Wiseman, Blanche (b. 12 DEC 1911, d. 1911)

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Note: **IMPORTANT**

[1] The James Burgess presented here is NOT the son of Thomas Burgess and Wynna Caudle Key as supported by popular family tradition. It has been a longstanding popular belief that James was the son of Thomas and Wynna based in part on the following facts:

a)The birth year of James (1790), as compared to the marriage year (1789) of Thomas and Wynna. It has been assumed that James was the oldest son (and child) of Thomas and Wynna.
b)The 1810 census records showing both James and Thomas living in, the same locale, but having separate households, of Bedford County, Virginia.
c)The 1820 Kanawha County, Virginia, census showing James and Thomas raising families in the same locale after moving from Bedford County, Virginia.
d)The 1830 Logan County, Virginia census, again, relating the fact that James and Thomas were living and raising families in this county.
e)The 1978 book “Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied Families”, by James Anthony Burgess, in which the possible relationship of James to Thomas and Wynna is cautiously speculated.

[2] In the 1820 U. S. Federal Census, Bedford Co., Northern Division, Virginia (Roll 133, Book 1, Page 70) another James Burgess is listed. This cannot possibly be the James Burgess presented here due to the following:

a)The James Burgess listed in the 1820 Bedford County, Virginia, census is recorded to be between the ages of 26 and 45 years with a son under 10 years of age and three daughters – one under 10 years of age, one between 16 and 18 years of age and one between 16 and 26 years of age as recorded.
b)The Personal Property Tax rolls for the state of Virginia and the 1820 U. S. Federal Census for Kanawha County, Virginia, Lists the James Burgess presented here as well as his oldest son, Austin F. Burgess.

Nothing is known, to date, of James Burgess before he appears in the 1810 U. S. Federal Census for Bedford County, Virginia. The identify of his parents remains unknown and his birthplace of Bedford County, Virginia, appears to be an assumption based on the first known written civil document (the 1810 census) in which he is identified. However, there have been speculations and assumptions concerning his parentage and origins.

As previously mentioned, author James Anthony Burgess cautiously speculated on the possible relationship between James and Thomas in his book “Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied Families”. In recounting his family ancestry through the very careful research of Thomas Burgess, from whom Mr. Burgess is descended, he notes the following on page 13 of his book:

”Because a record of Thomas Burgess’ family has not been found his children can only be compiled through educated guesses. Please forgive the author if this is later proved incorrect.”

On the same page, Mr. Burgess begins listing the children of Thomas Burgess and Wynna Caudle Key. The James Burgess presented here is listed as the first child and oldest son. Here, Mr. Burgess writes:

“ If he is the son of Thomas and Wynna he was born in Bedford County, Virginia.” Additionally, in concluding his entry on James, Mr. Burgess notes: “If he [James] is not a son, he is most certainly a nephew.”

As Mr. Burgess continues, he relates on page 15 of his book that James is “confusing possibility”. Indeed, Mr. Burgess had every indication that some relationship existed based upon the best information available he had available at the time he wrote his book. Sadly, more recent research has proven otherwise.

During the autumn of 2004, I volunteered to participate in “The Burgess Surname DNA Project”, hosted by Professor Michael Burgess. As a descendant of James Burgess, it was my hope to settle this generations old question of this assumed family relationship between James and Thomas. Professor Burgess, James Anthony Burgess and I felt confident that my test would simply prove what has been assumed for years. After several weeks of patient waiting, my test results came back with some rather unexpected news.

While it would be difficult to explain the subtle details of genetic DNA testing, I feel it would be more easily explained to say that my testing did not result in the "numbers" that would indicate a direct or close family relationship to the documented and proven descendants of Thomas Burgess (1754 - 1839) or to William Burgess (1721 - 1778) of Bedford County, Virginia. It has been determined that James Burgess presented here, as of the date of this writing, is from an unknown branch of the greater Burgess family possibly originating out of Maryland and Virginia.

Another popular speculation is the possible relationship between the James Burgess presented here and Ms. Keziah Burgess. In this case, both James and Keziah appear to have much in common

Both James and Keziah were relatively unknown before 1810. Both first appear in written civil documents around 1810 and have rather mysterious histories. Like James, the parentage and origin of Keziah is unknown and it has been assumed that she was born in Bedford County, Virginia.

Keziah, according to different sources, was born either in 1789 or 1790. Keziah’s descendants have long struggled to unlock the mysteries of their Burgess heritage through her and have not yet been successful. It has been known for many years that Keziah had three sons, Armstead, Oliver and Sparrell. Until recently, an unknown man had been assumed to father her sons and no written civil records indicate Keziah married. Yet, each son bore the Burgess surname.

While it is beyond the scope of this manuscript to relate all the details of Keziah and her descendants, it is important to note the following:

In volunteering for the same genetic DNA test as I had taken, it has been discovered that each of Keziah’s sons had a different father. This has presented a rather unique situation for Keziah’s descendants. First, the direct father to son genetic link has been essentially lost. It is clearly evident that each father was not from Burgess stock. Second, the genetic match to a known Burgess line becomes nearly impossible to establish, as a mother does not pass on the specific genetic markers the DNA test mentioned here evaluates.

It is a known and documented fact that Keziah’s oldest son, Armstead, was “bound over” as a child by the Overseers of the Poor, a court formed to attend to the welfare of children born to families too poor to care and provide for them. Researchers of the heritage of Keziah Burgess have also noted that Keziah was similarly bound over to a man in Bedford County, Virginia, named Jno (Juno) Nichols.

While this document relates the binding of Keziah to Mr. Nichols in 1790, it is surprising to discover that other related documents also mentions that a James Burgess was similarly bound to the same man in 1795. Forgive me if I do not have the years correct, but it is important to understand that if all assumptions made here are correct, there may well be a possibility that James and Keziah are related. However, I must be very clear that there is no connection between the James Burges presented here and the “bound” James Burgess mentioned in yet to be verified documents.

The 1810 U. S. Federal Census for Bedford County, Virginia (Roll 67, Book 1, Page 5), is perhaps the first written civil document that identifies James Burgess.

James Burgess
Males
0 to 10 10 to 16 16 to 18 16 to 26 26 to 45 45+
0 0 0 1 0 0
Females
0 to 10 10 to 16 16 to 18 16 to 26 26 to 45 45+
02 0 0 0 0 0

James appears in the personal property tax rolls for Bedford County, Virginia, from 1810 to 1818. He is usually listed as living close to a William Burgess, but no conclusive family relationship has been established. It would be reasonably assumed, as written documents often relate, farming families often “clustered” during this period and remained close throughout their lives. It can be safely assumed that James and William may be related, but nothing has been proven.

This William, at this point in time, is assumed to be the father of James, but with some reservation and skepticism. Consistent listings in the personal property tax rolls for Bedford County, Virginia, are rather elusive, as William does not always appear with James from one year to the next. Further research is required to clarify this issue.

It is with little doubt that this William, presently associated with James, is not William Burgess (1721 - 1778) of Bedford County, Virginia who married Susannah (Garland). It is quite possible that there was some confusion and in order to simplify things, incorrect speculations were made and offered as fact.

However, what appears readily evident is the fact that James was born about the right time and in the right locality to be the assumed son of Thomas Burgess and Wynna Caudle Key.

Later, James apparently relocated as the westward expansion of the frontier lands attracted many settlers east of the Appalachian Mountains. There seems to be a very strong indication that James was a poor farmer, having no land in his possession, and might have been attracted with the prospect of securing some acreage to farm in order to provide for his family in what is now southern West Virginia. In comparison, Thomas Burgess and his family may have been similarly encouraged to relocate.

The 1820 U. S. Federal Census reveals that James was living in Kanawha County, Virginia (Roll 142, Book 1, Page 12).

James Burgess
Males
0 to 10 10 to 16 16 to 18 16 to 26 26 to 45 45+
2 0 0 0 1 0
Females
0 to 10 10 to 16 16 to 18 16 to 26 26 to 45 45+
2 0 0 0 1 0

James later appears in the personal property tax rolls of Logan Co., Virginia, from 1825 to 1829 as does Thomas and his family. Here, James is often shown living separate from the family of Thomas Burgess in these records. Often times, James is listed in tandem with his son, Austin. In the 1830 U. S. Federal Census, Logan Co., Virginia (Roll 191 Book 1, Pages 271a – 271b), James is listed.

James Burgess
Males
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 100+
2 1 10 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Female
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 100+
1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

After the formation of Fayette County, James also appears regularly in the personal property tax rolls for Fayette Co., Virginia, from 1831 to 1850.

James is also mentioned in the “The History of Fayette County, West Virginia, (1926, J. T. Peters and H. B. Cardin) on page 170 in Chapter 12 of the book. It is related that during the February 1837 term of the county court, commissioners were appointed to superintend the election. Which election was not readily identified, but several polling places were established and commissioners designated for each. At the courthouse, James Burgess was designated as a commissioner along with David Wilson, E. D. Vandal, O. L. Waite and Hiram Hill. As a note, Hiram Hill was not only the county clerk for Fayette County, but also the father of Sarah Caroline Hill who married James Burgess, the grandson of the James Burgess related here.

James is listed in the 1840 U. S. Federal Census for the Western District (or territory) of Virginia, (Roll 555, Book 1, Pages 153a-153b). Since the 1840 Census does not specifically identify each individual by name, living within the household, his family is shown as follows:

James Burgess
Males
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 100+
1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Female
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 100+
1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

James is last listed in the 1850 U. S. Federal Census for District 14 of Fayette County, Virginia (Roll 943, Book 1, Page 364b) living next door to his sons Austin, Allen and Andrew.

Alternate sources often cite the birth date of James as 14 Mar 1790. However, the 1850 U. S. Federal Census for Fayette County, (West) Virginia, shows James being 52 years of age. If the information cited through family tradition were true, James would have been listed in this census as being approximately 60 years of age.

However, it is more than likely that his 14 Mar 1790 birth is accurate and has been assumed here. If a 1798 birth, (according to the 1850 census) were considered, James would have been 12 years of age at the time of his marriage to Rachel in 1810. James Anthony Burgess entertained this inconsistency in his book.

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Census: Date: 1810
Place: U. S. Federal Census, Virginia, Bedford Co. (Roll 67, Book 1, Page 5)

Census: Date: 1820
Place: U. S. Federal Census, Virginia, Kanawha Co. (Roll 142, Book 1, Page 12)

Census: Date: 1830
Place: U. S. Federal Census, Virginia, Logan Co. (Roll 191, Book 1, Pages 271a - 271b)

Census: Date: 1840
Place: U. S. Federal Census, Western District (Fayette Co.), Virginia (Roll 555, Book 1, Page 153a - 153b)

Census: Date: 1850
Place: U. S. Federal Census, District 14, Fayette Co., Virginia (Roll 943, Book 1, Page 364b)

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