Lydia (Barnes) Burris (abt. 1790 - aft. 1860)

Born about 1790 in South Carolina, United States

Wife of Walter Burris — married 28 May 1807 in Clark co., Kentucky

Descendants

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Biography

Lydia Barnes was born about 1789 or 1790 in South Carolina. Contrary to what people have repeated in Ancestry "trees" her name was simply Lydia Barnes no middle name "Anne" at all. The fictional middle name of Anne should be ignored.

The parents of Lydia are unproven but circumstantially we know that she is closely related to Zachariah Barnes. She could be his daughter or possibly niece. She would NOT be his daughter by Hannah Hatton because Lydia and Hannah they are too close in age. This means Zachariah most likely had a wife before Hannah Hatton who is still unknown.

Zachariah Barnes died in 1849 in Estill county, Kentucky. Both the Burris family and Zachariah Barnes family lived in working proximity to Woodward Creek in Estill county in the section that was carved from Clark county in 1808. This proximity is proven by county work order in which Zachariah took over work that Thomas Burris helped on.

Lydia Barnes married Walter Burris on 28 May 1807 in Clark County, Kentucky. The Burris family had been residing in Clark County since at least 1796.

In late 1809 or early 1810 the Burris family migrated west to Missouri landing at the Loutre Island community in Montgomery County, Missouri. Walter's brother David Burris also came with them as well as some other neighbors and associates like the newly widowed Mary Box and her son Muke Box.

In late 1811 or early 1812 the Burris family moved west again settling in an area that would later be named Boonville, Missouri. A great grandson of Walter and Lydia gives Walter the credit for building the first house in Boonville.

By 1830 the Burris family had moved west into Jackson County, Missouri where Walter Burris died in late 1839 [exact date unknown]. Walter's son Henry Burris was a county judge in Cass [Van Buren] County to the south. Walter's other brothers David, Thomas and Isaiah all eventually settled near by.

In her later years Lydia moved in with her sons Walter Burris Jr and William B Burris.

Lydia Burris is last seen on the 1860 Federal Census (Kansas Territory, Jefferson County) living with her son William B Burris (1811). Despite what people keep repeating in Ancestry "trees" it is NOT known exactly when or where she died.

Note that her son William B Burris (1811) named two sons Barnes Clark Burris (1849) and Zachariah Burris (1854) which is a nice call back to Zachariah Barnes and Clark County. :-)

DNA Evidence

Living descendants of multiple branches of BOTH families have strong DNA matches to each other indicating a genetic link obviously via Barnes. Female-line descendants of daughters Mary Crabtree Williams (1814) and Prudence Flanery (c.1823) match each other at the Full Mitochondrial Sequence level. Their Mitochondrial Haplogroup is K1a15 which is found in Scotland and Ireland and certainly not a native America haplogroup. According to the FamilyTreeDNA website “Matching exactly on the Mitochondrial DNA Full Sequence test brings your matches into more recent times. It means that you have a 50% chance of sharing a common ancestor within the last 5 generations. That is about 125 years.”

The Mitochondrial DNA debunks the long held notion that the two groups of children listed in Walter's will are by two different wives that were split between daughter Mary (1814) and son Thomas (1816). The DNA evidence proves both groups (excepting the much older John and Henry) were by Lydia. John Burris (est. 1788) and Henry Burris (c. 1790) were by Walter's first wife who is STILL unknown.

Federal Census

1850 Federal Census, Missouri, DeKalb County^[1]

House Number 262

Lidia Burris, F, 60, South Carolina

Walter B Green, M, 15, Missouri

1860 Federal Census, Kansas Territory, Jefferson County^[2]

William Burris, M, 49, MO

Barsheba Burris, F, 49, NC

Lilburn Burris, M, 22, MO

Walter Burris, M, 20, MO

William Burris, M, 15, MO

Lydia Burris, F, 17, MO

Maryann Burris, F, 13, MO

Thomas Burris, M, 12, MO

Barnes Burris, M, 12, MO

Elizabeth Burris, F, 8, MO

Zachariah Burris, M, 5, MO

Lydia Burris, F, 70, SC

Correcting the previous interpretation of the Walter Burris will:

Walter Burris' will, dated 3 Oct 1836, and filed in Jackson Co., MO, reads as follows:^[3]

''In the name of God Amen

1st I will and desire that my wife, Lydia Burriss, should she outlive me, have all and every species of property of any description whatsoever of which I may die seized during her natural life or widowhood after the payment of all my Just debts, and at her death or marriage, to be equally divided between my five children, Thomas Burriss, Rachel Burriss, Zechariah Burriss, Prudence Burriss, and Walter Burriss, the children of my wife Lydia.

2nd As I have given to each my children Henry Burriss, Rebecca Green, Nancy Vernon, William B. Burriss, Alice Crabtree, Polly Crabtree when they were married and left me all I intend for them, and as much as will fall to my other children I will and bequeath that they receive nothing more of my estate, but that it be disposed of to my wife Lydia, and my children Thomas, Rachel, Zachariah, Prudence and Walter Burriss as above stated.

3rd I hereby nominate constitute and appoint my son Henry Burriss, Executor of this my Last Will and Testament and desire that he see the Conditions of this my Last Will and testament fully executed.''

Lydia passed away after 1860. Her exact death date is unknown despite what people have put in their trees or copied. Her place of death and burial is still unknown. It could have been DeKalb county, Missouri, or Kansas or even Colorado or Montana.

When Henry Burris filed his administrators bond he mentioned another child John Burris. He listed the children in this order which appears to be chronological order: " widow Lydia Buriss, John Burriss, Henry Burris, Rebecca Green, Nancy Vernon, William Burriss, Alice Crabtree, Polly Crabtree, Thomas Burriss, Zachariah Burriss, Rachel Crabtree, Prudence Burriss & Walter Burriss."

Note the will separates the children according to who was married and left and who was still at home and dependent. This separation had nothing to do with the mother which is irrelevant. Walter only mentioned Lydia to solidify her legal claim to the estate with the dependent children. The independent children were excluded. Walter was not saying which children were by which wife but that is how older researchers interpreted it.

This misinterpretation is now debunked. We now know exactly where Walter Burris and his brothers were living before Missouri. We now know exactly when and where he married Lydia Barnes. We have have Mitochondrial and Autosomal DNA fully supporting the new research.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch : 12 April 2016, Lidia Burris, De Kalb county, De Kalb, Missouri, United States; citing family 262, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch : 13 December 2017, Lydia Burris in entry for William Burris, 1860.
3. ↑ Walter's will recorded Oct. 3, 1836 wit: John Swearingen, Joseph Bradin. Will probated 1839.

Walter Burris will

Lydia Barnes DNA project