The name Burton is of English origin, which means "a fortified place." One of the first records of the Burton family and the Burton Coat of Arms is found in the Domesday Book, which was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085. The coat of arms at the top of this page reflects that description.

Renowned genealogist Worth Ray theorized that the Burton Family of Virginia descended from Newcastle, York and London, as noted in his book, "Tennessee Cousins A History of Tennessee People," (page 644). Mr. Ray noticed the similarity of married names at St. Savior's Southwark in London to those in Henrico County, Virginia. He also noted that the Burton family of Longner Hall descended from the Burton family of Newcastle.

Margaret Burton Woods and many other relatives believe that our family descended from the Burton family of Longner Hall located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. One of our cousins, David Paul Burton, visited Longner Hall in 1985. At the time of his visitation, Burton family members were still living at the Longner estate. David Burton described his tour of the manor in Margaret Burton's Book, "Burton our Caswell County, N.C. Ancestry Volume II," published by Beatrice Burton Hornaday, 2016 Haw River-Hopedale Rd., Burlington, N.C. 27217. The manor contains beautiful artifacts including portraits of Sir Edward Burton and Queen Elizabeth I.

John Burton's brother, Thomas, owned Cobbs Plantation. As such, he was referred to as "Thomas of Cobbs". John Burton owned Longfield Plantation and was referred to as "John of Longfield." Source: "A History of a Colonial Land Patent" 1639-1864 Ancestral Home of Thomas Burton from 1656-1685.

Nathaniel Bacon (of Bacon's Rebellion) eventually purchased the Longfield Plantation. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Volume I, III--Colonial Councilors of State: He was a cousin of Lord Francis Bacon and a cousin once removed of Nathaniel Bacon Sr. He purchased a plantation at "Curls," in Henrico county, called "Longfield," and had a quarter at the falls of the river where Richmond now stands. The Randolph family eventually purchased Longfield.

Robert Burton II married Priscilla Farrar, approx. 1710

After Dealing With the Likes of Arnold and Cornwallis, Several Burton Men Join the Cause of the American Revolution.

John Burton (Son of Nowell and Judith) Captain of the Militia of Cumberland County, Virginia. (My sixth great-grandfather)

Noel Burton, unmarried. Served the Continental Army at the Battle of Princeton.

Hutchins Burton (Son of Hutchins Burton and Tabitha Minge and grandson of Nowell and Judith) Lieutenant of the 6th Virginia Regulars. He died in service at the Battle of Princeton.

Col. Robert Burton is the son of Lieutenant Hutchins Burton and Tabitha Minge and the grandson of Nowell Burton. He was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. He represented Mecklenburg County during the Revolutionary Conventions (1774-76).

During the Revolution, Robert Burton was a lieutenant in the continental artillery and, later, quartermaster general of North Carolina with the rank of colonel. He was a member of the governor's council, 1783-1785, 1800-1807, and 1813-1815 and president of that body in 1807, 1813, and 1815. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1785 but not seated until 1786. He was re-elected in 1787, but there is no record that he attended.

The Honorable John Williams moved to North Carolina in 1745 with his parents. His parents donated the land and laid out the town of Williamsboro, N.C. He is one of the founders of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He also has the following distinctions:

Delegate to Congress in 1755

Deputy Attorney General in 1768

Member of the House of Commons in 1777 and 1778

Member of the Continental Congress in 1778 and 1779

Judge of the Supreme Court of North Carolina from 1779 until his death on Oct. 10, 1799

He willed his plantation, Montpelier, to his son in-law and only daughter

Robert and Agatha Burton

Courtesy of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (A few letters written between Congressmen Robert Burton and John Williams are listed for view on the Library of Congress web site.)  

Burton, Hutchins Gordon (1782-1836) Nephew of Robert Burton, born in Virginia in 1782. He was a member of North Carolina state legislature in 1809 and the state attorney general of North Carolina from1810 to 1816. He was also the U.S. Representative for North Carolina; 2nd District, from1819 to 1824. He was the Governor of North Carolina from 1824 to 1827. He died in Iredell County, N.C. on April 21, 1836. His interment is at Unity Churchyard, Beattys Ford, N.C. His congressional biography is available with the Library of Congress.

 In 1824, Governor Hutchins Burton guided General Lafayette on a tour of North Carolina.

John Paul Jones is considered to be the father of the American Navy. Hutchins Burton's uncle, Robert Burton, presented the State of North Carolina with a bronze bust of John Paul Jones, which had been sculpted by the famous artist, Jean Antoine Houdin.

BURTON, ISAAC WATTS -- Born in 1805 in Clarks County, Georgia, a son of William B. Burton. In 1822 he was appointed a cadet to West Point through the efforts of Judge R. B. Priest and General Elliot, Congressmen from Georgia. He enrolled on July 1, 1822 and withdrew May 25, 1823. In 1831, while in Louisiana, Mr. Burton became acquainted with a young lady whose father was preparing to move to Texas and he decided to follow them. He crossed the Sabine on January 14, 1832 and located about thirty miles east of Nacogdoches, boarding for a while in the home of Benjamin Lindsay. He commanded a volunteer company August 2, 1832 against Jose' de la Piedras who commanded the Mexican garrison at Nacogdoches.

The General Council of the Provisional Government of Texas appointed Mr. Burton as a captain of rangers on November 29, 1835. At San Jacinto he was a member of Captain Henry W. Karnes' Company and on April 9, 1861 his estate was issued Donation Certificate No. 344 for having participated in the battle. He received a Headright Certificate for one labor of land from the Nacogdoches County Board, February 12, 1838.

Isaac Burton held the rank of Major of mounted rangers while stationed on the coast near Copano. His command captured the boat "Watchman", June 2, 1836, loaded with supplies for the Mexican Army. Later they captured the "Comanche" and the "Fanny Butler," carrying all three boats to Velasco. For this feat his command was known as the "Horse Marines." He was appointed commissioner to treat with Indians November 10, 1836. A member of the senate from the district of Nacogdoches and Houston in the first, second and third congresses October 3, 1836 to January 24, 1839. The senate on January 15, 1839, selected Burton and Albert C. Horton as its commissioners to join with commissioners chosen by the house of representatives to select a permanent capitol for the Republic. Waterloo on the Colorado River was selected and its name changed to Austin.

Robert H. Burton (born 1781--died 1842) son of Colonel Robert Burton of Granville County, was long an honored citizen of Lincoln county; educated at the University of North Carolina and studied law. He applied himself with such assiduity and fidelity, that he soon rose to the front rank of the profession, and in 1818, was appointed one of the Judges of the Superior Courts of Law, which, after riding one circuit, he resigned. In 1830, he was elected Treasurer of the State, which he also declined. He was much respected as a sincere Christian, an able counselor, and an honest man. He died in 1842, leaving a numerous family to mourn his loss, and emulate his example.

ALFRED M. BURTON

Biographical note from the Library of North Carolina:

Numerous Burton family members joined the cause of the Confederacy. This is an account of just a few of those men.

My wife has got another fine son, born since I left home. It (the child) is two months old the 5th of this month, so I have got two boys now. I have not been home since the last of November and I don't know when I will get home again (or) whether I ever will get home again alive or not. Though if I fall in the field of battle I will die in defense of my country and home. If I never see you all any more on earth, that we will meet in heaven.

Remember me in your prayers day and night for I am exposed to the evils of camp life and will be for some time, if peace ain't made soon. My best love to you and family.

John A. Burton

Fenandina, Florida, 24th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers

Kemper Rebels

 Thomas Jefferson Burton surrendered to the Union forces in 1865. He received his war pardon from General Joseph E. Johnston, which he highly prized. He served for two years in the war. He was in General Johnston's army at the time of the surrender, at Greensboro. He moved to Layton, Arkansas, where he became postmaster. (Page 257 of Margaret Burton Woods' book, "Burton our Caswell County N. C. ancestry.")

Joseph Quarterman Burton, author of Historical Sketch of the
Forty-seventh Regiment, Alabama Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A., was born
in or near Camden, Georgia on October 31, 1842. He is the son of Robert
Perrin Burton and Amarintha Elizabeth (Robarts) Burton.

The Tragedy of the Civil War Hits Home

 Thomas Burton (my 2nd great uncle), the third child of Lousia and Hutchins Burton enlisted with the Confederate Army on February 26, 1862. (He fought alongside his cousins, who were captured the same day.) He was 1st captured at the battle of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. He was released after taking the oath. In 1864, he was captured for a second time at Altoona, Alabama and transported as a prisoner to Camp Douglas in Chicago Illinois. He died while imprisoned there, possibly from diphtheria.

Confederate prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, c. 1864. During the Civil War, Camp Douglas, originally constructed at Thirty-first Street and Cottage Grove Avenue as a Union Army training post, served as a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. Between 1862 and 1865, the camp housed about twenty-six thousand prisoners. As a result of harsh conditions, some four thousand men died at the camp; they were buried in unmarked paupers' graves in Chicago's City Cemetery, located at the southeast corner of what is now Lincoln Park. In 1867, the remains were re buried at Oak Woods, five miles south of the original camp.

Robert F. Hoke attended Pleasant Retreat Academy, set on four acres of land in the northern portion of Lincoln County. Both of Robert F. Hoke's great grandfathers, Col. Robert Burton and Col. John Hoke were trustee members of the school. Robert F. Hoke enters the Civil War at the rank of lieutenant. (From the book, "The History of Lincoln County," by Alfred Nixon.)

 General Robert F. Hoke
Lee's Modest Warrior

Written by Daniel W. Barefoot

Of the 125,000 men his state contributed to the Confederate cause, it was Hoke who was called "the North Carolina Lee" and "the most distinguished soldier in North Carolina." In a face-to-face meeting after the war, U. S. Grant admitted that Hoke had administered "the worst drubbing I ever got," at Cold Harbor.

He fought in nearly every significant battle in the Eastern theater-Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Plymouth, Petersburg, Richmond, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, Bentonville. He witnessed the first Confederate casualty at Bethel and provided the rear guard as Joseph E. Johnston met Sherman at Bennett Farm to arrange the surrender of the Confederacy.

(I highly recommend this book. It is thoroughly researched, well written, and speaks of someone who is a true hero of his time.) The following is an excerpt from the book: During the battle of Fredericksburg, General Hoke was shot from his horse. Weakened by the loss of blood, he fell to the ground. A minie ball had shattered his shoulder bone near the joint.

Surgeons examined the wound and suggested that it would be necessary to amputate Hoke's arm. Hoke adamantly refused, and though he won the battle with the surgeons, his recuperation from the wound and surgery would be ever so slow. (This historical account is the antithesis of other stories posted on the Internet, indicating that Hoke's arm had been amputated. Photographs of Robert Hoke, taken in the early 1900's, clearly show that he had both limbs.)

Hoke County, North Carolina

Robert F. Hoke (taken approx.1900)

Robert F. Hoke was a classmate of Lee and a good friend. General Hoke was a hero of the Confederacy. He had captured 3,000 prisoners in the battle at Plymouth. He was a spirited and inspiring commander.

North Carolinians were proud of the successes they achieved under him. Robert Hoke was living in Raleigh in 1911, with a highly successful career with the railroad industry when he agreed to lend his name to a North Carolina County. His name and popularity helped make the creation of the ninety-ninth county of North Carolina possible in 1911.

General Hoke's brother, Dr. George Hoke, also served in the war as both an adjutant and assistant surgeon. Poor health forced him to resign from service in 1864. He passed away on November 1, 1866.

Robert F. Hoke's son, Dr. Michael Hoke, was a leading orthopedic surgeon of his time who helped found Shriners' Hospitals for crippled and burned children. He was also an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Burton Norvell Harrison, born 1838 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He, like Brigadier General Robert Emmett Rodes and Texas Ranger Isaac Watts Burton, is a 3rd great grandson of Robert Burton and Priscilla Farrar.

His parents are Jesse Burton Harrison and Frances Anne Brand.

Toward the end of the Civil War, Burton Harrison was captured and taken prisoner at Fort Delaware. He was released from Fort Delaware on January 16, 1866, mostly through the unwavering work of his wife, Constance Cary (Mrs. Burton Harrison).

During the First Battle of Manassas, also known as Bull Run, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard, struck by the difficulty of distinguishing Union and Confederate flags, resolved to create a more unique standard. Thwarted in his efforts to have the Confederate Congress change its national flag, he successfully proposed a battle flag, the Southern Cross. To commemorate the flag's design, three original versions were hand-sewn for famous Confederate generals, including General Beauregard, by Constance Cary and her cousins Hettie and Jennie Cary of Richmond. General Beauregard eventually presented his to the Washington Artillery. It ultimately was donated to the State Museum of Louisiana.

Constance Cary's cousin, Hettie Cary, married Major General John Pegram.

The son of Burton Norvell Harrison and Constance Cary Burton Harrison is General Francis Burton Harrison. He made the rank of general during the Spanish American War. Francis Burton was then appointed as Governor of the Philippine Islands. He truly enjoyed the Philippine Islands and for a great deal of his career worked vigorously for the independence of that nation. He is the author of "The Burton Chronicles of Colonial Virginia," which is a major resource book used for numerous genealogists.

Chapter 10

Distinguished Leaders of Our Time

A Champion of the American South

The 8th great grandson of Thomas Burton and Susanna Hatcher

Orville Vernon Burton is Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is also a Senior Research Scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, where he heads projects that deal with the Humanities and Social Sciences. His major areas of research are race relations, family, community, southern history, and religion. There are numerous articles of his work in a variety of journals. He is a Pulitzer Prize nominated author. Some of the books that he has either authored or edited include, "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions," "Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina (1985)," "Computing in the Social Sciences and Humanities," " The Free Flag of Cuba: The Lost Novel of Lucy Holcombe Pickens," "A Gentleman and an Officer, A Military and Social History of James B. Griffin's Civil War," and "Toward a New South?" He is currently working on a new book concerning the Civil War.

His mother, Vera B. (Human) Burton instilled in him a love of the Lord. He credits his mother for praying him into Furman University. At Furman, he excelled in studies and developed his fervor for history and social equality. He chose to attend Princeton for his graduate studies.

Kentucky Champion of Education and Fair Taxation

The 8th great grandson of Thomas Burton and Susanna Hatcher

On June 7, 2000, Senator McGaha was awarded the "KASS Senate Legislator Award" from the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, and on June 26, 2000 he was awarded the "Pal Award" from the Kentucky Association of Elementary School Principals. Both awards were given for Excellence in Contribution and Promotion of Educational Issues in the General Assembly.

Senator McGaha's current committee assignments: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Appropriations and Revenue, Economic Development, Tourism, Nat. Resources & Environmental. Protection, Economic Development, Tourism & Labor, and Education.

After the Civil War, my branch of the Burton family, along with other family friends, made a mass move to Arkansas. Thomas Jefferson Burton moved from Kemper County, Mississippi to Jackson, County, Arkansas with his grandparents, Thomas Farrar Burton and Nancy Burton. Andrew Jackson Burton and Nancy Davenport Burton joined the move. All of the families traveled by wagon train, most of them walking along the way. The land where they chose to settle was wild and untamed. The settlers had to deal with bears and the harsh environment. To make matters worse, they also had to endure the greediness of carpetbaggers.

The three people standing on the left: May and Julie Walker, and George David Walker

Boy standing; John Walter "Toad" Walker

Man seated; Tom Walker

Woman behind table; Great Great Grandmother Mary Ethel (Criley) Walker

The Family Woes of

William and Mary C. Burton

In 1870, both William and Mary C. Burton were both 30 years old, according to a census taken in Jackson County, Arkansas. In a span of 7 years, from 1870 to 1877, the family of William and Mary C. lost 5 family members including, both William and Mary C., Mary's C's mother, Eliza Burton, their oldest son Robert and their oldest daughter, Mary.

A Mr. T.H. Turnipseed was appointed as the legal guardian of the remaining children. A family relative, S.G. Hite, assumed guardianship of the youngest child, Thomas William (my great grandfather), after the demise of Mr. Turnipseed.

Chapter 12

On August 14, 1896, Thomas Burton married Laura Ida Walker

Thomas William Burton (my great grandfather) inherited his share of his parent's estate when he became 21 years-of-age. He owned a general merchandise store in Jackson County, Arkansas for several years. He and Laura had several children:

The first two were daughters, Lillie born in 1897 and Ladelia May born in 1899. (Ladelia passed away in infancy.)

  Left to Right; small girl, Lilly Kate Burton (Metheney), Laura Ida Walker (holding Julius Russell Burton); Thomas William Burton, the child in front of Laura is Herbert Shelly Burton and holding his hand is William Edward "Bill" Burton.... Sitting in the chair is Great Great Grandmother Walker, to her right is Dave Walker, behind her is Sidney Oscar, boy by the stool is John Walker "Toad"; John Pitts is holding Charlie Pitts; on stool is Dee Pitts; final three on the right side are May Pitts (Walker); Julie Lake (Walker) and Charlie Lake. (This picture was taken in approximately 1904.)

Burtons come of age in Roosevelt, Oklahoma.