Source: History of Boone County, Indiana, by Hon. L.M. Crist, 1914.
DAVID M. BURNS There is no profession in life of more importance
and usefulness
than that of surveyor and civil engineer. Until a country is surveyed,
and the towns, roads
and ditches laid out, there is no system in its settlement, and
its crooked by-paths and by-
roads of the early settlers marks its state of uncivilization.
With the surveyor comes
system and prosperity. Another vocation of equal importance and
civilization is that of
the school teacher and it is safe to say that without his efforts,
the people of the United
States would have lapsed into barbarism, or at least would have
retrograded from the
condition of their European ancestors. David M. Burns, our subject,
has honored both of
these professions and his life is marked by his efforts as a public
benefactor. He springs
from sterling Scotch ancestry. John Burns, the grandfather of
our subject was a
descendant of the famous Scotch Presbyterian covenanters who fled
from Scotland to
Ireland on account of religious persecution. The founders of the
family in America were
three brothers--John, Andrew and one whose name is not remembered.
John was the
original pioneer, coming before his brothers and settling in Pennsylvania
a short time
before the Revolutionary war. He served throughout that war, nearly
eight years, and was
in the battles of Trenton, Camden and many others. He was wounded
in the arm at the
battle of Brandywine and was one of those heroes who passed through
the terrible winter
with Washington at Valley Forge. He married Catherine Gray and
settled in Nicholas
county, Kentucky, among the pioneers, a short time after the Revolutionary
war. Here he
cleared up a farm in the wilderness and his home was blessed with
ten children--William,
John, James, David, Andrew, Jennie, Polly, Robert, Thomas and
Joseph. He became an
extensive landowner and gave all the children good farms. He lived
to be seventy-four
years of age and both he and wife were members of the Presbyterian
church. In political
opinions he was an old-time Whig. He was a typical American pioneer
and a man of high
character. I Andrew Burns, father of our subject, was born in
Nicholas county,
Kentucky, August 29, 1795. He had more than an ordinary education
for his time and
taught school in Kentucky for many years, and also taught vocal
music. He married
Nancy, daughter of Archibald and Jane (Farris) Brown. After marriage
Mr. Burns settled
in Nicholas county, Kentucky, on a farm adjoining his father's.
In 1834 he moved to
Orange county, Indiana, and in 1836 he came to Boone county and
settled on a farm two
miles north of Lebanon. He died two years later, on his forty-third
birthday. He was a
hard-working pioneer citizen. He and wife were members of the
Presbyterian church. Mr.
Burns was a man of stanch virtues. His children are--John B.,
Archibald, William W.,
David M., and Elvira F., all born in Nicholas county, Kentucky.
David M. Burns, our subject, was born in Nicholas county, Kentucky,
on his father's
farm, February 10, 1832, and was but two and one-half years of
age when his father
settled in Indiana. After the death of his father his mother returned
to Kentucky, and
afterward married Jonathan Parish, and one son was born to this
union--Jonathan M. Mrs.
Parish was accidentally killed by the discharge of a gun, May
27, 1845.
David M. Burns received a common school education, and then
attended a select school
in Montgomery county, Kentucky, and afterward at Sharpsburg academy,
his cousin,
James Harvey Burns, being his teacher at both institutions. The
professor was a graduate
of Georgetown college and an educator of wide abilities and experience.
David M. Burns
began teaching at Wren's school-house in the select school of
his cousin, as an assistant,
when he was nineteen years of age, and afterward taught in Nicholas
county one year. On
July 1, 1852, he married, in Nicholas county, Kentucky, Elgiva
J., daughter of Thomas
and Jane (Grimes) Clark. Mr. Clark was from an old American family
of German stock,
was an old settler of Nicholas county, a prominent farmer and
justice of the peace and a
class leader in the Methodist church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Burns two children were born--Mollie C., who
married Dr. Eli L.
Brown, of Thorntown, and Nancy E., who married Thomas W. Huckstep,
a surveyor and
civil engineer of Lebanon. Both the daughters were born in Boone
county, where Mr.
Burns settled in October, 1852, on the farm first occupied by
his father. Mr. Burns lived
on this farm until 1855, then resided in Lebanon until 1857, and
then lived on his farm
until 1886. He then returned to Lebanon where he resided until
his death. He taught
school the winter of 1853 in Washington township and in 1855 was
principal of a
department of the schools at Lebanon. He was principal of the
public schools at
Thorntown in the years 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, and during
this time was
appointed deputy county surveyor of Boone county in 1858 and was
elected county
surveyor in 1860 and held this important office until 1876, the
long period of sixteen
years, a deputy serving under him while he was in the army. Mr.
Burns was principal of
the High school of Lebanon until December 10, 1863, on which date
he enlisted at
Lebanon in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment (Eleventh
Cavalry),
under Capt. Mason S. Hamilton, Col. Robert Stewart. His service
was principally in
Alabama, where he served one year, when he was taken sick from
exposure, and was in
hospital at Nashville, Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis,
and was honorably
discharged at the latter place on account of disability, April
17th, 1865. On returning to
Lebanon he resumed teaching, and the winter of 1865-6 he taught
at Mechanicsburg and
the next winter at Thorntown. He taught the high grade of the
Lebanon public schools in
1870, which completed his career as a teacher, after the long
service of nearly twenty
years. He was county surveyor from 1860 to 1876 and either attended
to his duties
personally or employed a deputy. As surveyor of Boone county for
this long period he
surveyed and laid out many important ditches and roads, and was
especially active in his
work in the gravel roads. He done the work of civil engineer for
the city of Lebanon from
its organization for years. He was city engineer in 1895 and was
assisted by his son-in-
law, Thomas W. Huckstep from 1875. Mrs. Burns died November 12,
1881, and Mr.
Burns married Margaret J., daughter of John and Sarah (Peck) Richey.
Mr. Richey was
born in New York, reared in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was
one of the early pioneers
of Boone county, coming from Ohio and locating in Tippecanoe county
in 1828; and in
1835 he came to Boone county, where he entered his land in Washington
township. He
became an honored citizen, township trustee and a substantial
farmer. He had one son in
the Civil war, James. Mr. Richey lived to be seventy-eight years
old, and died August 12,
1883, on his farm.
Mr. Burns was one of the most prominent Masons in Boone county.
He was a member of
Boone Lodge No. 9, and held the offices of senior deacon, junior
warden, and master at
different times from 1876 for about eight years. He was also a
member of the chapter--a
royal arch mason and was high priest, an office which he filled
with the exception of. one
year upward of twenty years. He was a member of the royal and
select masters and also
illustrious master. He was also a Knight Templar, Frankfort Commandery.
Mr. Burns was
also a member of the Scottish Rite, Indiana consistory of Indianapolis,
which includes the
thirty-second degree. Mr. Burns was grand chaplain of the grand
chapter of the state of
Indiana and held that office for years. He was also chaplain of
the grand council of royal
and select masters from 1888 to 1893. He was chaplain of the order
of high priests of the
state of Indiana. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burns were members of the
Eastern Star, a Masonic
body, and Mr. Burns worthy patron for four years. He and wife
were members of the
Presbyterian church, in which he had been elder for a long period.
Mr. Burns was a
member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Rich Mountain Post No.
42, Lebanon, and
was post commander. By perseverance and good management, Mr. Burns
succeeded
financially and was in prosperous circumstances and was highly
respected in Boone
county as an honest citizen. His best roll of honor was the names
of his former pupils,
many of whom are now prominent citizens and whom he assisted to
become more
efficient men and women. He died October 10, 1910.
BROWN BURNS CLARK FARRIS GRAY GRIMES HUCKSTEP PARISH PECK
RICHEY
Submitted by Amy K Davis
