Individual Details
Jonathan Burns
(8 Feb 1790 - 14 Apr 1857)
Our Father, Jonathan, having served three, six-month tours with the illustrious General Andrew Jackson in chastising and subduing the hostile Creek Indians in the East and Southeast Alabama Territory and returning home to his parents in the spring of 1815, and in the Fall time he became acquainted with a Miss Martha Richards, eldest daughter of John Richards, and the acquaintance resulted in affection and they were married in Rhea County East Tennessee on the 15th of November, 1815.
Our dear father, Jonathan Burns, was two or three years older than our uncle Stephen, was born at the old South Carolina home on the 8th day of February, 1790; came with his parents and other relatives, as has been noticed, passing through the hardships of an Army life, such as was common at that time and after an honorable discharge joining in with his parents and family in the home employments until the time of his marriage to our dear mother, as has been noticed. Our mother was the eldest daughter of John Richards and wife, who were then on the move from North Georgia into that East Tennessee Country. Our grandfather Richards was a son of a Welchman of respectability and proud of ancestry. We have no account as to the name of our grandmother Richards or her family name. We only have the information that she died soon after the birth of her youngest son, but have no other information as to the time or place.
In the latter part of the year 1819 our father and mother, together with several of his brothers-in-law, also his father and mother, including their bachelor son, Stephen, and the elder brother, Alex, and family sold out
their homes and most of their stock and took up the line of march to find the rich lands of Alabama Territory, such as our father had seen while with General Jackson, in building blat boats to ship army supplies as hauled to the head of the Coastal Shoals, down that river to different points where several army divisions were operating. The planks for these boats were sawed by hand.
When our father and friends arrived at the crossing of the noble Tennessee River at fort Deposit, near Gunter's Landing, they met up with some of their East Tennessee friends, who had been with General Coffee, who had canvassed the Mulberry River country and other rivers south, where the hostile Creek Indians had towns, and they were induced to join them.
They took “Coffee's Trace”, as the roadway was called, which led them near Warrenton is now located, thence through Browns Valley, thence on in the Bear Meat Valley to the Bear Meat Indians' home and business place (near present town of Blountsville). So much of their way was held as Cherokee Territory. Thence southwest direction along what is now the Blountsville and Blountsprings passing what is now and has been for at least three scores of years, regarded the Great Saratoga of our Southern States. The Sulphur Springs or Blount Springs, their “trail” or roadway led them down the Mulberry River by the way of Perkins, or Maverick Bend, of the river where there was an Indian town, as was at the mouth of the Mulberry at Phillips Ferry. But our father and his relatives settled on, and near to lands now owned and occupied by the Rice brothers; some of the families settling on the beautiful highlands, south between the two rivers (Mulberry and Black Warrior). The country had not been surveyed, nor the lands offered for sale to settlers, so these settlements at a “haphazard” or at risk to the settler. But they settled, as others had done two or three years before them. Mostly further down the Mulberry, and on the fine creek lands and uplands.
Our mother and father settled near where Preston Rice now lives, south of the mouth of Mariots Creek. There being about 100 acres of first rate land in a compact body south of the river, and a fine body of upland adjoining and some way from the river, our father built a house and cleared a respectable sized field on this upland, planted and cultivated a crop of corn and other things, and had something to sell and to give to his neighbors, when they saw them. Also to the U S Surveyors and their hired men, when they came or worked and camped near by in the Fall of 1820, the family having lived on the home for about twelve months.
While the surveying was in progress and the campers visiting the fields of our neighborhood, a respectable, elderly gentleman of the camp came to call at our father's house and recognized him immediately as one of his acquaintances from Pendleton, C H Samuel Maverick. And old Sam had business on his brain, after compliments of civility and friendship, he asked our father whether he was going to the Huntsville Land sale, which was to begin in a few months (1st of December 1820). Our father told him no, giving as a reason that he had not the money to make the first payment on his home of land. “Well,” said Mr. Maverick, he marked this section, and if it doesn't go too high I expect to buy it unless you are there to buy it yourself.” So our father did not go to the sale, and Mr. Maverick bought all the bottom land on the Mulberry except for a mile of narrow bottom, for about five miles up the river, including our home and cleared land.
Our father moved on to a piece of good creek land, south and adjoining to his “lost labor”. He built a house and cleared and fenced another respectable sized field, cultivated it, and in the fall time expected to enter his home at Government price, $125. But before he could gather his crop and sell some fat cattle, Bob Fulton, a settler near by, rides his way to Huntsville and “enters him out”. Still our father refrained from destroying his neighbor. “Try again” was his resolution, and he moved about two miles south into a very fertile cove of land, wherein was, and is, the Big Spring. No disturbance there and in good time he entered one hundred and twenty acres, which was a pattern for a two horse farm of good land. Time and health, brawn and brain-in a few years the better houses were built and floored with plank, sawed by hand and dressed, and old John Parker got up the nice tables and bedsteads of black walnut timber. Field after field was cleared and well fenced, exuberant crops of corn, wheat, oats, potatoes were grown each year, besides much other good things in the garden. Meantime there was a handsome income from the milk, butter, beef, honey, as the wonderful provision of deer and turkeys, besides coons, possums, squirrels, to say nothing of the fish and other small fry.
Our parents and family enjoyed this delightful home for about eleven years (from early part of 1822 to February 15, 1833).
(excerpt from letter by Calvin Alex Burns of Bangor, Blount County, Alabama)
Our dear father, Jonathan Burns, was two or three years older than our uncle Stephen, was born at the old South Carolina home on the 8th day of February, 1790; came with his parents and other relatives, as has been noticed, passing through the hardships of an Army life, such as was common at that time and after an honorable discharge joining in with his parents and family in the home employments until the time of his marriage to our dear mother, as has been noticed. Our mother was the eldest daughter of John Richards and wife, who were then on the move from North Georgia into that East Tennessee Country. Our grandfather Richards was a son of a Welchman of respectability and proud of ancestry. We have no account as to the name of our grandmother Richards or her family name. We only have the information that she died soon after the birth of her youngest son, but have no other information as to the time or place.
In the latter part of the year 1819 our father and mother, together with several of his brothers-in-law, also his father and mother, including their bachelor son, Stephen, and the elder brother, Alex, and family sold out
their homes and most of their stock and took up the line of march to find the rich lands of Alabama Territory, such as our father had seen while with General Jackson, in building blat boats to ship army supplies as hauled to the head of the Coastal Shoals, down that river to different points where several army divisions were operating. The planks for these boats were sawed by hand.
When our father and friends arrived at the crossing of the noble Tennessee River at fort Deposit, near Gunter's Landing, they met up with some of their East Tennessee friends, who had been with General Coffee, who had canvassed the Mulberry River country and other rivers south, where the hostile Creek Indians had towns, and they were induced to join them.
They took “Coffee's Trace”, as the roadway was called, which led them near Warrenton is now located, thence through Browns Valley, thence on in the Bear Meat Valley to the Bear Meat Indians' home and business place (near present town of Blountsville). So much of their way was held as Cherokee Territory. Thence southwest direction along what is now the Blountsville and Blountsprings passing what is now and has been for at least three scores of years, regarded the Great Saratoga of our Southern States. The Sulphur Springs or Blount Springs, their “trail” or roadway led them down the Mulberry River by the way of Perkins, or Maverick Bend, of the river where there was an Indian town, as was at the mouth of the Mulberry at Phillips Ferry. But our father and his relatives settled on, and near to lands now owned and occupied by the Rice brothers; some of the families settling on the beautiful highlands, south between the two rivers (Mulberry and Black Warrior). The country had not been surveyed, nor the lands offered for sale to settlers, so these settlements at a “haphazard” or at risk to the settler. But they settled, as others had done two or three years before them. Mostly further down the Mulberry, and on the fine creek lands and uplands.
Our mother and father settled near where Preston Rice now lives, south of the mouth of Mariots Creek. There being about 100 acres of first rate land in a compact body south of the river, and a fine body of upland adjoining and some way from the river, our father built a house and cleared a respectable sized field on this upland, planted and cultivated a crop of corn and other things, and had something to sell and to give to his neighbors, when they saw them. Also to the U S Surveyors and their hired men, when they came or worked and camped near by in the Fall of 1820, the family having lived on the home for about twelve months.
While the surveying was in progress and the campers visiting the fields of our neighborhood, a respectable, elderly gentleman of the camp came to call at our father's house and recognized him immediately as one of his acquaintances from Pendleton, C H Samuel Maverick. And old Sam had business on his brain, after compliments of civility and friendship, he asked our father whether he was going to the Huntsville Land sale, which was to begin in a few months (1st of December 1820). Our father told him no, giving as a reason that he had not the money to make the first payment on his home of land. “Well,” said Mr. Maverick, he marked this section, and if it doesn't go too high I expect to buy it unless you are there to buy it yourself.” So our father did not go to the sale, and Mr. Maverick bought all the bottom land on the Mulberry except for a mile of narrow bottom, for about five miles up the river, including our home and cleared land.
Our father moved on to a piece of good creek land, south and adjoining to his “lost labor”. He built a house and cleared and fenced another respectable sized field, cultivated it, and in the fall time expected to enter his home at Government price, $125. But before he could gather his crop and sell some fat cattle, Bob Fulton, a settler near by, rides his way to Huntsville and “enters him out”. Still our father refrained from destroying his neighbor. “Try again” was his resolution, and he moved about two miles south into a very fertile cove of land, wherein was, and is, the Big Spring. No disturbance there and in good time he entered one hundred and twenty acres, which was a pattern for a two horse farm of good land. Time and health, brawn and brain-in a few years the better houses were built and floored with plank, sawed by hand and dressed, and old John Parker got up the nice tables and bedsteads of black walnut timber. Field after field was cleared and well fenced, exuberant crops of corn, wheat, oats, potatoes were grown each year, besides much other good things in the garden. Meantime there was a handsome income from the milk, butter, beef, honey, as the wonderful provision of deer and turkeys, besides coons, possums, squirrels, to say nothing of the fish and other small fry.
Our parents and family enjoyed this delightful home for about eleven years (from early part of 1822 to February 15, 1833).
(excerpt from letter by Calvin Alex Burns of Bangor, Blount County, Alabama)
Events
| Birth | 8 Feb 1790 | Pickens, South Carolina, United States |  | ||
| Marriage | 15 Nov 1815 | Rhea, Tennessee, United States - Martha "Polly" Richards | | ||
| Census | 1850 | Blount, Alabama, United States |  | ||
| Death | 14 Apr 1857 | Blount, Alabama, United States | |||
| Burial | Huffman Graveyard, Hanceville, Cullman, Alabama, United States |
Families
| Spouse | Martha "Polly" Richards (1795 - 1850) |
| Child | Stephen Burns (1816 - 1836) |
| Child | John Burns (1818 - 1849) |
| Child | Susan Burns (1820 - ) |
| Child | Alfred Eli Burns (1822 - 1896) |
| Child | Mary Ann "Polly" Burns (1829 - ) |
| Child | Jonathan Burns (1831 - ) |
| Child | Samuel Burns (1834 - ) |
| Child | Martha Jane Burns (1836 - 1838) |
| 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 | Stephen Burns (1795 - 1856) |
Notes
Census
Jonathan Burns Male 60 South CarolinaSamuel Burns Male 16 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