Significance of Peter Burr &
Why Have the Peter Burr Society?

Peter Burr (1727-1795) migrated from Fairfield, CT to the upper Shenandoah Valley about 1750. Descendants from Burr's 13 children are finding each other and growing into a nationwide family network. We invite descendants of Peter Burr and other supportive friends to join us in finding, collecting, and organizing our family history and helping to support the preservation of the c. 1751 Peter Burr House (the oldest standing wooden structure in WV and a rare treasure for both the family and local community).

About 1748-50 Peter Burr with his young wife began to settle in the area that is now Jefferson Co, WV. In 1751 their home was substantially completed. Immediately, their lives became focused not only on clearing and working the land but also on external events that consumed their focus and no doubt created concerns for the lives and future of the young family. These events include:

* The French and Indian War (1754-1763)
* Peter Burr's first four children were born (1756-1763)
* The smallpox epidemic (1759-1760)
* Two more of Peter Burr's children were born (1765-1767) including his first son born 16 years after Peter began clearing the land
* Expansion period (1768, 2 Indian treaties open frontier for growth)
* The Revolutionary War (1774-1783)
* Seven more children were born to Peter Burr (1772-1785)
* Continental Congress and early founding of our nation (1774-1787)
* James Rumsey successfully demos the 1st steamboat locally (1787), years before Robert Fulton got credit
* George Washington elected President of the United States (1789)
* Aaron Burr wins a US Senate seat (1791)
* James Madison marries Dolly Payne at Harewood (1794)
* Peter Burr dies (1795)

Join our Yahoo group and help us share info as it becomes available, communicate ideas, and stay in touch with each other in an open interactive format. Please help us to keep communication flowing and the network growing.