Individual Details
Stephen Burns
(Abt 1795 - 26 Jan 1856)
Of our uncle Stephen, he was younger than our father, born about 1792, and came to this country, a bachelor, and remained single for more than 50 years. Yet he had a good farm on the Mulberry River, now part of the Rices's farm. Kept a good stock of horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. He married an elderly lady named Milly Jett, and they had four children born to them, three of whom were raised to man and womanhood, namely:
Stephen, Naomi, and Mary, who have comfortable homes and are acceptable members of the Baptist Church and reside in the southwest corner of Cullman County.
Our Uncle Stephen was a hardy son of toil, always had money, lived for his family and friends, but seldom went to church. After I was grown, I was his first-rate friend and confidant. And when he became sixty (?) five years old and looked to be much older, her was stricken down with pneumonia and violent fever. He sent for me to come to him and write his Will. I left my cotton gin work and hastened to him, taking a doctor to him, and I and the doctor stayed with him seven days and nights, doing all that love and humanity would prompt, but we went too late. I wrote his will and watched his suffering with other kind friends, including my father. When on the eve of the 26th day of January, 1856, he breathed his last. I closed his eyes and tried to console the distressed mother and weeping children. The dear uncle had never made any pretensions to religion, was fully assured of his approaching death, could not confide in the promised mercies of the Great Heavenly Father. Was deeply penitent, yet in despair. We prayed for him and exhorted him to take the promised blessings of the Gospel. He listened attentively and was fully conscious of his condition, deeply penitent for his sins and yet he could not take to himself any hope, calling himself, “The Old Wretch.” The old wretch that I've been may be, maybe so that our honest hearted, our kind hearted, the penitent uncle Stephen was blessed in his last penitent moments of life and was “Saved”. Who knows? Two or three days before his death, he gave particular instructions that in the burial of his body to be sure to have the coffin wide enough, as deep enough, so that his body would not be crowded, all of which I took particular care to have done. We buried the body on the second morning, about a mile east of his home, on the highlands, north of Rice and Sanders Schoolhouse, where many others had been buried. Let us always respect the memory of our dear Uncle Stephen.
(excerpt from letter by Calvin Alex Burns of Bangor, Blount County, Alabama)
Stephen, Naomi, and Mary, who have comfortable homes and are acceptable members of the Baptist Church and reside in the southwest corner of Cullman County.
Our Uncle Stephen was a hardy son of toil, always had money, lived for his family and friends, but seldom went to church. After I was grown, I was his first-rate friend and confidant. And when he became sixty (?) five years old and looked to be much older, her was stricken down with pneumonia and violent fever. He sent for me to come to him and write his Will. I left my cotton gin work and hastened to him, taking a doctor to him, and I and the doctor stayed with him seven days and nights, doing all that love and humanity would prompt, but we went too late. I wrote his will and watched his suffering with other kind friends, including my father. When on the eve of the 26th day of January, 1856, he breathed his last. I closed his eyes and tried to console the distressed mother and weeping children. The dear uncle had never made any pretensions to religion, was fully assured of his approaching death, could not confide in the promised mercies of the Great Heavenly Father. Was deeply penitent, yet in despair. We prayed for him and exhorted him to take the promised blessings of the Gospel. He listened attentively and was fully conscious of his condition, deeply penitent for his sins and yet he could not take to himself any hope, calling himself, “The Old Wretch.” The old wretch that I've been may be, maybe so that our honest hearted, our kind hearted, the penitent uncle Stephen was blessed in his last penitent moments of life and was “Saved”. Who knows? Two or three days before his death, he gave particular instructions that in the burial of his body to be sure to have the coffin wide enough, as deep enough, so that his body would not be crowded, all of which I took particular care to have done. We buried the body on the second morning, about a mile east of his home, on the highlands, north of Rice and Sanders Schoolhouse, where many others had been buried. Let us always respect the memory of our dear Uncle Stephen.
(excerpt from letter by Calvin Alex Burns of Bangor, Blount County, Alabama)
Events
| Birth | Abt 1795 | South Carolina, United States |  | ||
| Census (family) | 1850 | Blount, Alabama, United States - Amelia "Milly" Jett |  | ||
| Death | 26 Jan 1856 | | |||
| Marriage | Amelia "Milly" Jett | |
Families
| Spouse | Amelia "Milly" Jett (1818 - ) |
| Father | Alexander Abner Burns (1747 - 1829) |
| Mother | Mary Ellen Roach (1746 - 1829) |
| Sibling | Amos Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Samuel Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Alexander Abner "Alex" Burns (1786 - 1852) |
| Sibling | Susan Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Leah Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Nancy Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Jane Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Mary Burns ( - ) |
| Sibling | Jonathan Burns (1790 - 1857) |
Notes
Census (family)
Stephen Burns Male 55 South CarolinaMilly Burns Female 32 Kentucky
Ann Burns Female 15 Alabama
Stephen Burns Male 4 Alabama
Naomia Burns Female 2 Alabama
Mary Burns Female 0 Alabama
Endnotes
1. Dawn Lindsey Gibson, "Merry Webb's daughter, Mary Burns," e-mail message from
2. Dawn Lindsey Gibson, "Merry Webb's daughter, Mary Burns," e-mail message from
3. Whitaker, Winnie Webb, "Webb genealogy," e-mail messages from <WinnieWhitaker@yahoo.com> to Nancy Prouty, 2004-2008..
4. Dawn Lindsey Gibson, "Merry Webb's daughter, Mary Burns," e-mail message from