Burroughs
Dear Ms. Austin,
Thank you for your message which included my user name and password for georgiapioneers.com. I would like to know
if you might be able to help me find more information about a very elusive ancestor of mine, Henry Burroughs.
He would have been my gggg-grandfather, born perhaps at about 1760. My grandfather, Benjamin Morris Burroughs, was born in Franklin County, Georgia, as was his father, Benjamin Mattison Burroughs. I am fairly certain that my Burroughs line lived in Maryland at some point before migrating south. In the History of Franklin County, Georgia by the Franklin County Historical Society, there is a Henry Burroughs and a Henry Burrows, each listed as registered to draw in the land lottery of 1805.
About two years ago I hired a “professional” Mormon genealogist in Salt Lake City and paid him $1,200 to research my family. He basically took all of the information which I provided him with and typed it up to give back to me (and he didn’t even repeat it back to me accurately). Any other information was found on the internet and admitted as pure speculation. I absolutely believe that professional genealogy work is incredibly difficult and time-consuming but I believe that for the money I paid, I should have received better service than that.
From what I have read on your website and email messages, your work is a labour of love for which you do not charge an additional fee. While I have immense appreciation for that, I will say that in all fairness, I would be happy to pay for any help you can give me in positively identifying Henry Burroughs. For me, he seems to be the key to everyone and everything which preceded him.
I look forward to your reply.
Best regards,
Valerie Abstance
We need ... a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings. They are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth. Henry Beston
Completed Research:
Henry Burroughs of Franklin County, Georgia
Henry Burroughs served in the Maryland Militia of St. Mary’s County during the Revolutionary War. He apparently removed to Georgia after 1790 (census) and settled in Franklin County on Shoal Creek, which creek flows into the Tugaloo River where he died in 1828.
He appears to have a connection to Benjamin Burroughs who died 1736 in St. Mary’s Co. and named his next of kin as John and George Burroughs, with James Burroughs as administrator. James Burroughs was the James Burroughs Sr. ewho owned a plantation on the Savannah River and died 1804 in Columbia County, Georgia. John Burroughs appears to be the one who removed to Jasper County. The Jasper County Minute Book A, page 33, indicates that a court held on 7/6/1814 the LWT of John Burroughs was proved by John West, with Yearly Stroud and Lewis McClain as witnesses. A warrant and appraisement was issued to Henry Burroughs, as one of the executors. Jasper Co. Court of Ordinary Minutes, Vol. I. The failure of Jasper Co. records to produce this LWT leaves us at a bit of a quandary. However, it is possible that John Burroughs was the father of Henry Burroughs. John Burroughs died 1736 in St. Marys County had sons, John, George and Benjamin. It would appear that one of these is a candidate to be the father of Henry. George inherited his mother’s plantation after her death, so does not appear to have removed to Georgia. Benjamin died in 1765. John removed to Jasper Co. James Sr. of Columbia Co. may have been a son of John. Whatever the true relationship of John, James, George, Benjainin and Henry, they are definitely close relatives. The answer is going to lie in the St. Mary’s deeds and estate records. I do not have access to the wills listed below with an asterick, nor the deed records. Rather than hire a genealogist, why don’t you order those wills from the Hall of Records in Annapolis, Maryland?
Burroughs of St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Re: John Burroughs, died 1717 St. Marys Co.
1717 LWT of John Burroughs, Folio 14, pp. 641. 3/13/1715-6: 12/5/1717. Wife, Mary (Keech). Eldest son: John. Daughter: Margaret Cartwright. Youngest son: Richard. Daughter: Sarah Carter.
1. John Burroughs, oldest. Died 1736. Wife: Ann.
2. Margaret Burroughs married John Cartwright, son of Mathew and Sarah Cartwright.
3. Richard Burroughs, youngest. Died 1769.
4. Sarah Carter.
Barbara Burroughs, 8/1779, Liber JJ1, pp. 328*
George Burroughs, 12/1785, Liber JJ1, pp. 448*
John Burroughs 1/1791, Liber JJ2, pp. 6*
Samuel Burroughs 1796, Liber JJ2, page 161*
Re: John Burroughs, d. 1736 Wife: Ann.
1. John Burroughs.
2. Benjamin Burroughs.
3. Ann Burroughs.
4. Margaret Burroughs.
5. Barbara Burroughs.
6. George Burroughs.
1736 LWT of John Burroughs, Folio 21, pp. 716, 3/28/1735: 11/2/1736.
Sons: John and Benjamin
Bequeathed “Trent Fork”. Daughters: Ann, Margaret and Barbara “Long Lookt”. Son, George, tract of mother’s (Long Lookt) after her death. Wife: Ann.
Re: Richard Burroughs.
1769 LWT of Richard Burroughs, Folio 37, pp. 249, St. Mary’s County. 11/8/1768: 5/3/1769. Eldest son: John Burroughs, half of lands in St. Marys Co. where he now lives. Son, Mathew, on pd. Sterling. Son, Samuel, the 8th part of furniture and stock. Grandson: Joseph Burroughs. Slaves to be divided among children; John, Richard, Jonathan, Hezekiah, Harry Edwards, Lydia Woodbine and Benjamin Burroughs. Youngest son, Hezekiah, dwelling plantation with ½ of land in St. Mary’s Co.
1. John Burroughs.
2. Mathew Burroughs.
3. Samuel Burroughs
4. Richard Burroughs married Barbara Wilson 11/9/1783 in St. Mary’s Co.
5. Jonathan Burroughs
6. Hezekiah Burroughs m. (1) Esther Cartwright (2) Mary Watson on 9/24/1796 in St. Mary’s Co.
7. Harry Edwards Burroughs. (Note: Harry is a nickname for Henry)/ Henry Burroughs married Nancy Burroughs on 12/22/1796 in St. Mary’s Co.
8. Lydia Woodbine.
9. Benjamin Burroughs.
Re: Benjamin Burroughs, died 1765, St. Mary’s Co.
Estate Records. Estate of Benjamin Burroughs, deceased. 1/25/1765: 3/7/1765. Estate appraised at #466.12.0. Appraisers: William Bruce, Robert Hammett Next of Kin: George Burroughs, John Burroughs. Administrator: James Burroughs. Note: (Could be the son of John who died 1736).
1790 St. Mary’s Co., MD Census
Hezekiah Burroughs, 1 male over 16, 2 males to 16, 1 female
Mathew Burroughs, 2 males over 16, 4 females
Normand Burroughs, 1 male over 16, 1 male 6o 16, 3 females
Wilson Burroughs, 1 male over 16, 2 males to 16, 3 females
Eleanor Burroughs, 1 male over 16, 1 female.
Henry Burroughs, 1 male over 16, one male to 16, 3 females.
Samuel Burroughs, Jr. 1 male over 16, 2 males to 16, 2 females to 16
John Burroughs, Jr. 2 males over 16, 5 males to 16, 3 females
Samuel Burroughs, Sr. 3 males over 16, 1 male to 16, 2 females
Maryland Militia, Revolutionary War
Benjamin Burris, Pvt., 5th Md. Regiment.
St. Mary’s Co., aged 16 to 50. Hezekiah, John, Jr., William, Samuel, James, Sr., Benjamin, Jr., Richard, George, Normand and Henry Burroughs.
Georgia Research
Franklin Co.
Henry Burroughs, deceased. Agreement dated 2/1828 among the persons entitled to distribution of the estate: Royal Bryan, Thomas P. Burroughs, William Burroughs, George N. Burroughs, Thomas Pulliam. (no further information, rec. RG 159-2-27, vol. 7, pp. 125, Book N.
1820 Land Lottery – Henry Burroughs of Jasper Co., Bentley’s district, drew land in Irwin Co.
Franklin County Tax Digests
1822 – Burroughs was listed under George Stovall’s property, adj. Burroughs on Shoal Creek.
1825 – Henry Burroughs, Capt. Blankenship district
1826 – Henry Burroughs, same, no poll
1827 – George N. and Henry Burroughs, Capt. Baird’s district.
Jasper Co. Deed Book I, pp. 25-29, James Hunter and Eliza Hunter of Chatham Co. to Benjamin Burroughs of Chatham Co. and Oliver Sturges of Chatham Co., LL 55, 18th district, 202.5 acres in Jasper Co. 3/19/1808
Jasper Co. Deed Book I, pp. 225-6. James and Nancy Cash of Franklin Co. to Absalom Carter of Franklin Co. Lot 98, 18th district, 202.5 acres. Wit: Henry Burroughs. 1/1/1808
Columbia Co., Ga. James Burroughs, Sr. of Columbia Co. to Peter Boyle of Hancock Co. 641 acres in Jackson Co. on Oconee River. Wit: Benjamin Burroughs, Aquilla Burroughs.
It appears that the above James Burroughs, Sr. came from St. Mary’s Co. and settled on the Savannah River in Columbia Co. His LWT proved 3/24/1804 in Columbia Co. named wife: Elizabeth and children: Elizabeth, Elinder, Deborah Wood, Priscilla Stubblefield, Benjamin, Reuben, Raimond, Francis, Barnett, James and Aquilla. Note: and Chloe.Barnett died 1819 and named his brother, James Burroughs. James died 1834 and named his sister, Deborah Wood.
Columbia Co. Deed. 9/5/1786. P/A James Burroughs, late of St. Mary’s Co., Maryland, but now of Columbia Co., Georgia, appoints his son, Bennett Burroughs attorney to recover from the estate of Benjamin Wood his share of the estate which came to Burroughs as his wife’s dower. On the same date James Burroughs sold the above share to his son, Bennett Burroughs for 150 pds (bequeathed by the LWT of Benjamin Wood, Sr., late of Charles City, Maryland, to his heirs, Nancy, John
Researched for: Valerie Abstance vmacfa@comcast.net