William W. Burns
1836 - 1877
and
Nancy Ann Farmer
1835 - 1906
Submitted by Brenda Kellow,
CG, CGI
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Those interested in this line should visit the Internet
site www.geocities.com/BurnsProject
1. John1
BURNS
2. Equilla2
BURNS (John1)
3. William
W.3 BURNS (Equilla2, John1)
was born in Alabama on 19 February 1836 to Equilla and Elizabeth
(Griffin) BURNS. He died at age 41 on 17 October 1877 in Burns City, Cooke
County, Texas. He is buried there in the older section, the south central
section, of New Hope Cemetery (will; census; grave marker).
He married
NANCY ANN FARMER in McKinney, Texas, on 24 September 1857, daughter of
Leroy Farmer and Nancy Wharton (Voss) Farmer. She was born on 3
March 1835 in Tennessee and died at age 71 on 8 March 1906 in Wylie, Texas.
Nancy was laid to rest in the Wylie Cemetery near other family members
(census records, marriage record, death record).
William moved
with his parents from Alabama at about twelve years of age. To date they have
not been found on the 1850 census; however, his father does make a rather
complicated land purchase while the family resides in Rusk County, Texas.
Equilla bought 460 acres of land, located in Fannin County, from Mr. Squires who
lived in Panola County. The land in on Timber Creek which is north of Bonham on
Highway ___ . They lived there until 1857 when Equilla died at age 60 after an
illness which appears to be pneumonia, according to the doctor bills.
The newly married William became the executor of his father's estate (will and
probate).
On 7 March
1862, William volunteered for military service in the Confederate States of
America in McKinney, Texas. He enrolled in the newly organized 16th Texas
Cavalry Company H, as a Corporal. He was in Captain Gabriel H. Fitzhugh's 3rd
Regiments, Johnson's Brigade. His card is number 50318131. William signed up
for a period of one year, although he stayed longer. When he joined, he brought
with him his horse, valued at $200, and equipment valued at $25. He was
mustered into Confederate service in mid-April 1862. Like almost all Civil War
units, the Sixteenth Texas Cavalry was frequently known by an alternate
designation derived from the name of its commanding officer. William's regiment
served its entire career in the Trans-Mississippi Department, serving in
Arkansas, Louisiana, Indian Territory and Texas. Some of the battles he fought
include Spring River and Newtonia in Missouri, and Prairie Grove in Arkansas.
For a time, William's company was assigned to Polignac's brigade and
participated in the battle of Yellow Bayou, also called Norwood's Plantation,
Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. At the battle of Mansfield, the regiment captured
a battery of federal artillery. With the battle of Pleasant Hill came the
capture of many soldiers carrying Enfield rifles which were immediately seized
by the Confederate soldiers. The regiment was dismounted late in its career
when the Trans-Mississippi authorities attempted a reorganization of their
scattered forces. The Department recognized its desperate need for more
infantry troops; therefore, a number of cavalry units were dismounted. William
was one of the cavalrymen who was opposed to being assigned to the infantry.
However, as his grandson, Joe E. Burns, was so proud to say of the Burns Family,
"If there was a war, there was a Burns to volunteer."
After he
finished his tour of duty, William and Nancy moved from Collin County to Burns
City in time to be counted on the 1880 census. His occupation was listed as
cabinet maker. Many other Burns families were there, mainly his brother Robert
L., who operated the Burns City Hotel which featured a hot mineral spring.
People came from all over the country to stay at the hotel and bathe in the
spring touted to cure all ills.
William died
there on 17 October 1877 and he is buried in the New Hope Cemetery located on
County Road 372, north of the intersection of Mountain Springs and County Road
922, south of the community of Burns City. Few people live there now. The
spring dried up a few years after William died and the once bustling town began
to slowly become almost a ghost town.
After William's
death, Nancy moved with her younger children to southeast Collin County where
her parents farmed their large land grant. Nancy was a pious Baptist, seldom
missing a Sunday in Worship Service. Her later years were spent in her home
near her older son and his family. She died there on 8 March 1906 of pneumonia.
William and Nancy are the parents of seven
children:
i. Nancy Grace2 Burns
ii. Mary Elizabeth Burns
iii. Equilla Joshua Burns
iv. Infant, died young
v. Martha (Mattie) Burns
vi. Thomas Burton Burns
vii. Ada Burns
This seems to indicate that about
every other generation a Burns descendant volunteers into the military!!
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"William W. Burns,
EARLY SETTLERS OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History
and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
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