Simeon Burleson was born about 1785 (see research note re: Birth Year) in North Carolina to Thomas Burleson and Margaret Jane Greene (relationship to parents is currently unsourced).
Simeon married Mary Anna Ledford on 10 April 1805 in Rutherford County, North Carolina[1]. Mary was born about 1785 in North Carolina to unknown parents.
In the 1810 U.S. Federal Census, Simeon's family was living in Burke County, North Carolina[2] (see research note re: Early Censuses). Including Simeon, his household consisted of six individuals:
Age Range
Birth Year
Gender
Count
Probable Relationship
Probable Name
16 - 25
1785 - 1794
M
1
Self
Simeon
16 - 25
1785 - 1794
F
1
Wife
Mary
0 - 9
1801 - 1810
M
1
Unknown
Unknown (see research note re: Unknown Male in 1810 and 1820 Censuses)
0 - 9
1801 - 1810
F
3
Daughter
Unknown ("Mary?"), future wife of Reuben Young
Daughter
Elisabeth, future wife of Jesse Black
Daughter
Nancy, future wife of Jacob Slagle
In the 1820 U.S. Federal Census, Simeon's family continued to live in Burke County, North Carolina[3] (see research note re: Early Censuses). His household now consisted of twelve individuals (eleven family members and one enslaved person):
Age Range
Birth Year
Gender
Count
Probable Relationship
Probable Name
26 - 44
1776 - 1794
M
1
Self
Simeon
26 - 44
1776 - 1794
F
1
Wife
Mary
19 - 25
1795 - 1801
M
1
Unknown
Unknown (see research note re: Unknown Male in 1810 and 1820 Censuses)
10 - 15
1805 - 1810
F
3
Daughter
Unknown ("Mary?"), future wife of Reuben Young
Daughter
Elisabeth, future wife of Jesse Black
Daughter
Nancy, future wife of Jacob Slagle
0 - 9
1811 - 1820
M
3
Son
Frederick
Son
Aaron
Son
Thomas
0 - 9
1811 - 1820
F
2
Daughter
Rachel, future wife of James Gage and Wilson McKinney
Daughter
Martha, future wife of Isaac Wilson
0 - 13
1807 - 1820
M
1
Slave
A slave, probably named Joseph
In the 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Simeon's family lived in Burke County, North Carolina[4] (see research note re: Early Censuses). His household consisted of ten family members and two enslaved persons:
Age Range
Birth Year
Gender
Count
Probable Relationship
Probable Name
40 - 49
1781 - 1790
M
1
Self
Simeon
40 - 49
1781 - 1790
F
1
Wife
Mary
15 - 19
1811 - 1815
M
1
Son
Aaron
15 - 19
1811 - 1815
F
1
Daughter
Probably Rachel. Her husband James Gage has not yet been found in 1830. Rachel's infant daughter, Nancy Gage, is probably also in this household.
10 - 14
1816 - 1820
M
1
Son
Thomas
10 - 14
1816 - 1820
F
1
Daughter
Martha, future wife of Isaac Wilson
5 - 9
1821 - 1825
M
2
Son
Jonathan
Son
Malcolm
0 - 4
1826 - 1830
F
2
Daughter
Jane, future wife of Hampton Garland
Granddaughter
Probably Nancy Gage, child of daughter Rachel and her first husband, James Gage
10 - 23
1807 - 1820
M
1
Slave
A slave, probably named Joseph
0 - 9
1821 - 1830
F
1
Slave
A slave, probably named Mary
Simeon and Mary had at least eleven children together (see research note re: Children):
It seems likely that Simeon passed away in June 1840 in Yancey County, North Carolina (see free space page Probate for Estate of Simeon Burleson). There is a probate entry in Yancey County, North Carolina, dated 28 June 1840, where his widow, Mary, relinquished her right to be the administrator for Simeon's estate. Their son Aaron, and son-in-law Isaac (husband of daughter Martha), were named co-administrators of Simeon's estate[5].
Simeon's household was not enumerated in the 1840 U.S. Federal Census (see research note re: Early Censuses). Simeon's wife, Mary, was enumerated in Yancey County, North Carolina, in the household of son Aaron, the oldest son still living at home in 1840[11].
Age Range
Birth Year
Gender
Count
Probable Relationship
Probable Name
40 - 49
1791 - 1800
F
1
Mother
Mary
20 - 29
1811 - 1820
M
1
Self
Aaron
15 - 19
1821 - 1825
M
2
Brother
Jonathan
Brother
Malcolm
10 - 14
1826 - 1830
F
1
Sister
Jane, future wife of Hampton Garland
10 - 23
1817 - 1830
M
1
Slave
A slave, probably named Joseph
10 - 23
1817 - 1830
F
1
Slave
A slave, probably named Mary
There is a probate entry on 23 July 1840 in Yancey County, North Carolina, where the dower for Simeon's widow, Mary, was described[5].
The settlement of Simeon's estate would take over four years. That settlement was accepted by the court in Yancey County, North Carolina on 4 January 1845[5].
A birth record for Simeon has not yet been located. An estimate for his birth year can be made by looking at early census records:
In the 1810 U.S. Federal Census[2], Simeon was 16 - 25 years old, therefore born 1785 - 1794.
In the 1820 U.S. Federal Census[3], Simeon was 26 - 44 years old, therefore born 1776 - 1794.
In the 1830 U.S. Federal Census[4], Simeon was 40 - 49 years old, therefore born 1781 - 1790.
Assuming that his age was accurately captured in each of those census years, only a birth year in the range 1785 - 1790 would align with all three censuses. If the unknown male living in his household in 1810 and 1820 was a son, then a birth year of 1785 would make Simeon about 16 years old when that son was born.
Early Censuses
The connection of early census records to Simeon, his wife, and his children are educated guesses. Other records provide estimates of the ages of his wife and children, which can be used to map individuals to the age categories by gender that are used in early census records.
To improve confidence that the early census records noted above in the biography are likely to be for the household of this Simeon Burleson, searches were done within each census collection looking for other people named Simeon Burleson (or similar). These searches were last conducted on 30 August 2023:
A D Burlison in Barbour County, Alabama (20 - 29 years old).
Aaron Burleson in Yancey County, North Carolina (20 - 29 years old) (attached to this profile as a source)[11]
Aaron Burleson in Jackson County, Mississippi (60 - 69 years old)
Alvah Burleson in Branch County, Michigan (40 - 49 years old)
Aaron Burlison in Warren County, Tennessee (20 - 29 years old)
Azar Burlisson in Chenango County, New York (80 - 90 years old)
Aaron Burlison in Posey County, Indiana (50 - 59 years old)
A Burleson in Marion County, Alabama (60 - 69 years old)
Aaron Burlison in Yancey County, North Carolina (60 - 69 years old)
A R Burleson in Marion County, Alabama (20 - 29 years old)
Unknown Male in 1810 and 1820 Censuses
Simeon's household includes an unknown male in the 1810 and 1820 U.S. Federal Censuses:
1810 - 1 male age 0 - 9 years (born 1801 - 1810).
1820 - 1 male age 19 - 25 years (born 1795 - 1801).
Based on these two censuses, and assuming it is the same individual in both censuses, this appears to be someone who was born about 1801. There is insufficient evidence to make any educated guesses about the identify of this individual (or individuals). Some theories, however, come to mind:
A younger sibling.
A nephew.
A son, possibly with Mary Ledford, or possibly from a previous wife or other relationship.
Children
Analysis of early censuses supports that Simeon and Mary had at least eleven children. Simeon's estate settlement supports the existence of eight of his children. The three youngest children, however, were not referenced in his estate settlement[5].
Jonathan - A source supporting Jonathan as a son of Simeon and Mary has not yet been located. It is frequently assumed by other researchers that the Jonathan Burleson who married Nancy Garland was the son of Simeon and Mary.
Malcolm - In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Malcolm's household includes an elderly woman named Mary. This is assumed to be his widowed mother, Mary Ledford[10].
Jane - A source supporting Jane as a daughter of Simeon and Mary has not yet been located. It is frequently assumed by other researchers that the Jane Burleson who married Hampton Chrisenberry Garland was the daughter of Simeon and Mary.
Previous Sources
On 30 August 2023 this profile included three sources that were appended at the bottom of the biography and not related to any specific facts.
The URLs in these sources all led to Rootsweb websites, and have been preserved as they were written on 30 August 2023. These Rootsweb websites are no longer accessible. Ancestry retired rootsweb WorldConnect family trees on 15 April 2023, with the intention of converting them to a collection available within Ancestry later in 2023[12].
↑ "United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8S3-5TV : 8 March 2021), Thomas Burleson, 1890; citing NARA microfilm publication M123 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 338,254.
↑"A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region". Goodspeed Brothers, 1894. Page 342, Martha (Burleson) Wilson wife of I. C. Wilson, deceased 1875.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships.
It is likely that these
autosomal DNA
test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Simeon:
Hello! I was hoping that someone on the Trusted List for Simeon Burleson could complete the merge of a duplicate Simeon profile into this profile. There won't be much to clean-up after the merge, but I am happy to do it once the merge is approved. Note that the duplicate Simeon is attached to its own version of Simeon's wife, Mary Ledford, and one of their children, Martha. After this merge is approved, it will look like Simeon was married twice, to two different Mary Ledfords. Those two Mary Ledfords will eventually also get merged into a single profile.
Burleson-1932 and Burleson-749 appear to represent the same person because: I found Burleson-1932 while searching for children profiles. Burleson-1932 is attached to a another version of his wife, Mary Anna Ledford (Ledford-1290) and a profile for daughter Martha (Burleson-795). Burleson-1932 is not well developed, but is clearly a duplicate of Burleson-749. After merging these two Simeon profiles I will initiate a merge of the two Mary Anna Ledford profiles.
Burleson-1284 and Burleson-749 appear to represent the same person because: same parents, no sources for dates, wife listed on Burleson-749 is attached to Burleson-1284
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