Dear Friends,

I started family history research more than fifty years ago. It began with a hand-written note I'd received from my grandmother, which said, "John Burns had a sister, Mary Ann, and several brothers. One brother went to Texas, and one, a bachelor, went to Montana and Oregon, and was never heard from after."

We eventually found the name of the brother who went to Texas (where may of his descendants still live); we found Mary Ann's husband's name (and located many of their descendants in Oregon); and at last we found the names of Christopher Burns and Rachel Magner Burns Amen. (But we haven't yet found the bachelor.)

How did this happen?

My great-grandfather was named James Christopher Burns; his father was John Burns. John Burns and his wife, Lydia Ann Porter Burns, both died of cholera just before reaching South Pass, in June 1850; leaving behind their 9-month-old son, James Christopher Burns, with a company of miners headed to the gold fields of California. For many years, that was as far as I could go on the Burns line because I didn't know the names of the parents of John Burns.

However, based on my great-grandfather's middle name, I decided to search for Christopher Burns. I discovered that there was only one Christopher Burns in the entire 1830 U.S. Census of Ohio. And he was the right one! At the time of the census, he had a wife plus a son and a daughter, each under five years of age. (I still haven't discovered the name of that daughter.)

With the help of some distant cousins who were also researching the Burns family, I learned that Christopher Burns was one of eight children born to Henry Burns and his wife Magdalena. After they divorced, he married a widow named Magdalena and they had three more children.

Many of Henry Burns' descendants still live in Ohio and Indiana (I know of others who live in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Texas, Arizona, etc.). Lots of my relatives have Burns as a last name; many others, including my brother, my father, my father's brother, plus numerous uncles and cousins have Burns as a middle name; and one cousin even has Burns as his first name.

I've been a member of Find A Grave for more than four years, but this is my first time as the custodian of a Find A Grave memorial.

Sincerely,

Stephen Ray Olsen

Dear Friends,

I started family history research more than fifty years ago. It began with a hand-written note I'd received from my grandmother, which said, "John Burns had a sister, Mary Ann, and several brothers. One brother went to Texas, and one, a bachelor, went to Montana and Oregon, and was never heard from after."

We eventually found the name of the brother who went to Texas (where may of his descendants still live); we found Mary Ann's husband's name (and located many of their descendants in Oregon); and at last we found the names of Christopher Burns and Rachel Magner Burns Amen. (But we haven't yet found the bachelor.)

How did this happen?

My great-grandfather was named James Christopher Burns; his father was John Burns. John Burns and his wife, Lydia Ann Porter Burns, both died of cholera just before reaching South Pass, in June 1850; leaving behind their 9-month-old son, James Christopher Burns, with a company of miners headed to the gold fields of California. For many years, that was as far as I could go on the Burns line because I didn't know the names of the parents of John Burns.

However, based on my great-grandfather's middle name, I decided to search for Christopher Burns. I discovered that there was only one Christopher Burns in the entire 1830 U.S. Census of Ohio. And he was the right one! At the time of the census, he had a wife plus a son and a daughter, each under five years of age. (I still haven't discovered the name of that daughter.)

With the help of some distant cousins who were also researching the Burns family, I learned that Christopher Burns was one of eight children born to Henry Burns and his wife Magdalena. After they divorced, he married a widow named Magdalena and they had three more children.

Many of Henry Burns' descendants still live in Ohio and Indiana (I know of others who live in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Texas, Arizona, etc.). Lots of my relatives have Burns as a last name; many others, including my brother, my father, my father's brother, plus numerous uncles and cousins have Burns as a middle name; and one cousin even has Burns as his first name.

I've been a member of Find A Grave for more than four years, but this is my first time as the custodian of a Find A Grave memorial.

Sincerely,

Stephen Ray Olsen