Walter Burris (Burrus) of South Carolina,
Kentucky and Missouri

(Last updated 9 May 2023)

1.  Recent Y-DNA analysis confirms that direct male-line descendants of Walter Burris share paternal ancestry with direct male-line descendants of David Burris (1774 SC - 1849 MO) and also Isaiah Burris (1776 SC - 1850s MO).  See the Burris DNA page at FamilyTreeDNA for details. 

[The website recently updated and Walter Burris was left off the R-U106 group but is still listed below that group in the ungrouped results. An earlier screenshot is at the bottom of this page.]

2.  Here is a 17 page PDF titled "The Case of Walter Burris" that summarizes some of the cluster genealogy research into Walter Burris and his likely brother David Burris.  The PDF was last updated 8 Nov 2017.

	Walter Burris family genealogy
Husband	Walter Burris (Burrus) was born 1761-1770 probably about 1765 and possibly in South Carolina.  His father was likely William Burris (originally Burrows) who is documented in Laurens County, South Carolina as early as 1769.  This Burris family moved to Kentucky about 1795-1796.  It's unclear if the William Burris living in Laurens County, South Carolina in 1769 is the exact same William Burris living in Clark County, Kentucky in the late 1790s and early 1800s. The earlier one maybe the senior William Burris and the other maybe the junior William Burris.  Walter Burris can be directly connected to David Burris (born 1770s SC) via a legal document and to Isaiah Burris (born 1776 SC) via a marriage bond.  David Burris can be directly connected to Thomas Burris (born 1770s).  Walter Burris' Y-DNA Haplogroup is R-BY65736. Male line descendants of Walter, David and Isaiah have been Y-DNA matched to each other.	Census and tax records: Walter Burris Wikitree entry [Burris-1107]
1760s -1839	The overlapping of 10 years of tax roll data in Kentucky and other records supports a related group consisting of Walter, William, David, Thomas and Isaiah Burris. Several descendants of Walter, David and Thomas Burris are documented living near each other in various counties in north Texas.  Click here for more information.  Recent Y-DNA analysis also verifies that Walter, David and Isaiah Burris share paternal ancestry.   In late 1809 or early 1810 Walter Burris and David Burris migrated from Clark (Estill) County, Kentucky to Missouri settling at or near the "Loutre Island Settlement" in Montgomery County.  By 1811 Walter and David had moved west and settled in the area that became Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri.  Between 1818 and 1820 Walter Burris moved southeast into Cole County, Missouri (maybe current Burris Fork Twp, Moniteau County).  Between 1831 and 1834 Walter Burris moved to Jackson County, Missouri. Walter Burris was probably a farmer which was the most common occupation at the time.  In Clark County, Kentucky near Woodward Creek Isaiah Burris' neighbor James Box owned a "plantation".  Walter Burris was married at least twice.  Walter married his first wife (unknown) probably in Laurens County, South Carolina mid-late 1780s.  Walter's second wife was Lydia Barnes who he married in Clark County, Kentucky on 28 May 1807.   Walter Burris died in late 1839 in Jackson County, Missouri where his estate was administered by his son Henry Burris.   Walter's exact death date is unknown and his exact burial place is unknown.  The death date repeated in every Ancestry tree is fictitious and much too late anyways. [This Walter Burris should not be confused with the other Walter Burrus (1770-1836) of Albemarle County, Virginia.  They were two different men with two different families living far apart.  It's possible they were second or third cousins though.  Unfortunately most Ancestry "trees" have them merged as one person.  See the extensive notes and documentation below the genealogy portion of this page.]	1790 SC, Laurens County, p. 431 1800 KY, Madison Co. (bond) 1803 KY, Madison County, tax roll 1804 KY, Clark County, tax roll 1805 KY, Clark County, tax roll 1806 KY, Clark County, tax roll 1808 KY, Clark County, tax roll 1810 MO, Loutre Island Sett. 1817 MO, Howard County, tax roll  1830 MO, Cole County, p. 194 [more records]  Sections below: 1. Critical analysis of existing Walter Burris trees. 2. How the new Burris timeline was researched. 3. DNA research and results. 4. Additional research needed.

Cluster genealogy evidence:

The connection between Walter Burris, David Burris, and Isaiah Burris is reflected in the people they can be associated with.  Several associated people can be traced from the same areas in Kentucky to the same areas in Missouri.  The best example is that in Estill County a court order dated May 17, 1808 says "David McGee, Augustus Davis, Gilliard Roop [Gilead Rupe] and Isaiah Burross [Burris] view a road from the mouth of Woodard's Creek to intersect the road from the Rock Lick to the courthouse." [link].  Two or three years later this Gilead Rupe is one of the men that settled near Boonville, Missouri along with Walter Burris and David Burris. [link]  Gilead Rupe (along with Muke Box) was also one of the men helping Walter Burris cut a bee tree on Dec. 14, 1814 when Indians attacked.

Augustus Davis and David McGee were also early Boonville, Missouri residents.  Augustus Davis can be tangentially connected to David Burris "junior" (1790-1860) via the Wolfskill brothers. 

Another important link is via the Box family.  Muke Box (c.1795-1852) was also an early Boonville, Missouri settler mentioned with Walter and David Burris. [link]  Muke Box is a member (per Ancestry users) of the Box family that were also early residents of Laurens County, South Carolina and lived close to William Burrows [Burris]. The Box family had land along Rabun Creek which is joined by the smaller Burris Creek [formerly Williams Creek] where William Burris got land in 1769.  

In 1808 James Box, father of Muke Box, died in 1808 [exact date unknown] in southern Clark County, Kentucky [soon to be Estill County].  On March 28, 1808 Isaiah Burris and David McGee were the witnesses for the recording of James Box's will in the Estill County courthouse.  In 1808 the southern portion of Clark County and part of Madison County were re-designated as the new Estill County.  The 1808 tax roll for Estill County, Kentucky [B surnames] lists Mary Box, Isaiah Burress, and David Burress. [image]  The same recording date of July 15, 1808 for all three is a good indicator of proximity.

An Estill County, Kentucky court order dated July 17, 1809 says "Isaiah Burress surveyor of road from Flatwood's Meeting House to the Red River Ironworks to cross road of the Woodward's Creek near Widow Boxes..."  [link] This court order also puts Isaiah Burris within proximity to "Widow Box" [Mary "Nancy"], widow of James.  Google maps shows a Woodward Creek and Ironworks Road north of Ravenna, Estill County, Kentucky.

In Missouri in 1815 Muke Box was a witness for Walter and Henry Burris in their claims of Indian depredations.  This verifies that Muke Box personally knew Walter and David Burris along with Isaiah Burris back in Kentucky.

In early 1811 in the St Charles County court Muke Box's brother-in-law John Snethen (husband of Prudence Boyles/Bowles) filed a lawsuit against David Burrus Sr for trespass and assault against John Snethen on July 1, 1810 .  At the same time the U.S. filed it's own lawsuit against John Snethen for assault and battery against Nelly Burris (wife of David) on July 6, 1810.  The alleged assaults took place at the "Loutre Island settlement" in Montgomery County, Missouri.  At the time the court at St Charles held jurisdiction over the area.

There are many connections and overlaps between the Burris, Barnes, Barker, Lackey, Hamilton, and Tincher families in the same tri-County region of Madison, Clark, and Estill counties, Kentucky.

● 1808 Estill County, Kentucky Order Book - Page 98-99:

" The following allotment of hands was this day returned to court and ordered to be recorded viz - "In compliance to an order of the Estill County Court us directed we have allotted the hands to work under Augustus Davis overseer of the road from mouth of Woodward Creek to the dividing ridge between Calloway's Creek & Polecat, a list of which is hereunto subjoined by us - October 19th 1808 - David McGee, James McMahan

John Feels, Thomas Tribble, John Barnes, David McClain, Jesse Cobb, Richard Oldham Snr, Richard Oldham Jr, William Oldham, Ezekial Oldham, Abner Oldham, Absolum Oldham, William Oldham, John Oldham, Isaiah Todd, Anareed? Alexander, Mr. Waters, Elzey Waters, Henry Green, Garrett Green, Rich'd Mullens, Dodson Thorp, Gillard Roop, Ralph Wilson, Eli Bob Wilson, Paterson Greffley, Jones Webber, Caleb Oldham, William Harris, John Tuttle, Robert Henderson, William Mullins, Zachariah Barnes, Benjamin Hatton, William Boyls, Isaiah Burross, Jesse White, Henry White, William White, Thomas Tuttle, Mr. Bird, Mr Webber, Webber Harris, Thomas Burross, David McGee, Charles Blythe, John Buth?, Joseph McMahan, James McMahan, John McMahan, Moses McMahan, Samuel McMahan, Robert Blythe, Benjamin Culver, Robert Culver, Cornelius Newkirk, Nicholas Burgher, Manson Burgher, John Culver, Ezekial Oldham, Jas. Foley, Mr. Foley, Mr. Foley, Mr. Foley, Jas. McMahan - whereupon it is ordered that said hands work under said overseer accordingly. "

● "History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri" 1883 (page 129)

"Among the very earliest to seek a home in Cass County (Big Creek Township), was Henry Burris, who was one of the County judges of the County court from 1837 to 1844. Judge Burris came from Alabama. His associates, as County judges, were : James about Dickey and J. W. McLellan from 1837 to 1840, and Samuel Wilson and Anderson Davis, from 1840 to 1844."

Obviously Henry Burris was not from Alabama.  These old histories often have such errors and rely on stories and information from people far removed from the source.  None of Henry's children (that we know of) were living in Cass County or even Missouri in 1883 so this information is second or third hand at best.  The only testimony we have of Henry's birthplace is from his son William who said in the 1880 California Census (Sonoma County) his father was born in South Carolina.

● "History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri" 1883 (page 167)

"OLD SETTLERS.  Mastin Burris, one of the three oldest settlers now living in the County, was born in St. Charles County, Missouri, in 1812, and came here in the spring of 1834. He located on what was called Peck's Creek, named after Andrew J. Peck, in the south part of the township.  He lived there two years and then moved into Jackson County, remaining there only a short time, when he again returned to Cass County, this time settling in Camp Branch Township, in 1837, where he now resides."  

In 1812 the area was technically St Charles County which encompassed a much larger area.  By 1812 Mastin's father David Burris "Senior" was already a resident of the Fayette / Booneville area.

● "History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri" 1883 (page 329):

"The first general election in the County after its organization was held in 1836. Although the County was very large, there were but three voting precincts.  At that election Andrew Wilson and George Hudspeth were candidates for the legislature - Wilson was elected. John McCarty was elected sheriff over John Lyon and James Parsons. David G. Butterfield, who had been previously appointed by the County court, was elected assessor and Martin Rice was elected surveyor. Jamison D. Dickey, James W. McLellan and Henry Burris, cousin of Martin Burris, were elected County court justices."

The typesetter evidently misread the manuscript and put "Martin Burris" instead of "Mastin Burris" mistaking a cursive letter S for a cursive letter R. This writer has seen this exact mistake in other documents.  A reference to Mastin Burris makes sense given that he has his own biography on page 664.  There was no Martin Burris living at the time.  This is a vital clue for this Burris genealogy because taken at face value it tells us that Walter Burris (father of Henry) and David Burris (father of Mastin) were brothers.  This interpretation is also consistent with the other circumstantial evidence presented here.  This also again verifies the association of Walter Burris and David Burris as seen in the history of Boonville, Missouri when they were the original inhabitants of Boonville with the Cole family starting about 1811 and all three can be documented together in mid 1810 to early 1811 at the Loutre Island settlement in Montgomery, County, Missouri per court records. 

● "History of Howard and Cooper Counties, Missouri" 1883 (page 623-624):

"On the 14th day of December, 1814, a man named Samuel McMahan, living in what is now Lamine township of Cooper County, was killed near Boonville, not far from the present residence of Scott Benedict, under the following circumstances: He had been down to the settlement at Boonville to bring his cattle, as he intended to move down the river, and as he was returning home he came upon a band of Indians who were lying in ambush for some men [Gilead Rupe, Muke Box, Walter Burris] who were cutting down a bee tree not far away. The savages fired upon him, wounding him and killing his horse. He jumped up after his horse fell, and although severely wounded, ran down a ravine leading to the river. The Indians started in pursuit of him, and as he was weak from the loss of blood, they soon overtook him and killed him, sticking three spears into his back. They afterwards cut off his head and scattered his entrails over the ground. The Indians knowing that the vengeance of the settlers would be sudden and terrible, then scattered, and made their way out of the country the best way they could. The next day, for the settlers, not knowing the number of the Indians, waited for reinforcements from the opposite side of the river, a party of men went out to get the body of McMahan. James Cole, the brother of Samuel Cole, carried the body before him on his horse, and David McGee brought the head wrapped in a sheep skin. The settlers buried McMahan under the linn tree, which formerly stood in the centre ring at the old fair grounds. A child of David Burris, which was burned to death, was also buried under this tree.

The next day after the killing of McMahan, all the settlers living near the present site of Boonville, speedily repaired to the house of Hannah Cole, which stood on the Bluff, in what is now “East Boonville,” as this place was the most suitable of any near, to defend against an attack of the Indians. All of these men came with their teams, cut down trees, dragged logs to build a fort at that place. They completed the building of the fort in about one week, although all of the men could not work at one time, as it was necessary to station a guard on every side to watch for the approach of the enemy, whom they expected every hour.

The fort was built on the edge of the bluff, and as the bluff was very steep at that point, it was well defended on that side from the Indians. Another reason for building it in that place was, because the inmates of the fort could obtain a constant supply of good water from the river. They had a long log running out over the edge of the bluff, and a windlass and rope attached to it, so that it was an easy matter to draw up water, even during an attack of the Indians. As soon as the fort at Hannah Cole’s was completed, the old fort at Stephen Cole’s, situated on the bluff near the river, one mile below the new fort, was abandoned, and all the families gathered into the new fort, so as to be a protection to each other. "

● "History of Cooper County, Missouri" 1919 (page 66):

"Other Settlers Move South of River — In the latter part of the year 1811 some more adventurous spirits moved to the south side of the river and began to settle around and near the present site of Boonville. They were Joseph Jolly, Joseph Yarnell, Gilliard Rupe, Mike [Muke] Box, Delaney Bolin, William Savage, John Savage, Walter and David Burriss and families.  They settled near one another, so that in time of danger they could readily gather at one place. This timely arrival revived the spirits of the settlers, for already could be heard the dim mutterings in the distance, which foreshadowed a long and bloody conflict with the Indians who had been induced by the emissaries of the British government to take sides with that country against the United States of America."

● "History of Cooper County, Missouri" 1919 (page 117):

"Samuel McMahan Ambushed. — Samuel McMahan, who lived in what is now Lamine township in Cooper County was killed on Dec. 14, 1814, near Boonville. McMahan had been down to the settlement at Boonville. As he was returning home, he came upon a band of Indians who were lying in ambush for some of the settlers who were cutting down a bee tree not far away. McMahan was on horseback and unsuspectedly rode into the midst of the Indians. The savages fired upon him, wounding him and killing his horse. He jumped when his horse fell, and though severely wounded, succeeded in reaching a ravine leading to the river. The savages soon overtook and killed him, sticking three spears into his back. They afterward cut off his head, and scattered his entrails over the ground. The Indians then scattered, and, pursuing different routes, made their way out of the country."

● "History of Howard and Chariton Counties, Missouri" (page 95-96):

"OLD SETTLERS ERECT FORTS.  Being fully convinced that the Indians were making preparations to attack the settlements along the Missouri river, they determined to be ready to receive them properly when they did appear, and to this end, began the erection of three forts in Howard County, bearing the names respectively, of Fort Cooper, Fort Hempstead, and Fort Kincaid. Fort Cooper was located about two miles southwest of Boone's Lick. Fort Kincaid was east southeast, about nine miles distant, and about one mile north of the present Boonville railroad bridge.  Fort Hempstead was about one and a half miles north of Fort Kincaid. Each fort was a series of log houses, built together around an enclosure. In each house lived a family, and the stock was corralled, and the property of the settlers secured at night in the enclosure.  There were other smaller forts, but the above were the most important.  Immediately after the erection of these forts, the pioneers organized themselves into a military company, with Sarshall Cooper as captain ; first lieutenant, William McMahon ; second lieutenant, John Monroe; ensign, Benjamin Cooper, Jr

FORT KINCAID: Amos Ashcraft, Jesse Ashcraft, Otho Ashcraft, Amos Barnes, Aquilla Barnes, Abraham Barnes, James Barnes, John Barnes, Shadrach Barnes, Robert Barclay, Francis Berry, Campbell Bolen, Delany Bolen, William Brazil, David Burris, Henry Burris, Reuben Cornelius, Pryor Duncan, Stephen Fields, John Fields, Cornelius Gooch, Thomas Gray, John Hines, Daniel Hubbard, Asaph Hubbard, Eusebius Hubbard, Joseph Jolly, David Kincaid, Matthew Kincaid, John Kincaid, John McMurray, Adam McCord, Daniel Monroe, John Monroe, John Mathis, William Nash, John Parsley, William Ridgeway, William Robertson, Edward Robertson, Gilead Rupe, Enoch Taylor, Isaac Taylor, William Taylor, Enoch Turner, Giles Williams, Britton Williams, Francis Wood, Henry Weeden

Life in the forts was not one of idleness and ease. It was one of vigilance and activity for two or three years. The settlers were deprived of comforts and pleasures which are enjoyed by the people of today. They had but little labor-saving machinery, and what they had was imperfect and inefficient. School was taught, and religious services were held in the forts. The forts were also supplied with mills and looms. The first cog-wheel horse-mill erected in the County was at Fort Kincaid in 1815 ; the next one was put up at Fort Hempstead. After the Indian troubles were over, people came twenty miles to these mills. "

● "Tales of Black Hawk the Red Head & Missouri Rangers" 1974 (119-120) [no date or sources]

"Maurice Blondeau, Indian agent at Johnson's factory, dispatched John Davis, a corporal in Donne's Rangers, to wan the settlers at Cole's Fort. Then, the trading post was evacuated for good. Some of Quashquans's friendly hand continued to camp in the vicinity.

Davis arrived at Cole's Fort between 10 o'clock and noon, after hearing gunshots, and found Indians plundering the abandoned stockade. The corporal's mare was shot from under him, but he escaped.

Cole's Fort was left in a shambles. Savages burned Delaney Bolen's plantation and drove off his livestock, causing an estimated $1,500 loss. They also took James Anderson's stock and destroyed a pair of mill stones, which he kept in the fort. Others, whose homes and crops were damaged or destroyed, included school teacher James Savage, 42 year-old Gilead Rupe; Muke Box, whose property was near Heath's Lick; David, Henry and Walter Burriss; Joseph Jolly, James and Samuel Byrnside, Daniel Tyler, James Yarnell, Seibert Scott, Margaret "Peggy“ Smith, Sealy Bolling, Thomas Reynolds and "Aunt Hannah" and James Cole.

Before recrossing the Missouri, the Indians wiped out McMahan's Fort at the Lamine River. "

● "Tales of Black Hawk the Red Head & Missouri Rangers" 1974 (119-120) [no date or sources]

"... Samuel McMahan, who had been staying in McLain's Fort since Indians had burned McMahan's Fort, was on his way to Cole's Fort to drive up some cattle which he had corralled there. He chanced upon a group of pioneers, including Muke Box, Walter Burriss and Gilead Rupe who were cutting a bee tree beside the trail, less than three miles from Cole's Fort. It was supposed afterwards that savages were sneaking up on these settlers, when McMahan came riding along. Instead of attacking the bee hunters, they fired on McMahan. He was shot through the body and his horse was killed. McMahan jumped up and ran towards the river, but redskins overtook him and killed him with three spear thrusts in his back. Then, they scalped him, cut off his head and disemboweled the body.

Hearing gunfire, Rupe and Burriss ran to Fort Cole and gave the alarm. Box climbed a tree and shot one of the murderers as they were returning— in great glee — with McMahan's scalp. Greatly confused, the savages caught up their companion's body and bore it away, limp and lifeless. It was found later in a ravine, a mile away.

The next day, men of Cole's Fort, reinforced by some militia, went out and retrieved McMahan's mangled remains. James Cole, then a boy of 14, carried the body on the pommel of his saddle, and David McGee brought the head, wrapped in a sheepskin..."

Documented locations of Walter Burris, David Burris, Thomas Burris, and Isaiah Burris:

● Walter Burris is documented living in Clark County, KY (1804-1808), Howard/Cooper County, MO (1811+), Cole County, MO (1830), and Jackson County, MO (1830s). 

● David Burris is documented living in KY (1808), Cooper County, MO (1811+), Jackson County, MO (1830) and Cass County, MO (1840s).  Two of David's sons married two of Thomas' daughters.

● Thomas Burris is documented living Estill County, KY (1810, 1820, 1830), Howard County, MO (1840) and Cass County, MO (1845+).  Two of Thomas' daughters married two of David's sons.

● Isaiah Burris is documented living in Clark County, KY (1800-1804), Estill County, KY (1810-1817), Wayne County, MO (1830) [Wayne changed to Ripley], Ripley County, MO (1837-1840s), and Johnson County, MO (1850+).

David Burris junior:

David Burris "junior" was born about 1790 place unknown.  David is connected to this Burris family but exactly how is unknown.  David Burris "junior" is connected to David Burris "senior" but they would not be father and son because they were too close in age about 15 years apart.  They were more likely uncle and nephew.  They can be positively linked by way of a deed between them in the 1820s in Cooper County, Missouri.  They also evidently testified together in 1815 for Indian Depredation claims because their claim numbers are consecutive.  The David Burris "senior" and David Burris "junior" claims are on page 33 of Senate Document 55. 

David Burris "junior" can also be linked tangentially to Isaiah Burris via William Wolfskill and Augustus Davis. William Wolfskill's brother John Wolfskill was an executor for the estate of Augustus Davis in 1837.  Augustus Davis was an early Boonville, Missouri resident by 1811 and three years earlier in 1808 he helped Isaiah Burris survey a road in Estill County, Kentucky in 1808.

In 1812 David Burris Jr married Susannah Monroe (daughter of William Monroe) at Fayette, Howard County, Missouri.  At the time this would have been considered St Charles County which is why the marriage record appears there and not in Howard County.  In 1839 Susannah's brother Daniel Monroe (who married Mary Thorp) was a surety (bondsman) for Henry Burris as the executor of Walter Burris' estate.  In 1860 Daniel Monroe's daughter Julia Monroe married David and Susannah Burris' son Uriel B Burris.  Julia Monroe and Uriel B Burris would be first cousins.

In 1850 David Burris Jr went to California to search for gold and never returned.  The family never heard from him again after 1852.  David Burris Jr evidently either found gold or prosperous work. 

David Burris Jr died on May 9, 1860 at the home of William Wolfskill in Los Angeles, California of "congestive fever" at age 70.  The David Burris Jr estate consisted of $933.50 in gold coins which Wolfskill was holding and a $1200.00 mortgage on an unnamed property in San Bernardino that was only described as "now in progress of foreclosure."   [per research of Pat F].  [obituary]

Malinda Owens (Owings) Lilly connection?

Malinda Owens was born about 1790 in South Carolina per the 1850 census.  Some Ancestry trees have either her maiden name or her son's middle name as Burris.  Malinda married James Ferrell before 1811 probably in Clark or Madison County, Kentucky (record lost). James Ferrell and Melinda had two known sons Peter H Ferrell (born about 1811 KY) and Martillus M Ferrell (born 1812 Clark County, KY).  James Ferrell died in 1812 or 1813 supposedly during the War of 1812 but he does not appear on the published muster rolls of Kentucky soldiers. It's possible it is just assumed he was the same James Ferrel that actually did serve from Kentucky. 

Malinda Ferrell remarried in late April or early May 1814 to David Lilly.  The marriage bond filed in Clark County, Kentucky is dated April 21, 1814 but the actual marriage record does not exist.  The marriage bond specifically states Malinda was the widow of James Ferrell. 

Malinda and David's daughter Nancy Lilly (born 1817 KY) married David C Byler in 1832 in Cooper County, Missouri.  A biography of the Byler family gives Malinda's surname as Burris.  The Lilly family had moved from Clark County, Kentucky to Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri between 1820 and 1824.  The identification of a Burris in Clark County being from South Carolina and later moving to Boonville mirrors Walter and David Burris.

Sometime in early 1834 David Lilly wrote a letter to Nathan Boone the captain of the U. S. Dragoons in Franklin, Howard County, Missouri just across the river from Boonville regarding his step-son Martillus Ferrell's enlistment and evidently requesting a discharge.  On Feb. 15, 1834 Nathan Boone wrote a letter back saying David Lilly should contact the Secretary of War and also his Member of Congress.  On February 17, 1834 David Lilly wrote a petition signed by many people to the Secretary of War saying Martillus Ferrell " acted in opposition to his better interest having a good trade [cabinet maker] and being able to make a great deal more at home... ".   Two of the letters are found at the "Fold3.com" website in the National Archives series titles "Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General (Main Series)".  More research is needed to find the actual letter from David Lilly to Nathan Boone and any other letters sent by David Lilly.

The book "History of the Owing Family" pages 13-14 identifies Malinda as a daughter of William Owings of Laurens County, South Carolina with a brother John Owings (d. 1845 MO) and sister Mary Harris (w/o Thomas).  The Owings families lived in the Raborn (Rayborn) Creek area as did the Burris family.

Burgin (Burgan) and Owings family connection?

In July 1800 in Madison County, Kentucky Walter Burris and William Lackey (brother of Ellender?) were bondsmen for the marriage of Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens (daughter of Prudence "Oings"). Isaiah Burris witnessed the consent of the mother Prudence.  The marriage bond is on record but the actual marriage record is not.  It's assumed the marriage DID happen but that it was just never recorded at the courthouse for whatever reason.  It appears Nancy may have died in or before 1810 and Thomas remarries.  Thomas Burgin and family eventually moved to Jackson County, Missouri by 1830.

● November 1808 Clark County, Kentucky - Court orders:

"By court order 'Widow Owins' a blind woman allowed to be taken in by James Simpson."

In 1813 James Simpson raised a company of men from Clark County, Kentucky for the military campaign up north (Battle of Thames).

Fast forward to 1830 and we have a John Burgin (likely son of Thomas) next to David Burris Sr (likely brother of Walter Burris).  Thomas Burgin is listed 6 pages after with an old woman who is most likely his mother-in-law Prudence Owings. The census also notes the household has a blind person.

● 1830 Federal Census, Missouri, Jackson County, page 309:
family 12 - James Gibson, head of household, age 20-29.
family 13 - David Burris [senior], head of household, age 50-59.
family 14 - John Burgin, head of household, age 20-29.

● 1830 Federal Census, Missouri, Jackson County, page 315:
family 19 - Thomas Burgen (head of house), 1 male 10-14, 1 male 15-19, 1 male 50-59 [Thomas Burgin], 1 female 0-4, 1 female 5-9, 1 female 10-14, 1 female 40-49, and 1 female 70-79 [Prudence?] 1 white person is blind.

From 1825 to 1835 Jackson County included what is now Cass County to the south.  The History of Jackson County, Missouri page 333 says "In August, 1834, the general election for the township was held at the house of Thos. Burgin, in what is now Cass County"

In 1835 Cass County was created out of a southern part of Jackson County.  We don't know if Thomas Burris moved further moved south into Cass County if the only the County jurisdictions changed around him.  In 1835 Thomas Burgin is mentioned in the Cass County court records:

● 1835 Cass County, Missouri court:

"The court then took into consideration the poor of this County, and ordered that William Butler take Purdy Owen, that now lives at Thomas Burgin's, and what property that belongs to her, and that he keep her' three months, and furnish her with suitable clothing for which the court agrees to give him thirty dollars."  [image]

Thomas Burgin died in Cass County, Missouri prior to 29 January 1838 when Andrew Wilson was appointed Administrator of his estate. He died without a will.

Fast forward to 1860 and we have a John Burgin again next to David Burris (son of Henry Burris, grandson of Walter).

● 1860 California census for Tulare County, township 1, page 1:
Family 4 - David Burris (34 MO), Julia Burris (19 MO), Henry Burris (12 MO) -  David is the son of Henry Burris and grandchild of Walter Burris.  Julia is daughter of Hiram Wilburn.
Family 5 - William Wilburn (24 MO), Elizabeth Wilburn (31 MO), Hiram Wilburn (6m CA)  -  William is son of Hiram Wilburn.  Elizabeth is daughter of Henry Burris and grandchild of Walter Burris.
Family 8 - John Burgin (50 KY) , Sarah Burgin (38 KY), and 5 sons.

Is this John Burgin a son of Thomas Burgin and Nancy Owens ??? 

At three points spanning 60 years we find the Burgin family very close to the Burris family.

Barker family connections:

Thomas Burris and Zachariah Burris married cousins Sidonia Barker and Mary Barker.  Sidonia was the daughter of James Barker and Margaret "Peggy" Noland.  Mary's parents are currently unknown. The Barker family goes back to Estill County, Kentucky in the same area where Isaiah Burris lived.  James Barker and Margaret "Peggy" Noland had Henry William Barker (1797-1852 Oregon trail), Nancy Brandenburg (1802-1860s Dallas), Joshua Barker (c.1821-1895 Colorado) and Margaret Barker (c.1824-1859 Parker County, Texas?) and all of them (except Henry and a few years later Margaret) migrated to north Texas in the late 1840s from Lafayette County, Missouri.  They all appear on the 1850 Texas census (Dallas County).  A few years later Thomas & Sidonia Burris, Zach & Mary Burris, Joshua Barker, and a Brandenburg son moved west to Wise County, Texas and Parker County, Texas. 

Sidonia's sister Margaret Barker (c.1824) married Samuel Robinett in 1843 in Lafayette County, Missouri.  By 1850 Samuel Robinett had evidently died because only Margaret Robinett and two sons are listed on the 1850 Missouri census (Lafayette County).  In the 1850s Margaret Barker Robinett moved to Dallas County, Texas where her relatives were and she remarried to Joseph S. Amos on 26 June 1855 (per published transcription).  Margaret Amos died in 1858 or 1859 and left a daughter Margaret S. Amos (born c.1858 Texas).  Evidently Zachariah and Mary Burris took care of Margaret S Amos after her mother's death and they are listed together on the 1860 Texas census (Wise County).  In 1862 Zachariah Burris recorded a will in Wise County on account of "going off to war".  In the will he mentions wife Mary and also his "cousin by marriage" Margaret S. Amos who would have been 4 years old.  It is not known if Zachariah actually served in the Civil War (no record found yet) or what happened to them after 1862.  By 1860 Zachariah's brother Thomas Burris and wife Sidonia had already moved west to California and were living in Tulare County.  It's not know what happened to the younger Margaret Amos.   

A "J. S. Ames" later appears in Dallas County but it's unknown if he is the same person as Joseph S. Amos.

Wilburn family connections:

Hiram Wilburn married Phoeba Williams in 1826 in Lafayette County, Missouri.  In May 1844 they migrated from Missouri to north Texas (so-called "Peters Colony") and settled in Dallas County.  They had several children including William Jasper Wilburn (1836) and Julia Ann Wilburn (1841).  Hiram Wilburn was witness in the Texas land grant application for Joshua Barker (brother-in-law of Thomas Burris) mentioned above.  In May 1844 Joshua Barker migrated from Missouri to north Texas ("Peters Colony") and settled in Dallas County.  In 1850 the Wilburn family moved to California and landed in Santa Clara County (1852 CA state census).  The son William Jasper Wilburn married Elizabeth Burris (daughter of Henry Burris) in 1858.  The daughter Julia Ann Wilburn married David Burris (son of Henry Burris) about 1857. 

So the Wilburn family can be connected to the Barker (and therefore Burris) family in Dallas and also the related Burris family in California.

Burrus, Quisenberry and Tribble connections:

Thomas Burrus (1724-1798) & Frances Tandy (1724-1816) were married in Virginia prior to 1751. In the 1770s much of the family moved from Orange County, Virginia to Clark County, Kentucky. Their children were:

• Elizabeth Burrus (1751)
• Sarah Ann "Sally" Burrus (1753) married Andrew T. Tribble prior to 1769 in Virginia.
  • Thomas Tribble (1775)
  • Nancy Tribble.  She married David Chenault.
  • Peter Burris Tribble (1774-1849).
  • Frances Tribble.  She married George M. Stoner.
• Thomas Burrus Sr (1757)
• Jane Burrus (1759) married James Quisenberry about 1776.
• Frances Tandy Burrus (1762)
• Roger Tandy Burrus (1769)
• Mourning Burrus (1771)
• William Tandy Burrus (1772)
• Fanny Burrus.
  
  

James Quisenberry performed the marriages of Isaiah Burris to Rachel Barker (Oct. 22, 1801), Thomas Burris to Peggy Tincher (Nov. 12, 1801), and John Snethen to Prudence Bowles (Oct. 6, 1801).

David Chenault performed the marriage of Walter Burris to Lydia Barnes on May 28, 1807 in Clark County, Kentucky.

July 17, 1809 - Estill County, Kentucky - Court Order Book, page 180 says "Ordered that Isaiah Burress be appointed surveyor of the road leading from the Flatwood's Meeting House to the Red River Iron works to the cross road of the Woodward's Creek road with the said road near the Widow Boxes in place of Thomas Tribble who is exempt therefrom."

Another Walter Burris in Missouri?:

There are records of a "Waters Burrous" or "Walter Burrows" owning land about 10 miles west of Cape Giraudoux, Missouri in 1798 to maybe 1804. A "Sarah Burris", daughter of "Waters Burris" and Mary Taylor married a George Hutton on Nov. 22, 1801 in the St. Genevieve District. The bridge and groom were both supposed to be "natives of Pennsylvania". I have been unable to find any more information on these people or connect them to our Walter Burris.  If Sarah was married in 1801 that puts her birth year somewhere around Circa 1781 which makes her a little too old to be Walter's daughter anyways unless Walter married around age 20 and Sarah married in her teens. Then you have the 1790 census (Laurens County, SC) for Walter listing only one female (no age) so it's only the wife or the daughter but not both.  There was a "Waters Burrous" (not "Walter" or "Burris") that is recorded in the tax rolls of Mason County, Kentucky from 1793 to 1796. 

Oct 2016: Currently this writer does not think this is our Walter Burris.  No other overlaps or connections can be made.

Perry G Burris (1807 KY - 1895 OK)

In the 1840 Missouri Census (Lincoln County) John Snethen Jr. (b. 1805 Estill County, KY) can be found one person away from Perry G Burriss (1807 KY).  John Snethen Jr. is the son of John Snethen and Prudence Boyles (1/2 sister of Muke Box) mentioned above.  Both John Snethen Jr. and Perry G. Burris were still living in Lincoln County, Missouri in 1850. Perry G Burris can not yet be attached to any of the older Burris men and didn't live anywhere near any of their descendants in Missouri.

A very interesting coincidence (or not) though is that Perry Burris' son Alexander Thaddeus Burris (1849-1932) is recorded in the 1920 Oklahoma census (Atoka County) literally next door to Margaret Ellen Williams Millican (1858-1925) who was a grand-daughter of Walter Burris (1760s-1839). Is Alexander T Burris a grandson of Isaiah Burris (1776-c.1854) making him and Margaret possibly second cousins? Hopefully additional research will reveal.

Walter Burris' genealogy on Ancestry as repeated in over 1000+ trees contains large errors regarding Walter's parents, Walter's origins before Missouri, Walter's first wife's name, Walter's second wife's maiden name and parentage, Walter's siblings, and the identification and birth order of some of Walter's children. This erroneous information was based solely on a blind matching with a similar named "Walter Burrus" that lived in Albemarle County, Virginia.  Our Missouri Walter Burris and the Virginia Walter Burrus may have been 2nd or 3rd cousins though.  This preliminary link dates back 30+ years and was repeated on LDS submissions and copied by early Ancestry users. No real genealogical research was ever done to verify the supposed link it was just assumed the two men were the same person.  Unfortunately they are NOT the same man.  The better Kentucky and South Carolina leads for our Walter Burris were not followed up on by any other researchers or even this writer until 2015...

In mid 2015 this writer began researching the Missouri Walter Burris using only the Kentucky and South Carolina leads which were the only credible ones and ignoring the previous unsourced information seen online at Ancestry.com.  Following the better leads immediately began to produce new and cross-verifiable evidence of Walter's residences and associations before Missouri pre-1811.  Research in 2015 and 2016 in Kentucky and South Carolina led to many new important records and produced a radically different and vastly more documented timeline explained in detail above.  Many new connections and associations between the various older Burris men in Kentucky and Missouri (and others) have been worked out and many record gaps have finally been filled. 

Walter Burris' true genealogy could not have been assembled using only the partial data on Ancestry because the records that reveal his true connections are either not on Ancestry or have not been indexed on Ancestry such as tax rolls and court orders.  Because of these gaps the previous attempts to build a Walter Burris genealogy has produced logical errors and bogus associations that any professional genealogist would have red-flagged immediately.  A true Walter Burris genealogy can only be assembled through the overlapping of smaller pieces of evidence like local tax rolls, deeds and other historical records in Missouri, Kentucky and South Carolina. 

The critical mistake done by earlier researchers was in attempting to research Walter Burris in isolation (as if he had no relatives) and ignoring the obviously related people he could be connected to namely his likely younger brother David Burris and also Thomas Burris.  Without considering this vital piece of evidence and without following the family into Kentucky before Missouri all subsequent research became faulty with the false connection to the Walter Burrus in Virginia.  

This section presents a much needed and long overdue cross-examination of the old information.  Hopefully this will explain why the old information was dismissed by this writer. 

● Walter Burris' will and interpretation  [Walter Burris will]

It was assumed by some that Walter's will separates his children into two groups: (1) an older group by his first wife incorrectly assumed to be Mary Lively and (2) a younger group by his second wife Lydia "Cole".  This assumption was used as proof that the children of the first wife are: Henry, Rebecca, Nancy, Alice, William, Mary "Polly" and that the children of his second wife Lydia are: Thomas, Rachel, Zachariah, Prudence, Walter Jr.  This then led people to assume that the second marriage to Lydia had to have been 1813-1816 in Missouri based on their birth years and birth places. It must be pointed out there is no actual marriage record supporting this despite being repeated on Ancestry and there being extant (exisiting) marriage records where they lived.  The supposed second marriage time period is literally just inferred from this interpretation of the will. 

The problem with this interpretation is that our Walter Burris wasn't first married to Mary Lively because he's not even from Virginia.  Walter's first marriage would have been in the mid 1780s in South Carolina to a still unknown woman.  The other problem is that there exists a marriage record dated 28 May 1807 for Walter Burris and Lydia Barnes in Clark County, Kentucky.  Walter Burris is now documented as living in Clark County, Kentucky from at least 1800 [1796] to 1808 per the tax rolls.  Cluster research verifies without a doubt that the Walter Burris seen in Boonville, Missouri after 1811 is the exact same Walter Burris seen years earlier in Clark County, Kentucky (1800-1808). This 1807 marriage record (found in 2015) deflates the fictitious marriage date of 1814-1816 to Lydia and the needless false division between Mary (1814) and Thomas (1816). This date also establishes that all the children born after 1807 are in fact by Lydia Barnes as believed by this writer since 1992. Walter's oldest sons Henry and John were born closer to 1790.  Walter Burris and his brother David Burris moved to Missouri by July 1810 per court records. These facts are a huge problem for the old genealogy and previous assumptions. 

Also the fact that female-line descendants of daughters Mary Crabtree (1814) and Prudence Flanery (c. 1822) DNA match each other at the Full Mitochondrial Sequence means they have the same maternal line. The chance of two random testers matching at that level is about 1 in 200. They also of course have the exact same Mitochondrial Haplogroup which is impossible if one line supposedly goes back to Virginia and the other line supposedly is Native American.  Case closed.

● Walter Burris sets the record straight
 
Walter Burris himself explains in his will that he is wanting to "make a disposition of my property in some respects different from the provision of the general Law" and that he didn't want the older children who "married and left me" to have any part of the estate because they were married and living on their own. The younger children were still dependent when he wrote the will in 1836 and he wanted his estate to divided among the second group ONLY plus his widow Lydia which is probably WHY she is named.  Walter was NOT making of statement of which children were by which wife which is irrelevant.  All the children would inherit equally regardless of who the mother was so it's pointless to mention Lydia unless he wanted to make sure his widow was identified and attached to the children he selected to inherit to protect HER interest in the estate.  People have misinterpreted the mention of Lydia as the mother of the younger as an exclusionary statement that the older children were NOT by Lydia. It was not given the context and Walter's stated goal in dividing the children.  All the new research supports this interpretation as well. 

Here is the status of the children at the time Walter wrote his will on 2 Oct 1836 proving Walter selected only the younger still dependent children (group 2) to benefit from his estate.  It had nothing to do with the mother which is irrelevant anyways.  The oldest son John Burris (estimated born 1788) was left out of the will. 

 

Status of the Walter's children in 1836:
Group:	Child:	Married or left:	Still at home:	Supposed mother listed on Ancestry:	Actual mother:
1st	1. John Burris (est. 1788) 2. Henry Burris (c. 1790) 3. Rebecca Green (est. 1808)  4. Nancy Vernon (1809)   5. William B Burris (1811) 6. Alice Crabtree (1813) 7. Mary "Polly "Burris (1814)	✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓		Mary Lively Mary Lively Mary Lively Mary Lively Mary Lively Mary Lively Mary Lively	unknown unknown Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes
2nd	8. Thomas Burris (1816) 9. Zachariah Burris (1818) 10. Rachel Burris (1820) 11. Prudence Burris (1822) 12. Walter Burris (1825)		✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓	Lydia Cole Lydia Cole Lydia Cole Lydia Cole Lydia Cole	Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes Lydia Barnes

With the repeated arbitrary demarcation between Mary (b. 1814) and Thomas (b. 1816) people on Ancestry have had to greatly backdate the birth years of the oldest girls Rebecca Green (w/o Elijah) and Nancy Vernon (w/o Ebenezer) into the 1790s or very early 1800s to make them fit the earlier marriage and make them closer in age to Henry (b. 1790).   What is the evidence they were that much older? None.  In fact the greatly older birth years are contrary to the actual census evidence and typical marriage ages. This was done because they needed to merge two entirely different families. Nancy Burris Vernon's birth year of 1809 Kentucky is consistent through four census records so that is a solid date.  Many Ancestry users have her linked to an unrelated Nancy Burris in Virginia and other places. Rebecca Burris Green was married in 1831 and if you subtract the average marriage age of 20 you get she was born about 1811± 3 years. I suspect she was born either before or after Nancy so her birth year would be 1808 (preferred) or 1810. Many Ancestry users have her listed with a birth year of 1795 and birthplace of Virginia with zero evidence or any record suggesting.  Again this is done to forcibly merge two entirely different families despite the two obvious candidates for Rebecca and Nancy right there in Cole County, Missouri.  It is doubtful Rebecca would have married Elijah Green at age 35.  Given Rebecca was married in 1831 in Cole County, Missouri it's more likely she was the  female listed in the Walter Burris household on 1830 census (Cole County, Missouri) who was aged 20-29 (1801-1810) still unmarried as of 1830.  It's also more likely Rebecca was the first born of Walter's second wife rather than the last born of his first wife because of the 17 year age gap between her and Henry.

Many of Walter's children carried Lydia's name through to their own children.  Nancy, William, Alice and Mary are supposedly not descended from Lydia according to the old genealogy and yet they carried on the name Lydia.  This writer generally ignores name repetition as evidence of ancestry but it's worth noting:

... Nancy Burris Vernon (1809)
......... Lydia Vernon (1826)
... William B Burris (1811)
......... Lydia Burris (1843)
... Alice Burris Crabtree (est. 1812)
......... Lydia Crabtree (1836)
... Mary Burris Crabtree (1814)
......... Lydia Crabtree (1837)
... Thomas W Burris (1816)
......... Lydia Margaret Burris
... Rachel Burris Crabtree (est. 1821)
......... Lydia Crabtree (1844)
... Prudence Burris Flanery (abt. 1823)
......... Lydia Ann Flanery (1855)

Also Walter and Lydia's son William B Burris named two sons Zachariah Burris and Barnes Clark Burris.  Now that we know the DNA connection to Zachariah Barnes and Clark County, Kentucky those names are worth noting.  Lydia Burris lived with son William B Burris around the time they were born as well.  Was William B Burris' middle name Barnes?

 Oct 2016 update:  Henry Burris' admin bond lists the heirs of Walter Burris in this order: Lydia, John Burriss, Henry Burris, Rebecca Green, Nancy Vernon, William Burriss, Alice Crabtree, Polly Crabtree, Thomas Burriss, Zachariah Burriss, Rachel Crabtree, Prudence Burriss, Walter Burriss.  The bond lists son John Burris that does not appear in Walter's will.  The bond also appears to list the children in proper birth order.  In this genealogy the children have been arranged in the same birth order as the admin bond.  Fortunately the varying birth years found in the census records allowed us to use the slightly earlier or later date and still fit the list.  Previously this genealogy placed Prudence before Zachariah but they have now been swapped to match the admin bond list and using the alternative birth years still work. :-) 

John Burris and brother Henry Burris both served in the Missouri Militia in 1814 which is evidence that John Burris was close to Henry's age.  John Burris is probably one of the males under 16 years on the 1790 South Carolina census (Laurens County) and the other being Henry Burris (born est. 1790).  It's still possible though that Henry was born after 1790 and that the other male on the 1790 census was an unknown son of Walter that possibly died before 1839. 

● The fictitious Lydia Cole (Lydia Ann Cole)

This name is repeated on Ancestry as the second wife of Walter Burris.  No supporting evidence has been posted on any Ancestry tree or discussed on any genealogy forum that mentions this family.  Lydia Cole is basically a fictitious person that only exists in Ancestry trees and LDS submissions.  There is no record that gives this name it's only an extrapolation from a modern anecdote in a newsletter and a historically nonsensical anecdote as well.  

The original source for this name is evidently a March 1973 and March 1974 issue of "Vernon Vignettes". The 1973 volume says "EBENEZER married NANCY OR SUSIE COLE, granddaughter of Col. ROBERT COLE, who was one-half Choctaw Indian." The 1974 volume says " Ebenezer "Nazer" Vernon (1808; Will in Miller County, Mo. Oct. 13, 1851) md. NANCY SUSIE COLE, granddaughter of Col. ROBT. COLE, "One half Cherokee Indian," after whom Cole County, Mo., was named."

Note that in 1973 it was "Nancy OR Susie Cole" and in 1974 it was "Nancy Susie Cole".  No evidence or sources for this supposed connection were presented in the newsletter.  This "information" tells us that the writer didn't seem to know for sure who Ebenezer's wife actually was which is odd considering the estate file clearly states Nancy was his wife.  Where they got Susie Cole who knows.  The writer also had no idea that Nancy was a Burris.

This "information" has been misinterpreted (extrapolated) as stating Nancy's mother (Lydia) was in fact a Cole and that Nancy or Lydia's nickname was "Susie".  This writer believes there was a misprint in the original newsletter. The part printed as "Nancy or Susie Cole" SHOULD have been printed instead as "Nancy ______ OR Susie Cole." This makes far more sense. Actually there was no such person as Nancy Cole or Lydia Cole or Susie Vernon. Note that this also shows that the writer of that genealogy didn't even know for sure who Ebenezer Vernon's wife was or that she was Burris.  Ebenezer's will clearly states his wife was Nancy.  We know that Ebenezer Vernon married Nancy Burris (multiple sources) by 1826 but no actual marriage record has been found yet. There is no connection anyways to Col. Robert Cole who was a prominent person in the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi. Lydia was born in South Carolina and therefore could not have been Choctaw Indian anyways just based on birthplace.  Are we to believe that Walter Burris made a trip to the Choctaw nation and there met Robert Cole and his supposed daughter Lydia or that Col. Robert Cole took his family to Boonville, Missouri?  Nonsense.  Nancy's mother Lydia did not have a middle name "Ann" which is also repeated on Ancestry and appears to have been invented.  This writer is not ruling out any Indian heritage on Lydia's side because her parents are still unproven but it's certainly not via the Mississippi Choctaw Cole family. If a link to Native American blood was required it would have to be in South Carolina where she was born. But, recent Mitochondrial DNA tests of two female line descendants giver her Mitochondrial Haplogroup as K1a15 which is found in Scotland and Ireland.

It appears the writer of that Vernon genealogy more likely conflated family lore of Choctaw Indian blood with actual Boonville, Missouri area history of the early settlers being attacked by Indians and mixed up the Choctaw Nation's Col. Robert Cole with the other Boonville pioneers Capt. Stephen Cole and Hannah Cole.  Stephen Cole and Hannah Cole were part of the original group of 10 families that settled Boonville, Missouri around 1811 including the families of Walter Burris and David Burris. See the "History of Cooper County, Missouri" for the information. I originally listed "Cole?" on my Rootsweb page until 2015 but had no other evidence.  This is a good example of how family stories get conflated and distorted as they get passed down. 

When the Burris family and many others neighbors from Clark / Madison County, Kentucky migrated to the Loutre Island settlement in Montgomery County, Missouri about 1809 they were regularly molested by marauding Indians from the north.  When they moved west to what later became Boonville, Missouri they continued to be molested.  It became so serious that the pioneers there were forced to build small wooden forts for protection.  It's quite possible one or more of Lydia's children were born in the forts.  Walter Burris was almost killed by Indian in December 1814 outside Boonville.  The Indian troubles appear to have subsided by 1815. These stories passed down have to make sense given the historical context and the above information in the Vernon newsletter fails under critical examination. During this period Walter Burris was certainly not marrying a Choctaw Indian girl nor traveling far out of Boonville.  Walter and Lydia's oldest daughter Nancy was born 1809 in Kentucky which tells us they more likely married before moving to Missouri anyways. 

We now know Lydia's last name was Barnes because of the marriage record of 28 May 1807 in Clark County, Kentucky that is mis-transcribed on Ancestry. On Ancestry they have "Burrus" listed as "Burns" and "Lidia" listed as "Lulia". This writer verified the actual spellings as "Walter Burrus" and "Lidia Barnes" with an older more accurate transcription ("Marriage Index to First Marriage Register, Clark County, Kentucky 1793-1831") and the original marriage register (LDS film). Walter Burris (Burrus) has been verified living in Clark County from at least 1804 to 1808 via the tax rolls (LDS film). The surety for the marriage bond was William Barnes, relation unknown. There was a large Barnes family in Estill County, Kentucky (formerly southern Clark County) and Isaiah Burris lived nearby Zachariah Barnes so that's a far more likely location where Walter Burris would have met Lydia Barnes by 1807.  Also many shared Ancestry DNA matches exist between Walter Burris descendants and Zachariah Barnes descendants. 

The original marriage license is in the East Kentucky University Archives in the Chenault family papers. David Chenault M.E. performed the marriage. 
Oct. 2017 update: Click for the original marriage license. 

Nobody had found the marriage record before because they were looking in the wrong place (Missouri) and the wrong time (1813-1817) based upon a false reading of Walter's will.  This is why it's important to do independent research in real records and not use Ancestry trees as sources.

We still need a photocopy or digital scan of the actual courthouse marriage record not a later typed transcription.  Here is what we have so far:
1. The original marriage bond (no) 
2. The typed marriage bond transcription (yes) - "Walter Barnes" and "Lidia Barnes"
3. The original marriage license (yes) - "Walter Barnes" and "Lidia Barnes"
4. The original courthouse marriage record (no)
5. The published marriage record transcription (yes) - "Walter Burns" and "Lulia Barnes"
6. The manuscript index to the Clark count marriage register (yes) - "Walter Burrus" and "Lidia Barnes"
7. The published index to the Clark count marriage register (yes) - "Walter Burrus" and "Lidia Barnes"
8. The manuscript Clark County marriage register - page 74 (yes) - "Walter Burns" and "Lidia Barnes" 

What did the authors of the transcriptions use to transcribe from and where are those original records?

● Dueling Walters

Previous researchers made an initial association between the Missouri Walter Burris and the earlier Virginia Walter Burris based on the similar name.  No other evidence (direct or circumstantial) has ever been presented supporting the supposed link either.  Given the lack of any alternative information in the time period between 1800 and 1810 this would have been a natural association. 

Fortunately NEW research since 2015 has found Walter Burris living in Clark County, Kentucky from 1800 to 1808.  Our Missouri Walter Burris is proven to be the same Walter Burris of Clark County, Kentucky thanks to the identical specific neighbors, associates and families that made the same migration from Kentucky to Missouri in the early 1800s.  They are literally  the same specific people seen in Clark County, Kentucky as neighbors and coworkers of the Burris family that are also seen later in Missouri in association with Walter and David Burris.  This proves beyond doubt that the Missouri Walter Burris and the Virginia Walter Burrus were two different men with completely different families living very far apart.  The repeated information that our Missouri Walter Burris was from Albemarle County, Virginia can finally be dismissed.  The old information on Ancestry that these two different Walter Burris were the exact same person produces an unworkable and self-contradictory genealogy that immediately falls apart under critical examination. 

The Virginia "Walter Burrus" can be found on the 1810, 1820 and 1830 Federal Census in Albemarle County, Virginia and he gave consent for a daughter's marriage in Albemarle County in that period. He was clearly an established resident there.  Meanwhile at the exact same time OUR Walter Burris is well documented in Kentucky and Missouri. 

Here are the two Walter Burris / Burrus in a side-by-side timeline to illustrate the obvious differences:

Year	The Albemarle County, Virginia - Walter Burrus timeline	The SC-KY-MO Walter Burris timeline
	Walter Burrus born about 1768-70 Virginia the son of John Burris and Mary Dickenson?	Walter Burris born circa  1765 probably in South Carolina the son of William Burrows [Burris] and unknown wife.
1790	1787 Albemarle County, Virginia - Walter Burris marries Mary Lively.  His father gives his consent indicating he was underage (under 18).	1790 Census, South Carolina, Laurens County.  Walter's son Henry born in SC. Walter Burris is listed next to William Burris [Burrows] who can be documented in Laurens County back to 1769!
1800	1800 Tax List of Albemarle County, VA. Walter Burrass, 2 white males, 4 horses. (Only Walter Burrass in Albemarle Co.)	1800 Madison County, Kentucky - Walter Burris part of a marriage bond with  Isaiah Burris.
1801 1804	1801 Albemarle County - Walter Burrus taxed on personal property 1804 Albemarle County - Walter Burrus taxed on personal property	1803 Madison County, Kentucky - Walter Burris taxed on 200 acres. 1804 Clark County, Kentucky - Walter Burris taxed on 4 horses.
1805	1805 (Feb 2) Virginia, Albemarle County, Deed Book 15, Page 87, Robert and Judith Burrus and Walter Burrus and wife Mary sold to Charles Lany 63 acres for $200. "Located on Buck Island Creek, part of a larger tract where Walter Burrus now lives."	1805 Clark County, Kentucky - Walter Burrus taxed on 3 horses.
1806 1807 1808 1809	1806 Albemarle County - Walter Burrus taxed on personal property 1807 Albemarle County - Walter Burrus taxed on personal property 1808 Albemarle County - no taxes collected that year. 1809 Albemarle County - Walter Burrus taxed on personal property	1806 Clark County, Kentucky - Walter Burrus taxed on 4 horses. 1807 Clark County, Kentucky - Walter Burris marries Lydia Barnes. 1808 Clark County, Kentucky - Walter Burrus taxed on 2 horses. 1809 Kentucky - Walter's daughter Nancy born in Kentucky.
1810	1810 Virginia census, Albemarle County: Walter Burrus head of house: 1 male 0-9, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 26-44 [born 1766-1784], 3 females 0-9, 1 female 16-25, 2 females 26-44. 9 total	1810 (July) Loutre Island Settlement, Montgomery County, Missouri - Walter & David Burris lived there per court records. 1811 Boonville, Missouri - Walter Burris early resident with David Burris and son Henry.  Walter's son William born in Missouri in 1811.
1820	1820 Virginia census, Albemarle County, page 29 [stamped]: Walter Burruss head of house 1 male under 10, 1 male over 45 [before 1775], 2 females 10-15, 1 female 16-25, 1 female 26-44, 1 person engaged in agriculture.  This census entry is incorrectly transcribed on Ancestry as "Walter Burrie Jr" because the transcriber mistook the glyph for a double S as "Jr".	1816 Howard County, Missouri - Walter Burris appears on a jury 1817 Howard County, Missouri - Walter Burris taxed 1820 Cole County, Missouri - Walter Burris original member of Double Springs church. No 1820 Missouri Census.
1830	1830 Virginia census, Albemarle County, page 230 Walter Burrows head of house: 1 male 50-59, 2 females 5-9, 1 female 10-14, 1 female 40-49	1830 Missouri census, Cole County, page 194 Walter Burris head of house: 1 male aged 5-9, 2 males aged 10-14, 1 male aged 60-69, 1 female aged 5-9, 1 female aged 10-14, 1 female aged 15-19, 1 female aged 20-29, 1 female aged 40-49
1836	April 3, 1836 Virginia, Albemarle County - Walter Burrus writes his will leaving his estate to three daughters of his second wife Lucy:  Mariah, Theresa Ann and Julia Ann [sic].  May 2, 1836 - Walter's will is recorded in the courthouse.  May 1836 to 1842 Walter's estate is administered.  Apparently corn, potatoes and pork continue to be produced into 1842 to settle estate debts and to support the widow and children.	1836 Missouri, Jackson County - Walter Burris writes his leaving his estate to his younger children and excluding those that are married and have "left".
1839		Late 1839 Missouri, Jackson County - Walter Burris dies and his estate is administered by his son Henry Burris.

Now, which timeline above makes more sense given what we actually know and can be proven about the Missouri Walter Burris? 

If both men are believed to be the same person this raises some logical questions:

• At what point does the Virginia Walter Burrus become the Missouri Walter Burris?  Where do the timelines presented merge or separate?
  
  
• What is the earliest record of Walter Burris in Missouri?
  
  
• Where was Walter Burris in 1810?  Virginia or Missouri?  How can our Walter Burris be at Loutre island, Missouri in early July 1810 into early 1811 and ALSO be in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1810 and appear on the Federal Census there.  The 1810 census date was August 6, 1810 and all questions were referred in relation to that date.  At this point in the two timelines is not more logical just to conclude they are TWO Walters living far apart?
  
  
• If the Virginia Walter Burris was in Missouri 1811+ then who was the Walter Burrus still living in Virginia in 1820 and 1830?  All agree that our Walter Burris was in Boonville, Missouri by 1811 per historical accounts and birthplaces of his children.
  
  
• Where was Walter Burris in 1820?  Virginia or Missouri?
  
  
• Where was Walter Burris in 1830?  Virginia or Missouri?
  
  
• Is the Walter Burris & David Burris at Boonville, MO in 1811/1812 not the same Walter Burris & David Burris at Loutre Island settlement, MO in 1810-1811 just a few counties over?  The evidence proves they are the same. 
   
• Are the specific people associated with them in Missouri (at Boonville and Loutre Island) somehow not the very same specific people associated with them back in Estill County, Kentucky several years before?  The historical record shows the Loutre Island settlers came from Clark/Madison County, Kentucky in 1809 and they are the exact same people we can directly associate with Walter and David Burris earlier in Kentucky and later in Missouri. Is this "cluster genealogy" evidence not an important clue to the correct identity of Walter Burris?  Any professional genealogist would agree and use that evidence in this case.
  
  
• How can our Walter Burris be pioneering in Kentucky and Missouri in the early 1800s and still be a resident of Albemarle County, Virginia?  The distances are 400 miles between Albemarle County, VA and Clark County, KY and 900 miles between Albemarle County, VA and Boonville, MO.  Traveling from Clark County, Kentucky to Montgomery County, Missouri literally took a full month by wagon in the early 1800s.  Are we to believe Walter Burris was maintaining TWO farms and TWO families 900+ miles a part? 
  
  
• The Virginia Walter Burris died around April 1836 and his estate was administered in 1837 and into 1842.  The Missouri Walter Burris died in late 1839.  How can these be the same Walter Burris?

The radically different timelines and residences prove beyond any doubt that they were two DIFFERENT men.  Without question our Walter Burris was not the Walter Burrus from Albemarle County, Virginia and was not married to Mary Lively in 1787.  The old information at Ancestry and FamilySearch can be safely disregarded as debunked and irrelevant to the Walter Burris of Missouri.  Our Walter Burris (and relatives) is now well documented in Missouri (1810-1839) and before that in Clark County, Kentucky (1799-1809) and before that in Laurens County, South Carolina (1760s-1790+) with no need to connect to anyone in Virginia. 

Previous assumptions were dismissed for lack of evidence either direct or circumstantial.  These assumptions included: (1) the supposed first marriage to Mary Lively, (2) the unsupported late marriage date and place for Lydia, (3) the unsupported maiden name of Lydia, (4) the supposed Virginia origin for Walter, (5) the previous interpretations of his will.  With the previous unsupported assumptions dismissed the task was then to discover what can actually be proven about Walter Burris regarding his whereabouts in the undocumented period (pre-1811 Missouri) and his origins. 

Tasks:

● Determine where and when Walter's provable children were born to establish a real timeline. 

Walter Burris' daughter Nancy Vernon was born in Kentucky in 1809 before the family moved to Boonville, Missouri by 1811.  Notice this information is now in direct conflict with the dominant information on Ancestry trees which still had Walter in Virginia.  How can Walter Burris be living in Albemarle County, Virginia 1800-1820 and be pioneering in Kentucky and Missouri at the same time?  That is a huge red flag.  This is where the new timeline clearly diverges from the old timeline and we have only just started following the evidence trail.

With the apparent 18 year gap between the birth of Henry (born c.1790) and the birth of Rachel (born est. 1808 KY) and birth of Nancy (born 1809 KY) that gives us the more likely scenario that Henry (and John) was by Walter's first wife (still unknown) exclusively while the rest of the children are by Walter's second wife Lydia ____.  This then logically tells us that the second marriage probably happened in Kentucky prior to 1808 when Lydia would have been 17 or 18 years rather than a much later date in Missouri.  A second marriage to a much younger wife is not uncommon for this period.

● Discover Walter and Lydia's marriage record. 

With the evidence that Walter Burris and Lydia were more likely married in Kentucky before 1809 research turned to Kentucky marriage records.

In 2015 research on Ancestry in "Kentucky Marriages" using *partial* names and the common mis-transcription of Burris as "Burns" led to the discovery of the May 28, 1807 marriage record of Walter Burris and Lydia Barnes in Clark County, Kentucky.  This record was then verified with older published transcriptions and microfilm of the original registers verifying the Ancestry transcription was incorrect which is why it never showed up in searches.  The marriage location gives us a specific County in Kentucky to begin searching for Walter Burris in other records. David Burris (previously linked to Walter) was already known to have married next door in Madison County, Kentucky in 1808 so having both Walter and David finally tied to the same region at the same time area was a major breakthrough.  Previous "research" gave them totally different timelines before Missouri never placed them anywhere near each other before Missouri.

● Tax rolls:
Clark County, Kentucky tax rolls were then searched and Walter Burris was found in the tax rolls back to 1804 and forward to 1809 (1807 book missing) verifying his residence there in that period.  Other names such as William Burris and Isaiah Burris were also found.  The tax rolls are in loose alphabetical order with the specific collection date noted (pre-1810).  This was the time when the tax collector came to your residence to collect taxes. There are often gaps of several days between dates possibly indicating the physical difficulty of canvassing and collecting taxes in a hilly wooded region of Kentucky with many creeks and rivers.   Any two persons with the same surname and exact same recording date listed consecutively is strong evidence (if not proof) their taxes were collected at the same time and they were probably close neighbors or even living on the same farm/plantation.  Rearranging the tax roll data by collection date lets us use the tax roll data more like a census.  Using this methodology the Kentucky tax roll data allows us then to link Walter Burris with William Burris, Thomas Burris and Isaiah Burris.  Many neighbors can also be ascertained and many of the exact same people are seen later in Missouri directly linked to Walter and David Burris.  The tax rolls reveal that the Burris family evidently did NOT own any land just horses. It is not know who's land they lived on just that it was near Woodward Creek probably running next to it.  Thomas Burris who stayed in Kentucky until 1830 eventually bought 50 acres of land near Woodward Creek so it's possible that maybe (near) the original location of the Burris family farm.

Court Orders:
County court orders for road work also group neighbors together for the same specific work and the work groupings match the tax rolls groupings.  An example is that Mary Box and Isaiah Burris paid their taxes on the same day in April 1808 and in June 1808 Isaiah Burris was tasked with surveying a new road through the property of Mary Box "Widow Box". These two events would not be possible if they were not close neighbors.  The preliminary connection to Isaiah Burris and the neighbors and research into them would also provide extremely important information that connects everyone together in the new Walter Burris timeline.  Mary Box's son Muke Box has connections with Walter Burris later in Missouri further verifying these connections that only came to light with the new research in 2015.

A published book of Estill County court orders called "The Beginning of Estill County" transcribed an order from 17 May 1808 which said "David McGee, Augustus Davis, Gilliard Roop and Isaiah Burross [Burris] view [survey] a road from the mouth of Woodard's Creek to intersect the road from the Rock Lick to the courthouse." [link].  The name Gilliard Roop sounded VERY familiar to this writer and I realized he was the same man mentioned years as "Gilliard Rupe" with Walter Burris and David Burris (and many others) as one the original settlers of Boonville, Missouri along with Muke Box. Augustus Davis and David McGee also went to Boonville, Missouri.  In 1808 Isaiah Burris was a witness for the recording of the will of James Box (Mary's husband) at the courthouse.  Mary Box was the mother of Muke Box and Prudence Snethen. 

Having MULTIPLE unique names in association with each other in Clark County, Kentucky AND later Boonville, Missouri was a massive revelation and a massive confirmation the new timeline and conclusions were correct. This was the correct group of people.

● Determine where Walter's oldest son Henry was born. 

Henry was born about 1790 (median of 1830 and 1840 census age groups) and died before the 1850 census so there is no statement from him of his birthplace.  Apparently all of Henry's children moved to California in the 1850s.  Henry's son William B Burris was recorded on the 1880 Federal Census (California, Sonoma County) where the question of father's birthplace is asked and William B Burris said his father (Henry) was born in South Carolina. This is yet another data point that tells us the Burris family may have come from South Carolina (before Kentucky).  Taken at face value this information places the Walter Burris family in South Carolina about 1790.  This again converges with the record of a "Walter Burress" on the 1790 Federal Census, South Carolina, Laurens County.

● Determine who Walter's possible siblings were. 

Newer inexperienced genealogists often make the mistake of attempting to research their ancestor in isolation as if that ancestor is unconnected to anyone else and often miss the most important information. Previous to modern travel most people migrated in groups of extended family and neighbors not in isolation. People living near them with similar last names and people they signed documents with were often siblings, cousins, in-laws or even neighbors from their previous residence.  This method is extremely important in genealogical research because siblings are a proxy for the person being researched and can provide vital family information not otherwise obtainable. 

Local Missouri histories reveal an apparent connection between Walter Burris and David Burris who was born in the 1770s in South Carolina (per biography of his son Mastin). Descendants of both Walter Burris and David Burris appear to have traveled together and lived as neighbors in Texas indicating a family connection.  David Burris can himself be linked to a similar aged Thomas Burris.  A history of Cass County, Missouri directly tell us that David's son Mastin Burris is a cousin of Walter's son Henry Burris a Cass County judge.  Given that David Burris is known to be from South Carolina this information gives us our first evidence of a South Carolina origin for this Burris family and not Virginia.  Cluster genealogy research into people Walter Burris was associated with verifies the Walter Burris in Missouri 1811 is the exact same Walter Burris living in Clark County, Kentucky 1800-1809.

Skipping back to the 1790 Federal Census (South Carolina, Laurens County) there is indeed a record of a "Walter Burress" [spelling irrelevant] living next to an older "William Burress".  This information was known for many years but disregarded as unconnected until more recent research pointed in that direction and the other "Walter Burrus" in Albemarle County, Virginia was eliminated as a match based on actual research into him which only went as far as 1805.

● More evidence connecting everyone and pointing back to South Carolina (not Virginia).

With the Clark County, Kentucky tax roll link to Isaiah Burris he was then researched.  Isaiah Burris was still alive in 1850 and was recorded on 1850 Federal Census for Missouri (Johnson County) where the question of birthplace was asked.  Isaiah Burris (or his wife) said he was 74 years old (born 1776) and born in South Carolina.  So now we have multiple data points of a South Carolina origin for this Burris family and people that can be directly connected to our Walter Burris:

1. David Burris (born c. 1770s SC)
2. Henry Burris (born c. 1790 SC)
3. Isaiah Burris (born c. 1776 SC)
4. Walter Burress (1790 SC census)

With these provable associations this is strong evidence that the Walter Burris recorded in the 1790 Federal census for South Carolina (Laurens County) might be our Walter Burris.  Laurens County deeds records also connect David (& wife Mary) Burris to William Burris the presumed father (or older brother).  South Carolina "Loyalist" Militia rolls from 1782 connect William Burris with Walter Burris as members of the Little River Militia a company under Major Patrick Cunningham .  The Burris family lived along Williams Creek (now Burris Creek) which joins the larger Rabon (Rayborn) Creek. William Burris' lot (not sure if he had multiple) actually joined one of Patrick Cunningham's lots.

The Box family above (James, Mary, Muke, Prudence) were ALSO from Laurens County, South Carolina and lived along Rabon (Rayborn) Creek.  The Burris family lived along the smaller Burris Creek that joined Rabon (Rayborn) Creek.

In neighboring Madison County, Kentucky marriage bonds were combed to hopefully find relatives as sureties (bondsmen).  Indeed a July 1800 marriage bond for the marriage of Thomas Burgin to Nancy Owens (dau. of "Prudence Oings") was found that lists Walter Burris AND Isaiah Burris!  Walter Burris (and William Lackey) were sureties (bondsman) for the marriage and Isaiah Burris witnessed the mother's consent for the marriage.   This document proves our Walter Burris was in Kentucky as early as 1800 and proves a connection to Isaiah Burris besides the tax roll date association.  The "Prudence Oings" is interesting also because the "Owings" family also lived along Rabon (Rayborn) Creek.  A Malinda Owings (b. 1790 Laurens County, SC) also lived in Clark County, Kentucky.  She married James Ferrel (died 1812) and David Lilly in 1814.  Some Ancestry trees identify her surname and/or her son's middle name as Burris. Are these two Owings families connected to each other and to the Burris family?

The David Burris that was with Walter Burris in 1811 Boonville, Missouri was proven to be the "senior" David Burris that married Nelly Lackey in 1808 Madison County, Kentucky thanks to a legal agreement made by Walter Burris in David's behalf in 1810 regarding an assault lawsuit filed in St Charles County, Missouri involving John Snethen.  John Snethen (mentioned above) takes us back again full circle to Clark/Estill County, Kentucky and people previously connected with Isaiah Burris. 

So, after 25+ years of limited knowledge about Walter Burris we now have documented connections between Walter Burris, David Burris, Isaiah Burris and the Box family all originating in South Carolina.  We have also connected them to their neighbors in southern Clark County (later Estill County) near the Madison County border.  Around 1808-1809 a large amount of these people took part in a mass migration to Missouri landing at the Loutre Island Settlement and eventually the "Boone's Lick region" and what became Boonville, Missouri that is also well documented in the historical record.   

We now have an extremely well documented timeline for our Burris family from Missouri back to Kentucky and back to South Carolina (no VA).  Walter Burris, David Burris, Isaiah Burris (and Thomas Burris) have been linked into a likely family group and their timelines overlapped with actual documentation.  All the previous assumptions and speculations can be safely dismissed.

Research continues in Kentucky and South Carolina...

● Remaining question.  

It is still uncertain if the William Burris listed in the Clark County, Kentucky tax rolls is the presumed father of Walter, David, Thomas and Isaiah OR an older brother William Burris (junior).   William Burris senior and William Burris junior are both listed in the Loyalist rolls for 1780 but only one is listed in 1781.  Was one of them killed at the Battle of King's Mountain in 1780?   The current assumption is that the William Burris in Clark County, Kentucky in 1803 was the father and died soon after.  Nothing more has been found.

There ARE stories of Choctaw (or some other tribe) blood in the Burris line but such stories are attached to EVERY family. Lydia (Walter's 2nd wife) was born in South Carolina (2 census) and therefore could not have been Choctaw Indian just based on birthplace. I'm not ruling out any Indian heritage on Lydia's side because her parents are still a mystery but it's certainly not via the Cole family of Mississippi. Walter's great-grandson Isaac Howard (and 3 siblings) " applied in 1906 for the Eastern Cherokee payout (No. 5638). In the hand written letter with the application file he says ". ..our Cherokee blood came through the Howards on my mother's side - is Choctaws and Chickasaws which came through the Burriss..." The problem with this is that our Burris family came from South Carolina which was nowhere near the historic Choctaw or Chickasaw Nations in Mississippi and Alabama. [Albemarle County, Virginia makes it even more impossible.]

If one wanted to force an Indian heritage (which I am not advocating) the best case scenario would be through Walter's unknown mother (if William Burris first married in SC) or Lydia's family in South Carolina where it actually borders the Cherokee and Creek Nations. It seems the Burris family was always on the edge of Indian country wherever they lived. If the Ancestry information was correct (it's not) and Walter's origin was Virginia then obviously there's not Choctaw (or Cherokee) through that route and I doubt there was an Indian population in that area anyways. Actually my alternate South Carolina route for the Burris family actually gives it more a possibility. I don't think it could ever be proven though. 

Given all the circumstantial evidence and records presented above it appears that Walter's father was William Burrows [Burris] who was an adult in 1769 when he first obtained land in Laurens County, South Carolina.  The current thinking by this writer is that William Burrows [Burris] is a son (or grandson) of Jacob Burris who died 1755 in Caroline County, Virginia.  We know that Jacob Burris had a son named William Burris that other researchers estimate was born about 1718.  This would mean that Walter Burris was likely the last son of this William Burris unless there is another generation in between.  This William Burris became indebted in 1747 and is believed to have left the Virginia Colony for the South Carolina Colony to apparently escape creditors and the law. 

Why connect to Jacob Burris?   When William Burris and Walter Burris left South Carolina around 1795 and moved to Clark County, Kentucky other branches of the same Virginia Burris family were already living there.  These other branches came from Orange County, Virginia and are directly connected to the same Jacob Burris as cousins.  This writer has not researched that in detail yet but it's known they are closely related. 

Thomas Burris Sr (from Orange County, VA) had land in Clark County, Kentucky along "4 Mile Creek", "2 Mile Creek" and "Stoner Creek".  So when William Burris and Walter Burris landed in southern Clark County, Kentucky they were within a few miles of possible first or second cousins.

The James Quisenberry that performed the married of Isaiah Burris & Rachel Barker (22 Oct 1801), Thomas Burris & Peggy Tincher (12 Nov 1801), and John Snethen & Prudence Bowles (6 Oct 1801) was in fact married to Jane Burrus who is from the Orange County, Virginia Burrus line.  Other than those marriages though no direct connection can be made between these two branches in Clark County.

There were also possible other Burris cousins across the County border in Madison County, Kentucky. The Burrus/Burris lines in Overton County, Tennessee and Cooper/Jasper County, Missouri also descend from the same Virginia Burris (Burroughs) family.

At this point the connection to Jacob Burris (Burroughs) is pure speculation and needs to be verified.

Autosomal DNA matches
to Walter Burris family:

Autosomal DNA is the DNA code that passes in random segments from generation to generation.  An autosomal "match" proves some level of common ancestry but a non-match is not a negative match it just means somewhere along the line the common DNA code did not get repeated.  The only DNA that gets passed "intact"  from generation to generation is the male line YDNA and Mitochondrial DNA attached to the sex chromosomes.  Only males receive the YDNA but both males and females receive the Mitochondrial DNA.

January 2016 update: "AncestryDNA" autosomal genetic testing revealed this writer's (Lance L Hall) apparent genetic link to descendants of David Burris and Isaiah Burris.  Another link was established with descendants of Tarlton Burris, grandson of David and Thomas Burris.  This doesn't prove a connection via the Burris surname only that the descendants have a common ancestor somewhere but the Burris line is the most obvious connection in their trees.

Apparent genetic links to other Burrus / Burris / Burrows families:

1.  Descendants of David Burris (1770s SC - 1849 MO) via sons William Burris and James M Burris.
2.  Descendants of Thomas Burris (1730 Orange County, VA - 1789 Orange County, VA) & Frances Tandy via daughter Jane Burris Quisenberry.
3.  Descendants of Mastin Burris (1794 TN - 1844 MO).
4.  Descendants of Edmund Burris (1726 Orange County, VA - 1781 Kentucky).
5.  Descendants of John Burrus (1755 Orange County, VA - 1830 Overton County, TN).
6.  Descendants of Jacob Burrus (1680s VA - 1755 Caroline County, VA) via son Thomas Burrus (Bef. 1720 VA - 1799 NC) 

Ancestry DNA searches reveal that descendants of Zachariah Barnes have "good" genetic matches to multiple descendants of Walter & Lydia Burris indicating Zachariah Barnes maybe a close relative of Walter's wife Lydia Barnes.  There maybe other connections further back to account for the "good" matches but the Barnes line is the most obvious route.

This writer (Lance L Hall) is estimated to be a 4th to 6th cousin of Ancestry user "Robinsm5" (direct descendant of Zachariah Barnes) and our shared matches show us both closely related (4th to 6th cousins) to multiple descendants of Walter through his daughter Mary Crabtree Williams (user "Amy Rachelle Hall-Pinson", user "w_jseigler"), daughter Nancy Vernon (user "Casey Hart"), daughter Alice Crabtree (user "btilden14769"), daughter Rachel Crabtree (user "Louise0129"), daughter Prudence Flanery (user "janabar21").  These shared genetic connections across multiple children of Walter Burris is strong evidence that Walter's wife Lydia Barnes is genetically connected to Zachariah Barnes (or at least his siblings).

Many Ancestry users list a Lydia Barnes as a daughter of Zachariah Barnes with a birth year of 1782 and sometimes a marriage to a James Green.  The birth year of 1782 seems to be nothing more than a guesstimate to fill a hole in the repeated Barnes genealogy.  There is no evidence presented to support this year or any other approximate year.  The marriage of a Lydia Barnes to James Green occurred in 1816 in Estill County, Kentucky.  It's unlikely this same Lydia Barnes (born "1782") would have married so late at age 34 so she was probably not Zachariah's daughter and more likely a niece or granddaughter.  Zachariah was indeed a bondman with James Green for this marriage but that's not proof of any specific relationship. 

James Green can not be found on the 1820 Census for Kentucky but he CAN be found on the 1830 Census for Kentucky in Estill County.  He is listed as age 40-49 (born 1781-1790) and his presumed wife Lydia Barnes was age 30-39 (born 1791-1800).  They had two presumed children age 10-14 (born 1816-1820) and are listed next to Dempsey Barnes.  The ages of the oldest children is consistent with a  marriage year of 1816 to 1819.  Typical first marriage ages (around 20 years) would place this Lydia born about 1796.

Y-DNA matches to
Walter Burris family:

Male line descendants of Walter Burris are needed to submit Y-DNA samples to the Burris DNA Project..  The Y-DNA passes intact along the male-only line and it would prove a connection to specific Burris branches.  Hopefully it will prove connections with the other Burris branches in South Carolina. Walter's sons Henry Burris, William B Burris and Walter Burris, Jr all have living descendants.   

November 2017 update:  Recent YDNA genetic testing has verified that male line Walter Burris descendants share the same paternal ancestry as David Burris descendants.  David Burris was born 1770s Laurens County, South Carolina and died 1849 Cass County, Missouri. 

The YDNA test was done with James Andrew Burris who descends from Walter Burris in the following manner: 
Walter Burris (1760s-1839) --> William B Burris (1811-1870s) --> Zachariah Burris (1854-1932) --> Charles Burris (1878-1957) --> James Albert Burris (1916-1992) --> James Andrew Burris

The YDNA match was made to Gene Aubrey Burris who descends from David Burris in the following manner:
David Burris (1770s-1849) --> Andrew J Burris (1832-1879) --> James W Burris (1869-1939) --> John Aubrey Burris (1901-1966) --> Gene Aubrey Burris

All male line descendants of Walter Burris and David Burris should also YDNA match. 

The Burris family (Walter Burris, Isaiah Burris, David Burris) can be shown to have a close proximity to Zachariah Barnes in southern Clark (later Estill) County, Kentucky.  Zachariah Barnes later bought 40 acres on Woodward Creek in 1837.  This is the only place that Walter Burris could have met a young Lydia Barnes and eventually married in May 1807 when she was 17 or 18 years old.  The following records reveal a list of people in enough proximity to help with County road work. Everyone bold can be directly connected with Walter Burris (or his probable brothers).

19 Oct 1808 - Estill County, Kentucky - Court Order Book - page 98-99 says:  [page 98]

"The following allotment of hands was this day returned to court and ordered to be recorded viz - " In compliance to an order of the Estill County Court us directed we have allotted the hands to work under Augustus Davis overseer of the road from mouth of Woodward Creek to the dividing ridge between Calloway's Creek & Polecat, a list of which is hereunto subjoined by us - October 19th 1808 - David McGee, James McMahan. "

" John Feels, Thomas Tribble, John Barnes, David McClain, Jesse Cobb, Richard Oldham Snr, Richard Oldham Jr, William Oldham, Ezekial Oldham, Abner Oldham, Absolum Oldham, William Oldham, John Oldham, Isaiah Todd, Anareed? Alexander, Mr. Waters, Elzey Waters, Henry Green, Garrett Green, Rich'd Mullens, Dodson Thorp, Gillard Roop, Ralph Wilson, Eli Bob Wilson, Paterson Greffley, Jones Webber, Caleb Oldham, William Harris, John Tuttle, Robert Henderson, William Mullins, Zachariah Barnes, Benjamin Hatton, William Boyls, Isaiah Burross, Jesse White, Henry White, William White, Thomas Tuttle, Mr. Bird, Mr Webber, Webber Harris, Thomas Burross, David McGee, Charles Blythe, John Buth?, Joseph McMahan, James McMahan, John McMahan, Moses McMahan, Samuel McMahan, Robert Blythe, Benjamin Culver, Robert Culver, Cornelius Newkirk, Nicholas Burgher, Manson Burgher, John Culver, Ezekial Oldham, Jas. Foley, Mr. Foley, Mr. Foley, Mr. Foley, Jas. McMahan - whereupon it is ordered that said hands work under said overseer accordingly. " 

William Boyls [William Bowles] was the younger brother of Prudence Snethen and older half-brother of Muke Box. He is later documented in Owsley County, Kentucky.

17 July 1809 - Estill County, Kentucky - Court Order Book, page 180 says:  [page 180]

" Ordered that Isaiah Burress be appointed surveyor of the road leading from the Flatwood's Meeting House to the Red River Iron works to the cross road of the Woodward's Creek road with the said road near the Widow Boxes in place of Thomas Tribble who is exempt therefrom "

" Ordered that strong Zachariah Barnes be appointed surveyor of the road leading from the mouth of Woodward's Creek to the Widow Boxes [Mary Box] in place of Augustus Davis who is exempt therefrom and James McGee from thence the dividing Ridge in place of said Davis who is exempt therefrom. "

This proves Zachariah Barnes would have lived close enough to take over from Augustus Davis.

1810 Federal Census (Kentucky, Estill County) lists in order:

William Hatton, Zachariah Barnes, John Bush, Isaiah Burrus, John Culver, and Augustus Davis.

1. Original manuscript marriage bond and original courthouse marriage record for Walter Burrus and Lydia Barnes. 

2. The original marriage license for Walter Burris and Lydia Barnes is in the East Kentucky University Archives in the David Chenault family papers. David Chenault was the M.E. minister that performed the marriage.  Oct. 2017 update: Click for the original marriage license  Note the license mistakenly lists "Walter Barnes".  The printed transcription of the marriage records correctly says "Walter Burrus".  There was no Walter Barnes.    

3. War of 1812 service records for Henry Burris and John Burris.  2015 update: The record for Henry Burris was obtained and the only usefull info it says is that Henry Burris enlisted at Boone's Lick.  We still need the record for John Burris.

4. Determine who's land the Burris family was living on in Clark County, Kentucky.  They do not appear to have actually owned any land (at least not recorded in the courthouse).

5. Any existing church records in Kentucky where they lived?

6. Find the original manuscript testimony of Walter Burris, Henry Burris and David Burris taken in 1815 by J. P. Stephen Cole that was submitted to Congress and abstracted and condensed for the Senate Report.  The testimony may be part of the Congressional records in the National Archives. 

7.  Find the actual manuscript sources for the information about the Indian attack near Boonville in December 1814 where Sam McMahan was killed.  The published accounts differ in regard to who the three men were that were cutting a bee tree.  Only the book "Tales of Black Hawk the Red Head and Missouri Rangers" by Perkin 1974 identifies Walter Burris as being one of the three men.    

Gedmatch kit numbers:

Gedmatch kit number 12190 is Gene Aubrey Burris who is a descendant of David Burris.
David Burris (1770s-1849)
... Andrew J Burris (1832-1879)
...... James W Burris (1869-1939)
......... John Aubrey Burris (1901-1966)
............ Gene Aubrey Burris (living)

Gedmatch kit number T095110 is John Marshall Shepherd who is a descendant of David Burris.
David Burris (1770s-1849)
... Andrew J Burris (1832-1879)
...... Elizabeth Ann Burris (1871-1909)
......... Dolley Elizabeth Baker (1907-1974)
............ John Marshall Shepherd (living)

Gedmatch kit number 211271 is John William Burris Jr who is a descendant of David Burris.
David Burris (1770s-1849)
... Andrew J Burris (1832-1879)
......James W Burris (1869-1939)
......... Earnest L Burris (1898)
............ John William Burris Sr (1932)
............... John William Burris Jr (living)

Gedmatch kit number 727907 is James Andrew Burris who is a descendant of Walter Burris. 
Walter Burris (1760s-1839)
... William B Burris (1811-1870s)
...... Zachariah Burris (1854-1932)
......... Charles Burris (1878-1957)
............ James Albert Burris (1916-1992)
............... James Andrew Burris (living)

Gedmatch kit number A299781 is Lance Hall who is a descendant of Walter Burris. 
Walter Burris (1760s-1839) md. Lydia Barnes
...Mary Burris Crabtree (1814-1892) md. John Williams
......Margaret E Williams (1858-1925) md. Granville G Millican
.........William M Millican (1873-1952) md. Eva V Richey
............Eula Mae Millican (1914-96) md. William B Hall
...............Ray D Hall (1933-95) md. Margaret S Mannon
..................Lance L Hall (1971)

Gedmatch kit number 33945 is a descendant of Isaiah Burris.