Individual Details

Some give John (and/or Jonathan) Burleson a birth of 1705 in Suffield,Connecticut (also England or Wales). There is evidence of a Connecticut Burleson family but the link between them and those later in North Carolina does no exist.
Some researchers state that the father of David was a Jonathan Burleson, not John.

Jonathan Burleson appears on the 1748 title list of Lunenburg, VA. In the 1752 tithe list, Jonathan had a John living with him (who would have had to be at least 16 to be taxed. John is last recorded in Virginia in a 1754 court case - Jonathan last documented Nov of 1755. An Aaron Burleson received a Grant on Little Otter River in 1749 (would have had to be at least 21) and is on the 1749 Lunenburg title list.
Aaron Burlison was in Cumberland Co NC by 1760, on Dunham Creek, and on Richardson Creek of the Rocky River in 1763. John Burlison conveyed land on Rocky River, Cumberland Co NC to James Little, 1767, and was named in Little's will.
Three more Burleson men lived on the Rocky River in the 1770's - James, Moses, and another Aaron on Flat Branch. A widow Burleson was named in a land entry in 1779. The count of Burleson men documented by name on Rocky River at this point is at least five. They are; Aaron of the Washington Co. Will and John of Lunenburg plus the unidentified James, Moses and Aaron of Flat Branch. In 1776 Jesse, Isaac and David Burlison make their first appearance which brings the total to at least eight Burleson men on Rocky River.

The great mystery is; how were the Rocky River Burlesons related?
For Jesse, Isaac and David we have documentation to show their descendants. They were born ca. 1750 through 1755. Jesse was born in 1751 per his original Bible records. Jesse witnessed a deed on Richardson Creek in 1779, and owned land on Swan's Branch of Rocky River. He also enlisted in the 4th NC Regt. in 1776 with other men from Anson County, NC. Because of Jesse age and where he lived, he could well be a brother to Isaac and David.
We know that David and Isaac were brothers per the Nov. 20th 1831 letter from Sarah Rowland to her parents David and Ursula Burlison, when she says, " Old Aunt Patcy Burleyson (Martha Clay wife of Isaac Burlison) staid with me nine or ten days." In another letter dated 15 Jan 1826 to her parents, Sarah says "Old Aunt Martha is living at her old place." These two letters almost 200 years old identify Isaac and David as brothers.
Another letter from Hillikiah Burleson reveals that brothers Isaac and David are nephews to Aaron of the Washington Co. Will. Hillikiah born in 1790 the son of David and Ursula Burleson, wrote a letter to his parents on October 3, 1823. In the letter he explained that he had "Rented land from cousin Joseph Burlison in Alabama." Joseph born 1770 was the son of Aaron of the Washington County Will* and 20 years the senior of Hillikiah so they probably never met before Alabama. I believe that Hillikiah was writing to his father of his meeting David's first cousin Joseph. [Possible brothers to Aaron and the father of Isaac & David include, John, James or Moses - a descendant several generations later declared that Moses was the father of Isaac but this is hearsay and not documented.]
Hillikiah was born and grew up on Rocky River until 1806; then lived with his father in Rutherford County TN until he left home for Alabama where he met Joseph. If David and Joseph were first cousins then they had a common grandfather Jonathan Burleson of Suffield/Lunenburg. From these three letters we know the relationship of David and Isaac, as well as their relationship to Aaron of the Washington Co. Will who was the son of Jonathan b.1704 of Suffield and Lunenburg.

*Aaron II served as a Minute Man in the Revolutionary War. He probably served with Isaac Burleson who was the nephew of Aaron. Aaron II was also an intimate friend of " The" Daniel Boone. After the Revolutionary War, Aaron II decided to join Daniel Boone in Kentucky. Aaron II died in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1782. He was killed by Indians on either Cane Creek, N.C. or on the Clinch River in TN. Which some say he was on his way to meet up with his friend Daniel Boone. He left a will dated November 16, 1781. The will was probated in Washington Co., N.C. which is now Tenn. On May 27th, 1782. In his will he left all his personal estate to his wife and his thirteen children.
Aaron ll Will: State of North Carolina in Sullivan Co., ( Later TN.) I, Aaron Burleson being in perfect mind and memory considering the uncertainty of life and being desirous of my affairs in a regular manner before I depart this life, I do hereby give and bequeath all my possessions as followeth (viz) first I commit my Soul to God that gabe it my body I commit to the dust from whence it came and my worldly estate real and personal I give and bequeath to my beloved wife all my real and personal estate during her life except three mares which I give to my son John one to my son Jonathon one to my son Joseph and each of said sons a good rifle gun which my widow is to give out of the estate to the three sons when they come of suitable age and further I give and bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth one shilling sterling and to my son Thomas one shilling sterling and to my daughter Sarah one shilling sterling and to my son Aaron one shilling sterling and to my daughter Rachel one shilling sterling and to my daughter Nancy one shilling sterling and to my daughter Abigail and Mary and Rhoda each one cow the whole to be paid by my widow out of my estate and to the remainder of all my estate real and personal I give to my son James at the death of my beloved wife or at her next marriage. In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal this sixteenth of November 1781. I do hereby before sealing of the above last will and testament constitute and appoint my beloved wife executrix and my son Aaron Burleson executor to the above will.
This is the Aaron married to Rachel, perhaps Hendricks (unverified!)

John Burlison may have been mentioned in an early North Carolina land Entry and definitely was mentioned in James Little Sr.'s will. In Jan 1773 Henry Eustace McCulloh the land agent for Lord Granville, entered 54 acres on Rocky River as part of a huge land grab. In the Entry description it states, " including Burlison's old place". The Burlison is not identified but he had to have been living there prior to Jan 1773. The use of "Old Place" indicates to me that Burlison had been on this property for some time; he was not a new arrival. If this Burlison was there for 5 or 10 years, that would eliminate possibility of "Burlison's old place" belonging to Jesse, Isaac or David.
It is my belief that John Burlison was living on this 54 acres on Jan 1773 without legal title to the land. McCulloh did file on the land for Lord Granville. In 1775 McCulloh was run out of North Carolina and he returned to England. In 1776 the State of North Carolina took over all of Lord Granville’s unsold grants. I believe John Burlison remained in possession of the land until he at some later date conveyed the land to James Little Sr.
James Little Sr. was born ca. 1767 and would have been 23 in 1790. I'm not sure when Little started to obtain land, but he accumulated enough to give all ten of his children a farm. Little was a staunch Primitive Baptist and member and officer of Meadow Creek Primitive Baptist Church. He would not enter the 54 acres while John was living on the land, but instead chose to "have conveyed to me by John Burlison". This conveyance is stated in James Little Sr's will of August 1842 item # 6 to his son James Little Jr.. Item # 6 states: "to my son James Jr...... beginning on the north bank of Rocky River where Peter Haglers last old mill dam joined the bank, .......thence........thence to the right hand side of the road leading to where I now live ........... thence a straight line to the corner of the tract I had conveyed to me by John Burlison, standing 50 yards above the mouth of the mill Race."
The 54 acres bordered Rocky River to the South and East, there was a road and ford just a couple of hundred yards up stream. In Little's 1842 Will, Item # 10 states "To Sophia Klutz my daughter I give " ...... thence to the ford..........then to the beginning.......... including the Ford where I now live". This description in Little's will takes in the 54 acres of "Burlison's old place" I believe "At the Ford" was Little's first of many purchases and he built his home here. 1788-90 would be my guess of the conveyance because John Burlison does not appear in the 1790 census.

Birth	Abt 1729
Thithable List	1749	District from Falling River to Goose Creek - Lunenburg County, Virginia
Marriage	Ca 1750	Living
Death	1775	Revolutionary War

Spouse	Living
Child	David Franklin Burleson (1753 - 1832)

Father	Aaron Burleson ( - 1763)
Mother	Sarah [Burleson] ( - )
Sibling	Isaac Burleson (1750 - 1810)
Sibling	Jesse Burleson (1751 - 1822)