Saturday, September 8, 2012

Surname Saturday – Ancestor #26 – James H. Burton


One of my goals for 2012 is to use the Surname Saturday blogging prompt as a way to assure that I spend some time researching each of my family lines and that I have appropriate source citations for the genealogical facts related to my ancestors. I’ve decided to use my ahnentafel report and work back through the generations starting with my grandparents, writing a summary of each ancestor. If you discovered this post through a search engine and find one of your ancestors listed here, please leave a comment to let me know.

My maternal 2nd great-grandfather James H. Burton was born 1 April 1822 in West Virginia.[1] He was the fourth child and oldest son of Samuel and Amelia “Millie” (Cook) Burton.

About 1845, James married Margaret Parsons probably in Kentucky.[2] The couple had nine known children:
  • Nancy Elgin Burton (1846-1919)[3] – my great-grandmother
  • Chrissa J. Burton (1848-1927)[4]
  • Susanah M. Burton (1849-1920)[5]
  • Lydia Margaret Burton (1852-1929)[6]
  • James H. Burton, Jr. (1854-1922)[7]
  • Mary E. Burton (1857[8]-?)
  • Sarah Martha Burton (1860[9]-?)
  • Samuel W. Burton (Abt 1866[10]-?)
  • Lena Belle Burton (1868-1961)[11]

James served in Company D of the 10th Kentucky Cavalry during the Civil War.[12]

Not long after the end of the war, the Burton family moved to Meeker County, Minnesota. Several of their older daughters married there, the first being Nancy who married on 12 June 1866.[13]

The Burton family was enumerated in Union County, Iowa, in 1870,[14] as were daughter Nancy with her husband Michael Yawman and their family.[15] But by 1880, James had moved his family back to Minnesota,[16] while Nancy and Michael Yawman had migrated further south to Texas.[17]

On 4 May 1885, James was issued a patent for 160 acres of land in Todd County, Minnesota, under the Homestead Act of 1862.[18]

James died on 19 August 1901, in Stowe Prairie Township, Todd County, Minnesota.[19] The location of his grave is unknown.

There are several opportunities for additional research:
1.      I need to order James’ homestead file.
2.      Since James owned land, I need to research land records to determine what disposition was made of that land following his death.
3.      I would like to find an obituary, if possible, or other resources that would provide information about his burial.




[1] Todd County, Minnesota, death certificate no. C-8-45 (1901), James H. Burton; Todd County Recorder's Office, Long Prairie.
[2] 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Floyd, Kentucky, p. 469A, dwelling 788, family 788, household of James Burton; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 Feb 2010); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432, roll 200.
[3] Oklahoma State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate 58273 (stamped) (1919), Mrs. Nancy E. Yawman; Oklahoma Department of Health, Oklahoma City.
[4] "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (www.famillysearch.org : accessed 10 Mar 2010), entry for Crissie Coon.
[5] Find A Grave, online database (www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 Aug 2012), Susan Burton Webster, Memorial #20148415, created by LAlcott - MN, 28 June 2007 (includes photograph of grave marker).
[6] Zion Cemetery, Bertha Twp., Todd Co., MN, transcription (http://www.rootsweb.com/~mntodd/zion.htm).
[7] "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (www.famillysearch.org : accessed 11 Feb 2010), entry for James Henry Burton; Film number: 1992889; Digital GS number: 4221145; Image number: 1646; Reference number: 250
[8] 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Floyd County Kentucky, p. 14 (penned), dwelling 84, family 84, James Burton; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 Mar 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M653, roll 367.
[9] 1860 U.S. census, pop. sch., Floyd County Kentucky, p. 14 (penned), dwell. 84, fam. 84, James Burton.
[10] 1870 U.S. census, Union, Iowa, population schedule, Union, p. 163, dwelling 6, family 7, household of J. H. Burton; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Nov 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll M593_421.
[11] "Mrs. Lena Porter Dies in Sidney," Billings Gazette, 19 Nov 1961, p. 13, col. 3; digital images, AccessNewspaperArchives (access by subscription : accessed 6 Oct 2011).
[12] 1890 U.S. census, Todd County, Minnesota, "Special Schedule: Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and Widows," Germania and Bertha, enumeration district (ED) 85, p. 2, James Burton; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Sep 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication M123, roll 25. James was mistakenly enumerated on this census and his entry is lined through.
[13] Meeker, Minnesota, marriage certificate no. A2-40 (1866), Yowman-Burton; Meeker County Treasurer's Office, Litchfield.
[14] 1870 U.S. census, Union, Iowa, population schedule, Union, p. 163, dwelling 6, family 7, household of J. H. Burton; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Nov 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll M593_421.
[15] 1870 U.S. census, Union, Iowa, population schedule, Union, p. 163, dwelling 5, family 6, household of M. Yawman; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Nov 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll M593_421.
[16] 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Germania, Todd County, Minnesota, enumeration district (ED) 132, p. 14B, dwelling 130, family 133, James H. Burton; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Sep 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 635.
[17] 1880 U.S. census, Grayson, Texas, population schedule, Denison, enumeration district (ED) 8, p. 7, dwelling 24, family 26, household of Michael Yawman; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Nov 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll T9_1306.
[18] Accession No. MN2010_.082, Homestead Certificate No. 5642, James H. Burton, Sr., dated 4 May 1885, Natchitoches, Louisiana, General Land Office; Records of the Bureau of Land Management; digital images, U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records (www.glorecords.blm.gov : accessed 7 Oct 2011).
[19] Todd County, Minnesota, death certificate no. C-8-45 (1901), James H. Burton.


© 2012 Denise Spurlock

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