joshua Burris and Solomon Burris. One dollar to Elizabeth Honeycutt and after wife Judith passed, the remainder to go to daughters Judith and Obedience. Witnesses were George Honeycutt and Daniel Reap.

Joshua's mother-in-law, Silvia Bloom Springer, would pass away the next year at the age of 74. She and Judith Burris would pass their names down to a multitude of Granddaughter's and beyond.

She left to her single daughter, Barbara Springer, all of their livestock and furniture. She appointed her son Reuben Springer and "friend" Allen Burris, her Executors. Allen was her grandson. I must interpolate here, I am not a Springer descendant. I descend from Mary Anna Burris and her husband, Charles McKinley Honeycutt.


Allen Burris (1808-1899) Colorized.


Christmas Day, 1848, for the sum of $10.00, sold to his oldest son, (James) Allen Burris, one half of a piece of land on Big Bear Creek. I call this the multi-colored oak tract because it began at "a red oak by a white oak & black oak on the east side of the creek below the mill....then crossing the creek to the beginning containing six and a fourth acres including a grist mill to have and to hold...one half of the said land and mill forever, together with one half of the profits arising from said land and mill...." 

This was on page 269 and witnessed by W. B. Herrin and Joseph Morton. It carried over on page 270, and the very next deed was also from Joshua Burris to his son, Allen Burris, dated May 3rd, 1838, which precede the first one by a decade, but it wasn't proved in open court until November 22nd, 1849. For $50 he sold to Allen a tract of land on Bear Creek that began at Reuben Springers corner. This was Allen's uncle and Joshua's brother-in-law. It mentions Tucker's path and Springer's line again and contained 182 acres.

   1850 found the Joshua Burris family living in Smiths District. He and Sarah were in their late 50's, still together in their own home, despite his numerous indiscretions. That was the way it was in those days. There were few choices for the longsuffering wife. 

Name	Joshua Burris
Gender	Male
Race	White
Residence Age	59
Birth Date	abt 1791
Birthplace	North Carolina
Residence Date	1850
Home in 1850	Smiths, Stanly, North Carolina, USA
Occupation	Farmer
Industry	Agriculture
Real Estate	450
Line Number	24
Dwelling Number	625
Family Number	628
Inferred Spouse	Sarah Burris

Household members

Name	Age
Joshua Burris	59
Sarah Burris	59
Joshua Burris	31
Barbary Springer	50
Barbary Revely	37

Living with the Burris's were their son, Joshua II, Sarah's unmarried sister, Barbara Springer, and a free person of color, a lady named Barbara Revels. The Burris family did not own slaves, although several of them grew enough wealth to do so. I believe it was an act of conscience or principals. I will extrapolate more on this later. As far as Ms. Revels, this was not a Stanly County name, however, it was quite common in and around Robeson County, North Carolina and is today a popular surname among the Lumbee tribe.  From previous research along other family lines, I know that during the mid-19th Century, the tribe was known as "Croatan" and that some members had become somewhat nomadic in their search for employment. I believe this may have been the arrangement with the Burris family, perhaps to aid in the care of the aging Burris's.







By the 1850's, two things began occurring. First, Joshua Burris had acquired enough property and status to become a lender, and secondly, his same-named son, Joshua Christian Burris Jr. had reached his thirties and had established himself well enough that it can be confusing attempting to segregate one from another in records, unless the suffix of Jr. or Sr. is employed. I feel confident, however, that in documents where the suffix is excluded, they were probably referencing Senior, especially if the transaction involved an "esquire-like' role.

On March 17, 1851, an indenture between Adam Whitley to J. W. Morton & J. C. Burris was undertaken because Whitley was indebted to Benjamin Hathcock on a $15 note and pawned to Morton and Burris a "claybank mare with flax mane and tail" to the two for the money to pay his debt.

Daniel Freeman, merchant, was one of the premier businessmen in both Stanly and Montgomery Counties during the early and mid 1800's. He had started business in the county seat of Lawrenceville in Montgomery County before it was divided in two by the Pee Dee River. He then relocated his store, and center of business to the newly established town of Albemarle after Stanly County was established. As such, he had acquired much land and property during his tenure due to debts owed him, liens, defaults and such. 

On September 26, 1851, Daniel Freeman for $133, a tract of land beginning at Daniel Reap's corner to Solomon Burris's corner to McKemy Willis's corner back to Daniel Reaps line containing 256 acres. It was witnessed by John F. Stone and John B. Carver. Mckemie Willis was Joshua's brother-in-law and Solomon was his father, or brother, so I believe this was family land lost to debt that Joshua was buying back.

On May 20th, 1854, Elisha Huneycutt conveyed to Joshua C Burris certain amounts of his real and personal property due to the fact he owed Joshua money on multiple notes he had previously borrowed. This is proof that Joshua Burris was in good enough shape financially to lend money. He had built wealth over the course of his lifetime.

The above portion of a document is an Indenture between Elizabeth Efird and Joshua C. Burris. Dated 1855, is has now become difficult to tell whether or not the Joshua is father or son. I would venture to guess father as he was more established at this time in his life. The woman was paying off a debt with property.

1856

On January 25, 1856, D. W. Huneycutt sold to J. C. Burris, trustee, for one dollar, a piece of property that began at the mouth of a spring branch in Green Deberry Whitley's line to a stake in Island Creek, and meeting Deberry's line, containing 55 acres. The condition of the conveyance was due to D. W. Huneycutt owing $25 to Daniel Freeman, the merchant mentioned earlier. The details add no genealogical value, but is interestingly worded concerning J. C. Burris's role in the transaction of whether to auction the property on the courthouse steps if Huneycutt doesn't repay him the transfer of debt, with considerable interest, $45, by a certain date, and if Huneycutt was able to repay Joshua, he was to "remain in the quiet possession and enjoyment of the premises.  How poetic!

The very next deed also involved JC Burris, on page 362, with the previse one with D. W. on page 361. This time it was with  Ransom Huneycutt for the customary $1.00 in hand. Ransom was also in debt to Daniel Freeman for the amount of $36 due on the 15th of November of 1855, and he was two months late, as the document was dated January 15, 1856. Jesse Hathcock and J C Burris were securities on the note. The land involved was located on Island Creek and began at the same stake at the mouth of the spring branch and bordered Green Deberry Whitley's line to the old Deberry line and contained 50 acres. Again, he gave Joshua right to sell the property on the courthouse steps by auction if the extension granted by way of J. C. Burris wasn't paid. 

Above is just one of many D. A. R. documents that led through Joshua to his father, Solomon Burris, whose Revolutionary War service qualified many a descendant into the Daughter's or Son's of the Revolutionary War organizations. The documents reveal the multiple marriages between the common families of western Stanly with the Burris's; Honeycutt, u or o, Efird, Treece, Morton, Springer, Whitley, Almond, Hatley, Hathcock and Lambert among them.

The household in 1860 show Joshua with an empty nest, only his wife and Barbara. Barbara spent her entire life living with her sister and brother-in-law, after leaving her parents' home. I'm sure she was a great support to Sarah, both emotionally, and physically, with helping with the children and farm. 

In 1870, Joshua's name is spelled in the old, British way, Borroughs. The family switched back and forth in the early days, and some stayed with the longer, more formal spelling. Although Joshua's age is shown as relatively correct, his wife and sister-in law are shown about a decade younger than their actual age. 

This would be his last.

Joshua is still seen with his wife and her sister, and they have taken in a boarder, Laura Morgan. Living near them are several Burris family members, with their name spelled Burroughs, below him is the family of his grandson, David Allen Burris, who was killed in the Civil War, and not far beyond, his oldest son and David's father, Allen Burris. 

I will now address the topic of Joshua's personality and stance on the Civil War. The below article, from the Concord Standard, dated 1867, reveals a lot. 

On the 18th of May, in Albemarle, a meeting was held, bringing togethers leaders of the freed black community and a committee establishing the Republican Party in Stanly County. M. A. Coble was appointed Chairman and J. T. Fortney was appointed Secretary. A committee was named, which consisted of J. T. Fortney, Ben Davis and J. Shad, colored and J. C. Burris and B. S. Whitley, Esquires. I am confident this referred to Joshua Sr., as Junior would not have reached the status of an "Esquire", at this time. I also highlighted the name of Ben Davis, who was a man who, along with his father, Jack, and others of his family, had been enslaved by Job Davis, another of my ancestors. He was also, surprisingly, a biological relative, as I share DNA with some of his descendants, through which of Job's sons, I can't be sure, but would bet on Henry, as he had lost his morality to alcohol later in life. 

Returning to the article, " L C Morton, Esq. was then called up on and made a speech in approval of the Republican Party. He was followed by Messers. Burris and Whitley." 

They put forth three resolutions, one, that they endorsed the platform introduced in Raleigh at the state Republican Convention in March of that year; Two, that they would not support any candidate that did not "advocate Union, Liberty and Political Equality" , and lastly, they thanked the Congress of the USA for "enfranchising all men without regard to color or former condition.'

So, Joshua Christian Burris was a Republican and had opposed the status and condition of slavery. He did not participate in it and endorsed equality for all after the War. Now, plenty of members of the Burris family and their extended relations fought in the Civil War and many died. We cannot know the mindset of any or all of these men. Brothers disagreed with brothers and fathers with sons. There were many and diverse reasons for their individual rationale. Some younger men and boys were gung-ho for adventure; others were forced into it against their will by the home guard and would later desert. Still other men joined for financial reasons, serving as substitutes for pay. They were as diverse a group as any. So, wherever his sons, and nephews stood, we know Joshua s stand on the subject.

The other players in this event were:

Thomas Jefferson Forney, a businessman who was born in Burke County, NC and grew up in Rutherford. He was a character, to say the least, but I won't extrapolate on him too much. He had business, court and land dealings in those two counties, along with Caldwell, McDowell, Lincoln, Stanly and Montgomery County. He married the much younger Sarah A Harris of Montgomery County, were he ran a manufacturing endeavor, and died, and was buried in New London, Stanly County, NC in 1874. 

Alexander Coble, Chairman remains a mystery. Coble was very much a Stanly County name, however there's no one that matches close enough. The David Alexander Coble who died in 1862, or the Martin A. Coble, who died in 1865, both in the War could, of course, not qualify, and the Alexander Cobles born in 1854 and 1859 were too young. There were more than one of the right age and status in other counties, so I would suggest one of them as the likely chairman, one of the two in Randolph County, or perhaps even, the one in Guilford.

B. S. Whitley, had to be instead, Benjamin Lindsey Whitley and L C Morton. Levi Christian Morton, son of Ezekial Morton and Elizabeth Brumbalow Morton. The latter two are another pair of my fifth Great Grandparents, via their son Joseph Calvin Morton, whose daughter, Elizabeth, was the mother of Sarah Ann Burris Lambert, my Great Grandfather Elias Lamberts mother. Elizabeth Brumbalow was long rumored to be Native American, was witnessed by grandchildren to have been of dark complexion, but not to an extreme. Then there, again, is the middle name of 'Christian'.

I've a long- held belief that this line of Mortons and the Burris family must have Colonial era connections that are yet unknown and that may include a connection to the Christian family that also populated the same general area. 

There also seems to have been two separate branches of the Mortons that settled in Stanly County, and I descend from both. One group settled along the Yadkin in the northeastern side and the other in the southwestern portion of the County. If they were connected, it predated their arrival here. 

The last participant in the above committee I've not yet mentioned was Mr. J Shad.

There was a number of African American Shad families in the 1870 census in Stanly County, all in Harris Township, the New London - Badin area, headed by Allen, Daniel and Harriett Shad. There was Jacob Shad family in Anson, who could have been in Stanly in 1867. I wonder if Mr. Shad was literate, like Ben Davis was, which was not a common trait amongst Freedmen in 1870. I recall from previous research of being particularly pleased to discover that Ben Davis was literate and could read the Bible, being a leader in the Cottonville AME Zion Church, where he is also buried. 

Just a few other tidbits about JC Burris Sr.

He served on a jury charging Thomas Taylor with bastardy in 1850, which is ironic, considering. I wonder if this Thomas was a relative?

Things were not all rosy. In 1857, he was on the other side of a trial. He and a partner, W. W. Russell, the initials standing for William Washington, son of Jarrett and Fannie Solomon Russell, who would become a Baptist minister, were held liable for $24.38 owed to James Cagle and others for some unnamed transaction. This could also have been Joshua Jr, the generation was not indicated.

On June 14, 1871, Joshua lost his long-suffering wife, Sally. She was 80 years old and buried at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church cemetery, where the Burris reunion is held.

One of the last transactions involving Joshua Burris Senior was a transfer of property to his son, J C Burris, Junior dated March 22, 1872.  For $150.00 and "for the further consideration that the said J. C. Burris is to support and maintain said Joshua Burris in a decent and becoming manner during his natural life, now in consideration of the above premises .....a certain tract of land...on the waters of Bear Creek adjoining Jonah Hartsell, Rebecca Whitley, D.W Burris and others known as the home tract containing 171 acres and one half including the mill site to have and to hold." He further conveyed to Junior personal property, of livestock, hogs, cattle and sheep, tools, farming implements and furniture. This was witnessed by J. A. Hathcock and A. J. Dargon.

Joshua was 82 years old and desired his son to take care of him in his debility and enervation of old age. He would live another six years and passed away on July 12, 1878. 

The impressive tombstones for Joshua and Sallie are obviously more recent than the 1870's, and were probably placed there by descendants to replace the older, crumbling originals. 

Joshua Burris Sr. was a multi-faceted man, who was the patriarch of multiple families, but only one legitimate. He was a successful farmer, Miller and lender, and a founder of the Republican party in Stanly County soon after the Civil War. No matter ones modern political stance, 160 years ago, the Republican Party wanted freedom and equality for all.

Joshua Christian Burris Jr., (1808-1899),  carried on his father's legacy in more ways than one. His namesake, he also maintained three separate families with one legal wife and two mistresses. Christian, as he was called, Married Rachel Catherine Lowder (1842-1894), daughter of Lee and Matilda Motley Lowder, on September 1, 1867. Between 1860 & 1883, they had ten children together.

Before Rachel, he'd had an unwed relationship with Frances Mary "Frankie" Honeycutt, (1837-1915), daughter of George Washington and Tabitha Tomlinson Honeycutt.  They had nine children together between 1854 and 1872. 

Before Frankie, he'd had a relationship with Susanna Whitley (1825-1871), daughter of George W.Whitley III and Rebecca Cagle Whitley. They had five children between 1842, the year Rachel was born, and 1861, including the notorious Alec Whitley.

Christian was 23 when his first child was born and 75 when the last of his 24 children was born. In contrast, his three "baby momma's" were 17 or 18 when their first child arrived. 

A family with Puritan names and Mormon practices. 

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: The Second Ten

In my second batch of Fathers in my family tree, I covered the surnames of:

Helms

Davis

Starnes

Wilson 

Broadway 

Tatum 

Culpepper 

Abshire 

Fincher

and another Davis. 

I tried to vary the Johns, but still had two, and James, William, Joseph, Josiah, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Horton and Tillman. 

I feel like covering my family tree is like giving a course in American history, and in the place I live, it kind of is. 

Among these last ten was an older one-legged Civil War vet who married a younger Civil War orphan, who had been taken advantage of by the family she had been placed with.

- A famous Jamestown Sea Captain who helped found multiple colonies

-A traveling minister with deep Quaker roots.

-A tobacco farmer from lower Norfolk, Virginia, who brought the family from there, through Edgecomb and Bertie Counties in North Carolina to the Rocky River area.

-An old soldier who served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, but did so as a free person of color, who somehow turned white later in life.

-An orphaned boy from London, who beat the odds and survived indenture, disease and starvation to become a Gentleman and found a dynasty.

-A Virginia tobacco farmer who appears twice in my family tree.

-An acclaimed Presbyterian minister and teacher, who first went west to preach to the mountaineers and then returned home and started a school.

-A Revolutionary War Captain with German roots, who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain and was accused of murdering a Tory Loyalist.

And a man who has so many descendants, he started a village and has tens of thousands of us descendants.

Who  will the next ten turn out to be?!

Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Captain James Davis

When it comes to counting back to immigrant ancestors, it really doesn't get any further back, as far as number of generations, or as applicable, than Captain James Davis of Jamestown. He is my 11th Great Grandfather. 

James Davis was born between 1575 and 1580 in Gloucester, England. He was the son of another ship captain, Sir Thomas Davis. He married Rachel Keyes around 1607/1608 per The Adventures of Purse and Person, page 238, her name coming from Patent Book 1, page 17, CP 1, p xxiv.

His death was noted by Hotten as "James Davis, dead at his plantation over the water from James City, February 16, 1623".  Some sources say that his plantation fell under attack by indigenous peoples and he was killed in the confrontation. He was not old, only in his forties, but the life he lived in those few years was extraordinary, and he was a true founder of America.

James Davis was a mariner, Captain of many ships, a Colonial Governor, an Ancient Planter and original citizen of Jamestown. He was also Captain of Fort Sagadahoc in Maine and among a group of men tasked with settling the region of Virginia that was called New England. He is very well documented and his exploits could fill a book, and have, many in fact, chapters in others, and he was, himself, an author.

James was the son of Sir Thomas Davis, himself a mariner. In 1607, James and his brother, Robert, also a Captain, came to America. The brothers had been part of a group that included a third brother, John Davis, to aid in the settlement at Fort Sagadahoc, at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. James was named Captain of Fort Sagadahoc, and Robert, a Sergeant Major. James was among the leaders and councilors of the new Colony, but spent most of his time sailing back and forth bringing supplies and people. The settlers in Maine had a difficult go of it, and within three years, most of them had returned  to England. The southern colony, named Jamestown, in Virginia, had a much better climate. The men's father, Sir Thomas Davis, would join them there in 1619, arriving on "The Margaret".

Sir John Popham

Sir John Popham (1531-1607) was the Lord Chief Justice of England, and was known as, "The Hangman" in England, because of his tendency to use the gallows for punishment against Highwaymen, or roadside thieves and robbers, despite the rumor that he, himself, had used this method of criminality, himself, to pay his way through college. Popham was the organizer of the company of young professionals and lesser noblemen tasked with founding the Kennebec Colony. He placed his nephew, George, in charge of the group, which included the three young Davis brothers, sons of Sir Thomas.

A book titled "History of Travel into Virginia Britania", Volume Two or the 'Second Book', by William Srtachey gives a detailed account of the endeavor. Popham was set on starting a Colony on the Sagadahoc River, even after earlier efforts had been waylaid by Spanish pirates, so with a second attempt, he had sent two ships and a flyboat, for shallow water exploration, with more than ample provisions, to try again. The two ships were the 'Gift of God' commanded by George Popham, his nephew and Raleigh Gilbert commanded the 'Mary and John' of London, with 120 passengers. They first saw Nova Scotia, and later dropped anchor near a group of islands, where they were met by a small band of Natives who had possession of Spanish ships, and wanted to trade. Nothing to do with James, but interesting. Soon after, the first mention of the Davis brothers is made, when Captain Robert "Davies" and 12 other men rowed to shore into a bay and found razzberries, strawberries, gooseberries and something called 'hurts', which was reckoned to be huckleberries. A group went to shore after they arrived at their destination, and a preacher named Seymour gave a sermon, and a Commission was organized to start the building of a plantation. George Popham was named President and the other men mentioned were Raleigh Gilbert, James Davis, Mr. Seymour, the minister, Richard Davis (Robert?) and a Captain Harlow. There was afterwards a great deal of trade and interaction with the people there, the native tribes. After a while, Robert Davis was sent back to England with reports of their success and all proof of all they found, with letters for Lord Popham, and requests for more supplies. While he was gone, the group fixed up the fort, built trenches and fortifications, 50 houses, a church and a storehouse and a pinnacle was built by carpenters.

The next year when Robert Davis returned from the port of Exeter with a ship full of supplies, guns, tools, books, instruments, food and mail, he found George Popham and some others dead, but the fort in good repair, relationships with the Natives well, and lots of items stored for trade on a return journey. Captain Gilbert found out through letters that his brother was dead back in England, and therefore, he was needed back to settle the estate, and perhaps due an inheritance. So, they pretty much all loaded up and returned to England, and that was the end of that venture.

“Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England in the year 1606 procured means and men to possess it.” He sent, among others, Capt. Robert Davis to act as Sergeant-Major and Capt. James Davis to be Captain of the fort. John Davis also is mentioned among the “noble captains” on the expedition.

Author John Bennett Boddie has written several books on Virginia and southern regional history, among them; Historical Southern Families, Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight, and Southside Virginia Families. There are multiple mentions of James Davis and family in these books.

 After the remaining members of that colony gave up and returned in discouragement to England in 1609, James Davis sailed for the southern Virginia colony, called James City,  where he became one its earliest settlers. He and his wife were deemed some of the “ancient planters.” Boddie says that “his [Capt. James Davis’s] descendants in the South can claim to be the oldest New England family, ante dating the Mayflower by 13 years!”

"6 October 1607, James Davis sailed for England as Captain of the “Mary and John”. His narrative in “Relation” suspends on the 6th of October 1607 and Mr. Thayer concludes from this that it was because James Davis sailed away for England. This vessel arrived in England December 1st after a voyage of 53 days. A plan of Fort St. George at Sagadahoc inscribed “taken out on the 8th of October 1607” was found in later years with the narrative.

The “Gift” also sailed from Sagadahoc Colony to England on 15 Dec 1607 and arrived at Plymouth 7 February 1608. These ships on arriving found that Sir John Popham (President) The Chief Justice, had died 10 Jun 1607, ten days after they had sailed away from England to Northern Virginia.

After these ships had left Sagadahoc, the last one carrying 45 persons who wished to return to England, the settlers who remained Began to build a ship with their limited means in the wintertime in this bleak country and when this ship was finished, they called it the “Virginia” and it seems to have been a staunch trust-worthy vessel."

A group had returned to England to find old Lord Popham dead, and Captain James Davis wrote a book on his travels. The remaining colonists set about building their own boat and called it "Virginia". The entire coast was Virginia to them at this point. Now, the following facts are what I find the most fascinating. Captain James Davis, and the men who had been left behind not only built their own ship, in Maine at Fort Sagadahoc, they sailed the thing back to England on October 17, 1608. They were such good ship builders, that with the tools they had brought to this rough and unsettled land, they built a ship that was not only seaworthy, and made it across the Atlantic not only once, but James Davis ended up sailing it back again, this time to Jamestown!

In his “Conquest of Virginia, the Second Attempt,” p. 567, Sams says:

The ships of the Third Supply and their Captains were as follows:

“Unite” – Captain Wood – Departed England 8 (18) Jun1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Blessing” – Captain Gabriel Archer – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Lion” – Captain Webb – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Falcon” – Captain John Martin – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia 21 Aug 1609.“Diamond” – Captains Ratcliffe and King – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.“Swallow” – Captain Moone – Departed England 8 (18)Jun 1609 and arrived Jamestown, Virginia Aug 1609.“Catch” – Master Matthew Fitch – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and was lost at sea with all aboard.

“Virginia” – Captain James Davis – Departed England 8 (18) Jun 1609 and arrived in Jamestown, Virginia 3 Oct 1609.

“Sea Adventure” – Captain Christopher – With Sir Thomas Gates and Sir James Somers on board with the new Charter of the Virginia, Company, which had been drafted by Sir Francis Bacon and signed by King James I on May 23 1609. This ship wrecked on Bermuda during hurricane. The “Deliverance” and “Patience” were built from the wreck of “Sea Adventure” and these two ships then left Bermuda 20 May 1610 bound for Jamestown, Virginia and arrived there May 1610.

Sams quotes first from the writers belonging to the Smith faction as follows: (p. 688)

 ‘The day before the ships departed, C. Davies arrived in a small pinnance with some sixteen proper men more.’ To these were added a company from James Town, under the command of Captain Ratcliffe, to inhabit Point Comfort. Martin and Master West having lost their boats, and near half their men amongst savages, were returned to James Town. For the savages no sooner understood of Captain’s Smith’s loss, but they all revolted, and did murder and spoil all they could encounter. Nor were we all constrained to leave only of that which Smith had only for his own company for the rest had consumed their proportions.”

James Davis escaped harm from Powatan's attacks due to being sent to Fort Algernon. He escaped "the Starving Time", in the winter of 1609-1610, by being enroute for more supplies. We are fortunate for his sailing skills keeping him safe, and therefore, we Davis descendants' exist. 

 Captain Percy’s account of this in his “True Relation” is as follows (Tyler’s Magazine, Vol. III, p. 266):

“I sent Captain Ratcliffe to Powhatan to secure victals and corne by way of commerce and trade, but Powhatan, the sly old king at a fitting time surprised Captain Ratcliffe whom he caused to be bound to a tree naked with a fire afore him and by women his flesh was scraped from his bones, with muscel shells and before his face thrown into the fire wherefrom he miserably perished.”

Captain Ratcliffe, who was held in more esteem by Smith and others, did not fare so well.

Captain Percy’s account continues:

“Upon wch defeate I sentt Capte James Davis to Algernowe foarte to comanwnd there in Capts. Ratliefes place and Capte West I sent to Potoamack with aboutt thirty sixe men to trade for maize and grayne where he in short tyme loaded his pinesse sufficyently yett used some harshe and crewell dealinge by cutteinge of two of the savages heads and other extermetyes and [when they left they came by] comeinge by Algernowns foarte Capteine Davis did call unto them acquaintinge them with our Great wants [they were starving] exhortinge them to make all the speded they cowlde to Releve us upon wch reporte Capte: Weste by the persuasive or rather by the inforcement of his company hoisted upp Sayles and shaped their course directly for England and lefte us in that extreme misery and wante.”

 The violence between the Colonists and the native populations went both ways. The Virginia Colonists became discouraged. Only 60 men were left out of 500, and they decided to embark for England, Captain Davis again commanded his old ship the Virginia, but things then took an unexpected turn.

Percy’s account of this proposed return is as follows (p. 270):

“Then all of us embarking ourselves, Sir Thomas Gates in the “Deliverance” with his company, Sir George Somers in the “Patience”, Percy in the Discoverie (Discovery), and Captain James Davis in the “Virginia.” All of us sailing down the river with full intent to have proceeded upon our voyage for England when suddenly we spied a boat making toward us wherein we found Captain Bruster sent from my Lorde La Ware (Lord Deleware) who was come unto us with many gentlemen of quality, and three hundred men besides great store of victewles municyon and other privisions whereupon all returned to Jamestown.”

So a party of four ships, the Patience, the Discovery, the Deliverance and the Virginia, with James at command, are headed down the James River and giving up on Jamestown, on their way home to England when lo and behold, here comes Captain Bruster (Brewster) with three hundred men, many of them "gentlemen of quality", mostly younger sons of landholding, wealthier families and skilled craftsmen, food and supplies. Had they missed each other, would Jamestown have suffered the same fate as the Maine experiment?

The next adventure for Captain James was leading a show of force against the natives. On page 273, Percy recounts:

“Their sayleigne some two myles down the River I sent Capt. Davis A shoare with moste of my Sowldiers, myselfe being wearyed before and for my owne part, but an easie foote man was Capt: Davis. At his landeinge, he was approached by some Indyans who spared nott to send their arrowes Amongste our men but within A shorte Tyme he putt them to flighte and landed withoutt further opposity on marcheinge About fowrtene myles into the country cutt downe their corne, burned their howses, Temples and Idolles and amongste the reste A Spacyous Temple cleane and neattly keptt A thinge strange and seldome sene amongste the Indyans in those partes. So havinge performed all the spoyle he cowulde Retourned aboarde to me ageine and then we sayled downe the River to James Towne."

In my translation, he had sent James with most of his soldiers, as he (Percy), was weary and James was a good footman. When he landed a band of Indians approached, who did not shoot arrows at the party of men, but later, he sent them on their way, somehow, and came ashore. The men marched 14 miles into the interior, and laid waste to the tribes crops of corn, set their homes on fire, their 'temples and idols', and made note of an impressive and spacious temple of the kind they had not seen before among the tribes. Then, having done all the damage and collecting the spoils that they could, they sailed back down the river to Jamestown.

The next time there is any mention of Captain James Davis is from an event on Mary 2, 1611. Sir Thomas Dale had arrived, and James was at that time in command of Fort Algernon. There were two other forts, called Henry and Charles, that had been abandoned. Each sat at the end of a cape bearing their names. Dale ordered James to take possession of the two abandoned forts and put him in command of all three of them.

Two months later, on June 27th of the same year, a couple of Spanish ships turn up and drop anchor out near Fort Algernon. Now, in my early imagination, I always thought these folks had been rather isolated, strangers in a strange land, but that wasn't quite so. Not only was the land already quite populated and full of human activity, but there were also other European governments sailing about. The Spanish had been exploring the land and setting up colonies long before England, and you also had the French and the Dutch ships out and about. 

The Spanish sent a party out to talk to Captain Davis and asked for his surrender. They 'requested it' says Brown on page 152. Having that Davis spunk and spirit I saw in my grandfather Davis, his ancestor my GGGGGGGGGreat Grandfather said, "Hell to the Naw". Well, what he actually said, according to Captain George Percy, and recounted by Brown was, "Go to the Devil". Same difference.

When the Spaniards made their way to the fort, James Davis and his men lay in wait on the shore prepared to ambush them. He captured their leader, a man named Diego Malina and a few of his men. He attempted to bargain back and forth with them for a while, or 'parlay'. In the end, he let some of them, with an English pilot, go, under the condition that they make their way to Jamestown. Instead, when he got on board the Spanish hoisted their sails and took off, leaving poor Diego and their buddies with the English.

The last days of James Davis were spent more peacefully, between 1612 and 1623, were his "Ancient Planter" Days. He and Rachel settled in with their children on a plantation "over the water from James City", in an area east of Gray's Creek, in what is now Surry County, Virginia. He had started at Fort Algernon and Point Comfort and later moved to Henrico and Coxendale. His property appears to have been on the lower side of James River and east of Grays Creek. This was an area that people had removed to after a March 1622 Indian attack at Henrico. James had been placed in command of Henrico in 1616 and is described in a 1633 patent as 'formerly of Henrico'. He died on February 16, 1623, in what was probably an Indian raid. His widow, Rachel Keyes Davis is also described as an Ancient Planter. She and their son, Thomas, later received the headright and entitlements. 

 James and Rachel Keyes Davis had at least three sons: Thomas, Nathaniel and John. Thomas seems to have been the oldest, named for his grandfather, as the oldest sons inherited the property at that time. There may have been daughters, but they are unknown. We descend through Thomas. His story continues the Davis line. 

Citations
1. Emigrants by Hotten, p. 236.
2. 17th Century Isle of Wight County, VA, by John Bennett Boddie, 1938, Chapter XXIII, Captain James Davis of New England and Virginia; pp. 434-49.
5. True Relation by Captain George Percy, written circa 1607, Tyler’s Magazine, Vol. III.
6. Conquest of Virginia, the Second Attempt, by Sams.
7. The Relation of a voyage unto New England begun from the Lizard, ye first of June 1607 by Captain James Davis, The Georges Society Publication, Vol. IV.
8. Some Southern Colonial Families, III, David A. Avant (Tallahassee, Florida, 1989), pp. 205-52.

Below from True Relation by Captain George Percy