***** Caveat *****
Our Walter Burris of Missouri was NOT the Walter Burrus of Albemarle County, Virginia that many had assumed. This was an erroneous conflation made decades ago because of limited information which has now changed. This initial conflation also stopped people from researching deeper because they had an easy answer to get Walter from Missouri to Virginia. Since 2015 though NEW research has overwhelmingly proven the Missouri Walter and the Virginia Walter were separate individuals with separate families who lived very far apart from each other. We now know where they were living almost every year of their lives.
***** True Origins *****
Our Walter Burris was probably born about 1761-1763 give or take a few years. The 1830 Federal Census puts him in the 1761-1770 range. His birthplace is currently unknown if it was not South Carolina. The Burris family was from Laurens county, South Carolina [not Virginia] before moving to Kentucky and Missouri. His father was likely William Burris [Burrows] who had land in Laurens county as early as 1769 along Williams Creek [now Burris Creek] which joins the larger Rabon/Rayborn Creek. The later Land Memorial verifies that William Burrows is the same person as William Burris.
William Burris Sr, William Burris Jr and Walter Burris were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War which was actually common for upland South Carolina. They appear on muster rolls for the "Little River Militia" 1780-1782 under Major Patrick Cunningham who actually had land next to William Burris (at least after the war). A biography of one of Walter's grandsons in California mentions that his grandfather (Walter) was in the Revolutionary War and that the family named changed from Burroughs [Burrows] to Burris. The fact Walter is on a 1781 Muster Roll also indicates he was of fighting age which means he was born in the early-mid 1760s and not the late 1760s. This is why a date of 1761-1763 is preferred.
There is other evidence that points to a South Carolina origin of Walter Burris before Kentucky. Walter's son Henry Burris was probably born circa 1790 (median of two censuses) and born in South Carolina per his son William Burris' answer on the 1880 Census (CA, Sonoma county). Taken at face value this evidence places Walter Burris in South Carolina circa 1790. The 1790 South Carolina census (Laurens county) does indeed record a "Walter Burress" next to a "William Burress". The exact spelling is irrelevant as any professional experienced genealogist would attest. Walter's household has two males under 16 years which would be Henry (est. 1790) and his older brother John (est. 1788). John and Henry both served in the Missouri Militia in 1814 so we know they were probably closely aged.
Walter's son Henry Burris (a county judge) is mentioned in a history of Cass County, Missouri as being a "cousin" of Mastin Burris [mis-transcribed as Martin which is a common mistake for that name]. Mastin has a biography in that history book and he would have been witness to much of the history of Cass county and especially that of Grand River Township where the extended Burris family settled after 1830. He may have personally contributed much of that history to the writers. The section on Grand River Township mentions James Lackey, Humphrey Hunt and John Blythe who all married daughters of Thomas Burris (brother of Walter and uncle of Henry Burris and Mastin Burris).
In his own biography Mastin mentions his father David Burris being from South Carolina and marrying Eleanor [actually Elender] Lackey which happened in 1808 in Madison county, Kentucky next to Clark county. On the 1880 Census three of David's children say their father was born in South Carolina. Walter Burris and David Burris were closely associated together in Missouri at the Loutre Island settlement in 1810 (court docs) and at Boonville after 1811+ (county history). So three historical sources link Walter Burris and David Burris together and there are multiple clues to a South Carolina connection.
******* Two Walter Burris *******
Our Walter Burris is NOT the same "Walter Burrus" that was born 1768-1770 in Albemarle county, Virginia and married Mary Lively in. The Virginia Walter lived his entire life in Albemarle county, Virginia (land upon Buck Island Creek) and died there in April 1836. He had a will and left his estate to his 3 daughters by his second wife Lucy Shikell or Shekell. The Virginia Walter is on the Virginia Census in Albemarle county in 1810, 1820 and 1830 and on the year tax rolls from 1800 to 1835. Clearly he was a permanent resident.
Meanwhile, our Missouri Walter Burris is well documented in Kentucky as early as July 1800 and in Missouri as early as July 1810. They are clearly two different men but may have been 2nd or 3rd cousins. Most family trees on Ancestry erroneously merge these two different men into ONE person despite the overwhelming evidence (direct, circumstantial, and cluster) they were two different men. Several hundred Ancestry trees contain erroneous information.
***** South Carolina to Kentucky *****
The migration of the Burris family from Laurens county, South Carolina to Clark county, Kentucky may have been right after William Burrows (Burris) and wife Rachel sold land in 1795 (recorded 1797 probably by David Burris who was given power of attorney). David Burris stayed in South Carolina longer. It's still unclear if this William Burris is the possible father or an older brother.
The 1796 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William Burrows and James Box [see below] consecutively and with same collection date of May 17th indicating proximity. The William Burrows household had 2 males above 21 years and 2 males above 16 years. Note that the males are the right age groups to be William, Walter, Isaiah and Thomas Burris. David was still in South Carolina.
The 1800 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William and Isaiah Burris with same collection date indicating proximity. Putting 10 years of Kentucky tax roll data together and using identical collection dates as an indication of close proximity we get a group consisting William, Walter, Isaiah, and Thomas Burris with neighbors Zachariah Barnes, James Box, John Snethen, and others living in southern Clark county close to the border with Madison county.
Walter is first documented in Kentucky as a bondsman in a marriage bond between Thomas Burgin & Nancy Owens filed in Madison county dated July 7, 1800. Isaiah Burris was a witness for the mother's consent. The mother was Prudence "Prudy" Oings [not Owens] who would also been a neighbor back in Laurens county, South Carolina but her husband's first name is not yet known. The Burris, Box and Oings families all had land along Raburn Creek in Laurens county, South Carolina. This document allows us to directly link Walter Burris with Isaiah Burris and Isaiah Burris is known (per 1850 census) to be from South Carolina. Note that there are now four pieces of evidence pointing to the Burris family being from South Carolina. The Burgin bond is interesting because Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens [actually Oings] appear to have several children including a John Burgin about 1807/1810. This Burgin family also migrated to Cass county, Missouri where in 1835 the county actually paid for temporary new residence and suitable clothing for "Prudy Owen" (blind since 1808 and no doubt now elderly) who was living with son-in-law Thomas Burgin. On the 1860 Census (California, Tulare county, page 1) we see David Burris (s/o Henry) living a few houses from John Burgin (apparent s/o Thomas and Nancy). So we see the same two families associated across 60 years. Is it possible Prudence Oings was a sister of Walter making these two men cousins?
Walter appears on the 1803 Madison co., Kentucky tax roll with 200 acres situated on the Red Bird Fork of the Kentucky River. Walter appears on the Clark county, Kentucky tax rolls from 1804 to 1808 with personal property only (horses).
Walter Burris can be documented with David Burris (est. 1772 SC - 1849 MO) and Isaiah Burris (abt. 1776 SC - 1850s MO) both of whom were born in SC. David Burris can be connected to Thomas Burris (est. 1778 - 1849 MO) by intermarriage of their children (first cousins).
Walter's son Henry Burris was a judge in Cass county, Missouri and died about 1847. The "History of Cass & Bates Counties, Missouri 1883" mentions that judge Henry Burris (son of Walter) was a "cousin" of Mastin Burris (son of David Burris). Taken at face value this means Walter and David Burris were brothers.
***** Probable siblings *****
The documented connections between Walter Burris, David Burris, Thomas Burris and Isiah Burris forces us to look at these other older Burris men as likely siblings (or nephews) of Walter and use any data about them as a proxy for information about our Walter Burris. This was NEVER done by previous researchers and is why the previous Walter Burris genealogy has been so erroneous for 30+ years.
***** Burris descendants moved to Texas and were literally close neighbors ****
Many descendants of Walter, David and Thomas moved to the exact same areas in Texas. One page of the 1860 Texas Census (Wise county) lists a grandson (Tarlton Burris) of David Burris AND Thomas Burris next to a son (Zachariah Burris) and grandson (Nehemiah Vernon) of Walter Burris and other documents connect various descendants. In Parker county, Texas (3 Apr 1857) James Crabtree (Walter's grandson) was a chain carrier with James M Burris (unknown connection) for Joseph S Amos. Joseph Amos married Margaret Barker who was a sister of Sedonia Barker Burris (wife of Walter's son Thomas Burris).
***** David Burris *****
David Burris (1770s South Carolina - 1849 Cass county, Missouri) married Ellender "Nelly" Lackey in 1808 in Madison county but was previously married to a Mary ------ (divorced). In 1794 Laurens co., SC David Burris received a land grant situated next to William Burris and Patrick Cunningham [previously linked to William and Walter Burris during Rev War]. David stayed longer in SC with first wife Mary but eventually moved to Estill (formerly part of Clark) county by 1808. The 1808 tax roll entry dated May 15th lists Mary Box [widow of James], Wm Bouls, Isaiah Burris and David Burris.
AncestryDNA links descendants of Walter Burris to two lines of descendants of David Burris. Recent Y-DNA genetic evidence *proves* that male line descendants of Walter Burris, David Burris and Isaiah Burris have a common paternal ancestor. The evidence so far indicates that Walter, David and Isaiah are possibly sons of William Burris [Burrows] SR of Laurens county, South Carolina.
***** Thomas Burris *****
Thomas Burris (1770s - 1846/47 Cass county, Missouri) married Margaret "Peggy" Tincher in 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They resided Estill (formerly part of Clark) county, Kentucky into the 1820s but eventually moved to Cass county, Missouri. When Thomas made his will in 1845 he made Walter's son Henry the Executor but the estate evidently was never probated. Henry Burris died around the same time as well. This Thomas keeps getting conflated with the Thomas Burrus born in Orange county, Virginia and lived in Clark county, Kentucky. OUR Thomas Burris also lived in Clark county but in the southern portion that became part of Estill county in 1808. After 1808 he is on the Estill county tax rolls and 3 daughters marriages were recorded there. It's possible he lived in the same place all this time and only the county jurisdiction changed.
***** Isaiah Burris *****
Isaiah Burris (c. 1776 South Carolina - 1850s Missouri) married Rachel Barker 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They lived in southern Clark county near Woodward Creek in the portion that became Estill county in 1808. Isaiah Burris is directly connected to Walter Burris through the July 1800 marriage bond of Thomas Burgin to Nancy Owen where Walter was the bondsman and Isaiah was the witness for the parental permission. In 1803 Isaiah and Walter Burris paid taxes on the same day indicating the tax collector collected them at the same time. In 1808 and 1809 multiple Estill county court orders connect Isaiah with associates of Walter Burris later seen in Boonville. Isaiah Burris is lasted recorded in the Estill tax rolls in 1817 and may have moved to Missouri by 1820. In 1830 he was in Wayne county, Missouri in the section later made in Ripley county, Missouri. In 1848 Isaiah is taxed in Cass county, Missouri where David Burris, Thomas Burris and Henry Burris lived. In 1850 Isaiah was living in Johnson county, Missouri which connects with Jackson county and Cass county. Male line descendants of Isaiah Burris (aka Burrows) are also Y-DNA matched to male line descendants of Walter Burris and David Burris.
**** Barker and Barnes ****
Estill county (formerly part of Clark) was the residence of the Barker family and also the Zachariah Barnes family. In Missouri two Barker daughters (cousins Sidonia and Mary) married two sons of Walter (Thomas and Zachariah) and Walter married a Lydia Barnes in 1807. By 1850 Thomas Burris, Sedonia Barker Burris, Zachariah Burris, Mary Barker Burris, Sedonia's brother Joshua Barker had moved to Dallas county, Texas.
****** Walter's wives ******
Walter's first wife is still unknown and obviously not Mary Lively. Walter's second wife was Lydia Barnes and they were married on May 28, 1807 in Clark co., Kentucky. The surety was William Barnes (relation unknown). The original license is in the Eastern Kentucky University Archives in the David Chenault family papers. Lydia was born c.1790 in South Carolina (or NC?).
AncestryDNA shows a genetic link between descendants of Lydia Barnes Burris and Zachariah Barnes indicating a possible connection. This is not proof Zachariah (or a brother) is the father of Lydia but it's the most obvious path. Zachariah Barnes appears on an Oct 1808 road crew list with Isaiah Burris and Thomas Burris so they lived fairly close to each other in southern Clark (Estill) county, Kentucky. A July 1809 court order (Estill county) appoints Isaiah Burris and also Zachariah Barnes as surveyors of road near mouth of Woodward's Creek and near plantation of Widow Box (Mary Box). Given that Walter Burris was probably living on the same farm as his brother Isaiah Burris this obviously places Walter in proximity to meet Zachariah's daughter (or neice) Lydia Barnes.
The name "Lydia Cole" that people repeat as a wife is based on a misreading of a Vernon-Stark genealogy. There was no such person as Lydia Cole and there is no connection to Robert Cole of the Choctaw Nation who Walter Burris could have never met anyways. The writer of the Vernon genealogy evidently just passed along family lore which conflated William and Hannah Cole who were Boonville pioneers with the Burris family with the unrelated Choctaw Indian Coles of Mississippi. There would be no reason for an illiterate farmer like Walter Burris to travel to the Choctaw Nation OR for the chief of the Choctaw Nation to visit Boonville, Missouri. Nonsense.
***** Box Family *****
The Box family also traces back to Laurens county, South Carolina and lived within a few miles of the Burris family along Rabun Creek and Burris Creek. Muke's father James Box is the same person recorded on the 1796 Clark co., KY tax roll with William Burrows [Burris]. When James Box died in 1808 it was Isaiah Burris and David McGee (another Boonville settler) that witnessed the will recording in the courthouse.
Muke Box also settled in Boonville, MO about 1811 the same time as Walter and David Burris. See 1814 entry below.
***** Kentucky to Missouri ******
In 1809 or 1810 Walter Burris and David Burris migrate from Kentucky to Missouri apparently going to the settlement north of Loutre Island, Montgomery county, Missouri where other people from same area of Clark/Estill Kentucky had settled previously. John and Prudence Bowles Snethen (1/2 sister of Muke Box) had also came in 1809 and settled at Loutre Island. On June 4, 1809 David Burris was last taxed in Estill county, Kentucky and soon after he and Walter Burris migrated to Missouri.
The Burris, Box and Snethen families may have migrated together as part of a group with the William Thorp family that left Clark county, KY on Aug. 1, 1809 and arrived at Loutre Island, MO on Sep. 9, 1809.
In July 1810 near Loutre Island settlement John Snethen allegedly assaulted David Burris' wife Nelly Burris and later David allegedly assaulted Snethen with a knife. In Dec 1810 Walter Burris and Benjamin Carter make a legal agreement that they would pay David's $300 fine if the case goes against him.
By late 1811 (or early 1812) Walter Burris and David Burris were part of a group of 10+ families that settled in Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri. One of the other families was that of Gilead Rupe who in 1808 helped Isaiah Burrus survey a road in Estill county (newly created from bottom part of Clark county).
On Dec 14, 1814 near Boonville, Missouri - Walter Burris, Gilead Rupe and Muke Box were cutting a bee tree a couple miles from Cole's Fort when Indians prepared to attack them but killed Samuel McMahan instead when he came riding up. The other three fled to the fort. The next day James Cole and David McGee recovered the body. In 1815 when testimony was taken regarding the Indian depredations Muke Box was a witness for Walter Burris.
In short, all these people including Sam McMahan knew each other in Kentucky and migrated to the exact same spots in Missouri. The "cluster" genealogy verifies this is the exact same group of people going from Kentucky to Missouri. More importantly, it proves the Walter Burris that was an early Boonville settler is the same Walter Burris who had lived in Clark county, Kentucky (not Virginia) since at least 1800 and probably since 1796 with his likely father or older brother William Burris (Burrows).
******* Cole County, MO ********
In 1820 Walter Burris and Nancy Burris were part of 11 charter members of Double Springs Church organized July 15, 1820 in Cole county, Missouri. In 1830 Walter was recorded in the Federal Census for Cole county. Walter's residence may have been in what is now the Burris Fork Twp in Moniteau county (formed out of Cole).
Between 1831 and 1833 Walter Burris moved to Jackson county, Missouri where Walter died in late 1839. His exact death date is unknown despite what it says on Ancestry where no source is given. The executor of Walter's estate was his son Henry Burris. His burial place is unknown but it can be assumed he was buried on his land or a relative's land. There IS a cemetery with a Delaney Burris (d. 1833) near Henry Burris' land.
Walter's children were (birth year): John Burris (est. 1788), Henry Burris (c.1790 SC), Rebecca Green (est. 1808 KY), Nancy Vernon (c.1809 KY), Alice Crabtree (c.1811-15 MO), William B Burris (c.1811 MO), Mary "Polly" Crabtree Williams (Sept 1814 MO), Thomas Burris (c.1816 MO), Zachariah Burris (c.1818 MO), Rachel Crabtree (c.1821 MO), and Prudence Flanery (c.1822-24 MO), and Walter Burris (c.1825 MO)
After Walter's death Lydia Burris lived their (we assume) grandson Walter B Green and also their son William Burris in Kansas. Lydia died after 1860 in Kansas or Colorado. It is NOT known when or where she died despite what people have put in Ancestry "trees".
*********
Last updated 6 Sep 2023. Please contact the memorial creator Lance Hall for any questions or documentation. All the source documentation is on Ancestry and Rootsweb [will be updated 2023].
Our Walter Burris of Missouri was NOT the Walter Burrus of Albemarle County, Virginia that many had assumed. This was an erroneous conflation made decades ago because of limited information which has now changed. This initial conflation also stopped people from researching deeper because they had an easy answer to get Walter from Missouri to Virginia. Since 2015 though NEW research has overwhelmingly proven the Missouri Walter and the Virginia Walter were separate individuals with separate families who lived very far apart from each other. We now know where they were living almost every year of their lives.
***** True Origins *****
Our Walter Burris was probably born about 1761-1763 give or take a few years. The 1830 Federal Census puts him in the 1761-1770 range. His birthplace is currently unknown if it was not South Carolina. The Burris family was from Laurens county, South Carolina [not Virginia] before moving to Kentucky and Missouri. His father was likely William Burris [Burrows] who had land in Laurens county as early as 1769 along Williams Creek [now Burris Creek] which joins the larger Rabon/Rayborn Creek. The later Land Memorial verifies that William Burrows is the same person as William Burris.
William Burris Sr, William Burris Jr and Walter Burris were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War which was actually common for upland South Carolina. They appear on muster rolls for the "Little River Militia" 1780-1782 under Major Patrick Cunningham who actually had land next to William Burris (at least after the war). A biography of one of Walter's grandsons in California mentions that his grandfather (Walter) was in the Revolutionary War and that the family named changed from Burroughs [Burrows] to Burris. The fact Walter is on a 1781 Muster Roll also indicates he was of fighting age which means he was born in the early-mid 1760s and not the late 1760s. This is why a date of 1761-1763 is preferred.
There is other evidence that points to a South Carolina origin of Walter Burris before Kentucky. Walter's son Henry Burris was probably born circa 1790 (median of two censuses) and born in South Carolina per his son William Burris' answer on the 1880 Census (CA, Sonoma county). Taken at face value this evidence places Walter Burris in South Carolina circa 1790. The 1790 South Carolina census (Laurens county) does indeed record a "Walter Burress" next to a "William Burress". The exact spelling is irrelevant as any professional experienced genealogist would attest. Walter's household has two males under 16 years which would be Henry (est. 1790) and his older brother John (est. 1788). John and Henry both served in the Missouri Militia in 1814 so we know they were probably closely aged.
Walter's son Henry Burris (a county judge) is mentioned in a history of Cass County, Missouri as being a "cousin" of Mastin Burris [mis-transcribed as Martin which is a common mistake for that name]. Mastin has a biography in that history book and he would have been witness to much of the history of Cass county and especially that of Grand River Township where the extended Burris family settled after 1830. He may have personally contributed much of that history to the writers. The section on Grand River Township mentions James Lackey, Humphrey Hunt and John Blythe who all married daughters of Thomas Burris (brother of Walter and uncle of Henry Burris and Mastin Burris).
In his own biography Mastin mentions his father David Burris being from South Carolina and marrying Eleanor [actually Elender] Lackey which happened in 1808 in Madison county, Kentucky next to Clark county. On the 1880 Census three of David's children say their father was born in South Carolina. Walter Burris and David Burris were closely associated together in Missouri at the Loutre Island settlement in 1810 (court docs) and at Boonville after 1811+ (county history). So three historical sources link Walter Burris and David Burris together and there are multiple clues to a South Carolina connection.
******* Two Walter Burris *******
Our Walter Burris is NOT the same "Walter Burrus" that was born 1768-1770 in Albemarle county, Virginia and married Mary Lively in. The Virginia Walter lived his entire life in Albemarle county, Virginia (land upon Buck Island Creek) and died there in April 1836. He had a will and left his estate to his 3 daughters by his second wife Lucy Shikell or Shekell. The Virginia Walter is on the Virginia Census in Albemarle county in 1810, 1820 and 1830 and on the year tax rolls from 1800 to 1835. Clearly he was a permanent resident.
Meanwhile, our Missouri Walter Burris is well documented in Kentucky as early as July 1800 and in Missouri as early as July 1810. They are clearly two different men but may have been 2nd or 3rd cousins. Most family trees on Ancestry erroneously merge these two different men into ONE person despite the overwhelming evidence (direct, circumstantial, and cluster) they were two different men. Several hundred Ancestry trees contain erroneous information.
***** South Carolina to Kentucky *****
The migration of the Burris family from Laurens county, South Carolina to Clark county, Kentucky may have been right after William Burrows (Burris) and wife Rachel sold land in 1795 (recorded 1797 probably by David Burris who was given power of attorney). David Burris stayed in South Carolina longer. It's still unclear if this William Burris is the possible father or an older brother.
The 1796 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William Burrows and James Box [see below] consecutively and with same collection date of May 17th indicating proximity. The William Burrows household had 2 males above 21 years and 2 males above 16 years. Note that the males are the right age groups to be William, Walter, Isaiah and Thomas Burris. David was still in South Carolina.
The 1800 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William and Isaiah Burris with same collection date indicating proximity. Putting 10 years of Kentucky tax roll data together and using identical collection dates as an indication of close proximity we get a group consisting William, Walter, Isaiah, and Thomas Burris with neighbors Zachariah Barnes, James Box, John Snethen, and others living in southern Clark county close to the border with Madison county.
Walter is first documented in Kentucky as a bondsman in a marriage bond between Thomas Burgin & Nancy Owens filed in Madison county dated July 7, 1800. Isaiah Burris was a witness for the mother's consent. The mother was Prudence "Prudy" Oings [not Owens] who would also been a neighbor back in Laurens county, South Carolina but her husband's first name is not yet known. The Burris, Box and Oings families all had land along Raburn Creek in Laurens county, South Carolina. This document allows us to directly link Walter Burris with Isaiah Burris and Isaiah Burris is known (per 1850 census) to be from South Carolina. Note that there are now four pieces of evidence pointing to the Burris family being from South Carolina. The Burgin bond is interesting because Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens [actually Oings] appear to have several children including a John Burgin about 1807/1810. This Burgin family also migrated to Cass county, Missouri where in 1835 the county actually paid for temporary new residence and suitable clothing for "Prudy Owen" (blind since 1808 and no doubt now elderly) who was living with son-in-law Thomas Burgin. On the 1860 Census (California, Tulare county, page 1) we see David Burris (s/o Henry) living a few houses from John Burgin (apparent s/o Thomas and Nancy). So we see the same two families associated across 60 years. Is it possible Prudence Oings was a sister of Walter making these two men cousins?
Walter appears on the 1803 Madison co., Kentucky tax roll with 200 acres situated on the Red Bird Fork of the Kentucky River. Walter appears on the Clark county, Kentucky tax rolls from 1804 to 1808 with personal property only (horses).
Walter Burris can be documented with David Burris (est. 1772 SC - 1849 MO) and Isaiah Burris (abt. 1776 SC - 1850s MO) both of whom were born in SC. David Burris can be connected to Thomas Burris (est. 1778 - 1849 MO) by intermarriage of their children (first cousins).
Walter's son Henry Burris was a judge in Cass county, Missouri and died about 1847. The "History of Cass & Bates Counties, Missouri 1883" mentions that judge Henry Burris (son of Walter) was a "cousin" of Mastin Burris (son of David Burris). Taken at face value this means Walter and David Burris were brothers.
***** Probable siblings *****
The documented connections between Walter Burris, David Burris, Thomas Burris and Isiah Burris forces us to look at these other older Burris men as likely siblings (or nephews) of Walter and use any data about them as a proxy for information about our Walter Burris. This was NEVER done by previous researchers and is why the previous Walter Burris genealogy has been so erroneous for 30+ years.
***** Burris descendants moved to Texas and were literally close neighbors ****
Many descendants of Walter, David and Thomas moved to the exact same areas in Texas. One page of the 1860 Texas Census (Wise county) lists a grandson (Tarlton Burris) of David Burris AND Thomas Burris next to a son (Zachariah Burris) and grandson (Nehemiah Vernon) of Walter Burris and other documents connect various descendants. In Parker county, Texas (3 Apr 1857) James Crabtree (Walter's grandson) was a chain carrier with James M Burris (unknown connection) for Joseph S Amos. Joseph Amos married Margaret Barker who was a sister of Sedonia Barker Burris (wife of Walter's son Thomas Burris).
***** David Burris *****
David Burris (1770s South Carolina - 1849 Cass county, Missouri) married Ellender "Nelly" Lackey in 1808 in Madison county but was previously married to a Mary ------ (divorced). In 1794 Laurens co., SC David Burris received a land grant situated next to William Burris and Patrick Cunningham [previously linked to William and Walter Burris during Rev War]. David stayed longer in SC with first wife Mary but eventually moved to Estill (formerly part of Clark) county by 1808. The 1808 tax roll entry dated May 15th lists Mary Box [widow of James], Wm Bouls, Isaiah Burris and David Burris.
AncestryDNA links descendants of Walter Burris to two lines of descendants of David Burris. Recent Y-DNA genetic evidence *proves* that male line descendants of Walter Burris, David Burris and Isaiah Burris have a common paternal ancestor. The evidence so far indicates that Walter, David and Isaiah are possibly sons of William Burris [Burrows] SR of Laurens county, South Carolina.
***** Thomas Burris *****
Thomas Burris (1770s - 1846/47 Cass county, Missouri) married Margaret "Peggy" Tincher in 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They resided Estill (formerly part of Clark) county, Kentucky into the 1820s but eventually moved to Cass county, Missouri. When Thomas made his will in 1845 he made Walter's son Henry the Executor but the estate evidently was never probated. Henry Burris died around the same time as well. This Thomas keeps getting conflated with the Thomas Burrus born in Orange county, Virginia and lived in Clark county, Kentucky. OUR Thomas Burris also lived in Clark county but in the southern portion that became part of Estill county in 1808. After 1808 he is on the Estill county tax rolls and 3 daughters marriages were recorded there. It's possible he lived in the same place all this time and only the county jurisdiction changed.
***** Isaiah Burris *****
Isaiah Burris (c. 1776 South Carolina - 1850s Missouri) married Rachel Barker 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They lived in southern Clark county near Woodward Creek in the portion that became Estill county in 1808. Isaiah Burris is directly connected to Walter Burris through the July 1800 marriage bond of Thomas Burgin to Nancy Owen where Walter was the bondsman and Isaiah was the witness for the parental permission. In 1803 Isaiah and Walter Burris paid taxes on the same day indicating the tax collector collected them at the same time. In 1808 and 1809 multiple Estill county court orders connect Isaiah with associates of Walter Burris later seen in Boonville. Isaiah Burris is lasted recorded in the Estill tax rolls in 1817 and may have moved to Missouri by 1820. In 1830 he was in Wayne county, Missouri in the section later made in Ripley county, Missouri. In 1848 Isaiah is taxed in Cass county, Missouri where David Burris, Thomas Burris and Henry Burris lived. In 1850 Isaiah was living in Johnson county, Missouri which connects with Jackson county and Cass county. Male line descendants of Isaiah Burris (aka Burrows) are also Y-DNA matched to male line descendants of Walter Burris and David Burris.
**** Barker and Barnes ****
Estill county (formerly part of Clark) was the residence of the Barker family and also the Zachariah Barnes family. In Missouri two Barker daughters (cousins Sidonia and Mary) married two sons of Walter (Thomas and Zachariah) and Walter married a Lydia Barnes in 1807. By 1850 Thomas Burris, Sedonia Barker Burris, Zachariah Burris, Mary Barker Burris, Sedonia's brother Joshua Barker had moved to Dallas county, Texas.
****** Walter's wives ******
Walter's first wife is still unknown and obviously not Mary Lively. Walter's second wife was Lydia Barnes and they were married on May 28, 1807 in Clark co., Kentucky. The surety was William Barnes (relation unknown). The original license is in the Eastern Kentucky University Archives in the David Chenault family papers. Lydia was born c.1790 in South Carolina (or NC?).
AncestryDNA shows a genetic link between descendants of Lydia Barnes Burris and Zachariah Barnes indicating a possible connection. This is not proof Zachariah (or a brother) is the father of Lydia but it's the most obvious path. Zachariah Barnes appears on an Oct 1808 road crew list with Isaiah Burris and Thomas Burris so they lived fairly close to each other in southern Clark (Estill) county, Kentucky. A July 1809 court order (Estill county) appoints Isaiah Burris and also Zachariah Barnes as surveyors of road near mouth of Woodward's Creek and near plantation of Widow Box (Mary Box). Given that Walter Burris was probably living on the same farm as his brother Isaiah Burris this obviously places Walter in proximity to meet Zachariah's daughter (or neice) Lydia Barnes.
The name "Lydia Cole" that people repeat as a wife is based on a misreading of a Vernon-Stark genealogy. There was no such person as Lydia Cole and there is no connection to Robert Cole of the Choctaw Nation who Walter Burris could have never met anyways. The writer of the Vernon genealogy evidently just passed along family lore which conflated William and Hannah Cole who were Boonville pioneers with the Burris family with the unrelated Choctaw Indian Coles of Mississippi. There would be no reason for an illiterate farmer like Walter Burris to travel to the Choctaw Nation OR for the chief of the Choctaw Nation to visit Boonville, Missouri. Nonsense.
***** Box Family *****
The Box family also traces back to Laurens county, South Carolina and lived within a few miles of the Burris family along Rabun Creek and Burris Creek. Muke's father James Box is the same person recorded on the 1796 Clark co., KY tax roll with William Burrows [Burris]. When James Box died in 1808 it was Isaiah Burris and David McGee (another Boonville settler) that witnessed the will recording in the courthouse.
Muke Box also settled in Boonville, MO about 1811 the same time as Walter and David Burris. See 1814 entry below.
***** Kentucky to Missouri ******
In 1809 or 1810 Walter Burris and David Burris migrate from Kentucky to Missouri apparently going to the settlement north of Loutre Island, Montgomery county, Missouri where other people from same area of Clark/Estill Kentucky had settled previously. John and Prudence Bowles Snethen (1/2 sister of Muke Box) had also came in 1809 and settled at Loutre Island. On June 4, 1809 David Burris was last taxed in Estill county, Kentucky and soon after he and Walter Burris migrated to Missouri.
The Burris, Box and Snethen families may have migrated together as part of a group with the William Thorp family that left Clark county, KY on Aug. 1, 1809 and arrived at Loutre Island, MO on Sep. 9, 1809.
In July 1810 near Loutre Island settlement John Snethen allegedly assaulted David Burris' wife Nelly Burris and later David allegedly assaulted Snethen with a knife. In Dec 1810 Walter Burris and Benjamin Carter make a legal agreement that they would pay David's $300 fine if the case goes against him.
By late 1811 (or early 1812) Walter Burris and David Burris were part of a group of 10+ families that settled in Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri. One of the other families was that of Gilead Rupe who in 1808 helped Isaiah Burrus survey a road in Estill county (newly created from bottom part of Clark county).
On Dec 14, 1814 near Boonville, Missouri - Walter Burris, Gilead Rupe and Muke Box were cutting a bee tree a couple miles from Cole's Fort when Indians prepared to attack them but killed Samuel McMahan instead when he came riding up. The other three fled to the fort. The next day James Cole and David McGee recovered the body. In 1815 when testimony was taken regarding the Indian depredations Muke Box was a witness for Walter Burris.
In short, all these people including Sam McMahan knew each other in Kentucky and migrated to the exact same spots in Missouri. The "cluster" genealogy verifies this is the exact same group of people going from Kentucky to Missouri. More importantly, it proves the Walter Burris that was an early Boonville settler is the same Walter Burris who had lived in Clark county, Kentucky (not Virginia) since at least 1800 and probably since 1796 with his likely father or older brother William Burris (Burrows).
******* Cole County, MO ********
In 1820 Walter Burris and Nancy Burris were part of 11 charter members of Double Springs Church organized July 15, 1820 in Cole county, Missouri. In 1830 Walter was recorded in the Federal Census for Cole county. Walter's residence may have been in what is now the Burris Fork Twp in Moniteau county (formed out of Cole).
Between 1831 and 1833 Walter Burris moved to Jackson county, Missouri where Walter died in late 1839. His exact death date is unknown despite what it says on Ancestry where no source is given. The executor of Walter's estate was his son Henry Burris. His burial place is unknown but it can be assumed he was buried on his land or a relative's land. There IS a cemetery with a Delaney Burris (d. 1833) near Henry Burris' land.
Walter's children were (birth year): John Burris (est. 1788), Henry Burris (c.1790 SC), Rebecca Green (est. 1808 KY), Nancy Vernon (c.1809 KY), Alice Crabtree (c.1811-15 MO), William B Burris (c.1811 MO), Mary "Polly" Crabtree Williams (Sept 1814 MO), Thomas Burris (c.1816 MO), Zachariah Burris (c.1818 MO), Rachel Crabtree (c.1821 MO), and Prudence Flanery (c.1822-24 MO), and Walter Burris (c.1825 MO)
After Walter's death Lydia Burris lived their (we assume) grandson Walter B Green and also their son William Burris in Kansas. Lydia died after 1860 in Kansas or Colorado. It is NOT known when or where she died despite what people have put in Ancestry "trees".
*********
Last updated 6 Sep 2023. Please contact the memorial creator Lance Hall for any questions or documentation. All the source documentation is on Ancestry and Rootsweb [will be updated 2023].
***** Caveat *****
Our Walter Burris of Missouri was NOT the Walter Burrus of Albemarle County, Virginia that many had assumed. This was an erroneous conflation made decades ago because of limited information which has now changed. This initial conflation also stopped people from researching deeper because they had an easy answer to get Walter from Missouri to Virginia. Since 2015 though NEW research has overwhelmingly proven the Missouri Walter and the Virginia Walter were separate individuals with separate families who lived very far apart from each other. We now know where they were living almost every year of their lives.
***** True Origins *****
Our Walter Burris was probably born about 1761-1763 give or take a few years. The 1830 Federal Census puts him in the 1761-1770 range. His birthplace is currently unknown if it was not South Carolina. The Burris family was from Laurens county, South Carolina [not Virginia] before moving to Kentucky and Missouri. His father was likely William Burris [Burrows] who had land in Laurens county as early as 1769 along Williams Creek [now Burris Creek] which joins the larger Rabon/Rayborn Creek. The later Land Memorial verifies that William Burrows is the same person as William Burris.
William Burris Sr, William Burris Jr and Walter Burris were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War which was actually common for upland South Carolina. They appear on muster rolls for the "Little River Militia" 1780-1782 under Major Patrick Cunningham who actually had land next to William Burris (at least after the war). A biography of one of Walter's grandsons in California mentions that his grandfather (Walter) was in the Revolutionary War and that the family named changed from Burroughs [Burrows] to Burris. The fact Walter is on a 1781 Muster Roll also indicates he was of fighting age which means he was born in the early-mid 1760s and not the late 1760s. This is why a date of 1761-1763 is preferred.
There is other evidence that points to a South Carolina origin of Walter Burris before Kentucky. Walter's son Henry Burris was probably born circa 1790 (median of two censuses) and born in South Carolina per his son William Burris' answer on the 1880 Census (CA, Sonoma county). Taken at face value this evidence places Walter Burris in South Carolina circa 1790. The 1790 South Carolina census (Laurens county) does indeed record a "Walter Burress" next to a "William Burress". The exact spelling is irrelevant as any professional experienced genealogist would attest. Walter's household has two males under 16 years which would be Henry (est. 1790) and his older brother John (est. 1788). John and Henry both served in the Missouri Militia in 1814 so we know they were probably closely aged.
Walter's son Henry Burris (a county judge) is mentioned in a history of Cass County, Missouri as being a "cousin" of Mastin Burris [mis-transcribed as Martin which is a common mistake for that name]. Mastin has a biography in that history book and he would have been witness to much of the history of Cass county and especially that of Grand River Township where the extended Burris family settled after 1830. He may have personally contributed much of that history to the writers. The section on Grand River Township mentions James Lackey, Humphrey Hunt and John Blythe who all married daughters of Thomas Burris (brother of Walter and uncle of Henry Burris and Mastin Burris).
In his own biography Mastin mentions his father David Burris being from South Carolina and marrying Eleanor [actually Elender] Lackey which happened in 1808 in Madison county, Kentucky next to Clark county. On the 1880 Census three of David's children say their father was born in South Carolina. Walter Burris and David Burris were closely associated together in Missouri at the Loutre Island settlement in 1810 (court docs) and at Boonville after 1811+ (county history). So three historical sources link Walter Burris and David Burris together and there are multiple clues to a South Carolina connection.
******* Two Walter Burris *******
Our Walter Burris is NOT the same "Walter Burrus" that was born 1768-1770 in Albemarle county, Virginia and married Mary Lively in. The Virginia Walter lived his entire life in Albemarle county, Virginia (land upon Buck Island Creek) and died there in April 1836. He had a will and left his estate to his 3 daughters by his second wife Lucy Shikell or Shekell. The Virginia Walter is on the Virginia Census in Albemarle county in 1810, 1820 and 1830 and on the year tax rolls from 1800 to 1835. Clearly he was a permanent resident.
Meanwhile, our Missouri Walter Burris is well documented in Kentucky as early as July 1800 and in Missouri as early as July 1810. They are clearly two different men but may have been 2nd or 3rd cousins. Most family trees on Ancestry erroneously merge these two different men into ONE person despite the overwhelming evidence (direct, circumstantial, and cluster) they were two different men. Several hundred Ancestry trees contain erroneous information.
***** South Carolina to Kentucky *****
The migration of the Burris family from Laurens county, South Carolina to Clark county, Kentucky may have been right after William Burrows (Burris) and wife Rachel sold land in 1795 (recorded 1797 probably by David Burris who was given power of attorney). David Burris stayed in South Carolina longer. It's still unclear if this William Burris is the possible father or an older brother.
The 1796 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William Burrows and James Box [see below] consecutively and with same collection date of May 17th indicating proximity. The William Burrows household had 2 males above 21 years and 2 males above 16 years. Note that the males are the right age groups to be William, Walter, Isaiah and Thomas Burris. David was still in South Carolina.
The 1800 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William and Isaiah Burris with same collection date indicating proximity. Putting 10 years of Kentucky tax roll data together and using identical collection dates as an indication of close proximity we get a group consisting William, Walter, Isaiah, and Thomas Burris with neighbors Zachariah Barnes, James Box, John Snethen, and others living in southern Clark county close to the border with Madison county.
Walter is first documented in Kentucky as a bondsman in a marriage bond between Thomas Burgin & Nancy Owens filed in Madison county dated July 7, 1800. Isaiah Burris was a witness for the mother's consent. The mother was Prudence "Prudy" Oings [not Owens] who would also been a neighbor back in Laurens county, South Carolina but her husband's first name is not yet known. The Burris, Box and Oings families all had land along Raburn Creek in Laurens county, South Carolina. This document allows us to directly link Walter Burris with Isaiah Burris and Isaiah Burris is known (per 1850 census) to be from South Carolina. Note that there are now four pieces of evidence pointing to the Burris family being from South Carolina. The Burgin bond is interesting because Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens [actually Oings] appear to have several children including a John Burgin about 1807/1810. This Burgin family also migrated to Cass county, Missouri where in 1835 the county actually paid for temporary new residence and suitable clothing for "Prudy Owen" (blind since 1808 and no doubt now elderly) who was living with son-in-law Thomas Burgin. On the 1860 Census (California, Tulare county, page 1) we see David Burris (s/o Henry) living a few houses from John Burgin (apparent s/o Thomas and Nancy). So we see the same two families associated across 60 years. Is it possible Prudence Oings was a sister of Walter making these two men cousins?
Walter appears on the 1803 Madison co., Kentucky tax roll with 200 acres situated on the Red Bird Fork of the Kentucky River. Walter appears on the Clark county, Kentucky tax rolls from 1804 to 1808 with personal property only (horses).
Walter Burris can be documented with David Burris (est. 1772 SC - 1849 MO) and Isaiah Burris (abt. 1776 SC - 1850s MO) both of whom were born in SC. David Burris can be connected to Thomas Burris (est. 1778 - 1849 MO) by intermarriage of their children (first cousins).
Walter's son Henry Burris was a judge in Cass county, Missouri and died about 1847. The "History of Cass & Bates Counties, Missouri 1883" mentions that judge Henry Burris (son of Walter) was a "cousin" of Mastin Burris (son of David Burris). Taken at face value this means Walter and David Burris were brothers.
***** Probable siblings *****
The documented connections between Walter Burris, David Burris, Thomas Burris and Isiah Burris forces us to look at these other older Burris men as likely siblings (or nephews) of Walter and use any data about them as a proxy for information about our Walter Burris. This was NEVER done by previous researchers and is why the previous Walter Burris genealogy has been so erroneous for 30+ years.
***** Burris descendants moved to Texas and were literally close neighbors ****
Many descendants of Walter, David and Thomas moved to the exact same areas in Texas. One page of the 1860 Texas Census (Wise county) lists a grandson (Tarlton Burris) of David Burris AND Thomas Burris next to a son (Zachariah Burris) and grandson (Nehemiah Vernon) of Walter Burris and other documents connect various descendants. In Parker county, Texas (3 Apr 1857) James Crabtree (Walter's grandson) was a chain carrier with James M Burris (unknown connection) for Joseph S Amos. Joseph Amos married Margaret Barker who was a sister of Sedonia Barker Burris (wife of Walter's son Thomas Burris).
***** David Burris *****
David Burris (1770s South Carolina - 1849 Cass county, Missouri) married Ellender "Nelly" Lackey in 1808 in Madison county but was previously married to a Mary ------ (divorced). In 1794 Laurens co., SC David Burris received a land grant situated next to William Burris and Patrick Cunningham [previously linked to William and Walter Burris during Rev War]. David stayed longer in SC with first wife Mary but eventually moved to Estill (formerly part of Clark) county by 1808. The 1808 tax roll entry dated May 15th lists Mary Box [widow of James], Wm Bouls, Isaiah Burris and David Burris.
AncestryDNA links descendants of Walter Burris to two lines of descendants of David Burris. Recent Y-DNA genetic evidence *proves* that male line descendants of Walter Burris, David Burris and Isaiah Burris have a common paternal ancestor. The evidence so far indicates that Walter, David and Isaiah are possibly sons of William Burris [Burrows] SR of Laurens county, South Carolina.
***** Thomas Burris *****
Thomas Burris (1770s - 1846/47 Cass county, Missouri) married Margaret "Peggy" Tincher in 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They resided Estill (formerly part of Clark) county, Kentucky into the 1820s but eventually moved to Cass county, Missouri. When Thomas made his will in 1845 he made Walter's son Henry the Executor but the estate evidently was never probated. Henry Burris died around the same time as well. This Thomas keeps getting conflated with the Thomas Burrus born in Orange county, Virginia and lived in Clark county, Kentucky. OUR Thomas Burris also lived in Clark county but in the southern portion that became part of Estill county in 1808. After 1808 he is on the Estill county tax rolls and 3 daughters marriages were recorded there. It's possible he lived in the same place all this time and only the county jurisdiction changed.
***** Isaiah Burris *****
Isaiah Burris (c. 1776 South Carolina - 1850s Missouri) married Rachel Barker 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They lived in southern Clark county near Woodward Creek in the portion that became Estill county in 1808. Isaiah Burris is directly connected to Walter Burris through the July 1800 marriage bond of Thomas Burgin to Nancy Owen where Walter was the bondsman and Isaiah was the witness for the parental permission. In 1803 Isaiah and Walter Burris paid taxes on the same day indicating the tax collector collected them at the same time. In 1808 and 1809 multiple Estill county court orders connect Isaiah with associates of Walter Burris later seen in Boonville. Isaiah Burris is lasted recorded in the Estill tax rolls in 1817 and may have moved to Missouri by 1820. In 1830 he was in Wayne county, Missouri in the section later made in Ripley county, Missouri. In 1848 Isaiah is taxed in Cass county, Missouri where David Burris, Thomas Burris and Henry Burris lived. In 1850 Isaiah was living in Johnson county, Missouri which connects with Jackson county and Cass county. Male line descendants of Isaiah Burris (aka Burrows) are also Y-DNA matched to male line descendants of Walter Burris and David Burris.
**** Barker and Barnes ****
Estill county (formerly part of Clark) was the residence of the Barker family and also the Zachariah Barnes family. In Missouri two Barker daughters (cousins Sidonia and Mary) married two sons of Walter (Thomas and Zachariah) and Walter married a Lydia Barnes in 1807. By 1850 Thomas Burris, Sedonia Barker Burris, Zachariah Burris, Mary Barker Burris, Sedonia's brother Joshua Barker had moved to Dallas county, Texas.
****** Walter's wives ******
Walter's first wife is still unknown and obviously not Mary Lively. Walter's second wife was Lydia Barnes and they were married on May 28, 1807 in Clark co., Kentucky. The surety was William Barnes (relation unknown). The original license is in the Eastern Kentucky University Archives in the David Chenault family papers. Lydia was born c.1790 in South Carolina (or NC?).
AncestryDNA shows a genetic link between descendants of Lydia Barnes Burris and Zachariah Barnes indicating a possible connection. This is not proof Zachariah (or a brother) is the father of Lydia but it's the most obvious path. Zachariah Barnes appears on an Oct 1808 road crew list with Isaiah Burris and Thomas Burris so they lived fairly close to each other in southern Clark (Estill) county, Kentucky. A July 1809 court order (Estill county) appoints Isaiah Burris and also Zachariah Barnes as surveyors of road near mouth of Woodward's Creek and near plantation of Widow Box (Mary Box). Given that Walter Burris was probably living on the same farm as his brother Isaiah Burris this obviously places Walter in proximity to meet Zachariah's daughter (or neice) Lydia Barnes.
The name "Lydia Cole" that people repeat as a wife is based on a misreading of a Vernon-Stark genealogy. There was no such person as Lydia Cole and there is no connection to Robert Cole of the Choctaw Nation who Walter Burris could have never met anyways. The writer of the Vernon genealogy evidently just passed along family lore which conflated William and Hannah Cole who were Boonville pioneers with the Burris family with the unrelated Choctaw Indian Coles of Mississippi. There would be no reason for an illiterate farmer like Walter Burris to travel to the Choctaw Nation OR for the chief of the Choctaw Nation to visit Boonville, Missouri. Nonsense.
***** Box Family *****
The Box family also traces back to Laurens county, South Carolina and lived within a few miles of the Burris family along Rabun Creek and Burris Creek. Muke's father James Box is the same person recorded on the 1796 Clark co., KY tax roll with William Burrows [Burris]. When James Box died in 1808 it was Isaiah Burris and David McGee (another Boonville settler) that witnessed the will recording in the courthouse.
Muke Box also settled in Boonville, MO about 1811 the same time as Walter and David Burris. See 1814 entry below.
***** Kentucky to Missouri ******
In 1809 or 1810 Walter Burris and David Burris migrate from Kentucky to Missouri apparently going to the settlement north of Loutre Island, Montgomery county, Missouri where other people from same area of Clark/Estill Kentucky had settled previously. John and Prudence Bowles Snethen (1/2 sister of Muke Box) had also came in 1809 and settled at Loutre Island. On June 4, 1809 David Burris was last taxed in Estill county, Kentucky and soon after he and Walter Burris migrated to Missouri.
The Burris, Box and Snethen families may have migrated together as part of a group with the William Thorp family that left Clark county, KY on Aug. 1, 1809 and arrived at Loutre Island, MO on Sep. 9, 1809.
In July 1810 near Loutre Island settlement John Snethen allegedly assaulted David Burris' wife Nelly Burris and later David allegedly assaulted Snethen with a knife. In Dec 1810 Walter Burris and Benjamin Carter make a legal agreement that they would pay David's $300 fine if the case goes against him.
By late 1811 (or early 1812) Walter Burris and David Burris were part of a group of 10+ families that settled in Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri. One of the other families was that of Gilead Rupe who in 1808 helped Isaiah Burrus survey a road in Estill county (newly created from bottom part of Clark county).
On Dec 14, 1814 near Boonville, Missouri - Walter Burris, Gilead Rupe and Muke Box were cutting a bee tree a couple miles from Cole's Fort when Indians prepared to attack them but killed Samuel McMahan instead when he came riding up. The other three fled to the fort. The next day James Cole and David McGee recovered the body. In 1815 when testimony was taken regarding the Indian depredations Muke Box was a witness for Walter Burris.
In short, all these people including Sam McMahan knew each other in Kentucky and migrated to the exact same spots in Missouri. The "cluster" genealogy verifies this is the exact same group of people going from Kentucky to Missouri. More importantly, it proves the Walter Burris that was an early Boonville settler is the same Walter Burris who had lived in Clark county, Kentucky (not Virginia) since at least 1800 and probably since 1796 with his likely father or older brother William Burris (Burrows).
******* Cole County, MO ********
In 1820 Walter Burris and Nancy Burris were part of 11 charter members of Double Springs Church organized July 15, 1820 in Cole county, Missouri. In 1830 Walter was recorded in the Federal Census for Cole county. Walter's residence may have been in what is now the Burris Fork Twp in Moniteau county (formed out of Cole).
Between 1831 and 1833 Walter Burris moved to Jackson county, Missouri where Walter died in late 1839. His exact death date is unknown despite what it says on Ancestry where no source is given. The executor of Walter's estate was his son Henry Burris. His burial place is unknown but it can be assumed he was buried on his land or a relative's land. There IS a cemetery with a Delaney Burris (d. 1833) near Henry Burris' land.
Walter's children were (birth year): John Burris (est. 1788), Henry Burris (c.1790 SC), Rebecca Green (est. 1808 KY), Nancy Vernon (c.1809 KY), Alice Crabtree (c.1811-15 MO), William B Burris (c.1811 MO), Mary "Polly" Crabtree Williams (Sept 1814 MO), Thomas Burris (c.1816 MO), Zachariah Burris (c.1818 MO), Rachel Crabtree (c.1821 MO), and Prudence Flanery (c.1822-24 MO), and Walter Burris (c.1825 MO)
After Walter's death Lydia Burris lived their (we assume) grandson Walter B Green and also their son William Burris in Kansas. Lydia died after 1860 in Kansas or Colorado. It is NOT known when or where she died despite what people have put in Ancestry "trees".
*********
Last updated 6 Sep 2023. Please contact the memorial creator Lance Hall for any questions or documentation. All the source documentation is on Ancestry and Rootsweb [will be updated 2023].
Our Walter Burris of Missouri was NOT the Walter Burrus of Albemarle County, Virginia that many had assumed. This was an erroneous conflation made decades ago because of limited information which has now changed. This initial conflation also stopped people from researching deeper because they had an easy answer to get Walter from Missouri to Virginia. Since 2015 though NEW research has overwhelmingly proven the Missouri Walter and the Virginia Walter were separate individuals with separate families who lived very far apart from each other. We now know where they were living almost every year of their lives.
***** True Origins *****
Our Walter Burris was probably born about 1761-1763 give or take a few years. The 1830 Federal Census puts him in the 1761-1770 range. His birthplace is currently unknown if it was not South Carolina. The Burris family was from Laurens county, South Carolina [not Virginia] before moving to Kentucky and Missouri. His father was likely William Burris [Burrows] who had land in Laurens county as early as 1769 along Williams Creek [now Burris Creek] which joins the larger Rabon/Rayborn Creek. The later Land Memorial verifies that William Burrows is the same person as William Burris.
William Burris Sr, William Burris Jr and Walter Burris were Loyalists during the Revolutionary War which was actually common for upland South Carolina. They appear on muster rolls for the "Little River Militia" 1780-1782 under Major Patrick Cunningham who actually had land next to William Burris (at least after the war). A biography of one of Walter's grandsons in California mentions that his grandfather (Walter) was in the Revolutionary War and that the family named changed from Burroughs [Burrows] to Burris. The fact Walter is on a 1781 Muster Roll also indicates he was of fighting age which means he was born in the early-mid 1760s and not the late 1760s. This is why a date of 1761-1763 is preferred.
There is other evidence that points to a South Carolina origin of Walter Burris before Kentucky. Walter's son Henry Burris was probably born circa 1790 (median of two censuses) and born in South Carolina per his son William Burris' answer on the 1880 Census (CA, Sonoma county). Taken at face value this evidence places Walter Burris in South Carolina circa 1790. The 1790 South Carolina census (Laurens county) does indeed record a "Walter Burress" next to a "William Burress". The exact spelling is irrelevant as any professional experienced genealogist would attest. Walter's household has two males under 16 years which would be Henry (est. 1790) and his older brother John (est. 1788). John and Henry both served in the Missouri Militia in 1814 so we know they were probably closely aged.
Walter's son Henry Burris (a county judge) is mentioned in a history of Cass County, Missouri as being a "cousin" of Mastin Burris [mis-transcribed as Martin which is a common mistake for that name]. Mastin has a biography in that history book and he would have been witness to much of the history of Cass county and especially that of Grand River Township where the extended Burris family settled after 1830. He may have personally contributed much of that history to the writers. The section on Grand River Township mentions James Lackey, Humphrey Hunt and John Blythe who all married daughters of Thomas Burris (brother of Walter and uncle of Henry Burris and Mastin Burris).
In his own biography Mastin mentions his father David Burris being from South Carolina and marrying Eleanor [actually Elender] Lackey which happened in 1808 in Madison county, Kentucky next to Clark county. On the 1880 Census three of David's children say their father was born in South Carolina. Walter Burris and David Burris were closely associated together in Missouri at the Loutre Island settlement in 1810 (court docs) and at Boonville after 1811+ (county history). So three historical sources link Walter Burris and David Burris together and there are multiple clues to a South Carolina connection.
******* Two Walter Burris *******
Our Walter Burris is NOT the same "Walter Burrus" that was born 1768-1770 in Albemarle county, Virginia and married Mary Lively in. The Virginia Walter lived his entire life in Albemarle county, Virginia (land upon Buck Island Creek) and died there in April 1836. He had a will and left his estate to his 3 daughters by his second wife Lucy Shikell or Shekell. The Virginia Walter is on the Virginia Census in Albemarle county in 1810, 1820 and 1830 and on the year tax rolls from 1800 to 1835. Clearly he was a permanent resident.
Meanwhile, our Missouri Walter Burris is well documented in Kentucky as early as July 1800 and in Missouri as early as July 1810. They are clearly two different men but may have been 2nd or 3rd cousins. Most family trees on Ancestry erroneously merge these two different men into ONE person despite the overwhelming evidence (direct, circumstantial, and cluster) they were two different men. Several hundred Ancestry trees contain erroneous information.
***** South Carolina to Kentucky *****
The migration of the Burris family from Laurens county, South Carolina to Clark county, Kentucky may have been right after William Burrows (Burris) and wife Rachel sold land in 1795 (recorded 1797 probably by David Burris who was given power of attorney). David Burris stayed in South Carolina longer. It's still unclear if this William Burris is the possible father or an older brother.
The 1796 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William Burrows and James Box [see below] consecutively and with same collection date of May 17th indicating proximity. The William Burrows household had 2 males above 21 years and 2 males above 16 years. Note that the males are the right age groups to be William, Walter, Isaiah and Thomas Burris. David was still in South Carolina.
The 1800 Clark county, Kentucky tax roll lists William and Isaiah Burris with same collection date indicating proximity. Putting 10 years of Kentucky tax roll data together and using identical collection dates as an indication of close proximity we get a group consisting William, Walter, Isaiah, and Thomas Burris with neighbors Zachariah Barnes, James Box, John Snethen, and others living in southern Clark county close to the border with Madison county.
Walter is first documented in Kentucky as a bondsman in a marriage bond between Thomas Burgin & Nancy Owens filed in Madison county dated July 7, 1800. Isaiah Burris was a witness for the mother's consent. The mother was Prudence "Prudy" Oings [not Owens] who would also been a neighbor back in Laurens county, South Carolina but her husband's first name is not yet known. The Burris, Box and Oings families all had land along Raburn Creek in Laurens county, South Carolina. This document allows us to directly link Walter Burris with Isaiah Burris and Isaiah Burris is known (per 1850 census) to be from South Carolina. Note that there are now four pieces of evidence pointing to the Burris family being from South Carolina. The Burgin bond is interesting because Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens [actually Oings] appear to have several children including a John Burgin about 1807/1810. This Burgin family also migrated to Cass county, Missouri where in 1835 the county actually paid for temporary new residence and suitable clothing for "Prudy Owen" (blind since 1808 and no doubt now elderly) who was living with son-in-law Thomas Burgin. On the 1860 Census (California, Tulare county, page 1) we see David Burris (s/o Henry) living a few houses from John Burgin (apparent s/o Thomas and Nancy). So we see the same two families associated across 60 years. Is it possible Prudence Oings was a sister of Walter making these two men cousins?
Walter appears on the 1803 Madison co., Kentucky tax roll with 200 acres situated on the Red Bird Fork of the Kentucky River. Walter appears on the Clark county, Kentucky tax rolls from 1804 to 1808 with personal property only (horses).
Walter Burris can be documented with David Burris (est. 1772 SC - 1849 MO) and Isaiah Burris (abt. 1776 SC - 1850s MO) both of whom were born in SC. David Burris can be connected to Thomas Burris (est. 1778 - 1849 MO) by intermarriage of their children (first cousins).
Walter's son Henry Burris was a judge in Cass county, Missouri and died about 1847. The "History of Cass & Bates Counties, Missouri 1883" mentions that judge Henry Burris (son of Walter) was a "cousin" of Mastin Burris (son of David Burris). Taken at face value this means Walter and David Burris were brothers.
***** Probable siblings *****
The documented connections between Walter Burris, David Burris, Thomas Burris and Isiah Burris forces us to look at these other older Burris men as likely siblings (or nephews) of Walter and use any data about them as a proxy for information about our Walter Burris. This was NEVER done by previous researchers and is why the previous Walter Burris genealogy has been so erroneous for 30+ years.
***** Burris descendants moved to Texas and were literally close neighbors ****
Many descendants of Walter, David and Thomas moved to the exact same areas in Texas. One page of the 1860 Texas Census (Wise county) lists a grandson (Tarlton Burris) of David Burris AND Thomas Burris next to a son (Zachariah Burris) and grandson (Nehemiah Vernon) of Walter Burris and other documents connect various descendants. In Parker county, Texas (3 Apr 1857) James Crabtree (Walter's grandson) was a chain carrier with James M Burris (unknown connection) for Joseph S Amos. Joseph Amos married Margaret Barker who was a sister of Sedonia Barker Burris (wife of Walter's son Thomas Burris).
***** David Burris *****
David Burris (1770s South Carolina - 1849 Cass county, Missouri) married Ellender "Nelly" Lackey in 1808 in Madison county but was previously married to a Mary ------ (divorced). In 1794 Laurens co., SC David Burris received a land grant situated next to William Burris and Patrick Cunningham [previously linked to William and Walter Burris during Rev War]. David stayed longer in SC with first wife Mary but eventually moved to Estill (formerly part of Clark) county by 1808. The 1808 tax roll entry dated May 15th lists Mary Box [widow of James], Wm Bouls, Isaiah Burris and David Burris.
AncestryDNA links descendants of Walter Burris to two lines of descendants of David Burris. Recent Y-DNA genetic evidence *proves* that male line descendants of Walter Burris, David Burris and Isaiah Burris have a common paternal ancestor. The evidence so far indicates that Walter, David and Isaiah are possibly sons of William Burris [Burrows] SR of Laurens county, South Carolina.
***** Thomas Burris *****
Thomas Burris (1770s - 1846/47 Cass county, Missouri) married Margaret "Peggy" Tincher in 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They resided Estill (formerly part of Clark) county, Kentucky into the 1820s but eventually moved to Cass county, Missouri. When Thomas made his will in 1845 he made Walter's son Henry the Executor but the estate evidently was never probated. Henry Burris died around the same time as well. This Thomas keeps getting conflated with the Thomas Burrus born in Orange county, Virginia and lived in Clark county, Kentucky. OUR Thomas Burris also lived in Clark county but in the southern portion that became part of Estill county in 1808. After 1808 he is on the Estill county tax rolls and 3 daughters marriages were recorded there. It's possible he lived in the same place all this time and only the county jurisdiction changed.
***** Isaiah Burris *****
Isaiah Burris (c. 1776 South Carolina - 1850s Missouri) married Rachel Barker 1801 in Clark county, Kentucky. They lived in southern Clark county near Woodward Creek in the portion that became Estill county in 1808. Isaiah Burris is directly connected to Walter Burris through the July 1800 marriage bond of Thomas Burgin to Nancy Owen where Walter was the bondsman and Isaiah was the witness for the parental permission. In 1803 Isaiah and Walter Burris paid taxes on the same day indicating the tax collector collected them at the same time. In 1808 and 1809 multiple Estill county court orders connect Isaiah with associates of Walter Burris later seen in Boonville. Isaiah Burris is lasted recorded in the Estill tax rolls in 1817 and may have moved to Missouri by 1820. In 1830 he was in Wayne county, Missouri in the section later made in Ripley county, Missouri. In 1848 Isaiah is taxed in Cass county, Missouri where David Burris, Thomas Burris and Henry Burris lived. In 1850 Isaiah was living in Johnson county, Missouri which connects with Jackson county and Cass county. Male line descendants of Isaiah Burris (aka Burrows) are also Y-DNA matched to male line descendants of Walter Burris and David Burris.
**** Barker and Barnes ****
Estill county (formerly part of Clark) was the residence of the Barker family and also the Zachariah Barnes family. In Missouri two Barker daughters (cousins Sidonia and Mary) married two sons of Walter (Thomas and Zachariah) and Walter married a Lydia Barnes in 1807. By 1850 Thomas Burris, Sedonia Barker Burris, Zachariah Burris, Mary Barker Burris, Sedonia's brother Joshua Barker had moved to Dallas county, Texas.
****** Walter's wives ******
Walter's first wife is still unknown and obviously not Mary Lively. Walter's second wife was Lydia Barnes and they were married on May 28, 1807 in Clark co., Kentucky. The surety was William Barnes (relation unknown). The original license is in the Eastern Kentucky University Archives in the David Chenault family papers. Lydia was born c.1790 in South Carolina (or NC?).
AncestryDNA shows a genetic link between descendants of Lydia Barnes Burris and Zachariah Barnes indicating a possible connection. This is not proof Zachariah (or a brother) is the father of Lydia but it's the most obvious path. Zachariah Barnes appears on an Oct 1808 road crew list with Isaiah Burris and Thomas Burris so they lived fairly close to each other in southern Clark (Estill) county, Kentucky. A July 1809 court order (Estill county) appoints Isaiah Burris and also Zachariah Barnes as surveyors of road near mouth of Woodward's Creek and near plantation of Widow Box (Mary Box). Given that Walter Burris was probably living on the same farm as his brother Isaiah Burris this obviously places Walter in proximity to meet Zachariah's daughter (or neice) Lydia Barnes.
The name "Lydia Cole" that people repeat as a wife is based on a misreading of a Vernon-Stark genealogy. There was no such person as Lydia Cole and there is no connection to Robert Cole of the Choctaw Nation who Walter Burris could have never met anyways. The writer of the Vernon genealogy evidently just passed along family lore which conflated William and Hannah Cole who were Boonville pioneers with the Burris family with the unrelated Choctaw Indian Coles of Mississippi. There would be no reason for an illiterate farmer like Walter Burris to travel to the Choctaw Nation OR for the chief of the Choctaw Nation to visit Boonville, Missouri. Nonsense.
***** Box Family *****
The Box family also traces back to Laurens county, South Carolina and lived within a few miles of the Burris family along Rabun Creek and Burris Creek. Muke's father James Box is the same person recorded on the 1796 Clark co., KY tax roll with William Burrows [Burris]. When James Box died in 1808 it was Isaiah Burris and David McGee (another Boonville settler) that witnessed the will recording in the courthouse.
Muke Box also settled in Boonville, MO about 1811 the same time as Walter and David Burris. See 1814 entry below.
***** Kentucky to Missouri ******
In 1809 or 1810 Walter Burris and David Burris migrate from Kentucky to Missouri apparently going to the settlement north of Loutre Island, Montgomery county, Missouri where other people from same area of Clark/Estill Kentucky had settled previously. John and Prudence Bowles Snethen (1/2 sister of Muke Box) had also came in 1809 and settled at Loutre Island. On June 4, 1809 David Burris was last taxed in Estill county, Kentucky and soon after he and Walter Burris migrated to Missouri.
The Burris, Box and Snethen families may have migrated together as part of a group with the William Thorp family that left Clark county, KY on Aug. 1, 1809 and arrived at Loutre Island, MO on Sep. 9, 1809.
In July 1810 near Loutre Island settlement John Snethen allegedly assaulted David Burris' wife Nelly Burris and later David allegedly assaulted Snethen with a knife. In Dec 1810 Walter Burris and Benjamin Carter make a legal agreement that they would pay David's $300 fine if the case goes against him.
By late 1811 (or early 1812) Walter Burris and David Burris were part of a group of 10+ families that settled in Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri. One of the other families was that of Gilead Rupe who in 1808 helped Isaiah Burrus survey a road in Estill county (newly created from bottom part of Clark county).
On Dec 14, 1814 near Boonville, Missouri - Walter Burris, Gilead Rupe and Muke Box were cutting a bee tree a couple miles from Cole's Fort when Indians prepared to attack them but killed Samuel McMahan instead when he came riding up. The other three fled to the fort. The next day James Cole and David McGee recovered the body. In 1815 when testimony was taken regarding the Indian depredations Muke Box was a witness for Walter Burris.
In short, all these people including Sam McMahan knew each other in Kentucky and migrated to the exact same spots in Missouri. The "cluster" genealogy verifies this is the exact same group of people going from Kentucky to Missouri. More importantly, it proves the Walter Burris that was an early Boonville settler is the same Walter Burris who had lived in Clark county, Kentucky (not Virginia) since at least 1800 and probably since 1796 with his likely father or older brother William Burris (Burrows).
******* Cole County, MO ********
In 1820 Walter Burris and Nancy Burris were part of 11 charter members of Double Springs Church organized July 15, 1820 in Cole county, Missouri. In 1830 Walter was recorded in the Federal Census for Cole county. Walter's residence may have been in what is now the Burris Fork Twp in Moniteau county (formed out of Cole).
Between 1831 and 1833 Walter Burris moved to Jackson county, Missouri where Walter died in late 1839. His exact death date is unknown despite what it says on Ancestry where no source is given. The executor of Walter's estate was his son Henry Burris. His burial place is unknown but it can be assumed he was buried on his land or a relative's land. There IS a cemetery with a Delaney Burris (d. 1833) near Henry Burris' land.
Walter's children were (birth year): John Burris (est. 1788), Henry Burris (c.1790 SC), Rebecca Green (est. 1808 KY), Nancy Vernon (c.1809 KY), Alice Crabtree (c.1811-15 MO), William B Burris (c.1811 MO), Mary "Polly" Crabtree Williams (Sept 1814 MO), Thomas Burris (c.1816 MO), Zachariah Burris (c.1818 MO), Rachel Crabtree (c.1821 MO), and Prudence Flanery (c.1822-24 MO), and Walter Burris (c.1825 MO)
After Walter's death Lydia Burris lived their (we assume) grandson Walter B Green and also their son William Burris in Kansas. Lydia died after 1860 in Kansas or Colorado. It is NOT known when or where she died despite what people have put in Ancestry "trees".
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Last updated 6 Sep 2023. Please contact the memorial creator Lance Hall for any questions or documentation. All the source documentation is on Ancestry and Rootsweb [will be updated 2023].
