Burk, Burks, Burke, Burkes, Bourk, Bourke, Birk, Birks, Berk, Burgh, de Burgh DNA Project- Background

Background

Burk-Burks-Burke-Burkes-Birkes-Bourke-Bourke-de Burgh-Burgh, etc DNA Surnames Project

During the early spring of 2004, Jean McCullough and Don Burks decided to begin a project using DNA technology to enhance our genealogy research. We both descend from William Carroll Burks, a son of James Lyon Burks.

In our instance, much mystery surrounds the origins of James Lyon Burks, some say his parents were a John Burks and wife Mary from Amherst County, Virginia. Others state that he was the son of a John or James Lyon and a daughter of John Peartree Burks and that he and his brothers (William and Chesley by most sources) were raised by their grandfather (many family souces say John Peartree Burks was the grandfather) and that they assumed the Burks name.

Are we Burks or are we Lyon? Which story is truth and which is fiction? By using DNA technology we perhaps can answer this and many other questions.

James Lyon Burks was born 1791 at location unknown and died 1866 in Scott Co, MS. William Carroll Burks was born Talbot County, GA in 1819 and died in Hamilton County, TX in 1904.

In all James Lyon Burks fathered 14 children with his first wife, Martha "Patsy" Robinson, 3 with his second wife Nancy Hutcheson and 3 with a third wife, Eunice Fleming for a total of 20 children.

Our interest centers around this line of Burks, but we are interested in ALL spellings of this surname in hopes of learning more about our common ancestors.