Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-05-26

scendants reside. He was buried
within mile of your county line,
and Of the grave of William Grant,
another Revolutionary hero. And it
has further interest locally, as he
served four years in the regiment of
Col. Benjamin Cleveland, of Tuga-
loo, "the hero of hundred fights"
in which perhaps Mr.. Burns was en-
gagged in dozen or more battles.
1t seemed only necessary to prove
one in order to get a pension.
The record of the War Department
in Washington, D.. c., shows that
John Burns was born in 1863, in
Amelia county, Virginia That he
enlisted In the Revolutionary army
in Wilkes county, North Carolina, in
1880; that he served four months
as a private in the company Of Capt.
William Lenoir, in Col Benjamin
Cleveland's regiment Of North Caro-
lima troops; that he served nine
months in Capt. Samuel Johnson's
company of Col. Benjamin Herndon's
regiment, and was in the battle Of
Camden, S. c.; that he applied for
pension on October 15, 1882, from
Laurens District, South Carolina,
where he then resided. The pension
was granted and reads: "John
Burns-Certificate 27S73, issued
July "a, 1884, under act of June Z,
1920 OF A
The last payment was "$43.33 to 4th
September, 1S43." The pensioner
was living and had lived in Ander-
son for seven years, and previously
in Laurens District, South Carolina.
After the war John Burns mar
ried and settled in Laurens District.
On 10th of January, 1887, he bought
200 acres of land on North creek,
in this district, and on February 7,
1907, a tract Of SO acres on Reedy
Fork. In March, 1885, he bought
land in Anderson District, two miles
east Of Townville, where his wife,
1912, and he about a year later, and
was buried on this farm.
| have seen him with his pension
money, in which he took great pride
My father was merchant and CASH
ed his pension checks.
Their children were six sons: Jo-
seph, Allen, Jordan, James, John, Jr.,
and Christopher; Susan, wife Of
Cbnrlo, Sip,,nnnc. Nopor u,;fo or
John Simmons, and Fannie, wife of
James Osborn. These all removed
to anderson District except James,
John and Christopher The children
of James Burns were b. w. Burns
by his first marriage, end John D.,
Joshua, Robert and Lewis by his sec
ond marriage. The children of
Christopher Burns were William, a
prominent young man, who died in
early manhood, and Mary, who be-
came the wife of my friend, Nathan
Barksdale, and at whose marriage |
was a guest. He presented me with
a sword and sash on my entering the
service as captain of Company e."
14th Regiment.
A bright little granddaughter
sang "DiXie" at the reunion at Barks-
dale Station last Saturday with her
schoolmates, 20 the delight of the
vCterans.
The sword was lost by the sink
ing Of fiat in Staunton river, Vir-
= ~ 10 in, 81,
mission as captain, lieutenant-colonel
and colonG., as we'll as other valua-
bic army papers and records. | still
have the sash as an heirloom of
great value. christopher Burns, a
valued friend of mine, was the only
one | knew then when | went to Lau-
rens in 1855. B. w. Burns Beau
fort Watts) resided with my father
from 1885 TO 1897 when he married,
the second time, Miss Isbell, of Fair
Play, in Pickens District. | thought
a great deal Of him, and was a spe-
cial pet Of his. He had me to go to
his Unfair at his grandfather's-
dinner being given by my mother and
his grandmother.
John Burns, Jr., whose wife was a
Miss Rowland, had only one son, B.
f. Burns, a charter member of Com
pany 'E," 18th Regiment, who died
in Valley Of Virginia, and was bur-
led at Mount Jackson, November,
1862. Mrs. NJ. e. Parsons, a grand
daughter Of James Burns, is the wife
of w. b. Parsons, a charter member