The First Annual Peter Burr Family Descendants Reunion has been scheduled for October 1619, 2008. The location will be at the historic Peter Burr Farm in Jefferson County, West
Virginia.
This will be far more than a reunion. All events will relate directly to the life and times of Peter
Burr and will be designed to give participants a better perspective of who that ancestor was and
why he was important. The event will give participants an incredible hands-on experience of
the life and importance of the "missing-link" ancestor, who disappeared from Fairfield, CT
records and showed up in the wilderness of what is now West Virginia more than 10 years
before the great migration into the area. Details about the area as well as the possible
motivation for Peter Burr's migration will be forth coming via two tools to be put into place: a
website and a newsletter.
The website will be in place (we hope) by the end of January. It will contain reunion
information plus much more. The website will focus on the progress of the Peter Burr House
and the associated Living History Farm. It will also focus on the Friends of Peter Burr, an
organization created to facilitate and support the on-going efforts of the Living History Farm
and the associated educational programs. The website will also contain sections on genealogy
for ancestors of Peter Burr as well as descendants. It will contain info on the Burr DNA project
currently in process. We also have plans for a discussion forum that will allow visitors to the
website to seek answers to their questions.
Below are links to useful websites for those who are interested in knowing more about the
Peter Burr House and Living History Farm. When our website is up and running we will be
able to post recent pictures of the house with restoration updates and other sites and documents
We plan to include some info about Aaron Burr during the Friday tour. Aaron is the person
who introduced Dolly Todd to James Madison. Their marriage took place very near the site of
the reunion in a house known as Harewood. It was built by George Washington's brother
Samuel and remains today in possession of Walter Washington, one of Samuel Washington's
descendants. I would like to find out whether or not Aaron Burr attended that wedding.
Someone in the Aaron Burr Association (ABA) may have that information.
Also, Aaron Burr's father, Rev. Aaron Burr, was the brother to the Peter Burr who built the
house where the reunion will take place. We are interested in discovering the motivation for
Peter Burr and his son (also named Peter) to move westward and build in the area prior to the
period of greater migration of others into the area. We’re exploring more about the Great
Awakening that occurred just prior to the two Peter Burrs building in the area. It has been
suggested that there may have been some religious motivation. We wonder if any of the people
in the ABA have any info on that subject.
We are particularly interested in any info on the younger Aaron interacting with his Peter Burr
relatives, and the elder Aaron's time spent in Fairfield, CT and interactions with his siblings
and cousins and other family members. For both of these men, I'm looking for indications that
may lead to certain motivations that relate back to Peter Burr or his motivation. Surely, Aaron
Jr. visited with his cousin on occasions when he visited in the area near what is now
Charlestown.
While the reunion is for descendants of the younger Peter Burr, we would be pleased to have
any members of the ABA attend. Just have them contact me, so I can include them on my
mailing list for additional information. My e-mail address is: bjoycecole@gmail.com
Links:
Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission – click on Peter Burr House for details and
Master Plan (current as of 2007)
http://www.jeffersoncountyhlc.org/nationalregister.html
Map showing location of the Peter Burr House in relationship to other sites in the county:
http://www.washingtonheritagetrail.org/whtmapspages/jeffersonco.asp