Thursday, September 06, 2007

18th century Burton – Reily locations in South Carolina

I am still awaiting results of my upgraded DNA test. I am anxious to compare my results to Cousin Jack’s, and see what variations have occurred since our common ancestor, Samuel Reily. That may give me a better notion of how much credence to give the similarity of the Reily- line DNA to the Burton- line DNA, and how many generations could have passed since a common ancestor. I must keep in mind, too, that this is all statistical guessing and not an exact science. There are mathematical formulas, graphs, and tables available to help relate generations passed to genetic distance; I just hope I don’t have to work these lineages back to Adam and Eve.
I would like to compare the pedigrees of the contemporary Burton “cousins” who match my DNA, and study their most recent common ancestor. If those lines of descent merge with an individual in America, the possibility of direct connections to Robert Reily should be studied. He would have been born about 1730- 1750, guessing from Samuel’s birthdate. I do not know Robert Reily’s origins. Family lore holds that he came from County Cavan, Ireland, but I have not located documentation of that. I must review the Reily records I have been collecting from South Carolina; maybe I have missed some clues. If those Burton lines that match my DNA were to merge in the British Isles, then I need to look across the pond, at wars, convicts, land reforms, and such.
The Burton Family was wealthy, influential, and widespread in America by the time Robert Reily came along. Robert Burton, for example, born 1747, moved from Virginia to North Carolina in 1775. He was a planter, served as Quartermaster General in the Revolution at the rank of Colonel. He was a member of the Governor’s Council, and a North Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress. He died and was buried in North Carolina in 1825 (United States Congress. 2005. Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress, 1774- 2005. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.).
I have located a number of records which demonstrate the Burton family's presence in South Carolina about the same period as Robert Reily. Again, I would like to trace directly from those individuals who match my DNA. As with most families, the Burton's names were passed down through the family and it is difficult to sort out the lines. One Thomas Burton, planter of Craven County, SC, sold slaves to his son,, Thomas, on 2 August, 1736. Thomas Burton petitioned for lot # 309 in Beaufort Town (Council Journal, Meeting of 13 May, 1743). Thomas Burton Jr. petitioned for land to settle in the Welch Tract; had 4 negroes and asked 200 acres (Council Journal, 3 April, 1750). Samuel Burton had a wife and three children and petitioned for a piece of land next to Col. Pawley’s in the Welch Tract, 14 May, 1751. Samuel Burton was also granted 250 acres 30 November, 1756 in Craven County, Welch Tract (Holcomb, B. H. 1997. Petitions for land from the South Carolina Council Journals 1748- 1752. Brent H. Holcomb, Columbia, SC). Those land records may be significant; I must give them more study.

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