Thomas Burris, Sr.

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA. DAR Ancestor # A019240

THOMAS BURRUS 1722–1788:

THOMAS BURRUS was born about 1722, in Norfolk County, Virginia, according to one source. Another says King William County. He was the son of Edmund Burris. The mother's name is not known, but many believe she was surnamed Woolfolk. He died in c.1788 in Orange County, Virginia.

Thomas Burrus married Frances Tandy, daughter of Roger Tandy and Sarah Quarles, about 1749 in King and Queen County, Virginia. Their children were most prolific, and the names of about 450 of their descendants through their great-grandchildren are known. Their daughter Sarah Ann, who married Andrew Tribble, gave Thomas and Frances 12 grandchildren who married, and they provided at least 110 great-grandchildren. Almost that many more came from the 13 children of daughter Jane and her husband, James Quisenberry. “Only” 37 great-grandchildren are know to have come to them through the 13 children of Roger Burrus and Cynthia Mills.

Thomas served in Captain George Mercer's (97) Company of Virginia Regiment under Colonel George Washington in the French and Indian War. He fought at the Battle of the Meadows in 1754, and was listed at Wills Creek on 9 July 1754, just after the battle, as one of the men “fit for duty.” He was on the payroll of the Virginia Regiment and received bounty money for his service. He was also at Braddock's Defeat in 1755, for which he received a pistol and some land. At some point during his service he lost an arm and was awarded £10 on 27 May 1757 for the loss.

The reports that he was also (98) a soldier in the Revolution are highly doubtful in view of his age and his loss of an arm—the honor belongs to his son Thomas. He was, however, awarded DAR Ancestor # A019240 for giving material aid to the troops.. Thomas Burrus is on both the National and Texas DAR Rolls of Honor, unfortunately with conflicting personal data about his non-military service.

His year of death is usually given as 1788 in Orange County, Virginia; his will was written 3 October of that year and probated 23 March 1789 in Orange County. The complete text of his will is available. It provides for his (99) wife, Frances Tandy, and sons Thomas, William, and Roger Burrus to divide 1500 acres of land he owned in Clark County, Kentucky, plus other bequests. Five hundred more Kentucky acres were divided among his daughters, except Mourning, who was to receive his Virginia property after the death of his wife. Almost all of those who were left property in Kentucky eventually moved there.

The wills of Thomas and Frances, along with a number of other sources, provide the names of their children. The will (100,101,102,103) of Frances Tandy Burrus, for example, probated in Christian County, Kentucky, in January 1817, named sons Thomas, Roger, and William T Burrus; Andrew Tribble, son-in-law; daughters Sally Tribble and Frances T Bush; and others: Sally Ellen Burrus, daughter of Roger Burrus, and Joseph Mills Burrus, son of Nathaniel Burrus. William Tandy and Nathaniel Burrus were her executors. Thomas Burrus and Frances Tandy had eleven children, over a hundred grandchildren, and several hundreds of great-grandchildren.

Children of Thomas Burrus and wife Frances Tandy:

• Fanny Burrus (1747, Orange County, Virginia–1818), married before 1767 John Embree, whose probate was 14 December 1818, Lincoln County, Kentucky. Note that Embree was often spelled Embry.
• Mildred (Milly) Burrus (about 1749, Orange County, Virginia–between 1788 and 1796, Clark County, Kentucky), married before 1788 Joseph Embree (died before 1818). They lived in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. They joined the Providence Baptist Church in Clark County, Kentucky, in 1786. The church had originally been in Orange County, Virginia, but its members had moved en masse to Kentucky, stopping twice along the way before settling permanently in Clark County. The group was called the Bush Colony, for William (Capt Billy) Bush who had come to Kentucky with Daniel Boone, obtained land and had sold it to his relatives and friends in the group. (104)
• Sarah Ann (Sally) Burrus (30 September 1753, Orange County, Virginia–15 December 1830, Madison County, Kentucky), “red headed and high spirited,” married 1768 105 Rev Andrew Tribble.
• Thomas Burrus (1756, Orange County, Virginia–1836, Clark County, Kentucky), married Elizabeth Stevens or Stephens; he was the Thomas Burrus who served as a private in Capt William Washington's company, 3rd Virginia Regiment of Foot until 1777, then as a corporal in various units until 1779, all of these during the Revolution.
• Mary Burrus (about 1751, Orange County, Virginia–before November 1788), married 22 February 1773 Lewis Perry.
• Jane Burrus (5 July 1759, Orange Co, Virginia–3 November 1811), married 4 December 1776 Rev James Quisenberry, son of James Quisenberry and Joyce Dudley.
• Frances Tandy Burrus (31 January 1762, Orange County, Virginia–3 December 1828, Clark County, Kentucky, buried Dyke's Farm, one mile north of Boonesborough), married 9 December 1778, Orange County, Virginia, William (Captain Billy) Bush (1746–1814, buried on Dyke's Farm). They lived near Boonesborough.
• Elizabeth Burrus (1766, Orange County, Virginia–1835, Orange County, Virginia), married John Brockman
• Roger Tandy Burrus (18 April 1769, Orange County, Virginia–30 September 1826, Todd County, Kentucky) married 18 January 1790, Orange County, Virginia, Cynthia Mills, daughter of Nathaniel Mills
• Mourning Burrus (born 1774, Orange County, Virginia), married 5 February 1791Thomas Graves, Jr
• William Tandy Burrus (7 June 1776, Orange County, Virginia–22 June 1831, Orange County, Virginia), married 24 May 1792 Martha Slaughter (15 May 1872, Virginia-20 April 1845?). William was a magistrate and substantial land owner in Orange County. He is referred to in family correspondence and in petitions for legal regress as "Captain" and some of the land he assembled remained in the family until the 1990's. He is believed to be buried in a family cemetery on this property.His will is filed in Orange County.107

Footnotes for above text - from The Families of LOU DRAPER & CHARLIE MARTIN of Johnson and Henry Counties, Missouri, by James M McMillen, Arlington, Texas. Published in .pdf format 13 January 2010

• 97. Revolutionary Ancestors, Texas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
• 98. Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt, Virginia's Colonial Soldiers, 1988.
• 99. Genealogies of Kentucky Families, Vol A-M
• 100. Genealogies of Kentucky Families, Vol A-M
• 101. Genealogies of Virginia Families, Tylers Quarterly, Vol I
• 102. Tharp, J, Descendants of Thomas & Frances (Tandy) Burrus, Box 3165, Auburn, CA 95604, 1993.
• 103. Genealogies of Virginia Families, Tylers Quarterly, Vol I
• 104. Descendants of Thomas & Frances (Tandy) Burrus
• 105. Genealogies of Kentucky Families, Vol A-M
• 106. Some information on the Quisenberry children is from Anderson Chenault Quisenberry, Genealogical Memoranda of the Quisenberry Family, Hartman & Cadick Printers, Washington, D.C., 1897.
• 107. Among other sources for the names of his children are his will, executors: son Lancelot and son-in-law William S Frazer; certified for probate: William S Frazer; witness: Hezekiah Quisenberry; security Lancelot and Thomas Burrus. Additional information from Bess Burrus Brooks, a descendant of Robert Banks Burrus.

Links to additional material:

• http://dgmweb.net/FGS/B/BurrusThomas-FrancesTandy.shtml
• http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full...
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/23370953?seq=1

Will of Frances Burrus

I, Francis Burrus, of Christian County, being in perfect sense

• To my 3 sons, Thomas, William T, and Roger Burrus - after my death, they are to be paid by my executors $400 to be equally divided between them, if Frank (a Negro man who is now run away) should not be got again before my death.
• To my son-in-law Andrew Tribble - 20 lbs.
• To my 2 daughters, Sally Tribble and Frances T. Bush - the balance of my money, which is 60 lbs, to be equally divided between them.
• To my granddaugher Sally Ellen Burrus, daughter of my son, Roger Burrus - 1 feather bed & furniture.
• To Joseph Mills Burrus, the son of Nathaniel Burrus - 1 feather bed & furniture

Executors: my friend William Tandy and Nathaniel Burrus.

Signed Jan 25, 1816 - Frances (X her mark) [sic] Burrus.

Wit - Wm Daniel, Anderson Prewitt, Charles H Mills.

Probated at Jan Term 1817 after being proven by the oaths of Charles H Mills and William Daniel.

The transcriber appears to have made the erroneous assumption that the testator was male. Hence, the transcriber inserted "[sic]" after "Frances (X her mark)." However, the testator was female, so the place for "sic" was on the first line, after "Francis." And we have to ask...

Why did she call William TANDY a friend? Wasn't he kin? And why didn't she state her relationship to Nathaniel (believed to be her grandson, son of Roger)? And why the bequest to her great-grandson, Joseph (then a toddler), but not to her grandson, Nathaniel, who was newly widowed? Why make her youthful grandson executor?

cgm notes:

Jacob Burruss' name first appears in deed records of King William County, Virginia in 1706. He received lands from his brother Thomas Burruss, who was allocating land to Jacob as a part of their father's estate. There are published histories from the Nathaniel Burruss line, who claim, Jacob Burruss immigrated about 1714. It is my belief, if his name appeared on a passenger list, it was because he was returning to Virginia from England, possibly receiving his eduation there, as was customary for the time. Education available in Virginia during Jacob Burruss' lifetime was limited at best. His wife was named Mary, and some speculate her surname was Redd or Bibb. I've found no documentation and have no knowledge of her surname. Their chidren were

Henry Burruss born circe 1710 died in 1760 in Louisa County, Virginia. He married Elizabeth Terry Jacob Burruss, Jr. born 1714 died 1778 in Caroline County, Virginia. He married Martha Harris William Burruss Justinana Burruss born 1718-1720 married Robert Fleming Bibb Thomas Burruss born 1721 died 1789 in Surry Co., NC and married Sarah Martin Charles Burruss born 1722 died 1797 in Amherst County, Va and married Sarah Woolfolk Ann Burruss born 1726 married Jonathan Johnson Mary Burruss born 1730 Elizabeth Burruss born 1732 died in infancy.

In 1725, Jacob Burruss received another land patent for 400 acres in St. John's Parish in King William county. This is in addition to 130 acres received from his brother Thomas Burruss in 1706 which Jacob apparently sold to Orlando Jones, the same year. The land mentioned in Jacob's will, that was given to son Thomas Burruss on Hicoury [Hickory] Creek in Hanover County, is part of an original 400 acre land grant patented by Jacob in 1735, book 17 page 29.

French & Indian War under George Washington

                                                                rendered material aid to the Revolution

                                                                DAR Ancestor #A019240

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: May 25 2017, 13:30:40 UTC