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Burwell McLemore, Sr.

Male Bef 1721 - Abt 1798  (~ 77 years)


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  • Name Burwell McLemore  [1, 2
    Suffix Sr. 
    Birth Bef 1721  Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 3
    Gender Male 
    Death Abt 1798  Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Notes 
    • Patented 190 acres of land near his father on Poplar Creek by patent dated May 20, 1742 (Patent Book 20, p.---). As he was required to be twenty-one at the time of the patent, the latest possible date for his birth would accordingly be May, 1721. Upon this land he initially settled and lived for over thirty years. It was where he took his bride and began to raise is family. (James L. McLemore, III, p. 69).

      Burwell and Amy Maclemore had a large family: eleven children in all have been identified, but only two had their births recorded in the Albermarle Parish Register. The first was Sally, born June 2, 1754, and baptized August 25, 1754. Sponsors or godparents included her aunt and uncle, Robert and Lydia Magee, as well as Gilliam. A second daughter "Molly" (Mary) was shown in the Register as being born July 24, and baptized September 14, 1760. There was a sufficient interval in between these two for the birth of at least one other child (probably Howell), and the others followed along thereafter; John, Lucy, Lydia, Ann or Anna, Burwell Jr., Gilliam, Charles and James, probably in something close to that order, with their births running right up nearly to the outbreak of the American Revolution, when Burwell (Sr.) would have been 55, and Amy in her early to mid 40's. (James L. McLemore, III, pp. 70-71).

      By the time his family had grown this large, it became obvious that his original 190 acres patented plantation was too small (or worn out) to support such a family. Therefore, he arranged in 1775 to exchange this plantation with John Tyler (father of President John Tyler) for a larger tract. Both deeds were dated January 17, 1775, and recorded February 16, 1775. Burwell conveyed Tyler his 190 acre plantation (inaccurately described as obtained by patent dated August 20, 1740-Sussex Deed Book E, p. 295), in return for a tract of some 275 acres originally patented to Tyler and called "The Pine Log" plantation, adjoining another Tyler plantation called "Poplar" and also bounded by Daniel Harwood and the Pine Log Branch (Deed Book E, p. 274). (James L. McLemore, III, pp. 70-71).

      Burwell survived all his brothers (including Joel, who was considerably younger), and he apparently survived at least one child and his wife Amy as well. Neither his first born daughter Sally nor his wife is mentioned in his will, which was dated September 21, 1793, and admitted to probate October 4, 1798 (Sussex Will Book F, p. 123). It reads as follows:

      In the Name of God Amen. This Twenty-first day of September in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-three, I Burwell Maclemore of the County of Sussex in the Parish of Albemarle being weak and low in body tho perfect mind & memory (thanks be to God for the same) but calling to mind the mortality of the body and knowing it is appointed for man once to die do make and ordaing this my last will and Testament in manner and form following (Viz) First: I give my soul to almighty God who gave it me in hope of joyous resurrection and as to my wordly Estate wherewith it hath been pleased God to bless me with I bestow in manner and form following, to wit:

      Impremis: my will and desire is that my land be laid off in three parts. I have and devise to my son, Gilliam Maclemore the lower part of my Land with the Building and extend up as far as the Spring branch and thence along the said branch to the head and thence a straight line form thence to a corner tree, a pine that stands in the upper prong of the Pine Log Branch to him and his Heirs forever.

      Item: I give and devise to my son Charles Maclemore the Land adjoining Gilliam Maclemore above the Spring branch to the Horse Meadow to the School House path and thence a straight line from that to the head line to him and his Heirs forever.

      Item: I give to my son James Maclemore all the rest of my Land adjoining Charles Maclemore between the Horse Meadow and the long Meadow branch, also my Negro boy the name of Henry also my young plantation colt to him and his heirs forever.

      Item: I give and bequeath to my Son John Maclemore the sum of Five Pounds to him and his Heirs forever.

      Item: I give and bequeath to my Daughter Lucy Bullock the sum of Five Pounds to her and her Heirs forever.

      Item: I give my daughter Ann Maclemore the sum of Five Shillings to her and her Heirs forever.

      Item: I give to my Daughter Lydia Lewis the like sum of Five Shillings to her and her Heirs forever.

      Item: I give to my Daughter Molly Land the sum of Five Pounds to her and her Heirs forever.

      Item: I give to my son Burwell Maclemore the sum of Five Shillings to him and his Heirs forever.

      Item: My will and desire is that all the rest of my Estate that is not before given to my above mentioned Children may be sold and the money arising from the Amount of Sales after paying my Just Debts and the Legacies as above mentioned may be equally Divided between Howell Maclemore and James Maclemore to them and their Heirs forever.

      Lastly: My Desire is that Gilliam Maclemore and Charles Maclemore be Executors to this my last Will and testament. Testifying this and not other to be my last will and testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my Seal this day and year written. Signed and seal and delivered to be my last Will and testament in the presence of Macklin Bass (his Mark); L. Mason; Thomas Pate Jr, (his mark), Herbert Pate (his mark)

      Burwell B. Maclemore (his mark)

      As noted above, Burwell's will, in addition to omitting any mention of his wife, Amy, also omitted his eldest daughter Sally whose birth was registered in the Albemarle Parish Register. It is accordingly presumed that neither Amy or Sally survived to the date of the execution of the will (1793), and Sally probably died in her youth, unmarried. Burwell's other four daughters share a history similar in many respects to those of his brother John. Two are named in the will by their married names, but there is no mention in the marriage records of either. They are Lucy Bullock and Lydia Lewis. Another daughter, Ann, Anna or Anny apparently did not marry; her own will, which she signed as Anny McLemore, was dated August 18, 1818, was admitted to probate January 15, 1835, in Southhampton County (Will Book 11, p. 352), referred to her brother Gilliam McLemore, but bequeathed her property to her granddaughter Susanna Carter, daughter of HER daughter Susanna Woodward! Ann survived her brother Gilliam, and was later paid by his estate then dollars for briefly keeping his children after his death. Finally Mary, or Molly as she was called in the birth records of the Parish Register and also as she was called by her father in his will, was likewise referred to by her married name, Land; she was married (as Mary McLemore) to Littleberry Land pursuant to marriage bond issued October 4, 1791 (Southhampton Marriage Register, p. 75). (James L. McLemore, III, pp. 70-73)

      Burwell had six sons to carry on the McLemore name into the 19th century in Southside Virginia. However, this was the age when farm lands in the old tobacco-growing regions of Virginia became too worn out to support growing families, while migration was taking whole families westward and southward into newly opened areas for settlement. The lure of new land, the call of McLemore cousins already emigrating southward and westward, was calling on several of the sons of Burwell Maclemore even before, and especially after, his death. Their migrations before the turn of the 19th century thus put these McLemores at the forefront of this pattern of migration, just as they had been in the Carolinas ever since the days of James and Abraham Macklemore, the original immigrant brothers. (James L. McLemore, III. pp. 73-75).

      First US Census of 1790 shows Burwell McLemore as a HOH with eight whites and two slaves.(Sussex County, Virginia). Howell was not one of them (of 11 children, Sally had died, John had moved to Carolina, and Howell and one of the older daughters had married and moved out, leaving Amy and seven children). (James L. McLemore, III, p. 75).

      Burwell's third son (at least his third to move away) was his namesake Burwell McLemore, Jr. (James L. McLemore, III, p. 76).

      Meanwhile, back in Virigina, Burwell Sr.'s other three sons were remaining at home. Gilliam McLemore received the lower third of his father's "Pine Log Plantation, with buildings. He is known to have married three times.......Charles McLemore received the second third of his father Burwell's plantation. Charles married Lucy ROWE....The last (and probably youngest) son of Burwell and Amy Maclemore was James. Born just before the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was devised the final third of his father's "Pine Log" plantation. He married Rebecca HARWOOD, ...(James L. McLemore, III, pp. 77-79).
    • (Medical):Two direct descendants of Burwell participated in the Morrison yDNA study.

      The main purpose of this study was to prove that the immigrant founders of this family in America, James Macklemore and Abraham Macklemore, were brothers. If brothers, then the y-DNA of the direct male descendants of both men would match. However, instead of confirming this, it appears that we have AT LEAST two distinct yDNA groups, with three additional potential lines. The first cluster of matching yDNA has ten members, who are part of the R1b1a2 haplogroup. The R1b DNA haplogroup, is the most common in Western Europe. Two of the ten participants can trace their lines back to the immigrant Abraham Macklemore, the husband of Mary Young. Another member can trace himself back to Moses McLemore b. ca. 1738 who is thought to be a son of Wright McLemore, grandson of William Macklemore, and great-grandson of the immigrant James Macklemore. If both these members are correct in their paper trails, AND if Amos can be proven to be a great-grandson of James Macklemore, then the assumption that James and Abraham have a common paternal ancestor is correct as descendants of both men share the same yDNA. The other six members of this first cluster all have the McLemore surname, and all can trace their lineages back to McLemore men who predate the Civil War, but have not conclusively linked themselves back to either James or Abraham.

      The second cluster in the study have three members to date. They are all in the E1b1 Haplogroup, which is rare in Western Europe. All of them match each other, but do not match any other McLemores yet tested. All three of these members can trace their ancestry to John Macklemore of Virginia, the husband of Faith. Two of them descend from his son Burwell, and the third from his son Joel. But, as discussed above, IF we have also proven that the immigrants Abraham and James Macklemore are brothers, then it follows that John Macklemore could not be the biological son of the immigrant James, as the yDNA of these two clusters is very different.

      Our current thinking is that John was likely a son of Fortune's and a stepson of James Macklemore, who raised him as his own. Alternatively, it may still be proven that James and Abraham were not brothers. They may share the same surname, but not the same paternal ancestry. More proven descendants of James and Fortune Macklemore will need to be tested to confirm or refute either theory.

      See Morrison/McLemore DNA study results for Group AJ.

      http://www.geneticousins.com/morrison/
    Person ID I20920  Strong Family Tree
    Last Modified 22 Apr 2016 

    Father John Macklemore,   b. Between 1698 and 1700, Albemarle Parish, Surry County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Abt 1767, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 69 years) 
    Mother Faith ???,   b. Bef 1703, Surry County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1771, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 68 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1718  Surry County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • James L. McLemore, III notes that due to the great disparity in the age of their children, their may have been more than the five surviving children born to the couple. (James L. McLemore, III, p. 55).
    Family ID F7449  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Amy Gilliam,   b. Abt 1730, Surry County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1793, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 62 years) 
    Marriage Bef 1753  [2, 4
    • Burwell Maclemore and his wife, Amy, had a large family: eleven children in all have been identified, but only two had their births recorded in the Albermarle Parish Register. The first was Sally, born June 2, 1754, and baptized August 25, 1754. Sponsors or godparents included her aunt and uncle, Robert and Lydia Magee, as well as a Gilliam. A second daughter "Molly" (Mary) was shown in the Register as being born July 24, and baptized September 14, 1760. There was a sufficient interval in between these two for the birth of at least one other child (probably Howell), and the others followed along thereafter: John, Lucy, Lydia, Ann or Anna, Burwell Jr., Gilliam, Charles and James, probably in something close to that order, with their births running right up nearly to the outbreak of the American Revolution, when Burwell would have been 55, and Amy in her early to mid 40's. Neither his first born daughter Sally nor his wife is mentioned in his will, which was dated September 21, 1793, and admitted to probate October 4, 1798. (B. F. McLemore His Ancestors and Descendants, James L. McLemore III (c. 1991) pp. 81-82).

      Copied from Rev. William P. McLemore's website, "McLemore Notables"

      http://www.oocities.org/wmclemore.geo/mclem1.htm
    Children 
     1. Sally McLemore,   b. 2 Jun 1754, Albemarle Parish, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     2. Charles McLemore,   b. Between 1756 and 1769, Albemarle Parish, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Oct 1818, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 62 years)
     3. Mary "Molly" McLemore,   b. 24 Jul 1760, Albemarle Parish, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 1830, Halifax County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 70 years)
     4. John McLemore,   b. Aft 1760, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Yes, date unknown
     5. Howell McLemore,   b. Abt 1762, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Feb 1807, Southhampton County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 45 years)
     6. Lucy McLemore,   b. Bef 1764, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1800, Isle Of Wight County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 36 years)
     7. Anna McLemore,   b. Aft 1764, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 15 Jan 1835, Southhampton County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 70 years)
     8. Lydia McLemore,   b. Abt 1768, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 1820, Lincoln County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 51 years)
     9. Burwell McLemore, Jr.,   b. Abt 1770, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 22 Jan 1851, Rogersville, Lauderdale County, Alabama Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 81 years)
     10. Gilliam McLemore,   b. Abt 1772, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Bef 7 Feb 1814, Sussex County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 42 years)
     11. James McLemore,   b. Abt 1778, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 1825, Surry County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 48 years)
    Family ID F7448  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 7 Apr 2016 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Bef 1721 - Virginia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - Abt 1798 - Sussex County, Virginia Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Documents
    McLemore DNA Study Results NOVEMBER 2011  (see spreadsheet PDF at bottom of this page)
    Ancestor of m008 and m238, part of the E1b1 group (highlighted in green)
    The main purpose of this study was to prove that the immigrant founders of this family in America, James Macklemore and Abraham Macklemore, were brothers. If brothers, then the y-DNA of the direct male descendants of both men would match. However, instead of confirming this, it appears that we have AT LEAST two distinct yDNA groups, with three additional potential lines. The first cluster of matching yDNA has ten members, who are part of the R1b1a2 haplogroup (highlighted on the spreadsheet in salmon). The R1b DNA haplogroup, is the most common in Western Europe. Two of the ten participants can trace their lines back to the immigrant Abraham Macklemore, the husband of Mary Young. Another member (m268) can trace himself back to Moses McLemore b. ca. 1738 who is thought to be a son of Wright McLemore, grandson of William Macklemore, and great-grandson of the immigrant James Macklemore. If both these members are correct in their paper trails, AND if Amos can be proven to be a great-grandson of James Macklemore, then the assumption that James and Abraham have a common paternal ancestor is correct as descendants of both men share the same yDNA. The other seven members of this first cluster all have the McLemore surname, and all can trace their lineages back to McLemore men who predate the Civil War, but have not conclusively linked themselves back to either James or Abraham.

    The second cluster in the study have three members to date (this group is highlighted on the spreadsheet in green). They are all in the E1b1 Haplogroup, which is rare in Western Europe. All of them match each other, but do not match any other McLemores yet tested. All three of these members can trace their ancestry to John Macklemore of Virginia, the husband of Faith. Two of them descend from his son Burwell, and the third from his son Joel. But, as discussed above, IF we have also proven that the immigrants Abraham and James Macklemore are brothers, then it follows that John Macklemore could not be the biological son of the immigrant James, as the yDNA of these two clusters is very different.

    Our current thinking is that John was likely a son of Fortune?s and a stepson of James Macklemore, who raised him as his own. Alternatively, it may still be proven that James and Abraham were not brothers. They may share the same surname, but not the same paternal ancestry. More proven descendants of James and Fortune Macklemore will need to be tested to confirm or refute either theory.

    As an interesting side note, it had long been assumed that the Revolutionary War Soldier John McLemore, who lived for a time in North Carolina and died in Tennessee, was a son of Burwell MacLemore and Amy Gilliam. However, current DNA evidence indicates this could not be correct. This is because two descendants of Archibald McLemore of Knox County, TN, a son John McLemore the Revolutionary Soldier, are both part of the larger R1b1a2 cluster (highlighted in salmon). They do NOT match the DNA of Burwell?s other descendants in the E1b1 cluster. Therefore, it is evident that the John McLemore who moved to Tennessee and was the father of Archibald McLemore CAN NOT be the same John McLemore who was a son of Burwell McLemore.

    In addition to the two groups discussed above, there are three McLemore DNA volunteers who don?t match any of the McLemores in either of the first two groups, OR match each other. One of these men (highlighted in purple on the spreadsheet) is a descendant of Hiram McLemore of Lee County, VA and later Breathitt County, KY. Hiram has been speculated to be a son of John McLemore and Ruth Steelman, a grandson of Ephraim McLemore, and great grandson of the immigrant James. However, if James and Abraham Macklemore are brothers, then Hiram could not be a biological descendant of James. He would have to match the group of ten McLemore?s in the first group. Although Hiram McLemore's descendant is also part of the R1b1 Haplogroup, he is more than 10 markers removed (based on 25 markers tested) from being a match to any of the other R1b1 McLemore?s, and therefore could not share a common ancestor in a genealogically significant time period.

    The second unmatched volunteer (highlighted in blue) is a direct descendant of the McLemore family that moved from North Carolina to Jones County, GA and then onto Montgomery County, AL. He is part of the R1a haplogroup, common in many parts of Eurasia and Scandinavia. He can trace his line back through four generations of James McLemore?s to James Macklemore Jr, thought to be the son of James and Fortune. But again, if James and Abraham are brothers, then he could not be a biological descendant of James Macklemore, the immigrant.

    The third unmatched volunteer (highlighted in brown) descends from James Madison McLemore born 1861 in Louisiana and died & buried 1918 in Van Zandt County, Texas. He is thought to be a son of William Kearney McLemore b. 1825 and d. 1889, also buried in Van Zandt County, Texas. He is in the I1 haplogroup, which is the most common group in Scandinavia.

    It is currently not known why these McLemores do not yet match any other study members. It is possible that there were several founding McLemore lines, instead of just one as has been long assumed. Or another possibility could be that undisclosed adoptions have occurred through the generations of descendants of both James and/or Abraham.

    Please help us to continue to unravel these DNA mysteries by volunteering to take part in this study. Email me for more details (stxstrong@gmail.com), or you can enroll directly at this websites listed below.

    http://www.geneticousins.com/morrison/

    or here

    http://www.familytreedna.com/project-join-request.aspx?group=Morrison

    Also, if you have had your yDNA tested outside of the Morrison group, please let us know. We would be glad to add your results to the spreadsheet.

    If you have trouble viewing this spreadsheet, email me at stxstrong@gmail.com and I can send you an excel spreadsheet or PDF.


  • Sources 
    1. [S206] McLemore, James L. III ("The Early History of the McLemore Family of Virginia and the Carolinas"), Chart III (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S321] Freeman, Mark (mwfgenealogy@verizon.net) "Mostly Southern" http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=markfreeman ; Ver. 2008-09-19 17:51:13.

    3. [S206] McLemore, James L. III ("The Early History of the McLemore Family of Virginia and the Carolinas"), Chart III, p. 55, p. 69 (Reliability: 3).

    4. [S206] McLemore, James L. III ("The Early History of the McLemore Family of Virginia and the Carolinas"), p. 69 (Reliability: 3).