Person:John Burns (51)

The earliest record we have of John, Sr is the 18 June1766 land grant of 400 acres between Long Branch of Sandy River and William Burns Branch, running along the course of both, and 400 acres on Ironmongers Branch of Horse Pasture Creek at order line up both sides.

John enlisted for 9 months as a substitute for Archibald Robertson in 1777 according to his widow who applied for pension on 12 Dec 1845. Note: John's daughter Sarah married John Leatherwood. This, and the fact that the original property purchased by Sarah's Grandfather Charles (254 acres) was at the mouth of Leatherwood Creek, leads this researcher to believe there was a close connection of these families. John served in the same command as brothers William, Andrew, and Alexander and Samuel, under the command of General"Cristy" in his campaign against the (hostiles) Indians.

After 1783 there is no record of John in Virginia. It is therefore assumed John was in route to South Carolina. (He may have been in North Carolina for a short span.) John, along with his brothers Samuel and Alexander, were listed on the 1790 Greenville District Census in South Carolina. Brother William did not join them until after 1797. Brother Andrew was in Kentucky (by 1789). Little is known of his brother Charles Jr. who appears on the 1787 Henry County, Virginia Tax List, and disappears thereafter.

Now to the meat of the subject: John Burns, Jr, born 17 Jan 1777. This date of birth is confirmed by his mothers pension application and is on file in the National Archives. He died in about 1847 in Mississippi, one year before his mother. John, Jr carried the Family bible with him when he moved his family to Tennessee. He served in the Tennessee Militia during the War of 1812. John's family had to search for him and the family bible in order to prove his mother's claim. (At the time of the pension application all they knew was he moved west.) His sister Sarah and the family attorney (from Hendersonville, North Carolina) finally located John, Jr and retrieved the bible, with the dates of birth of John, Sr's children (again on file with the pension application).

     I have seen several notes on the internet [Burn List] giving John, Jr a middle initial. I have found none. John, Jr. was born in Henry County, Virginia not South Carolina, although he was there with his father is on the SC census of 1790. John died in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. Some of John Jr's  descendants migrated to Texas. There are 11 children attributed to John. Jr born between 1806 and 1829. My records show he married Mary Anne "Anna" Green about 1805 in North Carolina.

1.   Delbert L. Collins. Delbert L. Collins BURNS Master File.