BURTON

William was born in Indiana in 1841. Little is known about his early life, but by 1864, he had moved to Illinois and married Sophie Brown. William was a farmer and labourer, and though I've only ever seen one photograph of him, appears to have been capable of killing a bear with his own two hands. William passed away in 1898, at just 57 years of age, leaving behind Sophie and their six children. 

William and Sophie's children:

Jacob Burton, 1866 - 1938

Eliza Burton, 1868 - 1935

Joanna Burton, 1870 - 1924

Margaret Burton, 1870 - 1938

James Burton, 1878 - 1946

Alice Burton, 1880 - 1973

Jacob Brown Burton was born on the 12th of December, 1866, in Oakford, Illinois.  In his younger years, he followed in his father's footsteps, working as a farmer and labourer. At 21, he married 15 year old Minnie Bowman, and the following month, their first child was born (whoopsie!). Despite a scandalous start, Jacob and Minnie would go on to have four more children, one of whom tragically and accidentally blinded another with a hatchet in their youth. Jacob eventually left the farm life to become a fisherman, a career he would maintain until retirement. Interestingly, Jacob would claim to be a widow in the 1920 census, when in reality, Minnie outlived Jacob by 15 years, and married twice more. Jacob died on the 16th of August, 1938, at the age of 71.

Jacob and Minnie's children: 

Edith Burton, 1888 - 1970

Beatrice Burton, 1890 - 1988

Lillian Burton, 1894 - 1960

Marion Burton, 1899 - 1928

Mildred Burton, 1906 - 1986

Ah, Beatrice. Beatrice is where this branch of our tree becomes a tangled mess of re-marriages, illegitimate children, changed last names, and questionable information. Here's what we know for sure: Beatrice was born on the 9th of July, 1890, in Oakford, Illinois. While I have never found definitive proof that they were legally married, the 1910 census lists 19 year old Beatrice as the wife of 30 year old Robert "Doc" Evans, and mother of nearly two year old Robert Evans. By the 1920 census, she is listed as Beatrice Christy with son, Robert Christy, and claiming to be married, but also head of the household with no husband named. The 1930 census has her married to Elmer Kendall, the man she would remain with until his death in 1958. Despite her long marriage to Elmer, her son continued to use the surname Christy, but at some point changed the spelling to Christie, making the research of this family hair-pullingly frustrating. 

Beatrice passed away on the 18th of June, 1988, in Miami, Florida. 

Beatrice and Robert's children:

Robert Evans, 1908 - 1979

To learn more about Beatrice and Robert's family, please visit the Evans page.