The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-12-24

of this property are set out in or
ange trees which were planted by Mr..
Burton. He has also set out a num-
ber of groves for other people here,
as he had become known as an ex-
pert along this line. Mr.. Burton at
present rents his grove and lives prac-
tically retired, spending his summers
at Summer Haven, where he owns a
handsome home and INDUCES extern
sively in fishing. In 1910 Mr.. Burton
grew the largest potato ever raised in
Florida, which was South African
yam and weighed one hundred and
thirty-eight pounds. 1t has been
photographed and was weighed by
Hon. W. A. Russell, the editor of The
PaIatka News, and Congressman
Howe of New York city.
Mr.. Burton was married three
times. In 1868 he married Miss Mary
Halliday of West Point, Mississippi,
and Of this union was born one
daughter, Mollie, who married David
Lagrone and has since passed away,
leaving five children. In this branch
of the family there are also four
great-grandchildren of our subject.
In 1871, in Florida, Major Burton
married Mrs. Mary P. Burton, the
widow of r. 0. Burton, cousin.
There was no issue of this union but
Mrs. Mary P. Burton had two sons of
her first marriage who were reared by
our subject, one of whom has since
passed away, the other, Robert O., re-
siding in Crescent City and holding
the position of agent for the B. & M.
Steamship Line. In 1884 Mr.. Bur.
ton married Mrs. Genevieve Cradle,
who by her first marriage had one
son, p. c. Cradle, of .Bradentown,
Florida. By his present wife one
daughter was born to Major Burton,
Jessie Harrison Burton, who makes
her home with her parents. She
takes a deep-interest in horticulture
and much pride in rare and foreign
plants, of which she owns a number
which have their native heath in Af-
RIGA, among them being an umsinsee.
She also has night blooming iessa-
mine and a tamarind tree of Cuban
nativity, the plant being very rare in
the United States and only three
specimens being known to exist in
this country. Mr.. Burton, always
deeply interested in orange culture,
has also given much attention to that
subject and has grown cross be-
tween lime and tangerine orange
brought from Jamaica, changing en-
tirely the nature of the fruit, increas-
ing it's size and giving it's taste a
very desirable tang. There also is
in his garden a Chinese candle plant
which was sent to his daughter from
that country by missionary friend.
Progressive and public spirited, Ma
ior Burton has always actively par
ticipated in the official life of the sec
tions in which he has lived and served
as the first democratic tax assessor
of Putnam county, after the recon-
struction, for four years, being at the
same time deputy collector He has
served as member of the democratic
executive committee and for many
years, filled the position of justice of
the peace, being so we'll read in the
law that his advice was frequently
sought and he had quite an extensive
practice, although he never passed the
bar examination. Major Burton did
valuable work while sitting in court
to suppress the carpet baggers and
rendered many other decisions which
stand as evidence of his fairness and
impartiality. He meets his COM
rades of the battlefelds of yore
through the medium of the Confeder-
ate Veterans Association and frater-
nally is member of the Masonic or
der, in which he holds the rank of
Master Mason and the principles of
which organization he exemplifies in
his everyday life. Although seventy
five years of age, Major Burton still
leads useful and active life in
which Incidence and idleness have no
mart. He has not only worked for
his own success but has done much
for the development of Putnam coun-
ty and Crescent City, having always
been glad to bear his share in the
work of upbuilding. Ever actuated
by a spirit of contagious enthusiasm,
he has been in his aggressive energy
an inspiration to others and his sue
cess today stands as worthy exam
pie to emulate. His life work has
been a serviceable factor in the re-
construction of the south and in the
founding of a healthily growing COM
munity-the city of Crescent City.
which honors in Major Burton one of
i+s foremoct citizens and which has