Person:Richard Burke (14)

Records in Virginia

12 May 1761, Rickard Burke bought goods at the estate sale of John Haile. [Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 12, pages 89–90.]

Rickard Burke is mentioned in the 1765 will of his father Thomas Burk.

An undated petition: “We the Subscribers are opinion that the healths of our familys will be injured by Capt Thomas Woods Building a Mill at the Piscataway old Mill bridge as call’d”. Signed John Chenault, Martin Burke, John Croxton, Barker Minter, Rachel Gordon, Charles Bray, Rickard Burke, Thomas Crow, William Burke, and Thomas Burke. On the front of the jacket the erroneous date of 1703 has been added, but in another hand, probably that of a WPA worker. [Essex County, Virginia, Box 8, Item 8-F-5.]

16 May 1774, a grand jury for Essex County presented Rickard Burk for not frequenting his Parish church for one month in two last past. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 3, item 3-C-50.]

There is a Richard Burk listed in the 1790 Essex County, Virginia, census (District 3), with a household of 9 white people and 2 black people.

16 September 1793, Rickard Burk, Isaac Gatewood, and John Chenault were bound £300 for Rickard Burk’s administration of the estate of Caleb Gatewood. Signed Rickard Burk, Isaac Gatewood, John Chenault. [Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 15, page 57.]

26 October 1796, Thomas Burke “this day made oath before me a Justice of the peace for the county afsd that Rickard Burke is an aged & infirm man & also a single witness to a material point of his claim in the suit now depending in the county court of Essex in chancery brought by him & Wm Burke (the said Wm Burke being now dead) against William Purkins & Wm Dunn exrs &c of Henry Purkins decd, who was exr &c of John Griggs decd; therefor I do now direct the clerk of the said court of Essex county to issue a commission de bene esse to take the deposition of the said Rickard Burke in the said suit.” [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 13, item 13-D-47.]

1 December 1798, Rickard Burke provided a deposition: The deposition of Rickard Burk being of lawfull age taken at the house of the said Rickard Burk in a suit depending between Cary Griggs pltff and William Purkins and William Dunn B executors of Henry Purkins decd who was executor of John Griggs decd defendants this 1st day of December 1798 This deponant being first sworn saith that when John Grigg’s the father of the pltff’s estate was sold he this deponant cryed it and before it was all sold he heard Capt. Thomas Edmondson ask Henry Purkins what John Griggs Estate sold for who answered upwards of Six hundred pounds Quistian by the pltff attorney what has become of John Griggs children answer John Griggs Cary Griggs & Fanny Dudley I believe to be a live the other are all dead and farther this deponant saith not. Signed Rickard Burke [shaky handwriting] Witnesses: JBohannan, Thos Dix [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 15, item 15-A-13.]

The estate of Caleb Gatewood in account with Rickard Burke for the period November 1793 to January 1802 is recorded in Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 15, pages 158–161.

18 January 1802, John Jones and William Howard were bound $1,500 for John Jones’s administration of the estate of Rickard Burke. [Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 16, pages 123–124.]

An undated bill of complaint in Essex County states that Rickard Burke died in March 1801, leaving a widow Ann (still alive at the writing of the bill); son John Burke, who died about February 1803, testate, who appointed Thomas Barton executor; son Thomas Burke, who died about February 1802, testate, never married; son Martin Burke, died 1806 intestate, estate administered by Ben H. Munday; son Lewis Burke; daughter Barbara Burke, who married John Chenault and died in 1807; daughter Mary Burke, who married Richard Meador; daughter Nancy Burke, who married Caleb Gatewood and had an only child named Lucy Gatewood, who married William Howard; son William Burke, who died during his father’s lifetime leaving a daughter Polly Burke; and son James Burke, who died in his father’s lifetime leaving children Betsey, Nancy and James Burke. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 32, 1823, Item 32-G-38.] The bill was answered by John Jones, Ann Burke, and Richard and Mary Meador and sworn to on 22 September 1807, confirming by and large the facts in the bill of complaint. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 32, 1823, Item 32-G-32.] A decree settling the case was issued by Essex County court the same day. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 32, 1823, Item 32-G-36.] The decree settled the estate by giving one-eighth portions each to: Richard Meador and Mary his wife; Thomas Barton executor of John Burke; Ben H. Munday, administrator of Martin Burke; Lewis Burke; William Howard and Lucy his wife; Polly Burke; Betsy, Nancy and James Burke; John Chenault. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 32, 1823, item 32-G-33.]

March 21, 1810, a petition was presented to chancery court in Essex County, “Humbly complaining shew unto your worships your orators & oratrices Wm Burke and infant under the age of twenty one years by John Jones his next friend, Polly Burke daughter of Martin Burke an infant under the age of twenty one years by Andrew Monroe her next friend, Polly Burke daughter of Wm Burke an infant under the age of twenty one years by John Martin her next friend and Betsey & James Burke infants under the age of twenty one years by John Jones their next friend, that Rickard Burke formerly of Essex county died seised in fee of a tract of land situated in south Farnham parish & Essex county containing about 271 acres, having made & publishing his testament & last will & writing by which he devised to his wife Ann Burke during her life his whole estate real & personal & after devising some Kentucky land he devised all the remainder of his estate, real & personal, to be equally divided among all his children John, Thomas, Martin, James & Lewis Burke, Barbara Chenault & Molly Meador & lent to his grand daughters Lucy Gatewood & Polly Burke an equal part of his estate real & personal & if they should dye without heirs their respective portions should go to the survivors, as will appear by an office copy of the same recorded in this court hereto annexed as part of this bill; that the testator’s son Thomas died in his life time & without having been married whereby the devise in his favor became void, and his sons John & Martin also died in the lifetime of the testator’s widow who died in Jany 1810; that his said son John left a will whereby he devised his interest in the said land in Essex county to your orator Wm Burke, his son, as will appear by the said John Burke’s will recorded in this court; that Martin Burke died intestate and your oratrix Polly Burke is his only child & descendant living. that James Burke died intestate in the lifetime of his Father Rickard and your orator & oratrix James & Betsey Burke are his only children & descendants living; that your oratrix Polly Burke, mentioned in the will of the testator as his granddaughter, is the only child & descendant of the testator’s son Wm who died in the testator’s lifetime; and the testator’s grand daughter mentioned in his will by the name of Lucy Gatewood was the only child & descendant living of a daughter of the testator who died in his life time, which said Lucy Gatewood intermarried with Wm Howard jr after the testator’s death…” Hundley Moody had purchased some of this land, and the petitioners seek division of the land. The case was finally settled in 1822 with division. [Essex County, Virginia, Box 138 D&W, 1820–1821, Folder N.]

17 June 1811, the court ordered division of the estate of Rickard Burke. [Essex County, Virginia, Box Chancery No. 24, item 24-A-38.]

1814, Rickard Burke’s estate was taxed for 256 acres of land in Essex County. A marginal note states: “On land book 1813 - 290 thereof put to Wm Beazly upon transfer.” [Essex County, Virginia, 1814 Land Tax Book.]

1818, the estate of Rickard Burke was taxed for 222 acres of land in Essex County, and a note states: “34 Acres taken from quantity charged last year conveyed by Wm Burke to Wm Beazley & heretofore charged to him & not taken from the Estate”

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 .

   http://thomasmoore.info/genealogy/ps01/ps01_412.html

2.   Meador, Victor P. (Victor Paul), and Bernal M. Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America: as found in the records of Isle of Wight, Lancaster, (old) Rappahannock, Richmond, Essex and Caroline Counties, Virginia. (Independence, Missouri: V.P. Meador, 1983)
   p. 75.

   Mary Burke inherited 165 and 1/8 acres from her father Richard Burke, which she and her husband Richard Meador sold in 1801. (Source: Essex County, Virginia Deed Book 35, p. 367)