Burr Family

 

 

The Burr Family of Pocahontas County: A Century of Frontier Resilience and Social Integration

Executive Summary

The Burr family of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, represents a distinct lineage of Appalachian settlers defined by agrarian stability, industrial contributions through milling and timber, and deep social integration into the Greenbrier Valley. Moving from Rockbridge County, Virginia, in the mid-19th century, the family established themselves in "Burr Valley"—an area now preserved within Watoga State Park.

Key takeaways from their historical trajectory include:

• Distinct Heritage: Unlike the politically prominent Burrs of New England, the Pocahontas lineage stems from German Protestant and British Isles stock, migrating through the Virginia backcountry.
• Strategic Alliances: The 1851 marriage of John Burr to Catherine Jane Moore integrated the family into the Moore clan, one of the region’s most influential pioneer networks.
• Military Sacrifice: Multiple family members served in the 25th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War, participating in major engagements from Sharpsburg to Gettysburg, with several enduring imprisonment in Northern camps.
• Economic Evolution: The family transitioned from subsistence farming and water-powered milling to participating in the late 19th-century timber boom before their ancestral lands were consolidated into the West Virginia state park system.
• Enduring Legacy: The family’s presence is physically memorialized through Burr Valley and the Burr Cemetery, which remains a protected site within Watoga State Park.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Foundations and Progenitors

The Pocahontas County Burr lineage originated with Frederick Burr (b. approx. 1796) and Sarah Tribbett (b. approx. 1801). Frederick was of German origin but established in Rockbridge County, Virginia, by the early 1800s. Sarah’s heritage included the Tribbett, Siders, and Wolfe families, with the Siders line also having mid-18th-century German roots.

The Frederick Burr Lineage

The family's expansion into Pocahontas County was driven by several sons who moved into the high-mountain Greenbrier Valley:

Name	Birth Year (Approx.)	Notable Detail
John Burr	1826	Primary settler of Burr Valley; married Catherine Jane Moore.
William Burr	1828	Resided on Brown's Mountain; married Susan Sharp.
George Burr	1830	Confederate veteran, Company I, 25th Virginia Infantry.
James Burr	1810	Early resident of Virginia and Kentucky.
Frederick Burr	1840s	Civil War veteran.
Sarah C. Burr	1830s	Married into the Gum family.
Rebecca Burr	1830s	Married into the Wilmoth family.
Rachel A. Burr	1840s	Married into the Kelley family.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Social Consolidation: The Moore-Burr Alliance

A defining moment for the family was the 1851 marriage of John Burr to Catherine Jane Moore. This union connected the Burrs to the "legendary" Moore family, led by patriarch Moses Moore, a renowned hunter and scout. Catherine’s father, Aaron Moore, had cleared over a thousand acres of wilderness, and his children established a vast kinship network.

Through this alliance, the Burrs became linked to several prominent local families:

• Baxter & McNeill: Through John and James Moore.
• Beale & McComb: Through Samuel and Eliza Moore.
• Cochran: Through Melinda Moore, connecting the Burrs to a significant timber-owning family.
• Auldridge: Through Henry Moore.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Geography of Settlement: Burr Valley and Brown's Mountain

The family established two primary geographical anchors in Pocahontas County:

1. Burr Valley: Located in the southern portion of the county (now part of Watoga State Park), this area served as the homestead for John Burr. It was characterized by dense timber and a subsistence lifestyle involving hunting, gardening, and the gathering of ginseng.
2. Brown's Mountain: Settled by William Burr near Huntersville, the early county seat. His marriage to Susan Sharp connected the family to the Sharps, some of the earliest settlers of the Edray district.

Physical Remnants

The Burr Cemetery remains a critical historical site within Watoga State Park, containing the graves of John and Catherine Burr, their son Charles, and other descendants. Because it is located on what was once private property now surrounded by state land, specific protocols exist for modern visitors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Military Service and the Civil War

The Burr family supported the Confederate cause, with three brothers—Frederick, George, and William—enlisting in Company I of the 25th Regiment Virginia Infantry. This unit was involved in the bloodiest conflicts of the Eastern Theater.

Combat and Imprisonment Record

• Major Battles: The brothers fought at Philippi, McDowell, the Seven Days Battles, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg (defending the Sunken Road), and Gettysburg.
• The Wilderness (May 1864): This battle was catastrophic for the 25th Regiment; the entire unit was effectively captured in the dense woods of Spotsylvania County.
• Prison Camps: Seventeen men from Company I were sent to Point Lookout, Maryland, and Elmira, New York. Only eleven survived the malnutrition and disease of the camps to return home.
• Cavalry Service: J. Austin Burr served in the 14th Virginia Cavalry, was wounded in 1864, and was captured during the Confederate advance on Washington, D.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Economic Transitions and Local Lore

Milling and Timber

John Burr was a skilled miller who rebuilt a significant water-powered mill in 1830, providing essential community infrastructure. As the 19th century ended, the family participated in the timber boom, working as both landowners and laborers for entities like the Mower Lumber Company. This era saw a technological shift from water power to steam-powered sawmills in the late 1880s.

Historical Incidents and Folklore

• The Snyder Law Office: In a remarkable coincidence, both John and William Burr died suddenly, years apart, while attending to business in F. J. Snyder’s law office in Huntersville.
• The Widow's Resilience: Following John’s death in 1883, Catherine Moore Burr maintained the family estate. She famously survived a roof collapse during a winter storm when a crossbar over her wash kettle shielded her from the falling debris.
• The Golden Eagle: In the mid-20th century, Paul Burr (a descendant) gained local fame for killing a golden eagle with an 80-inch wingspan after it attacked his sheep in Burr Valley.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparative Context: Appalachian vs. New England Burrs

Historical analysis distinguishes the Pocahontas Burrs from the more famous New England branch:

Feature	Pocahontas County Burrs	New England Burrs (e.g., Aaron Burr)
Origin	Germany / Rockbridge, VA	Connecticut / England
Social Class	Yeoman farmers / Millers / Woodsmen	Political / Legal Elite
Civil War Alignment	Confederate	Northern / Union (Descendants)
Focus	Local community and subsistence	National politics and intrigue

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Transformation to Watoga State Park

In the 1930s, the state of West Virginia began consolidating family farms, including Burr Valley, to create Watoga State Park. While families like the Burrs, Workmans, and Kellisons moved to neighboring towns like Seebert and Marlinton, their architectural and cultural markers remain. The restored Workman Cabin (1887) serves as a representative example of the log-based subsistence lifestyle the Burr family maintained for nearly a century in the valley. Today, the lineage persists through descendants who continue to assist in the maintenance of the historic family cemeteries within the park boundaries.