James Edward Burk Sr (1710 - 1783)

Born 1710 in County Limerick, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Jane (Bane) Burk — married 11 Jul 1730 in PA

Husband of Lucretia (Rees) Burk — married 2 Feb 1751 in Augusta, Virginia, British Colonial America

Descendants

Died Feb 1783 at about age 73 in Surry, North Carolina, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Lisa Ankrum [send private message], Ed Burke [send private message], Stephanie Ross [send private message], Tara Cantley [send private message], Allison Ferguson [send private message], Micah McCoy [send private message], and Jason Panick [send private message]

Biography

James Burk Sr was a Virginia colonist.

James Edward Burk was born about 1705 in Ulster or Limerick, Ireland.^[1][2]

James Burke, is thought to have in arrived in Philadelphia, PA in 1720-1725 from Limerick, Ireland. In 1730 he was located in Chester County, VA. He was one of the original explorers, adventurers and hunters in Southwest Virginia. He spent many years in the Roanoke County and Montgomery County areas. The Montgomery County area he frequented eventually became Pulaski County, Floyd County and Carroll County.

He married 1st to Mary Jane Bane on 11 September 1730 at Goshen Meeting House, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Their children were:

1. Honour Burk
2. Mary Burke
3. Sarah Burk
4. James Edward Burk
5. Benjamin Burk
6. John Burk
7. Joseph Burke
8. Naomi Burk
9. unknown daughter md. Coleman

James and Mary Burk were both Quakers. Its doubtful that James was Quaker when he first came to America, but was a Quaker when James and Mary married in 1730.^[3]

His 2nd marriage was to Lucretia Rees Griffith between 29 May and 29 August 1751 in Augusta County, Virginia.

When the American Revolution came along James Burk took the opposite side from the land speculators, Prestons, Buchanans and Thompsons, with whom he struggled over "Burk's Choice". James Burk, already associated with Quakers who did not believe in fighting, became a Loyalist, supporting the King. During the Revolution he was in the upper Yadkin region known as "the Hollow" near the Shallow Ford where there was a large Tory settlement. He supported the Tory efforts and disinherited his son James Burk because he fought for the Americans. In his will he says "by the disobedience and undutifulness of my Eldest son James Burk I have had just cause to denie him or his heirs any portion of my living". He left him five shillings. (Josephine Pepper N. Fagg, "Pre Revolutionary Settlers on the Roanoke River, Blacksburg, Montgomery News Messenger Aug 5, 1976 and James Burk, Will.)

Burk died in 1783 in Surry County, North Carolina, but his daughter Mary remained in Montgomery County as the wife of Jacob Shell, Jr.^[4] He wrote his will in November 1782, amd it was taken to court after his desth in February 1783.

Research Notes

Maintenence Categories

This profile is in the US Southern Colonies Project maintenance category "Needs Extensive Work". That category is for profiles with more than three "needs" (which is the max that the project template can handle). As you clear one of the needs, please delete the entry for it here & the corresponding category.

Needs Extensive Work

• Needs Style Review: See the project's Space:US Southern Colonies Project Editing Guidance. ~ Noland-165 14:58, 19 June 2021 (UTC)
• Needs Relationship Review: There is at least one set of duplicate profiles attached. ~ Noland-165 14:58, 19 June 2021 (UTC)
• Needs Location Research: Tazewell County category maybe should be Augusta County? (Marriage in Augusta County, text says "present Tazewell...", implying it wasn't at the time.) ~ Noland-165 15:31, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

When down to three or fewer "needs", you can use those in the template instead of "|needs=Extensive Work".

Uncertain Relationships

Father: Speculation exists. No Burks attended or were witnesses to James Burk's wedding, despite reports of one or more Burks in the area. Names given to his children do not seem to follow strict Quaker naming patterns.^[5]

Francis currently attached as a child doesn't seem to belong. Not referenced in Will. John Peartree, likewise is not mentioned in the Will, nor in Patrica Johnson's Irish Burks.

Quaker?

It's surprising that James would become a Quaker. Feelings against the Quakers were running high in Ireland in the early 1700's. The Burks in Ireland lost their land to Cromwell's followers. Most Irish Quakers were descended of these Cromwellian settlers, so its odd that a Burk would become a Quaker.

Sources

1. ↑ Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County. Baltimore: Genealogical P; Repository:
2. ↑ Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp. Title: North Carolina Census, 1790-1890 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.Original data - Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.Orig; Repository:
3. ↑ U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data:Swarthmore, Quaker Meeting Records. Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.North Carolina Yearly Meeting Minutes. Hege Friends Historical Library, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina.Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana.Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.
4. ↑ From Patricia Johnson’s Irish Burks of Colonial Virginia and New River.
5. ↑ Planet Murpy Web [[1]]

See also:

• Patricia Johnson’s Irish Burks of Colonial Virginia and New River.[2]
• Lechner Family History, compiled by Michael Lechner, with my father Ted Harrold Lechner. Lechner Family History.
• Source: S143 Author: Yates Publishing Title: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived;
• Edmund West, comp. Title: Family Data Collection - Deaths Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001.; R
• U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.Original data - National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Microfilm Publications; Records of District Courts of the United States, Record Group 21; National Archives, Washin;
• Burkes of North Carolina- http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/melungeon/16433/
• James Edward Burke Sr. ( 1698 - 1783 )- https://geni.com/people/James-Burke-Sr/6000000000198733542
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126135486/james-edward-burk : accessed 31 March 2022), memorial page for James Edward Burk Sr. (1705–Feb 1783), Find a Grave Memorial ID 126135486, ; Maintained by Richard S. Mickle (contributor 47422608) Burial Details Unknown.